Kefalonia is the largest island in the Ionian, but for sure is one of my favourite Greek islands. I was amazed by the breath-taking landscape, the exotic beaches and picturesque fishing villages.
It is well known that Greek islands have many beautiful beaches and fabulous sea. Maybe the beaches in Kefalonia were even more beautiful to me because of the steep cliffs just beyond the shore. Quickly you will notice, that we’ve spent the majority of your time on the beaches, but of course we had the chance also to see some other sights.
Fiscardo is a colourful village located on the northern part of the island, overlooking Ithaca – the mythical home of Homer’s hero, Odysseus. The village is very popular and attracts almost every visitor on the island. I really liked the lively atmosphere and the excellent taverns offering fresh fish. Many villages on the island were destroyed in the 1953 earthquake. Fiscardo is one of the few that survived, that is why many houses still have their traditional local colours. In recent years, celebrities such as Madonna, Tom Hanks and Nicholas Cage have visited Fiskardo.
Next to Fiscardo, in my opinion, is located one of the most beautiful beaches on the island, Emblisi beach.
One of the most popular and loved beaches of Kefalonia is Antisamos. It is “fully equipped” for tourists, but what attracts the most are the white pebbles and the great blue water. It is a very popular spot for snorkelling but also for scuba divers, since there is Roman shipwreck offshore. My wife also reminded me that some scenes from the movie Captain Corelli’s Mandolin (2001) were taken on this beach (I didn't dare ask, which film is this 😊).
Of course, we couldn’t skip Myrtos Beach. This beach was considered one of the greatest in the world. It is a great beach, but I think that what most impressed me was the view from the top. The white beach drops into different blue variations of the sea. Driving down to the beach offers you many opportunities to admire the beauty of this beach.
The island of Kefalonia also hides its natural beauty underground. One of them is the small Drogarati Cave. This natural wonder was formed 150 million years ago. It is a nice stop on your way around the island, but honestly nothing special and can't be compared to other more famous caves.
On the other hand, I was pleasantly surprised by Melissani Cave. This cave is open to the sky and there is a lake inside the cave. You can take a boat trip on the lake and when the sunlight enters from the top the colours of the waters are amazing.
Assos is a small and charming village, built on a small peninsula. It hosts only a small number of inhabitants. You will be able to admire the traditional architecture, for sure you will like the surrounding pebbled beaches and the peaceful landscape. Nearby you will also find the ruins of a 16th century Venetian castle.
We passed by Kipoureon Monastery. It is an incredibly scenic place that was built right on the edge of the cliff. Driving around the island we have the opportunity to admire many great views (even directly from our car) 😊.
During this hot summer days, we also witnessed a small fire, which was quickly extinguished by the dedicated firefighters.
Since we chose Kefalonia for our summer vacation, we did visit many of the island beaches. Sharing with you a quick overview of the beaches:
Petani beach is located on the peninsula of Paliki. Sandy beach with huge cliffs almost to the sea shore. The water deepens quickly and I’ve read that there are large waves on this beach, but when we’ve visited it, it was very calm.
Skala beach is a very long and quite large stretch of sandy beach. Lots of activities and many options for boat excursions.
Lourdas beach is a beautiful white beach with a great combination of crystalline waters and stunning mountain backdrop.
Santa Barbara beach, another beach that stands out for its crystal-clear emerald waters.
We stayed in the south of the island, near the town of Lakithra, in a nice small resort with a sandy beach next to it.
Enumerating all these beaches (even if I’m writing and not talking 😊) made me thirsty, and just remembered that I can’t finish this post without spending a few words about wine “robola”. The winemaking tradition in Kefalonia dates back to Neolithic. On Kefalonia you will find a Greek grape variety, robola. The wine is light and citrusy white. Cheers!
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