Can anyone talk to me about Kefalonia?

[ExcitedAboutHolidays]

I'm holidays in Kefalonia for a week this summer holiday with my two children. We won't be hiring a car and will be staying very close to the airport on the west side of the island in a hotel offering bed and breakfast. It has a pool, a bit of entertainment (games room etc) and is close to the beaches. I always like to visit the main centre and gather we can easily get a bus there, but if not I'd just get a taxi.

I know there are some quaint places and different beaches all round the island, and the harbour offers view of turtles if you get the timing right. But other than that, I'm wondering if there is anything you would consider a must-see or can't leave without experiencing, or the complete opposite (ie, don't bother with this or that).

Any helpful information would be gratefully received!

How old are your children?

If you want to see anything really you'd need to hire a car. There are quite big distances between some of the things you might want to see, like Melissani Lake for example.

To be honest it's quite a quiet island, there's not really 'touristy' things that everyone has on their list.

I love Kefalonia but we do usually hire a car. Definitely go to Argostoli to try to see the turtles in the harbour and we also enjoy taking a pedalo out on the lagoon there. If you go to the larger beaches (Lassi, for example) you can hire pedalos with slides which are great fun for sea swimming.

Do go to the underground lake - it’s a wonderful colour - and for more authentic Greek buildings, try to get to Fiskardo - the only town not destroyed in the earthquake. Myrtos beach is the postcard one but the tides can be dangerous there so be careful about swimming.

We always do a boat trip as well, one of those that offers swimming from the boat. That’s a must-do!

We went to kefalonia without a car and it was fine. Took an organised trip to Melissa I, and a boat trip to Zante. Would love to go back

Agreed that it’s really difficult to properly see the island without a car.

We did it without a car but the apartment we stayed at organized trips to a lot of the places mentioned and managed it that way.
So I'd say if that's an option you could manage without a car.

I haven't been since 2003 and the roads were scary then. No crash barriers on the cliff edge for example. We saw quite a few roadside shrines where people have been killed in road accidents.

We had a hire car for the week. We used it to get to the airport and back but not otherwise . The roads were too scary.
We used the local bus service to go to Agrostoli where we saw the turtles.
And we did a day trip on a mini bus to the lake, Asos and Fiskardo. The scenery was spectacular but the drive there was on windy narrow roads at the edges of cliffs . But it was worth it to see some of the Island

Oh I love driving on Kef! It's quite similar to Scottish rural roads, I think.

But yeah I mean...be careful 😁

From the harbour in Argostoli you can get the ferry to Luxouri for only 4 Euros. Go down to the bus station in Argostoli (they have timetables in English and helpful staff) and go by bus to Sami and Fiskardo - again only about 4 Euro - as mentioned above the bus journeys are interesting in themselves.

In Sami there is a small museum, Odysseus theme park which kids may like on the way into Sami (which is very cheesy) and also the harbour on the main street where all the small yachts come in which is great for people/dog watching. I recommend the Mermaid restaurant there for lovely food. You can hire small pedalos from the the harbour. There are also ferries to other islands. Day trip to Ithaca is good but you would have to make sure bus return journeys match up to ferry times as a taxi back from Sami to Argostoli is about 120 Euros. Also check where bus returning to Argostoli departs from as some depart from the main street and some come off the ferry so you have to wait there. If stuck stay in the Melissani Hotel in Sami (70 Euro for double/twin room for one night) which is like going back to the 1980s but in a good way!

Day trip to Ithaca. Beautiful place!

I’ve been to Kefalonia 9 times and always had a car fir a few days at least.

Its a big island and the places worth visiting are spread out.

Definitely a morning in Argostoli to see the turtles then get the ferry across to Lixouri for a change of scenery.

The caves and the lake both near Sami worth a visit and I’d definitely recommend an overnight in Ithaca if you can. It’s like going back in time

I also think it’s worth having an evening in Argostoli as it’s a real Greek working town and it’s a totally different vibe to the tourist resorts. We stayed in Lassi 5 times so it was a short cab ride from there. The first 4 times we were at Lourdas Beach which is much quieter and a car was essential.

I love Kefalonia it just reminds me of holidays with my son. First time he went he was 14 months and his last trip he was 14 - sadly lockdown restrictions meant the next couple of years were ruled out and now he isn’t interested in a holiday with mum

It’s more of a working island than a touristy one.
We hired a car while there, we hadn’t planned to initially but we’re glad we did.
The roads were fine, just don’t try and go down any mountain tracks.
The best food I have ever had in Greece or on holiday in general, amazing tavernas.
We drove around to Lixouri and got the car ferry back.
Also drove to Myrthos beach (the famous one) absolutely beautiful.
We stayed in Lassi.
Am actually envious of you!