Preveza Airport Mini Guide
What Can you Tell me About Preveza?
Preveza is a small town on the island of
Lefkas just off the coast of mainland
in Greece and connected to the mainland by Greece’s first and only underwater tunnel. The area is riddled with archaeological remains from various periods of Greek and Roman history when it was founded as Nicopolis, or the city of victory, built to commemorate the defeat of Mark Antony by Augustus in the sea battle of Actium. The city was eventually conquered by the Bulgarians before falling into ruin and was eventually rebuilt as modern day Preveza.
How do I Get to Preveza?
Aktion National Airport is located on the mainland at Cape Aktion and serves the towns of Lefkada and Preveza. Until ten years ago, tourists arriving at the airport would have to catch the ferry to Lefkas but an underwater tunnel now takes tourist buses, hire cars and taxis the short distance to the holiday resorts of the island. The airport is served by many tour operators whose charter flights arrive in the summer months. Out of season there are scheduled flights from
Athens and Crete and the winter is often the time to see the island at its best.
What is the Airport Like?
The terminal was built in 1958 and apart from a freshen up hasn’t changed much since. It’s quite small, meaning that the airport can get very overcrowded during peak times when the information desk can come in very handy for lost luggage and help finding facilities.
What Should I Expect When I Arrive at Aktion?
Probably chaos is the best way to describe it. The usual laid back approach in Greece applies there too and the passport control seems to take an eternity, despite only cursory examination of documents. If more than one plane lands at a time then the small number of desks can’t cope at all. Once through you’ll find that your bags are already on the carousel and so you’ll soon be out in the arrivals hall and looking for your tour operator or hire car company.
There’s an ATM from Emporiki Bank at the airport should cash be an immediate priority. There are plenty of tour operator offices and a branch of the national tourist agency there so you’ll be spoilt for choice should you be looking for accommodation. Worryingly in times of EU directives, the airport has no specific facilities for those with mobility issues although the staff try to be as helpful as they can. If you’ve pre-booked a hire car, the desk is easy to find as is the local public transport that idles outside the terminal.
What Can I Expect When I Leave Preveza?
There are nine check-in desks so you won’t have too long a wait there before deciding what to do whilst waiting for your flight. Drop off the last of your postcards in the post box before grabbing a snack at one of the buffet restaurants near the check in. There’s a reasonable duty free outlet but no other shops.
Preveza is the capital of the province of Preveza in North West Greece and dates back thousands of years to the Cassopeans who inhabited the area. The region and the city have had an exciting history with events such as the sea based Battle of Actium in which Augustus finally defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra. In thanks for the victory he built the nearby city of Nicopolis meaning ‘victory city’.
At its height 150,000 people lived there. Today, as with many Greek coastal towns it’s better known for its services to tourism and it’s known as the ‘town of a hundred clubs and a hundred bars’.