Ionian Bound: Kefalonia, Ithaca, Meganisi, Lefkada and Preveza — A Three-Week Itinerary

A three-week itinerary covering Kefalonia, Ithaca, Meganisi, Lefkada and Preveza by flight, ferry and bus. Car hire may be needed for some destinations (Ithaca). Best time: May. Highlights: the Melissani Lake on Kefalonia, the land of Odysseus on Ithaca, the charming village of Spartochori on Meganisi, MS Christina boat trip to the forgotten islands of Kastos and Kalamos, the Dance of Zalongo, Ancient Nicopolis, and a mainland Epirus finale.

This journey starts on Greece’s largest Ionian island and ends on the mainland in Epirus, taking in two smaller islands that many visitors to the region never reach and a stretch of coast with more history per kilometre than almost anywhere else in Greece. It is designed for independent travellers who are comfortable with ferries, buses and flexible schedules. No car is needed at any point, though hiring one on Kefalonia would open up more of the island.

Three weeks might sound generous for this region. It is not. The ferry connections require planning, the bus services run to their own rhythms, and the best discoveries – a locked museum opened by appointment, a submarine cave, a cliff-top monument at the top of 410 steps reward those who stay long enough to find them.

What Makes This Itinerary Special

Kefalonia
The largest of the Ionian islands and the sixth largest in Greece. Argostoli is a working town with a lagoon running through its centre, a good bus network and straightforward ferry connections. The north of the island covers turtles, caves and mountain villages and can be done on a guided day tour. One night in Sami at the end puts you in the right place for the morning ferry to Ithaca.
Ithaca
A small island carrying the weight of one of literature’s most enduring stories. Vathy is the main town, set at the head of a long sheltered bay. The north of the island, covered on a tour with Ithaca Travel, includes the villages, the Homeric sites and some of the best scenery in the Ionians. Dexia Beach is a short walk from Vathy and worth the effort. I hate to admit it, but this island really needs a car.
Meganisi
A small island just off the coast of Lefkada with three villages, seven daily ferry crossings to Nidri and little tourist infrastructure. Spartochori is the highest village. Scorpios View apartment has a direct view of Onassis’s former island. The island is worth an overnight stay rather than a day trip.
Lefkada – Nidri
Nidri is Lefkada’s main boat trip hub. It is busy and tourist-focused but gives access to islands that are otherwise very difficult to reach. The MS Christina runs a daily cruise to Kastos and Kalamos, two small islands with forty permanent residents between them. The Nidri waterfall is four kilometres inland and worth the walk. Lefkada Town and Agia Mavra Castle are forty minutes by bus.
Preveza
A mainland town at the entrance to the Ambracian Gulf with a Venetian clock tower, a Roman sarcophagus fountain, two fortresses built by Ali Pasha and the remains of Ancient Nicopolis nearby. The base for day trips to the Dance of Zalongo monument, the mountains of Tzoumerka, the Bridge of Arta and Koronissia lagoon. Epirus Traveller, based in Ioannina, arranges guided excursions throughout the region.

The Route at a Glance

Route: Manchester → Kefalonia → Ithaca → Meganisi → Lefkada → Preveza → Manchester
Duration: 20 nights, 3 weeks (May 2025)
Transport: TUI flight to Kefalonia, Jet2 flight home from Preveza, Ionio Pelagos ferry Sami to Ithaca, Lefkada Palace ferry Ithaca to Meganisi, Meganisi ferry to Nidri, KTEL bus Nidri to Preveza via Lefkada Town
Best Time: May offers warm weather, manageable crowds and all ferry services operating. Avoid winter when services reduce dramatically. September and October are also good though some boat trips wind down.
Who It’s For: Independent travellers comfortable with slow travel and ferry schedules, history enthusiasts, those who want to see the Ionians beyond Corfu and Santorini, couples and solo travellers

Throughout this post you will find links to the full travel diary posts. Click through to follow the journey as it unfolded.

