Myrtos Beach by Alan
Kefalonia or Cephalonia is the largest of the Ionian islands in western Greece. The capital of Kephalonia is Argostoli. Most of the island was destroyed in the 1953 earthquake with only Fiskardo in the north being undamaged.
Due to most of the islands towns and villages being rebuilt after the earthquake some people would say that Kefalonia doesn’t have the same “authentic” Greek feel to it that some of the other islands do. It also doesn’t have ancient sites to visit and explore like some of the other islands do.
That said, Kefalonia is regularly in the top 10 lists for best Greek island for a reason, it has crystal clear waters, lots of vegetation which isn’t always the case on other Greek islands and plenty of natural beauty spots to visit from the stunning Myrtos beach to the awesome Melissani Lake Cave.
Kefalonia was the setting for the movie Captain Corelli’s Mandolin so if you’ve watched that film and thought how beautiful the island looked then this is the place for you. Most of the filming took place in Sami with the camp site of the Italians based on the beach of Antisamos bay.
Getting to Kefalonia is simple as the island has it’s own airport, the Flight time from London to Kefalonia is about three and a half hours non stop, flight times from other airports around the UK will be roughly the same give or take 10 minutes.
As it’s such a popular destination with us Brits there are multiple direct flights from all major airports every week throughout the summer months. Kefalonias airport code is EFL.
The choice of where to stay comes down to if you plan on travelling the island or not. If not then Skala in the south is a great choice, as are any of the west coast package holiday destinations as they’re close to beaches and have some decent sized hotels.
If you do plan to travel the island then you’ll find that Skala is a long way from some of the other destinations so choose somewhere closer to the middle of the island like Lassi or the capital Argostoli.
Kefalonia is a favourite destination for holiday makers as it has some lovely sandy beaches, good clear waters and some delightful little towns and villages to visit.
It’s hard to think of anyone that wouldn’t enjoy Kefalonia. Perhaps the only downside is that there isn’t much in the way of historical sites due to the 1953 earthquake that devastated much of the island, particularly the south.
The nightlife in Kefalonia tends to be more laid-back compared to some other popular tourist destinations in Greece, such as Mykonos or Santorini. There are still several options for those looking to enjoy the evenings on the island, just don't expect 18-30 style nightlife.
The best time to visit is early or late in the season, the mass crowds arrive around the middle of June and it stays busy until the end of August, June to August is also the hottest time of year and temperatures can get in to the 30s which can be too hot for some so if that’s you we’d advise visiting early or late, or both!
