A car hire in Vasiliki is the practical way to reach Lefkada's west-coast beaches. Porto Katsiki is 15.1 km from Vasiliki, on a road OpenStreetMap maps as asphalt. A short rent a car booking from one of the three Vasiliki offices researched for this guide covers the rest of Lefkada and the car ferry to Kefalonia. A taxi from Preveza airport is estimated unofficially at roughly €85–120. KTEL Lefkadas bus timetable, Lefkada Town ↔ Vasiliki (posted on ktel-lefkadas.gr, checked 13 September 2026): Direction — Monday–Friday — Saturday — Sunday. Lefkada Town → Vasiliki — 05:40, 09:30, 11:00 (Mondays only), 14:30 — 05:40, 09:30, 14:00 — 09:30, 14:00. Vasiliki → Lefkada Town — 07:00, 11:00, 13:45 (Mondays only), 16:15 — 07:00, 11:00, 15:45 — 11:00, 15:45. A car-free day trip from Vasiliki into Lefkada Town works on the 07:00 or 11:00 bus out, with the last bus back at 14:30 on weekdays (14:00 at weekends) — the checked KTEL timetable covers Lefkada Town ↔ Vasiliki; it does not list the west-coast beaches. This guide lines up the drive times measured from Vasiliki itself, the ferry rules for taking a hire car to Kefalonia, and the Vasiliki-based rental offices in one place — if you're weighing a different base on the island, see the Nidri car hire guide for comparison. Do you need a car in Vasiliki? Distances from the village This table starts from Vasiliki village centre, using a route engine (OSRM, over OpenStreetMap data) for free-flow distances and minutes — not a tourist estimate — plus what's actually on the ground if you don't have a car. Destination — Distance & drive time from Vasiliki — Road — Without a car — Verdict. Ponti — 1.6 km · about 3 min — — — About 1.6 km — walking distance — No car needed. Agiofili — 3.2 km · about 9 min — Final approach mapped as an unpaved track (OpenStreetMap) — Seasonal water taxis run from Vasiliki port — check prices and times at the port — Car or water taxi. Porto Katsiki — 15.1 km · about 22 min — Asphalt (OpenStreetMap) — Seasonal water taxis run from Vasiliki port — check prices and times at the port — Car or water taxi. Kathisma — 25.5 km · about 32 min — — — No water-taxi route confirmed from Vasiliki — Car. Nidri — 20.0 km · about 23 min — — — Not on the checked KTEL Lefkada Town–Vasiliki timetable — Car. Lefkada Town — 37.1 km · about 43 min — — — KTEL bus: out 07:00 / 11:00, last back 14:30 weekdays (14:00 weekends) — Bus workable for a short day trip. Preveza airport (PVK) — 55.4 km · about 64 min — — — Unofficial taxi estimates roughly €85–120 — confirm when booking — Car hire or pre-booked transfer. Egremni — — (land access closed 2026) — — — Boat only — Boat only — no driving route. These are OSRM free-flow distances and drive times (no traffic assumed) — allow extra time in July and August. Egremni's land access is closed in 2026, so the beach is reachable only by boat; there's no drivable distance to publish for it. For a closer look at the west-coast run itself, see the west coast beaches driving guide. Taking a hire car on the ferry to Kefalonia (Fiskardo) West Ferry's F/B Captain Aristidis and Ionion Pelagos's VASOS K both sail Vasiliki–Fiskardo; West Ferry's own site claims a 60-minute crossing. Both ferries carry cars. Nick's Rent a Car and Vasiliki Rent a Car require prior written permission before their cars go on a ferry; Alex Rent a Car's ferry policy was not published. 2026 West Ferry timetable, Vasiliki ↔ Fiskardo: Period — Vasiliki → Fiskardo — Fiskardo → Vasiliki. April 3–30 — Daily 11:00 — Daily 12:15. May 1–8 — Mon–Fri 11:00; Sat–Sun 11:00 & 15:00 — Mon–Fri 12:15; Sat–Sun 12:15 & 16:15. May 9–31 — Daily 10:00 & 17:00 — Daily 11:30 & 18:30. June 1–17 — Daily 10:00 & 17:00 — Daily 11:30 & 18:30. June 18–25 — Daily 10:00, 14:00 & 17:00 — Daily 11:30, 15:30 & 18:30. June 26–29 — Daily 08:00, 11:00, 14:00 & 17:30 — Daily 09:30, 12:30, 15:30 & 19:00. June 30 — 10:00, 14:00 & 17:30 — 11:30, 15:30 & 19:00. July 1–22, Tue–Thu — 10:00, 14:00 & 17:30 — 11:30, 15:30 & 19:00. July 1–22, Fri–Mon — 08:00, 11:00, 14:00 & 17:30 — 09:30, 12:30, 15:30 & 19:00. July 23–31 — Daily 08:00, 11:00, 14:00 & 17:30 — Daily 09:30, 12:30, 15:30 & 19:00. August — Daily 08:00, 11:00, 14:00 & 17:30 — Daily 09:30, 12:30, 15:30 & 19:00. September 1–8 — Daily 08:00, 11:00, 14:00 & 17:30 — Daily 09:30, 12:30, 15:30 & 19:00. September 9–21 — Daily 10:00, 14:00 & 17:00 — Daily 11:30, 15:30 & 18:30. September 