The Destination-by-Destination Itinerary

Days 1-6: Kefalonia — Argostoli and Sami

Getting There: Direct flight Manchester to Kefalonia with TUI and other popular airlines. Also possible via Athens with Aegean or Sky Express.
Getting Around: KTEL Kefalonia bus service connects the main towns. A guided day tour is the most efficient way to cover the north of the island if you prefer not to hire a car.
Where to Stay — My Personal Recommendation:
Portogal Apartments, Argostoli — large, newly refurbished, central and quiet despite the location. Host Mado lives upstairs and is extremely helpful. Washing machine included.
Mary’s Studios and Apartment, Sami — one night, perfectly adequate for the purpose.
Don’t Miss: The Koutavos Lagoon walk, the Argostoli sinkholes and Lighthouse of Agios Theodoros, the north of the island tour (turtles, Melissani Cave, Myrtos Beach), Lassi beach and the Drogarati Cave.
The Reality Check: Bus services run to a limited pre-season timetable in May. Check the timetable at the bus station on arrival rather than relying on online schedules. Kefalonia has five ports, which makes it well connected but means planning connections carefully.
Onward Travel Connection: KTEL bus from Argostoli to Sami. Ferry from Sami to Ithaca (Piso Aetos) with Ionio Pelagos

🏨Book Portogal Apartments, Argostoli
🏨Book Mary’s Studios, Sami

🚌KTEL Kefalonia Bus Timetable
🚢 Ionion Pelagos Ferries

Read the blog posts:
Arrival on Kefalonia — Exploring Argostoli
Circumnavigating the Koutavos Lagoon
Turtles, Caves and Just One Cornetto — A Whistle Stop Tour of North Kefalonia
Over the Hill to Lassi — a Well Deserved Beach Day
One Night in Sami — Where the Mountains Meet the Sea

Days 7-10: Ithaca — Vathy

The ferry crossing from Sami to Piso Aetos on Ithaca takes about thirty minutes. Vathy, the island’s capital, sits at the head of a long sheltered bay and has the setting without overplaying it. The north of the island, best covered with a guide or hired car, gives the visit its depth — the villages, the Homeric connections, the landscape that shaped one of literature’s most enduring metaphors for the journey home.

Getting Around: Car hire as there is no bus service. Taxi for day trips or a tour. Ithaca Travel in Vathy offers guided tours of the north.
Where to Stay — My Personal Recommendation: Maroudas Stavros Apartments, Vathy – comfortable and well located for the waterfront and the town centre.
Don’t Miss: Vathy harbour and backstreets, the Metropolitan Church, the north of the island tour with Ithaca Travel, Dexia (Dexa) Beach walk.
The Reality Check: The north of the island is best seen with local knowledge rather than independently. Ithaca Travel’s tour covers a lot of ground quickly. A hired car would allow more time in each place.
Onward Travel Connection: Lefkada Palace ferry from Piso Aetos to Lefkada, 1030-1315, €15 per person.

🏨 Book Maroudas Stavros Apartments, Vathy

Read the blog posts:
As You Set Out for Ithaka, Hope Your Road is a Long One
Walking to Dexia (Dexa) Beach — And Breathe
Ithaca — a Whistle Stop Tour of the North
Leaving Ithaca and a Taste of Meganisi
Exploring Vathy — Backstreets and Beyond

Day 11-12: Meganisi

Meganisi was the surprise of the trip. The ferry from Ithaca calls at Meganisi on the way to Lefkada. Spartochori is the highest of the island’s three settlements, and the taxi from the port winds up a pine-clad road to the village centre. From there, the view over Skorpios is reason enough to stay.

The island is small, and almost none of the tourist infrastructure of neighbouring Nidri. Day trippers return to Lefkada by early evening and the island reclaims itself. Worth the impromptu overnight stay many people skip.

Getting Around: Walkable. The only taxi on the island can be arranged through your accommodation. Seven daily crossings between Meganisi and Nidri from early morning until 1830.
Where to Stay — My Personal Recommendation: Scorpios View, Spartochori — exactly what the name suggests. The view of Skorpios from the terrace at golden hour is worth the narrow cobbled streets required to reach it.
Don’t Miss: The view of Skorpios, Vathy harbour on Meganisi, the walk between the island’s villages.
The Reality Check: The streets in Spartochori are too narrow for wheeled luggage in places. Pack accordingly or be prepared to carry.
Onward Travel Connection: Meganisi ferry to Nidri, Lefkada. Seven daily crossings until 1830, journey approximately 25 minutes, €1.70 per person.

