Magnificent Kefalonia

Kefalonia is the largest of the Ionian Islands located on the West coast of Greece. It has a mild climate along with excellent beaches. The island of Kefalonia has escaped mass tourism and recently was used as a location to film Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, set in war-time Kefalonia. The film, with Nikolas Cage, was a huge success and it put Kefalonia firmly on the ‘must visit’ list of destinations.

Kefalonia is a large island with diverse and dramatic scenery. The island has many wonderful bays and inlets which help to form its unusual shape. The northern rocky coastline has small and clean, pebble beaches whilst those on the southern shores are long and sandy. Kefalonia is just waiting to be explored and with a good road network the island is ideal for driving. For those who prefer a slower pace, Kefalonia is a great island for walking, cycling and horse-riding. With the Greek islands of Lefkas, Zante and Ithaca close by, you can take a ferry, motor-boat, or yacht to explore the Ionian shores.

Argostoli

Argostoli is the main city and capital of Kefalonia since 1759 and is superbly set on a thumb of a bay. Worth visiting places include the Koryalenios History and Folklore Museum and Library with Venetian records of the island, the Archaeological Museum with a room of Mycenaean finds, coins from the ancient cities of Kefalonia, the Katavothres swallow holes, the church of Ag. Barbara.

Fiskardo

Fiskardo lies 54 Km northeast of Argostoli. It is a beautiful and quiet (with the exception of August) town with Venetian houses to be situated around a beautiful harbour. Part of Fiskardo charm is being the only town in Kefalonia not to have been devastated by the earthquake in 1953. It is a major sailing port.

Sami

Sami is located on the eastern coast of Cephalonia, being the most significant harbor on the island with links with Italy, Patras and Corfu.

Along Sami’s coastline one finds landscapes of exceptionally beauty such as Paliouras and Antisamos Beach, as well as the small lake of Karavomylos where portion of the subterranean waters of Katavothres in Argostoli finally end up.

You shouldn’t leave without paying a visit to the Drogarati cave (close to Haliotata village) and the Lake Melissani.

Assos town and castle

Fortress of the late 16th century. Good example of Venetian fortification construction. The fortress has not undergone systematic excavation.

Nice picturesque bay and the view from the road down/up is spectacular. Great place to stop between Myrtos Beach & Fiskardo – idyllic setting to while away a few hours or days. If you have a car come here for the sunset at the medieval castle which is breathtaking and you can drive part of the way up as it is a long hike but worth it. It is a definate “must” to anyone visiting the island.

Beaches

You will have plenty of options when it comes to beaches in Kefalonia. All of them are beautiful and most of them have been awarded by the Blue Flag for their cleanliness

Myrtos

Myrtos has been voted one of the top 5 beaches in the world and the most beautiful beach in Greece for several consecutive years.

This beach is usually very calm. However, be very careful of the undercurrent. Getting in and out of the sea can be ‘interesting’ as the shore drops away very quickly, but once in, swimming out and looking back at the view is fantastic. Check out the wonderful little cave at the end of the beach.

In the “Captain Corelli’s mandolin” movie, this is where the “blowing up of the mine” scene was shot.

Antisamos

Antisamos is one of the best beaches on the island and the entire Ionian region as well.

The turquoise waters of the Ionian Sea reach out to embrace the incredibly white pebbles which in turn fade into the magnificent green surrounding scenery of the mountainside.

It is this untamed beauty that captured the imagination of the producers of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin when they decided to use it as a location for the filming of the movie.

Xi

Xi Beach is located in the area south of Fiskardo at the southern end of Paliki peninsula. It is a wonderful golden sand beach with very shallow waters in comparison to the rest of the island. The sand has a special orange colour and you can find big pieces of argil which is very good for body and face masks! The beach is quite lond and you can choose either the crowded organised part of the beach or to walk 5 to 10 minutes and discover several bays where you can enjoy the sea by yourself even in August!