Kefalonia (or Cephalonia) hides secret places waiting to be discovered. You have to drive carefully because as it is well-known Greeks keep on marking the tourist places to be hidden as much as possible. Usually you can’t find the right way until you make four rounds with five stops. It’s a chaos but if you have an adventurous mind, you won’t be really mad. You have to get used to the Kefalonia’s or Greek culture to be simply laid back and stress-free. Be sure you can adjust to that very easily.
Among the ‘must see’ destinations in Kefalonia belong the following places you should definitely add to your travel itinerary.
MYRTOS BEACH
Myrtos Beach is one of the most wonderful and spectacular beaches in Greece and Europe as well. The beach is surrounded by tall rocky cliffs, zig-zag road, cave and white sand and white pebbles similar to golf balls. Once you discover it, you’ll want to come back. The view from the road over the beach is amazing forcing you to come down immediately. Myrtos Beach is 100% accessible by the road, however, some other beaches are accessible only by boat or by foot (you have to walk up and down approximately 600 stairs).
FISCARDO
Fiscardo is a small fishing town situated in the north of Kefalonia that survived the earthquake is a favorite place for yachters and artists mainly. Artists find here a great place to come up with new ideas because Fiscardo itself gives a bright inspiration by its look. Wonderful bay with yachts, boats, little shops, taverns and restaurants gives a unique atmosphere to this place. However, apart from other towns in Kefalonia, Fiscardo is more expensive. It’s because of the clientele visiting the town and people staying in their million dollars residences upon the hill. During the summer season, you have a difficulty to find here a table so you rather make a reservation at least two days before lunch or dinner.
SAMI
Sami is a small touristic place that was rebuilt after the earthquake. There is the main port of Kefalonia so it’s also very accessible by boat if you travel to or from Ithaka Island, which is located opposite Sami. You can feel a little difference here in the town comparing to the others. Because the Captain Correlli’s Mandolin movie was also filmed here, money was spent for rebuilding and refreshing the look of the town.
MELLISANI CAVES & DROGORATI CAVE
When you turn left from Sami, after few kilometers you come to crossroads where you have to be very careful which way you continue because it’s very easy to avoid the right way. Again, you are in Greece. It’s about 6 km to the Mellisani Caves. These caves are sea water lakes with beautiful scenery of stalactites and stalagmites. You can make a little boat trip throughout the caverns. During the summer, you can attend concerts just here due to the caves’ perfect acoustic.
AGGIA EFFIMIA
Aggia Effimia is another small and quiet town with many taverns and bar around the bay. Being here or in Sami you shouldn’t avoid visiting at least one bar called “Captain Corelli’s”. Try one in Aggia Effimia, where the locals give you a photo book from filming the movie with signatures of Penélope Cruz and Nicolas Cage.
ARGOSTOLI
Argostoli is the capital of Cephalonia. This lively place has many things to offer to tourists. There are several restaurants which offer typical Greek and Kefalonia dishes; bar and nightlife spots and very favorite Saturday market in the harbor. The city is built on the hill so walking on the streets of Argostoli gives you a nice view on the Koutavos Lagoon with an arched bridge over the lagoon, which is a connection to the rest of the island.
OTHER RECOMMENDED PLACES TO VISIT
Aren't you a beach type and you'd rather be exploring the ancient streets of Rome or exploring the food scene in Budapest?