How to Take a Quick Day Trip from Lefkada to Meganisi (Without a Car)

It’s really easy to take a day trip from Nydri to the small island of Meganisi (also spelt Meganissi) whilst you’re staying in Lefkada. Here’s how to do it.

There’s a local car ferry boat from the main harbour in Nydri to Spilia port in Meganisi.

You can’t miss the ferry – it’s one of the biggest boats in Nydri. There’s a small kiosk right next to it that will have the timetables taped up inside. I didn’t actually see anyone manning the kiosk whilst I was there – tickets were purchased when you get on the ship.

The ferry runs every day but the number of crossings varies throughout the season. When I was there in July there were 6 crossings per day but in the winter it goes down to 3 crossings per day. Tickets were €1.70 each way for a foot passenger and €12.90 for a car. The crossing takes just 25 minutes.

You can find timetables and pricing on the Meganisi ferry boat website.

Spilia is a small harbour at the foot of Spartochori, the main village on Meganisi. The boat also used to run to Vathy which is the island’s second port and village but it doesn’t any more (much to the confusion of several regulars on board the boat).

Instead, there’s a connecting bus. You’ll have to be quick though as it fills up with locals (it’s a small minibus). It sometimes goes via Spartochori or Katomeri. There doesn’t seem to be an online timetable.

So if you’re visiting without a car then it’s easiest to stick to the Spartochori vicinity.

Meganisi is a very laid-back and beautiful place. It’s lush and green with little in the way of development. There’s not much in Spilia except boat rental, a mini market, and a beachfront taverna called Porto Spilia. It has a nice little beach with sun loungers to rent – this was actually one of my favourite places to swim.

It’s a steep (and sweaty) 15-minute walk uphill to Spartochori, just continue along the main road from the port until it zigzags up. Thankfully most of the road is shaded.

It will be worth it once you get a cold drink from Summer Sun (I had some kind of delicious peach and orange slushy thing) which has a shaded terrace with an amazing view. The cafe is right next to a fine lookout point.

Spartochori is pretty tiny – it won’t take you long to explore. There’s a small handful of shops and amenities, a couple of tavernas, and a pizzeria in Spartochori for those planning lunch.

By now you’ll probably want a cool dip in the sea so I recommend heading back downhill to the coastal road and then keep going right until you see a beach.

Here you’ll find the blissful Agrios Beach Bar plus Taverna Spilia (which is completely covered so ample shade) and a small yacht harbour. Agrios has a tropical beach vibe with its bright yellow bean bags, seagrass parasols, hammocks in the sea, and Bali beds. It was playing good chilled-out electronic music when I was there. I didn’t eat there but the food looked pretty good and the staff were friendly.

This was one of the best beach bars I visited during my trip – good vibes, not too busy, and plenty of space on the beach (and I visited on a Saturday). It made a pleasant change from the beach bars on Lefkada which can feel too commercial. I’d come back just to chill out on this beach.

The beach here is pebbles (some a bit sharp and there are some scrappy parts of the beach) and the sea gets deep quickly. It’s a delicious shade of emerald thanks to the surrounding greenery.

Pedalos are available.

I spent a leisurely half day on Meganisi and then hopped back over to Nydri. Unfortunately, the ferries don’t run late enough to allow for dinner here.

But it was enough of a taster to make me want to come back and spend a few days, preferably with a car (or maybe an e-bike).

If you’re feeling energetic and it’s not too hot then it’s only an hour’s walk around the coast to Vathy.

Until next time, Meganisi!