Kefalonia island Greece: Kefalonia Holidays, Kefalonia Hotels, vacation packages, tours, honeymoon, travel services

Kefalonia / Keffalonia / Ceffalonia

Kefalonia is the largest of the Ionian Islands, a green and mountainous haven, rich with flowers, trees and herbal scents that greet you as you arrive. The island has different feel to the other islands of the group, and although nearly 50,000 people live on the island, from first approach, there is a peaceful, quiet atmosphere to the island, the imposing mountains behind the shore only heightening this effect. Also, unlike neighbouring Corfu and Zakythos, the island hasn’t been over run with package tourism, allowing the island to keep its authentic, rustic feel.

The island is inextricably linked to Ithaca, the smaller island to the east, separated by the Ithaki Strait. Ithaca is the fabled home of Homer’s Odysseus. Neither Kefallonia or Ithaca have an abundance of ruins to explore, but they make up for it with a quiet, almost reverent ambiance.

Argostoli is the main town on Kefalonia, tucked into a bay to the south and it’s a good place to base yourself when visiting the island. The town of Lixouri is across the gulf from Argostoli.

There are seven ports on Kefalonia, the main one is found at Sami, on the east coast, which harbours ferries to mainland destinations and to Italy. Buses are on site to take tourists across the island to Argostoli and the other towns. The other big port is found at Fiskardo in the north, the only large town on the island not devastated by the 1953 earthquake. The town gives an idea of what the island was like before the earthquake.

Being a large island, renting a car or a moped is the best way to get around this large, green island. There are many secluded beaches and coves to explore, as there are small towns and nature walks. Inland to the south the Agiou Andreou monastery has some fantastic frescoes, and nearby Mycenaean ruins are worth visiting. The unspoiled, quiet and natural beauty is Kefalonia’s main attraction.