Travel Kefalonia

Festivals

The island hosts many feasts, festivals and religious and cultural events throughout the year, with most taking place during the summer. Join in the celebrations during events such as the Robola Wine Festival, the Feasts of the Virgin Mary and Agios Gerassimos as well as various music and theatrical festivals.

Residents of Robola have enjoyed good food and local wine since time immemorial, so it’s fitting they have a festival to celebrate it. Every August visitors and locals savour regional delicacies, drink abundantly and participate in traditional dances at Robola Wine Festival.Robola wine is present on every Kefalonian menu. Known as the star of Greek white wine it is grown in the southern-central mountainous sector of the island. It’s usually a pale green colour with a golden hue, depending on the method of vinification and the time of bottling.

Walking and hiking

The magnificent scenery of the island can be best enjoyed on foot, and Kefalonia remains a popular destination for walking and hiking enthusiasts. Follow the tracks and ancient paths that crisscross the island, and discover the delights of Kefalonias’ wildlife and flora, as well as an insight into the history of the area.

Cycling

With an extensive network of quiet roads, backroads and tracks on the island, Kefalonia offers great terrain for some scenic cycling. Speed through rugged forest-covered mountains and green unspoilt landscapes before cooling off along one of the deserted beaches.

Horse-riding

See the beauty of Kefalonia on horseback, with treks that meander through the olive groves and verdant hillsides of the countryside, then take in the spectacular coastline whilst on a relaxing ride along the beach.

Water sports

The larger more commercial resorts offer activities such as jet skis, banana boats and ringos, water-skiing, wakeboarding and parasailing. Scuba-diving is available on the island, with facilities for both beginners and experienced divers, as is snorkelling, and there are excellent opportunities for sailing around Kefalonia and to the neighbouring Ionian Islands.

Sea kayaking

Discover the beauty of the seascapes around the island on a sea-kayak, with one of the many tours available. Follow the coastline and travel through unique caves and rock formations, past limestone cliffs and remote beaches, whilst enjoying a relaxing glide in the crystal-clear waters.

Day trips

As well as the many charming fishing villages, traditional hamlets, and a host of spectacular beaches to visit, other day trips on Kefalonia include the picturesque Fiskado, the harbour town of Sami (where the famous film ‘Captain Corelli’s Mandolin’ was filmed), the Caves at Melissani and Drogorati, and the neighbouring island of Ithaka.

Get cheap flights to Greece and have an amazing time in Kefalonia. The island is one of the best places to visit in all of Greece. This place is a perfect travel destination for families and couples looking for a stress-free holiday.

For accomodations in Kefalonia, you can choose to stay in chic five star hotels, rent modern villa’s or even spend your holiday in a rustic Greek farm house. Holiday accommodation is available to book through a number of tour operators. Most of the accomodation on offer will have sea views and many have beautiful infinity swimming pools overlooking the turquoise bays of Kefalonia.

Kefalonia’s popularity was jump started by the making of Captain Correlli’s Mandolin and has now become one of the most popular Greek islands to visit. As the island evolves holiday accommodation has become more readily available however Kefalonia is still a destination that is not heavily advertised by travel agents. As a result, Kefalonia is still relatively untouched by western tour operators and remains a peaceful and tranquil place to visit.

Tourists are spread out through Kefalonia and so accommodation differs depending on where you are staying. Some towns offer chic hotels with all the luxuries you may find at an upmarket hotel at home whilst others offer simply self catering apartments.

Private villas are popular with families and can be booked privately too. It is recommended you explore all your options before deciding and definitely choose to stay in a town that suits your needs.

Galaxy Hotel is located in Kefalonia Island, just 3km from the centre of Argostoli Town along the Fanari scenic route, 7 km from the Airport, 1 km from the Port and only 1 km from the golden beaches of Makris and Platis Gialos. The hotel is an ideal destination, far from noise in a quiet, green and tranquil environment but at the same time close to the town centre and port.

Each of its 33 comfortable rooms, are fully equipped with individually controlled air-conditioning, heating, telephone, color television with 4 satellite channels and saving plug 110/220V. All rooms are with balconies and offer a beautiful sea view of the Ionian-sea and the town of Lixouri or the picturesque hill of Argostoli.

Undoubtedly, the most important meal of the day is breakfast. Breakfast is served daily between 07:00 to 10:00 where you can find a rich buffet breakfast, which includes a variety of local flavor for the ideal start of your day. Your trouble free stay at Galaxy is completed with our comfortable lounge, which is equipped with satellite TV and DVD player.