🏨 Book Scorpios View, Spartochori, Meganisi

🚢 Ferry Boat Meganisi II Schedule

Read the blog posts:
Leaving Ithaca and a Taste of Meganisi
A Spin Around Vathy and Leaving Meganisi

Days 12-15: Lefkada — Nidri

Nidri was never the destination. It was the means to one. As Lefkada’s main boat trip hub, it offers access to islands that are otherwise very difficult to reach, and for that purpose it serves its function well. The waterfall four kilometres inland is the discovery nobody at the harbour bothers to mention.

Getting Around: On foot for the town and waterfall. Boat trips depart from the main harbour. KTEL Lefkadas bus to Lefkada Town approximately every one to two hours, €3.50 per person.
Where to Stay — My Personal Recommendation: Smile Inn, Nidri — set just off the main strip near the church and the bus stop, surprisingly quiet and friendly. Worth noting: if you have a car, Agios Nikitas on the west coast of Lefkada is a considerably more attractive base.
Don’t Miss: The Nidri waterfall (4km inland, worth every step), Lefkada Town and Agia Mavra Castle (bus from Nidri, €3.50 per person), the MS Christina boat trip to Kastos and Kalamos.
The MS Christina — The Forgotten Islands of Kastos and Kalamos
Find their stand on the Nidri harbour front. Subject to minimum numbers — confirm the evening before departure.
The Reality Check: Nidri is busy, professionally so. If you are not there for the boat trips, there are better bases on Lefkada. The MS Christina trip is subject to numbers — confirm before building your itinerary around it.
Onward Travel Connection: KTEL bus from Nidri to Lefkada Town, €3.50 per person. Connect to Preveza bus, €5 per person. Journey approximately 40 minutes from Lefkada Town.

🏨 Book the Smile Inn, Nidri

🚌 ktel-lefkadas.gr.

🎟️MS Christina at lefkadacruises.com

Read the blog posts:
From Meganisi to Nidri: Waterfalls, Goats and Hunting for Boat Trips
Lefkada Town: A Floating Bridge, a Medieval Fort and Church Bell Towers that Move
The MS Christina and the Forgotten Islands: Why Nidri Was Worth It After All

Days 16-20: Preveza

Preveza deserves more attention than it gets from visitors to the Ionians. Sitting at the entrance to the Ambracian Gulf, it has been strategically contested for three thousand years and the evidence of that is everywhere: a Venetian clock tower missing its original bell, a fountain built from a Roman sarcophagus, a cobbled alley named Devil’s Bazaar, two fortresses built by Ali Pasha in the same year, and the remains of the city Augustus founded to commemorate his victory at the Battle of Actium.

It is also the ideal base for discovering Epirus.

Getting Around: Preveza old town is walkable. KTEL buses for day trips. Epirus Traveller arranges guided excursions throughout Epirus.

Where to Stay — My Personal Recommendation: Hotel Avra, Preveza — simple accommodation with a superb harbour-front location. The balcony view at golden hour over the Ambracian Gulf is worth the basic rooms. Book early as harbourfront rooms are limited.
Where to Eat:
Ventura fish taverna — tucked into one of the prettiest alleyways in the old town. Recommended by Ioannis. Exceptionally good.
Taverna Psatha — point at what is in the trays. We went back twice.
Restaurant Ionio, Pantokratoros — at the far end of the headland walk, below the fortress.
Don’t Miss: The old town and waterfront, the Venetian clock tower and sarcophagus fountain, Saitan Bazaar, the headland walk to Pantokratoras Fortress (allow two hours), the Dance of Zalongo, Ancient Nicopolis, the Tzoumerka day trip.
Day Trips with Epirus Traveller:
Ioannis and Angeliki of Epirus Traveller are based in Ioannina and know this region exceptionally well. Contact them directly to discuss what is possible from Preveza. The two days arranged through them were among the best of the entire trip.
The Reality Check: Preveza is a mainland Greek town, not an island resort. It rewards those who slow down. Give it more time than you think you need.
Onward Travel Connection: Fly home from Preveza/Aktio Airport. Taxi from Preveza town to airport €15. Jet2 serve Manchester. Check current routes carefully as Preveza Airport serves limited destinations.

