Kefalonia is located on the West coast of Greece, and has a mild climate along with excellent beaches. The island of Kefalonia has escaped mass tourism and recently was used to film Captain Corelli's Mandolin, set in war-time Kefalonia. The film, with Nikolas Cage, was a huge success and it put Kefalonia firmly on the 'must visit' list of destinations.
It is a large island with diverse and dramatic scenery. The island has many wonderful bays and inlets which help to form its unusual shape. The northern rocky coastline has small and clean, pebble beaches whilst those on the southern shores are long and sandy. Kefalonia is just waiting to be explored and with a good road network the island is ideal for driving. For those who prefer a slower pace, Kefalonia is a great island for walking, cycling and horse-riding. With the Greek islands of Lefkas, Zante and Ithaca close by, you can take a ferry, motor-boat, or yacht to explore the Ionian shores. Or maybe you just want to unwind? Kefalonia’s stunning beaches await.
Kefalonia is the largest of the Ionian islands and dramatically different from the rest. Once voted 10th in a world scenic beauty league, Kefalonia boasts some of the best beaches of the Greek islands. It's an island to be explored. First on the list must be the Kefalonia Caves. The caves have stayed cool over the thousands of years it has taken to form the multi-coloured stalactites and stalagmites that fill the caverns.
The Island has more mountainous than any other Ionian island with Mount Ainos in the south with its tallest peak - Megalos Soros - which reaches up to 1626 metres. Mount Ainos is covered by a very rare species of fir tree (Abies Cephalonensis). Read more in the Kefalonia Flora and Fauna section.
Kefalonia has many wonderful bays and inlets to form its unusual shape and the rocky coastline has small and clean, pebble and sandy beaches. On the north-east coast of the island lies Myrtos Bay with its stunning white sand and pebble beach and incredibly deep aquamarine sea. From here the village of Assos is visible - a tiny hamlet nestling at the base of a peninsula crowned by an imposing Venetian fortress. Further north the village of Fiscardo retains its Venetian style with a pretty harbour lined with fishing caiques, luxury yachts and daily cruisers. The south coast boasts some more wonderful beaches favoured by marine turtles which are closely monitored by a local turtle protection group.
There are so many different ways of spelling Kefalonia: Cephalonia, Cephallonia, Kefallonia, Kefallinia. Some believe that the island of Kefalonia was named after the mythological figure Cephalus while others say it is derived from the Greek work for head,'kephalos' as the island is the biggest of the Ionians and is thier natural head or leader.
Many local families of Kefalonia have surnames ending in "atos" and almost every community in Kefalonia has a name ending in "ata"
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