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The bay at Sami on Kefalonia looking across to the mainland

Sami: a working port with the caves behind it

Sami is the port on Kefalonia’s east coast, and it is the practical centre of the island’s most-visited corner.

An at a glance card for Sami. What it is: The island’s east coast port. Minutes away: Melissani and Drogarati. Over the hill: Antisamos beach. Ferries to: Ithaca. Why it looks new: Rebuilt after the quake. One row is marked out as the thing that decides the visit. The conclusion reads: A port, and the door to the caves. No prices appear.
A port, and the door to the caves.

Diagram by Greece Trips. Free to reuse with credit - CC BY 4.0.

What is around it

  • Melissani, the roofless cave lake, minutes inland.
  • Drogarati, the stalactite cave, on the same road.
  • Antisamos, the white-pebble bay over the headland.
  • Karavomilos, the small lake beside the road north of town, where the water that vanishes at the Argostoli sinkholes re-emerges.

That last one is worth a minute of anyone’s day: the island swallows seawater on one coast and returns it on the other, which is a piece of geology you can stand next to.

The port

Ferries run from Sami to Ithaca, and it is one of the island’s links to the mainland ports depending on the season. If you are island-hopping in the Ionian rather than flying in and out, this is likely to be your arrival or departure.

Check schedules the same week you travel; Ionian services change seasonally more than most.

Staying there

Sami works as a base for the caves and the east coast, and it is quieter and cheaper than the north. The waterfront has tavernas and the beach in town is a modest pebble strip, with the better swimming at Antisamos.

For how the island’s bases compare, where to stay in Kefalonia sets it out, and Argostoli is the alternative on the west side.

Last checked August 2026. Ferry schedules change every season - see our editorial policy.

Common questions

What is Sami known for?

Being Kefalonia’s east-coast port and the base for the Melissani and Drogarati caves, Antisamos beach and the ferry to Ithaca.

Can you get a ferry from Sami to Ithaca?

Yes, it is the usual crossing to Ithaca, with seasonal services that change from year to year.

Is Sami a good base on Kefalonia?

For the caves and the east coast, yes, and it is quieter and cheaper than the north of the island.

Why does Sami look modern?

Like most of Kefalonia, it was destroyed in the 1953 earthquake and rebuilt afterwards.

What is Karavomilos?

A small coastal lake near Sami where water that disappears into sinkholes at Argostoli, on the other side of the island, comes back to the surface.

Next

Read things to do in Kefalonia, Melissani, or Antisamos beach.