🏨 Book Hotel Avra, Preveza

🎟️ Epirus Traveller

Read the blog posts:
Ioannis Was Right: Why Preveza Deserves More Than Four Nights
Beyond Preveza Town: A Walk That Spans Three Thousand Years
Preveza to Tzoumerka: Mountain Villages, Wax Figures, Cliff Monasteries and the Largest Stone Bridge in the Balkans
The Dance and Song of Zalongo: The Story of the Women of Souli
Bridges, Lagoons and Roman Ruins: A Day in Epirus with Epirus Traveller

Budget

Total Cost: approximately £1,830
(20 nights, two travellers sharing, May 2025)

This includes flights, accommodation, ferries, buses, airport transfer and the MS Christina boat trip. It does NOT include daily meals, local transport within towns, museum entries, guided excursions or sundries.

✈️ Flights: £645.08
Manchester to Kefalonia with TUI: £349.50
Preveza to Manchester with Jet2: £295.58

🏨 Accommodation: €1,188.45 (20 nights, two sharing)
Kefalonia, Argostoli — Portogal Apartments, 5 nights: €282
Kefalonia, Sami — Mary’s Studios and Apartment, 1 night: €62
Ithaca — Maroudas Stavros Apartments, 4 nights: €208
Meganisi — Scorpios View, 1 night: €89.45
Lefkada, Nidri — Smile Inn, 5 nights: €222
Preveza — Hotel Avra, 5 nights: €325

⛴️ Ferries: €49.40 (two people)
Sami to Ithaca (Ionio Pelagos): €10 (€5 per person)
Ithaca to Lefkada (Lefkada Palace): €30 (€15 per person)
Meganisi to Nidri: €9.40 (€4.70 per person)

🚌 Buses: €27 (two people)
Nidri to Lefkada Town: €7 (€3.50 per person)
Lefkada Town to Preveza: €10 (€5 per person)

🚕 Transfer: €15
Preveza town to Preveza/Aktio Airport: €15

🚢 Boat Trips: €104 (two people)
MS Christina, Kastos and Kalamos: €104

🗺️ Guided Excursions with Epirus Traveller
Contact Epirus Traveller directly for pricing.

What’s NOT Included:
Daily meals and drinks — budget €25-40 per day for two
Local transport within towns and islands
Museum and archaeological site entries
Additional boat trips
Taxis including Piso Aetos to Vathy and on Meganisi
Sundries

The Bottom Line:
Three weeks exploring the Ionian islands and mainland Epirus for approximately £1,830 for two people including flights. That works out at around £90 per day for two, covering flights, ferries, buses and accommodation across six different locations. The Ionians and Epirus reward slow travel — and prove that an itinerary that takes you well beyond the tourist trail remains remarkably affordable.

Is This Trip Right for You?

This itinerary is perfect if you:

• Want to explore the Ionians beyond the obvious destinations
• Are comfortable with ferries, buses and flexible schedules
• Value history and archaeology alongside the beach experience
• Want to include mainland Greece in an island-hopping itinerary
• Are travelling as a couple or solo

Think twice if you:

• Need reliable, frequent transport connections
• Prefer beach-focused holidays with tourist infrastructure
• Are travelling with young children and need predictable schedules
• Want to stay in one place for the whole trip
• Are uncomfortable with occasional uncertainty around ferry timings and boat trip numbers

Final Thoughts

Three weeks. Five destinations. One route that takes in history, scenery, beaches, great food and enough to occupy the most demanding travellers.

This trip covered the Ionians from the largest island to some of the smallest, from Greece’s busiest boat trip harbour to a mainland city most island hoppers never reach. It included a monument at the top of 410 steps that left me speechless, a wax museum unlike anything I had seen before, a boat trip to islands that barely appear on maps, and a lunch at a friend’s house that ended the trip in the best possible way.

The Ionians are well known. Preveza and Epirus are not, at least not yet. That combination – familiar islands used as a stepping stone into mainland territory is what makes this route work.

Ioannis and Angeliki of Epirus Traveller were the thread that ran through the Epirus section. If you are planning time in this part of Greece, contact them.

They make your lifetime memories.

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