Where to stay in Kefalonia, base by base
Eight bases, the hotels in each, and the drive from every one of them to Myrtos, Melissani and the airport.
On an island of 780 square kilometres with a bus network built for residents, where you sleep decides what you see. Argostoli is the practical base, central and walkable, with no beach of its own. Lassi has the sand and the airport twelve minutes away. Fiskardo and Assos are the beautiful end of Kefalonia and an hour and a half from the runway, which is fine for two slow nights and punishing for a week of sightseeing.
The eight bases, and the hotels in each
Every village below has hotels, food and a beach within reach. What separates them is how much of the island each one puts inside an hour. Distances are on our map of Kefalonia, and the transfers from the runway are on the Kefalonia airport page.
For a first visit, and without a car
Argostoli
15 min from the airport · 45 min to Myrtos
The capital, the bus station and the only base that works without a car. The 1953 earthquake took the old town, so this is a grid of rebuilt streets around Vallianos Square, a pedestrian shopping lane and a long waterfront on the Koutavos lagoon where the loggerhead turtles come in behind the fishing boats. What it does not have is a beach: Lassi's sand is four kilometres away. Everything else favours it, including restaurants that stay open out of season.
Mid-rangeKefalonia Grand
Argostoli waterfrontFrom
$95
Straight on the harbour front, a short walk from Vallianos Square and the restaurants. Rooms are compact, so the sea-view balcony earns its difference.
- On the waterfront
- Walk to everything
- Harbour-view terrace
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-rangeAvra Private Suites
ArgostoliSuites rather than hotel rooms, for a couple who want the town at the door and more space than the Grand gives.
- Suites only
- In the centre
- Adults friendly
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-rangeThe Alley Boutique Hotel
Argostoli, off the waterfrontFrom
$89
Twenty nine rooms on a side street a block behind the front, with a garden patio, a bar and a small spa. The quieter version of the same location.
- 29 rooms
- Garden patio
- Spa
- Central
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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ValuePanorama Fanari Studios and Apartments
Fanari, north end of townFrom
$67
Self-contained apartments out towards the lighthouse, which suits a family that wants a kitchen and has a car.
- Kitchens
- Sea views
- Near the lighthouse
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-rangeAenos
Vallianos SquareFrom
$73
The value option in the centre, on the main square itself. No pool, no view, and you walk out into the town.
- On the main square
- No pool
- Breakfast
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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For the beach, with the town nearby
Lassi
12 min from the airport · 55 min to Myrtos
The headland west of Argostoli, and the closest thing Kefalonia has to a resort strip. Makris Gialos and Platis Gialos are its two beaches, both sand, both organised, with water sports through the summer, and the road above them carries the tavernas, the mini markets and the car hire desks. It was built for the charter season and it reads like it. But the capital is ten minutes away for dinner, the runway is twelve, and no other base gives you both.
LuxuryWhite Rocks Hotel
Above Platis GialosFrom
$244
The beach hotel of the island: a pine slope beside Platis Gialos with its own small cove, rooms and bungalows in the grounds, and adults-only infinity pool suites at the top.
- Own small beach
- Bungalows
- Adults-only suites
- 10 min to the airport
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-rangeThalassa Boutique Hotel
Lassi, adults onlyFrom
$107
Low-rise buildings in gardens with two pools and sea views, and Makris Gialos about ten minutes on foot. The couples choice in Lassi.
- Adults only
- Two pools
- Swim-up rooms
- Walk to the beach
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-rangeDionysos Village Resort
LassiFrom
$76
A low-rise resort spread through gardens a few minutes from both Lassi beaches, with self parking and a pool. The plain, workable option on the headland.
- In Lassi
- Gardens
- Free parking
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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For an early flight, and quiet
Svoronata and the airport coast
5 min from the airport · 1 h to Myrtos
The flat strip of coast south of the airport, around Svoronata, Kourkoumelata and Pesada, is where you stay for an early flight, a late landing or a week with a car and no interest in a strip. Ammes and Avithos are its beaches. Nothing here is walkable except the sand in front of you, Argostoli is fifteen minutes, and the small boat to Zakynthos leaves from the end of this coast in season.
LuxuryElectra Kefalonia Hotel
SvoronataFrom
$185
Modern, facing the sea, minutes from the terminal, with a pool, a spa and a handful of private-pool suites. The best answer to a six in the morning departure.
- Minutes from the runway
- Private-pool suites
- Spa
- Walk to Ammes
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-rangeLeivatho Hotel
Above Avithos beachFrom
$165
Good value and family-friendly in a rural setting, rooms with kitchen facilities and a pool looking at the sea. Avithos and its tavernas are five minutes downhill.
