Getting from Symi to Lefkada

If you are heading to Lefkada from Symi you are making your way from one of the most beautiful harbour towns in the Dodecanese to an island in the Ionian Sea connected to the mainland by a causeway, on the opposite side of Greece. It has some of the finest beaches in Europe on its west coast with sheer white limestone cliffs dropping to turquoise water.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Symi to Lefkada. No Dodecanese island is connected by sea to any Ionian island. Lefkada has no main ferry port as it is linked to the mainland by a floating bridge. Getting there means taking the ferry from Symi to Rhodes, which takes around 50 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes and runs multiple times daily, and then flying from Rhodes to Athens and driving or taking the KTEL bus northwest to Lefkada via Patras and Preveza, which takes around 5 hours from Athens.

Getting there by air

Lefkada has no airport. The nearest airport is Preveza, around 22 kilometres from Lefkada Town. Symi has no airport. The nearest airport is Rhodes. Taking the ferry from Symi to Rhodes, flying from Rhodes to Athens and then driving or taking the KTEL bus northwest to Lefkada gives a total journey time of around 8 to 9 hours. In Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights.

Your best option

Take the ferry from Symi to Rhodes and fly from Rhodes to Athens, then drive or take the KTEL bus northwest to Lefkada via Patras and Preveza. Having a car makes this route considerably more practical and gives you the freedom to explore Lefkada's spectacular west coast beaches. Note that Symi is car-free so if you are traveling with a car it would already be in Rhodes, from where you can board the overnight Piraeus ferry in reverse and drive northwest to Lefkada.