Why Visit Kefalonia, Greece
Greece is one of my favourite holiday destinations and I have been lucky enough to visit several of its beautiful islands.
One of my favourites is Kefalonia, the biggest Ionian island whose green mountains contrast perfectly with the crystal blue waters. The island is famed for its beautiful beaches and was chosen for filming the Hollywood movie Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.
Apart from swimming and water sports, Kefalonia has many places to see, from picturesque villages to Medieval castles, beautiful monasteries to caves.
I have very fond memories of visiting the Drogarati Caves, which is an impressive cave with remarkable formations of stalactites and stalagmites.
I have to admit that it was the Melissani Caves that really stole my heart though, as you can take a nice cooling guided boat tour of the underground lake Melissani.
Close to Melissani Caves is Myrtos Beach, one of the most photographed beaches in the world, although it is quite a walk down to it.
In the capital, Argostoli, the main focus of activity is in charming Plateia Valianou, where locals come to chat and eat at the many restaurants. In summer, kantadoroi amble the streets singing kantades, traditional songs accompanied by guitar and mandolin.
Make sure you don’t miss the Lighthouse of Argostoli with its impressive architectural style.
The Castle of St George or Agios Giorgios is one of the best known and most visited historic sites on the island of Kefalonia. The original castle dates back to 11th century Byzantine times but most of what is seen today come from the Venetians who took it from the Turks at the end of 1500 with the aid of the Spanish and the Kefalonians themselves.
Holidays in Kefalonia are great for children, with its endless, lovely, sandy beaches ideal for swimming, snorkelling or messing about on a pedalo or lilo and its friendly child welcoming atmosphere. Its sheltered bays also make the idea spot to learn a new sport too.
There is a protected Loggerhead Turtle nesting site in Kefalonia called Kaminia beach and if you are lucky you may get to see one of the gorgeous creatures.
James Villas offer a wide selection of properties, with the majority being close to the amazing Kefalonian beaches. Most are situated in the scenic countryside, mere minutes drive from the main resorts so you can be part of the action if you want to, or can just relax in peace and quiet.
Image Credit: Shutterstock.com
Chris
I have only visited Athens but I am making it a necessity to visit some Greek islands on my next trip to Greece. These photos just make me want to go sooner than later!
Natalie
Wow! So many wonderful things to see. My husband is a geologist and we would especially enjoy the cave. We visited Greece in June and the only island we saw was Santorini, which was wonderful, too. I blog about travel and so we travel a lot, but this trip was the hardest I have ever planned. Why? Because there are SOO many incredible places to see and every single one of them is fantastic! We ended up seeing a lot of the mainland, Delphi, Corinth, Meteora and Athens but we didn’t even leave before we were already planning a trip back. This fantastic island is now on the list!! Thanks for sharing such a beautiful place.
Amanda
Great post! I love the Greek Islands too… I’ve been to Zakynthos, Lefkada and Ithaca. I’ve only passed by Fiskardo on a boat trip but I really want to spend a week there when time allows it. Your pictures are superb, Myrtos and the Cave look totally fascinating! I never thought that the sea-turtles would go to the neighbouring island too! Is this the same species with the ones in Zakynthos? I thought they were called Careta-Careta