At the pool you can use for free the sun beds and umbrellas. During the heat of the day nothing can be more relaxing than a dive in the swimming pool, and more refreshing than a cocktail at the pool bar. And if you are feeling a bit puckish, a variety of cold snacks is always available.

The warm atmosphere, the hotel’s staff is genuinely warm and friendly while consistently exceeding your expectations and the exclusivity of Galaxy are going to make your stay an unforgettable experience.

Very close to the hotel is the site of the world famous phenomenon “Katavothres”, the “Agioi Theodoron” lighthouse and a number of restaurants, and little further, bars and nightclubs.

The famous Robola wine is native to Kefalonia and recent archaeological excavations have shown that grape cultivation was known in Greece as far back as Neolithic times, and that early Greek colonisation throughout the Mediterranean laid the foundations for subsequent developments in viticulture. Through the ages, the various conquerors of Kefalonia learned to appreciate Robola and they imposed exorbitant taxes on its export.

Today, with an annual production of 500 tonnes, Robola is exported throughout the wold, particularly to countries in Europe and America. Robola of Kefalonia is considered to be the major eponymous export product of Kefalonia with shoes history and culture it is inextricably linked.

The Robola zone almost touches the edges of the fir forest of the Mount Ainos National Park. The cultivation of Robola here is one of the greatest achievements of Kefalonian agriculture as the vines literally emerge from among the stones.

It is not insignificant that the Greek legislator, seeking to protect this product of exceptional quality within its specific zone, included the grape variety in the name of the geographic appellation, a case unique in Greece. Thus the actual name of the appellation is Robola of Kefalonia VQPRD. In this way, Robola cannot be anything but Kefalonian, even if the actual varietal is used in other parts of Greece to improve local blends.

Vineyards can be found throughout the island of Kefalonia with the most significant ones in the Omala Valley in the centre of the island which contains the Robola appellation zone, the Paliki peninsula and in the south of the island. The individual vineyards are small with low yields. Most of the grapes grown on the island are for winemaking with the rest going for currants. Around 90% of the grapes grown here are white varietals with a small quantity of red grapes attracting interest because of their superior quality.

Robola is one of the three finest Greek white cultivars. The vine, with its slightly blond grape and its round, thin-skinned berry is well adapted to the difficult stony soils of the Kefalonia highlands. It is this soil that gives the potential for wines of exceptional quality, which are characterised by delicate citrus and mineral aromas, balanced acidity and medium body with a long aftertaste. Robola has been granted an Appellation of Superior Quality only when grown on Kefalonia as it is also grown to a lesser extent on other Ionian islands where it is mostly used to improve blends. The vine thrives on poor limestone and gravely soils and grows best at mid to high alttiitudes. Flowering begins at the end of March and peak ripeness is reached from mid-August to mid-September.

Myrtos was voted as the number one beach by the public the last few years in the internet survey contacted by thalassa.gr. Obviously a poll like this would be biased towards the most frequented beaches.

We found Myrtos to be an excellent beach (one of the best we have seen in Greece) well worth a trip out of the way to experience its waters.

The waves really pick-up in the afternoon so swimming can become dangerous at this time.

The steep cliffs that frame the beach make it one of the most picturesque in Greece, but beware of fallen rocks. During our visit we saw an avalanche of boulders that fell sending sunbathers scrambling for cover. Myrtos is a very wide beach however and the rocks would never reach the part of the beach where most people sunbathe. You should be careful though if you set your umbrella near the beach ends.

Myrtos is world-famous for the magical colours of the water (from sky-blue to dark blue, green-blue and turquoise) contrasting with the bright white of the smooth marble pebbles from which it is formed.

In the evening when the sun is on the horizon, the water is tinted by magnificent colours, (red, yellow, purple, orange), as the sun disappears[2]. The location of the beach, with steep mountains and tall cliffs behind, is imposing and magical.

For all these reasons Myrtos has previously been voted 12 times the best Greek beach and has been quoted in one or more of the published top-ten beaches of the world lists (There are many such lists and Myrtos is not cited in the majority of lists which originate outside Europe, but is included in more of the lists that originate in Europe). It is cited as No. 36 in the world in one widely used travel website. Myrtos Beach was also identified as a priority destination in a SEPT 2008 review in the Telegraph Newspaper.

When walking around, some footwear such as flip-flops is advised because of the pebbles. There is a steep drop-off at the shore which, at times, can be associated with a significant undertow that can be disconcerting to someone who is not a strong swimmer. Most adults become out of their depth within about ten feet of the shoreline.