Chasing the Sun: 4-Day Long Weekend Trip to Kefalonia 🇬🇷
When September arrives, I start feeling the onset of autumn and begin searching for a place to soak up the last bits of summer. This year, I chose the Greek island of Kefalonia for a long weekend trip. Without much research, I quickly booked a flight. After a brief glance at some information, I also reserved accommodation in Skala and arranged a rental car.
Then the exciting day of travel finally came. I landed in Kefalonia in the afternoon. The airport is small, and since I only had hand luggage, I breezed through to the exit in a flash. The same efficiency applied to the car rental process. When I arrived at the Budget car rental counter, everything was sorted in just 10 minutes. As my originally booked car wasn’t ready, I was upgraded to a fantastic, brand-new Volkswagen.
Table of Contents
Skala
The village of Skala is about a 55-minute drive from the airport. I chose to stay here because, according to the information I found, it has one of the best beaches on the island. Upon my arrival at Summer Sun Apartments, I was greeted by the owner, who kindly showed me around. The apartment is situated on a hill (as is the entire village), a short walking distance from the beach and about a 8-minute walk from the old village center.
As soon as I settled in, I took a walk on the beach. It’s a long, beautiful pebble beach with clear blue water. You can rent chairs and umbrellas, but there’s also plenty of space for those who prefer to spread out their own towels.
There is one downside, though, which might matter to me but not necessarily to others: the beach is separated from the bars and restaurants by a road. This means it’s not like a closed-off beach bar area where you can enjoy chairs, a bar, a shower, and a toilet all in one spot. To access these facilities, you have to cross the road and navigate through traffic.
The village of Skala itself is a lively place, as are most beach resort towns, with plenty of taverns and souvenir shops to explore and enjoy.
Melissani Cave
Melissani Cave is one of the top recommended places to visit in Kefalonia, so it was high on my list to start my exploration. The cave is about a 50-minute drive from Skala. Although the distance is only 40 km, it’s an island, and island roads tend to be winding. The scenic drive offers beautiful views of the Ionian coastline, passing through small villages along narrow, sometimes winding roads.
The roads weren’t busy, at least in mid-September, but be prepared—you might end up behind a car whose driver is either admiring the beauty of the island a little too much or simply struggling with the winding roads. This can be a bit frustrating, as there are stretches where overtaking is impossible.
I arrived at the cave entrance around 10 a.m., and at that time, parking was easy, and there was no queue. I purchased my entrance ticket for 10 euros and followed the stairs down. At the bottom, I was helped into a small boat, right in the heart of the cave. The boatman rowed us around, and the whole experience lasted no longer than 10–15 minutes.
To be honest, I’ve visited much more interesting caves before. While it’s pretty, I wouldn’t call it a “wow” experience. What I also found a little strange was that the boatman quite literally expected everyone to tip him after rowing us around for 10 minutes. So, that sums up the cave experience for me.
Myrtos Beach
I had originally planned to visit a nearby beach I randomly found on Google Maps after my trip to the cave. However, since the cave visit was so quick, I decided to continue on to the most recommended beach on the island—Myrtos Beach. About 30 minutes later, I was disappointed. I think my expectations were simply too high.
When I reached the top of the hill and started descending to the beach, I was blown away by the view. It’s absolutely stunning. The disappointment came, however, once I drove down the steep, winding road. The beach itself is sandy and quite long, and the sea is undeniably beautiful. But the facilities left much to be desired.
For some, it’s perfectly fine to just lay down a towel and enjoy the simplicity of the beach, but I had expected a beach like this to have better amenities—maybe a nice beach bar, proper toilets, and showers. In reality, there were only some basic plastic chairs for rent, a beach shower, and Toi Toi portable toilets. There was also a small stand where you could presumably buy a drink, but I didn’t even bother to check it out.
So, after taking a few photos, I decided to head back to the beach I had originally intended to visit after the cave.
Antisamos Beach 🧡
The absolute highlight of my stay in Kefalonia! This is the best beach I found, and I ended up driving there every day. It’s located near the village of Sami, and if I were to return to Kefalonia, Sami would be the village I’d choose to stay in.
The beach is surrounded by mountains and offers the facilities I love—beach bars with chairs, drinks, and toilets. My favorite spot was Acron Beach Bar, and I stuck with it throughout my stay. I enjoyed lounging on a chair under an umbrella, swimming in the crystal-clear sea, and having drinks and food brought to me whenever I felt like it.
The beach also has a water sports center where you can try various fun activities. Since I had never ridden a jet ski before, I chose that—and it was so much fun! It definitely added to the great vibe of Antisamos Beach.
Fiskardo
The next day, I decided to explore the other side of the island and drove from Skala to Fiskardo. Although the distance is only 75 km, it took me about 1 hour and 45 minutes to get there. The drive, once again, is very scenic and offers great views of the island. Fiskardo is a small village with everything centered around the harbor.
I found a parking spot at the entrance to the village, though this was mid-September, so it might be trickier during the high summer season. I walked towards the harbor and discovered a charming spot with many coffee shops and restaurants. I sat in one, enjoying a coffee and a delicious milk cake, soaking in the relaxed vibe of the place.
After about an hour and a half, I got back into the car with the intention of driving to my favorite beach. However, a storm hit as I was nearing Assos, a turn I might have otherwise missed!
Assos
As the rain started, I figured, why not take the turnoff, drive to the village, and enjoy a cappuccino while waiting for the storm to pass? I’m glad I did. I parked right at the entrance to the village and had to wait about 10 minutes in the car as the rain poured down. I could see the clouds moving, so I knew it wouldn’t last long. I was right—10 minutes later, the rain stopped, and the sun came out.
I walked to the center of the village, which, like Fiskardo, is centered around a small harbor. I was truly amazed—I think I liked Assos even more than Fiskardo. It’s colorful, vibrant, and full of charm. There’s also a castle overlooking the village. I started along the path leading up to the castle and took some photos along the way.
Surprisingly, I didn’t make it all the way to the castle, which is unusual for me because I love castles. But it was just after lunchtime, and after the storm, the weather became really hot and sunny. So, I decided to skip the castle this time and head to the beach, as I had originally planned.
Argostoli: end of my long weekend trip
On my last day in Kefallonia, I packed up and decided to head from Skala to Argostoli for a short walk and lunch before returning the car and catching my flight. Unfortunately, I didn’t have much time to explore the city, and since it was a Sunday, everything seemed to be closed anyway. So, I strolled around the waterfront and found a nice restaurant to enjoy my last truly Greek meal.
In summary, I had a fantastic time in Kefallonia—sun, beaches, great food, and drinks. What more could you wish for?
