About Kefalonia

Kefalonia… the island of your dreams

It was Louis de Bernieres’ bestselling novel “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin”, published in the mid-nineties and later made into the popular film that brought the island of Kefalonia from a relatively unknown Greek Island into the world spotlight. The Island has been regularly voted in the top ten destinations in the world for scenic beauty, and therefore has become the “Jewel of the Ionian Islands.”

Kefalonia is the largest of the seven Ionian Islands, lying off the west coast of mainland Greece. Covering an area of 270 square kilometres the island is mountainous and covered in forest and vegetation. Unlike many of its sister islands Kefalonia enjoys a number of rivers, lakes and underground caves. It is also famed for its clear turquoise waters against numerous white sandy beaches, and private pebble coves with a coastline stretching over 250kms.

The island has many wonderful bays and inlets to form its unusual shape. On the North-East coast lays Myrtos bay with its stunning white sand and deep aqua-marine sea. From here the tiny hamlet of Assos is visible, crowned by an imposing Venetian fortress.

Kefalonia is very mountainous, which adds to its beauty, with the highest mountain, Mount Ainos, rising at an altitude of 1520 metres, and is the only mountain in the whole Mediterranean to possess unique fir forest specie called Abies Kefallia. Those are protected species and the area where they grow has therefore been declared a National Park.

Kefalonia has a population of approximately 35 000 whose main occupations and source of income are agriculture, fishing and tourism. With tourism playing such a huge part in the economy, there are a growing number of people from all over Europe who are recognising the potential of investment on the Island.
The island is largely unspoilt with low-profile tourism, a very low crime rate and a rich cultural heritage.

Apart from the capital, Argostoli, the island of Kefalonia has a multitude of picturesque villages and small towns scattered both in the mountains and along the coastline. The furthest village north is Fiskardo, a picturesque traditional fishing village which now boasts an exclusive yachting marina favoured by the rich and famous. The South coast offers key tourist destinations including the village of Skala with its extensive sandy beaches, the developing fishing harbour of Katelios, the lively resort of Lassi, and the beautiful villages of Lourdas and Karavados.

Because of its huge natural wealth, Kefalonia was, like all the other Ionian Islands, dominated by various civilizations such as the Byzantine, the Frankish, the Ottoman, the Venetian, but also the Napoleonic and the British Empires. Despite strong cultural influences from the Italians, specifically the Venetians, together with the French and British, Kefalonia has retained its own authentic Greek character, unlike more easterly parts of Greece.