22–30 — Daily 10:00 & 15:00 — Daily 11:30 & 16:15. October — Daily 11:00 (no sailings Wednesday 28 October) — Daily 12:15 (no sailings Wednesday 28 October). November–December — Ship at rest — Ship at rest. Easter exceptions — Good Friday 10 April and Easter Monday 13 April: from Vasiliki 11:00 & 15:00, from Fiskardo 12:15 & 16:15; no sailings on Easter Sunday 12 April. Ionion Pelagos currently publishes a VASOS K schedule for 9–22 September 2026; check ionionpelagos.com for its exact departure times if you're travelling in that window. Fares (Vasiliki–Fiskardo and Vasiliki–Ithaca): Route — Passenger — Child — Car (≤4.25 m) — Car (>4.25 m) — Motorcycle — Van/pick-up (to 5 m). Vasiliki–Fiskardo (Kefalonia) — €11.00 — €5.50 — €40.00 — €47.00 — €11.00 (≤250cc) / €17.00 (≥250cc) — €60.00. Vasiliki–Frikes (Ithaca, Ionion Pelagos) — €12.00 — — — €40.00 — €45.00 — — — —. The two Vasiliki offices with published ferry clauses tie the crossing to written permission. Nick's Rent a Car's own terms state that "taking the car across Greek borders, as well as ferrying the car or transporting it by train or other means of transport is forbidden without the lessor company's prior written authorization," and Vasiliki Rent a Car's terms carry the same requirement. Get that approval in writing before you book a crossing, and ask separately — in writing too — exactly what your insurance covers on board; neither operator's published terms settle that second point clearly enough to state a blanket answer here. If you'd rather skip the paperwork, the straightforward option is to leave the hire car in Vasiliki and cross to Fiskardo as a foot passenger for €11. Renting a car in Vasiliki: local offices compared The three Vasiliki car rental offices researched for this guide are Nick's Rent a Car, Vasiliki Rent a Car and Alex Rent a Car; Alex's address, excess amount and ferry policy were not published. Office — Where — CDW excess / guarantee held — Other terms — Ferry rule. Nick's Rent a Car — About 100 m from Vasiliki Marina/port — CDW excess €200–500 per its terms (homepage advertises "up to €600"); 50% of the applicable excess is held in cash/card as a guarantee during the rental — roughly €100–250 — CDW excludes the car's underside and tyres; card payments only at the office; renter bears traffic fines in full — Written authorisation required before any ferry or border crossing. Vasiliki Rent a Car — 28 Oktovriou, Vasiliki 310 82, near the Grand Theoni Hotel; open daily 08:00–23:00 — CDW excess €500 (economy/compact), €800 (mid-tier), €1,200 (jeeps/multi-seaters); deposit amount not published — Age 23+; licence-holding duration is inconsistent on its own terms page; listed "from" prices — Fiat Panda/Mitsubishi Space Star €40/day, Peugeot 208 €55/day — year on the page not confirmed as 2026 — Written approval required before loading onto a ferry. Alex Rent a Car — Listed in Vasiliki (no address published) — Standard insurance included in the rental price; Advanced Insurance costs extra per day (amount not published); excess amount not published — Minimum age 21, licence held 3+ years — Not published by Alex itself — ask before booking. A Localrent search for Lefkada returned 11 cars from €67.86 to €182.86 per day (5–12 October 2026, 7 days, full-insurance filter, checked 14 September 2026); the cheapest was a Peugeot 208 at €67.86/day. If cheap car hire in Vasiliki is the priority, compare the three offices against that island-wide band. It covers pickup points across the whole island, so treat it as a benchmark rather than a quote from any Vasiliki office. Whichever office you book with, get these in writing before you sign: The exact excess in euros, not just "full insurance" What the CDW excludes — at Nick's, that's the car's underside and tyres Ferry permission, confirmed in writing, before you plan a Kefalonia crossing The office's position on unpaved roads, such as the last stretch to Agiofili — none of the three Vasiliki offices publishes a clause on this, so ask directly Driving to Vasiliki from Preveza airport and the floating bridge Vasiliki is 55.4 km from Preveza/Aktion airport (PVK) by road, about 64 minutes without traffic (OSRM free-flow distance, checked 14 September 2026, not counting any wait at the floating bridge). Unofficial estimates put the taxi fare at roughly €85–120; confirm when booking. For a step-by-step pickup