Things to do in Kefalonia

It is also big and mountainous, so everything below is a drive. Plan around that rather than fighting it - see where to stay in Kefalonia.

The 1953 earthquake is the key to the island

Start here, because it makes sense of everything else.

In August 1953 a sequence of earthquakes destroyed most of the buildings on Kefalonia. What you see across the island - the plain, functional villages, the modern capital at Argostoli - is post-1953 reconstruction.

That is why Fiskardo in the north stands out so sharply: it largely escaped, and its Venetian houses are original where nearly everything else is not. Knowing this turns a pretty village into evidence.

Two caves, and they are different visits

Melissani is an underground lake whose roof collapsed, so daylight falls straight onto the water and turns it an improbable blue. It is a ten-minute boat trip and it depends entirely on the sun being high - see the Melissani guide for the timing, which matters more than anything else about it.

Drogarati, a few minutes away, is a conventional deep limestone cave: a staircase down into a large chamber of stalactites, with acoustics good enough that concerts have been held in it. If you actually like caves, this is the better one.

Do both in one trip. They are close together near Sami.

Assos and the north

Assos is a small painted village on a narrow isthmus with a ruined Venetian fortress on the headland above it, reached by a hairpin descent from the coast road. An hour or two, and its own guide covers the walk up to the castle.

Further north, Fiskardo is the chic harbour village that survived the earthquake, and the drive between them along the north-west coast passes above Myrtos - which, despite every photograph, is a steep pebble beach rather than a swimming pool, and has its own guide.

Mount Ainos and a tree found nowhere else

Above the middle of the island rises Mount Ainos, at over 1,600 metres the highest point in the Ionian, and a national park.

What makes it unusual is the forest: the Kefalonian fir, Abies cephalonica, which grows natively here and gives the mountain a dark cover you do not expect in Greece. There is a road most of the way up and walking trails at the top, and it is cool when the coast is not.

Semi-wild horses live on the mountain. You may see them; nobody can promise it.

Argostoli, and the things in the capital

The capital is a working town rather than a sight, but two things are worth the walk: the Korgialenios museum, whose photographs of the island before 1953 are the most affecting exhibit on Kefalonia, and the De Bosset bridge, a long stone causeway across the lagoon.

Where to start

With a week and a car: the caves and Sami one day, Assos and Fiskardo with Myrtos on the way another, Ainos on a hot afternoon, and the rest on beaches.

Common questions

What is Kefalonia known for?

Being the largest and most mountainous Ionian island, the Melissani and Drogarati caves, Myrtos beach, and Mount Ainos with its native Kefalonian fir forest.

What are the two caves in Kefalonia?

Melissani, an underground lake with a collapsed roof visited by boat, and Drogarati, a deep stalactite cave entered on foot. They are close together near Sami and usually seen in one trip.

Why does Fiskardo look older than the rest of Kefalonia?

Because it largely survived the 1953 earthquake that destroyed most of the island’s buildings. Elsewhere, what you see is post-1953 reconstruction.

Do you need a car in Kefalonia?

Yes. The island is large and mountainous, distances take far longer than the map suggests, and the sights are spread right across it.

What is Mount Ainos?

The highest mountain in the Ionian islands and a national park, covered in the Kefalonian fir, a tree native to this area. There is a road most of the way up and trails at the summit.

How many days do you need in Kefalonia?

A week at least, given the driving. Longer stays work well split between a northern and a southern base.

Next

Read Melissani cave, Assos, Kefalonia beaches or where to stay in Kefalonia.