Kefalonia 🇬🇷 - Cave, Odysseus and Sea Turtles

Sven Walther

October 3, 2026

Melissani Cave

The holiday has officially started! Our daughter has flown in, and a week of family time on Kefalonia lies ahead. We start with one of the island’s main attractions, Melissani Cave. It is only a ten-minute walk from our holiday house, so we could hardly ask for a more convenient excursion.

And we arrive at exactly the right time: The sun shines straight into the cave and makes the water glow, and the crowds from the cruise ships haven’t arrived yet.

View over the dark water of the cave onto several boats and an opening in the rock — The cave from the inside

Sunbeams fall through the opening of the cave onto turquoise water — Sunbeams in Melissani Cave

View from a rowing boat onto other boats on the dark water of the cave — By rowing boat through the cave

Orange and turquoise shimmering rock face inside the cave — The rock face in the light

It is basically the definition of a tourist attraction … but with this weather and so few people around, we honestly don’t care. What a beautiful place!

Tall rock face of the cave with two boats on turquoise water — Two boats in front of the rock face

Afterwards we have a look at the beach in front of Sami, enjoy a very good family dinner and finish the day with some serious Age of Empires II. A pretty perfect start to our week together.

A wooden water wheel next to trees by a railing, the sea behind — A water wheel along the way

Pebble beach and deep blue water, a sailing boat and mountains in the background — The beach in front of Sami

A Day on the Boat

The next day we head out onto the water. In a small boat we putter along the coast of Kefalonia, past bays with turquoise water where there is no one to be seen for miles. Of course we stop for snorkelling, and Lou keeps an eye on the coast as co-pilot.

Secluded bay with a light beach and turquoise water in front of green slopes — A bay all to ourselves

View under the boat's sun canopy onto the helmsman, the coast in the backlight — Under the sun canopy

Lou sits on the bench of the boat and looks at the rocky coast — Lou keeps a lookout

Snorkeller in clear, turquoise water in front of a rocky coast — Snorkelling in clear water

Ithaca: In the Footsteps of Odysseus

Today we head to the neighbouring island of Ithaca, and this is actually the main reason we came to Kefalonia in the first place: for her birthday, our daughter wished to visit the Palace of Odysseus. We catch the morning ferry and drive over the mountains almost to the northern tip of the island.

View from the bow of the ferry with a Greek flag onto mountains and the sea — On the morning ferry to Ithaca

Whether the archaeological site really was the palace of the legendary Odysseus is still up for debate. The sign says “School of Homer”, at any rate. But one thing is certain: it is surprisingly untouched by mass tourism. We have the ruins almost to ourselves and can take it all in at our leisure. Lou is delighted.

Mighty wall of large stone blocks on a hill — The mighty wall of the archaeological site

View through a stone arch onto a paved path between walls — Through the archway

Lou stands in front of a ruin with a window in the stone wall — Lou explores the ruins

Brown sign reading Archaeological site School of Homer in front of a stone wall — The School of Homer

Next stop: Stavros, with a small church and a map showing the route of Odysseus. Then we drive down to the sea, to Polis Beach near Frikes. After a little shopping and an ice cream, we continue along the coast to Kioni.

Board with a relief map of the Mediterranean with routes marked — The map in Stavros

Yellow church with two bell towers and red domes in Stavros — The church of Stavros

Pebble beach with two chairs and sailing boats in a bay — Polis Beach

View from a terrace over the harbour of Frikes onto boats and houses — Frikes from the café

Two colourful drinks in tall glasses on a table — A little refreshment in Frikes

Kioni is known as the “village of the rich” and provides excellent entertainment while we eat: we watch the yacht owners manoeuvre their boats into the harbour. Let’s just say that docking skills vary quite a bit.

View of the bay of Kioni with small boats and houses on the shore — Kioni, the “village of the rich”

After that we want to go to the windmills, but our car’s ground clearance has other plans. No windmills today! Instead we drive to Anogi, the highest village on the island, make a quick stop at the monolith and suddenly realise we need to get back to the harbour. The ferry won’t wait!

Slim stone bell tower by a road under a blue sky — The bell tower of Anogi

Light stone monolith between bushes and trees under a blue sky — The monolith

View from the mountains onto a bay with an island in front of it — View from the mountains

A packed day on a beautiful island, all thanks to a birthday wish that took us somewhere we might never have discovered otherwise.

Turtles and Mount Ainos

After that we take it a little easier. That doesn’t mean we stop exploring, though. The first bigger trip takes us to Argostoli, where we hope to spot sea turtles. And we are not disappointed: watching these beautiful creatures up close is a real highlight.

Sea turtle swimming just below the water surface — A turtle dives down

Afterwards we head to Kalamia Beach for a few rounds of snorkelling. The water is lovely, but this side of the island feels a little too busy for our taste. We are definitely more fans of the quieter spots.

Quiet bay with a light beach and clear water, wooded headlands in the background — Kalamia Beach

Our second outing takes us high into the mountains, to Mount Ainos, the highest peak on Kefalonia. You can drive almost all the way up, but where is the fun in that? We add a few extra metres of elevation by hiking down first and then climbing back up again. The views make it worth the effort!

View from the mountain slopes over the coast to the wide sea — View of the sea from Ainos

Three people sit on a bench under a tree and look at the sea in the backlight — A break on the bench

Lou stands on a scree slope, the coast and sea in the background — Lou on the slope

Lou stands on the summit between rocks in front of a Greek flag — Lou at the summit cross, just with a flag

A hiker kneels on the summit in front of a Greek flag — Made it: the summit

Meanwhile, Mammothon is slowly getting ready for the next leg: packing everything away, filling the water tanks and giving the rental car one last wash before it goes back.

Mammothon stands with its cabin open and a ladder at the rear on a gravel area — Mammothon getting ready to travel

By Ferry from Poros

The two weeks on Kefalonia are over, and we head for the port of Poros. Everything goes much more smoothly than expected, and we arrive with time to spare. The early-afternoon ferry is still sitting in the turquoise-blue harbour.

Yellow ferry at the quay in turquoise water, mountains behind — The ferry in the harbour of Poros

There is just one problem: it is absolutely packed, and we can’t exchange our tickets for that sailing. So we have to wait until 18:15.

We use the time to visit a memorial to a sunken submarine and afterwards for some delicious pita at the restaurant next door.

A person stands on a painted concrete wall by the sea and looks at the water — At the memorial above the sea

A woman sits with Lou on a jetty above turquoise water — Waiting for the ferry

Lou stands on gravel between two concrete walls, the sea in the background — Lou inspects the memorial

In the end it works out after all: Mammothon rolls onto the vehicle deck and we cross over to the mainland. There we head for a beach near Kastro.

Mammothon on the brightly lit vehicle deck of the ferry next to yellow walls — Mammothon on the vehicle deck

Sandy beach with waves and parasols under a blue sky — The beach near Kastro