Kefalonia, Greece (Cephalonia) and especially the Magical Melissani Lake Cave...
Kefalonia (Cephalonia)
Stay in Argostoli for one night. It’s all you need, unless you decide you want a quiet place to just relax on the beach if you only want to be in Greece. Cephalonia is not particularly a crowded island, and you could enjoy the beaches there without crowds.
In the morning, between 4AM and 7AM, you could go to the water line north of the KTEL Bus Station where the fisherman are, to see the turtles come into land to eat the scraps the fisherman have brought in.
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As much as I love Greece, you would be better served in Albania in the resort areas of the Albanian Riviera. I stayed in Sarandë for €10 per night (yes, ten!), close to all.
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You can take a bus to see the Melissani Lake Cave. There are three buses to get there, morning, noon, and around three, I think. but you MUST take the morning bus. The reason is that if you don’t, you’ll arrive in the afternoon and the sun will no longer be overhead, so the magic will all be gone. When the sun is overhead it makes all the water glow, and it makes it look like you’re floating in air. It’s quite beautiful. But I missed it because there was no one to tell me any better, and I was reminded about how much I’m a fool. It also stops in Sami - don’t get off! The bus continues to the caves. Once you arrive you’ll see a bunch of your buses there and what looks like a restaurant. That area has the entrance to the Cave with a staircase and an underground tunnel. Don’t get lost looking around for a hike to get there. There isn’t one.
Now you know.
Don’t blow it!
Entrance fee is €7, if I remember correctly. Don’t worry about the line, it moves quickly enough.
If you take a car, it’s best. Then when you get there, depending on the month, you could just ask them when is the best time to enter.
Afterwards, with a car, it will be easy to see the Drogarati caves as well. They are nearby in Sami.
As for the rest of the island, in Argostoli you could see Katavothres (Steven’s Mill) a water mill built a long time ago in a beautiful area. It’s now a restaurant and a bar with waterways going around it that power the mill. On the same route, you could also go to the Lassi beach and Platis Gialos Beach.
If you have time, you could go see Xi beach and Assos beach. I couldn’t do either as I’m a fool that didn’t know about the new law passed three months before in Greece that requires an international driver’s permit if you aren’t from the EU to translate your drivers license from English to English.
Yes, completely idiotic. And nobody benefits from this stupid law. Not the locals, not the tourists, and not the government from taxes brought in by additional revenue from all the extra activities visitors could have done. Apparently Greece no longer wants tourists to enjoy themselves.
Whatever. Just get the permit. It won’t cost much, and will save you a ton of money and time in the long run.
Recap:
Link to walking/driving directions...use in your map app, items not listed are on the way.
Stay in Argostoli for one night. It’s all you need, unless you decide you want a quiet place to just relax on the beach if you only want to be in Greece. Cephalonia is not particularly a crowded island, and you could enjoy the beaches there without crowds.
In the morning, between 4AM and 7AM, you could go to the water line north of the KTEL Bus Station where the fisherman are, to see the turtles come into land to eat the scraps the fisherman have brought in.
~
As much as I love Greece, you would be better served in Albania in the resort areas of the Albanian Riviera. I stayed in Sarandë for €10 per night (yes, ten!), close to all.
~
You can take a bus to see the Melissani Lake Cave. There are three buses to get there, morning, noon, and around three, I think. but you MUST take the morning bus. The reason is that if you don’t, you’ll arrive in the afternoon and the sun will no longer be overhead, so the magic will all be gone. When the sun is overhead it makes all the water glow, and it makes it look like you’re floating in air. It’s quite beautiful. But I missed it because there was no one to tell me any better, and I was reminded about how much I’m a fool. It also stops in Sami - don’t get off! The bus continues to the caves. Once you arrive you’ll see a bunch of your buses there and what looks like a restaurant. That area has the entrance to the Cave with a staircase and an underground tunnel. Don’t get lost looking around for a hike to get there. There isn’t one.
Now you know.
Don’t blow it!
Entrance fee is €7, if I remember correctly. Don’t worry about the line, it moves quickly enough.
If you take a car, it’s best. Then when you get there, depending on the month, you could just ask them when is the best time to enter.
Afterwards, with a car, it will be easy to see the Drogarati caves as well. They are nearby in Sami.
As for the rest of the island, in Argostoli you could see Katavothres (Steven’s Mill) a water mill built a long time ago in a beautiful area. It’s now a restaurant and a bar with waterways going around it that power the mill. On the same route, you could also go to the Lassi beach and Platis Gialos Beach.
If you have time, you could go see Xi beach and Assos beach. I couldn’t do either as I’m a fool that didn’t know about the new law passed three months before in Greece that requires an international driver’s permit if you aren’t from the EU to translate your drivers license from English to English.
Yes, completely idiotic. And nobody benefits from this stupid law. Not the locals, not the tourists, and not the government from taxes brought in by additional revenue from all the extra activities visitors could have done. Apparently Greece no longer wants tourists to enjoy themselves.
Whatever. Just get the permit. It won’t cost much, and will save you a ton of money and time in the long run.
Recap:
Link to walking/driving directions...use in your map app, items not listed are on the way.
- Stay one night, preferably around Bell Square, especially if you don’t have a car, because you will be walking distance from a number of things and the bus station. Walk around Bell Square and get some dinner and drinks, even if it’s late.
- Early in the morning see the turtles
- Get breakfast, or grab water and something to go, then go to the bus station.
- Melissani Lake Cave in the morning bus (!!!) or drive (best)
- Drogarati cave to see the stalactites and water. It’s very close to the Melissani Lake Cave.
- See the lighthouse at the north of the Argostoli peninsula and the water mill - they are super close to each other.
- If you are walking to Lassi and Platis beaches, watch the coastline on the right, and you’ll see some beautiful and secret places to jump in the water with little caves all around. Quite beautiful.
- See Lassi beach and Platis Gialos Beach
- See xi beach for the red sand
- See the Venetian castle ruins then cool off in the water at Assos beach close by.
- Drive to Fiskardo to see Emplisi beach and Foki beach.
- Mount Ainos for the hiking and views.
- Go to Petani Beach - a pebble beach with a beautiful view for pictures.