Diagram by Greece Trips. Free to reuse with credit - CC BY 4.0.
The town itself is better than a transit stop, and the ruins just north of it are genuinely significant.
The town
Preveza sits at the narrow mouth of the Ambracian gulf, with an undersea tunnel now carrying the road across to Aktion. The centre is a grid of pedestrian lanes behind the waterfront, with tavernas, ouzeries and a strong local habit of eating out.
The town is known for sardines, grilled and eaten in quantity, and there is a festival for them in August.
Three Venetian-era forts sit around the town, of which Agios Andreas in the centre and Pantokrator are the more visible.
Nikopolis
Four kilometres north lies Nikopolis, the “city of victory”, founded by Octavian after he beat Antony and Cleopatra at the battle of Actium in 31 BC, fought in the waters just off Preveza.
It is a very large site: walls, a theatre, an odeon, a stadium, Roman baths, and later early Christian basilicas with substantial floor mosaics. There is a good modern museum. It is also under-visited, so you often have it to yourself.
The gulf
The Ambracian gulf behind the town is a shallow enclosed sea and a protected wetland, with lagoons, fish farms and a resident population of bottlenose dolphins. Boat trips run onto it from Preveza and from Vonitsa.
Where it leads
- Lefkada, half an hour, over the causeway.
- Parga, about an hour north.
- Sivota and the Epirus coast, beyond it.
- Ioannina and the Zagori, inland.
Getting there and how long
Aktion airport takes seasonal international flights. Athens is about four and a half hours by road.
One night, usually at the start or end of an Ionian trip.
Last checked August 2026. Flight schedules are seasonal - see our editorial policy.
Common questions
What airport serves Lefkada?
Aktion at Preveza, which is about half an hour from Lefkada town over the causeway, and is the main gateway to the southern Ionian.
What is Nikopolis?
The Roman “city of victory” four kilometres north of Preveza, founded by Octavian after the battle of Actium in 31 BC, with walls, a theatre, a stadium and early Christian mosaics.
Where was the Battle of Actium?
In the waters at the mouth of the Ambracian gulf, just off Preveza, in 31 BC.
Are there dolphins in the Ambracian gulf?
The gulf has a resident bottlenose dolphin population, and boat trips run onto it from Preveza and Vonitsa.
Is Preveza worth a night?
Yes. The pedestrian old town is good for an evening, and Nikopolis is a substantial and quiet site.