walkthrough, see the Preveza airport pickup guide. The Lefkada port authority publishes the times the floating bridge opens for boats — for 29 June–15 September: 08:00, 10:00, 14:00, 17:00, 19:00, 21:00, 22:00. Road traffic waits while it is open, so avoid arriving at the bridge at those times and check lefkadaports.gr before you set off. Parking and road rules around Vasiliki No paid-parking scheme has been found in Vasiliki's port, beach road or Ponti as of September 2026 — that's the current state, not a guarantee it stays free. Ponti gets busy with cars in the afternoon windsurf window (see the Lefkada activities guide for more on the windsurf scene) through the roughly late-June-to-August high season, so arrive early if you want a spot near the beach. Greece's Law 5209/2025, published in the Government Gazette FEK 100/Α/13-6-2025 (e-nomothesia.gr text), sets specific fines that apply island-wide, including in Vasiliki: parking within 12 metres of a bus stop carries a €30 fine, and parking on a pavement, square or pedestrian area carries a €150 fine plus a 20-day licence withdrawal. For a hired car, the law names the renter — not the rental company — as the offender. The same law sets the default speed limit in built-up areas at 30 km/h since 1 January 2026; 50 km/h applies only on one-way urban roads with at least two lanes, two-way roads with at least two lanes per direction, and roads with a central divider; outside built-up areas a passenger car may do 90 km/h on ordinary roads and 40 km/h on unpaved roads; posted signs override these limits. Using a hand-held phone while driving carries a €350 fine plus a 30-day withdrawal of both the driving licence and the vehicle registration. The final approach to Agiofili is mapped as an unpaved track on OpenStreetMap — check your rental contract before driving it, since none of the three Vasiliki offices publishes a specific clause either way. EV charging near Vasiliki is unconfirmed; check PlugShare before relying on it rather than assuming a working charger nearby. Vasiliki has at least one fuel station, though its name and hours aren't confirmed here. Vasiliki car hire FAQ Can I take a hire car on the ferry from Vasiliki to Kefalonia? Only with written permission. Nick's Rent a Car and Vasiliki Rent a Car both require prior written authorisation before a car goes on the Fiskardo ferry; Alex Rent a Car's ferry policy was not published. Get that approval — and the insurance position — in writing before you book the crossing. How much is the car ferry from Vasiliki to Fiskardo? About €40.00 for a car up to 4.25 m, €47.00 for a car over 4.25 m, plus €11.00 per adult passenger (€5.50 per child) — the same fares apply on both West Ferry and Ionion Pelagos. Do I need a car if I stay in Vasiliki? Yes, for the west-coast beaches. The checked KTEL timetable covers only Lefkada Town ↔ Vasiliki and does not list Porto Katsiki (15.1 km) or Kathisma (25.5 km), with the last bus back to Vasiliki departing Lefkada Town at 14:30 on weekdays (14:00 at weekends). How far is Porto Katsiki from Vasiliki? About 15.1 km, roughly 22 minutes without traffic, on a road OpenStreetMap maps as asphalt (OSRM/OpenStreetMap route check, 14 September 2026). How far is Vasiliki from Preveza airport? About 55.4 km, roughly 64 minutes without traffic (OSRM free-flow distance) — that figure doesn't include any wait at the Agia Mavra floating bridge. Is parking free in Vasiliki? No confirmed paid scheme exists in Vasiliki as of September 2026, though that isn't a promise it stays free indefinitely. Illegal parking is still fined under Law 5209/2025 — €150 plus a 20-day licence withdrawal for parking on a pavement, square or pedestrian area, with the renter of a hired car named as the offender. What is the insurance excess and deposit at car hire offices in Vasiliki? Roughly €100–250 is the guarantee held by Nick's Rent a Car — 50% of its published €200–500 CDW excess (its homepage advertises "up to €600"). Vasiliki Rent a Car publishes CDW excess bands of €500, €800 or €1,200 depending on car group, but does not publish a deposit amount. What is the last bus from Vasiliki to Lefkada Town? 16:15 on weekdays and 15:45 on Saturdays and Sundays, per the timetable posted by KTEL Lefkadas, checked 13 September 2026. The return leg's last bus, from Lefkada Town back to Vasiliki, leaves at 14:30 on weekdays and 14:00 at weekends.