- Kitchen facilities
- Pool with sea views
- Family-friendly
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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For a quiet beach week
Lourdata and the south coast
25 min from the airport · 1 h to Myrtos
Lourdata, also written Lourdas, sits below the flank of Mount Ainos, with a long beach, beach bars and tavernas along the water, and the village itself up the hill with more restaurants. Trapezaki and Katelios continue the same coast east. The hill is the catch: unless your room is on the front, the walk back up from the beach is a climb and a car is close to compulsory. What you buy is a south-facing beach with almost none of the traffic of the Argostoli side.
LuxuryF Zeen Kefalonia
Above Lourdas beach, adults onlyFrom
$244
Built into the hillside in thick gardens, with three pools, yoga, hiking and a wellness programme most Greek island resorts do not attempt. The beach is five minutes downhill.
- Adults only
- Three pools
- Private pools
- Wellness programme
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-rangeVilla dei Sogni
KateliosFrom
$42
Near the beach at Katelios, five minutes from the sand and the little marina, with laundry and parking. A quiet week on the south-east coast for the price of a room in town.
- Near Katelios beach
- Free parking
- Quiet village
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-rangeUtopia Resort and Spa
KateliosFive minutes from Katelios beach and its marina, with a spa and parking, at the eastern end of this coast where the hill finally flattens.
- Spa
- Near the beach
- Free parking
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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For a self-contained beach holiday
Skala and the south-east
50 min from the airport · 1 h 20 to Myrtos
Skala has the longest beach on the island and a compact centre of restaurants, bars and mini markets behind it. You can land, drive fifty minutes, park the car and not move it for a week, which is what a lot of families want. The price is distance: Myrtos, Assos and Fiskardo are all a long way from here and doing them as day trips eats the days. Poros, the ferry port for Kyllini on the mainland, is twenty minutes up the coast.
Mid-rangeTesoro Blu
Outside Skala, adults onlyFrom
$134
A modern resort of 89 rooms and suites around a large pool, with a spa and two restaurants, and the beach and tavernas walkable.
- Adults only
- Large pool
- Spa
- Private-pool suites
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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LuxuryApostolata Island Resort & Spa
Above SkalaFrom
$123
The five star of the south-east, a four-minute walk above Skala beach, with a spa and an airport shuttle for a surcharge. The one address here that is a resort rather than a room.
- Five star
- Spa
- Walk to Skala beach
- Airport shuttle
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-rangePorto Skala Hotel Village
Skala waterfrontOn the waterfront in the village itself, a minute from the beach and beside the archaic temple. The family option that needs no car once you have parked.
- On the waterfront
- Walk to everything
- Free parking
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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For the caves, and for Ithaca
Sami and Agia Efimia
40 min from the airport · 35 min to Myrtos
Sami is a working port, rebuilt after the earthquake and plainer than the villages people photograph, and it is the most practical base if you came to see things. Melissani is five minutes away, Drogarati ten, Antisamos fifteen, and the boat to Ithaca takes about forty minutes. Agia Efimia, ten minutes north, is the prettier half of this coast: a harbour with no ferry traffic, good tavernas, swimming coves either side, and Myrtos fifteen minutes up the road.
LuxuryIonian Emerald Resort
SamiFrom
$195
The full-service hotel of this coast, with a big pool, gardens, maisonettes and some private-pool suites, and the waterfront of Sami walkable along the shore.
- Large pool
- Private-pool suites
- Family-friendly
- Walk into Sami
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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LuxuryOdyssey Boutique Hotel
Agia EfimiaFrom
$200
A boutique hotel on the harbour at Agia Efimia, by the beach and a step from the tavernas. The best room on this coast if you want the village rather than the port.
- On the harbour
- Boutique
- Near the beach
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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LuxuryMeliti Waterfront Suites
KaravomylosFrom
$265
Suites on the water between Sami and Agia Efimia, five hundred metres from the Melissani cave. Nothing on the island puts you closer to the thing people drive an hour to see.
- On the water
- 500 m from Melissani
- Suites
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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ValueSami Beach Hotel
SamiFrom
$51
On the beach with a pool, tennis courts and a poolside bar. Straightforward, and well placed for the caves and the Ithaca boat.
- On the beach
- Pool and tennis
- Near the ferry
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-rangePenelope Villas
SamiFrom
$142
By the sea just outside Sami, two minutes from Karavomilos beach, with parking. The self-catering option for a family that wants the caves and the Ithaca boat nearby.
- By the sea
- Self-catering
- Free parking
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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For the prettiest villages, at a distance
Fiskardo and Assos
1 h 30 from the airport · 35 min to Myrtos
Fiskardo still has its Venetian colours around a small yacht harbour, and the waterfront is a line of tavernas, cafés and boutiques. Assos, forty minutes south, is the other postcard: a hundred inhabitants on an isthmus below a ruined Venetian fort, with a bay on each side. Both are beautiful and both are far. Fiskardo is 56 km from the airport, an hour and a half of mountain road, and most of the island's sights are back the way you came. Stay here for two or three slow days in the north, not as a base for touring.
LuxuryEmelisse Nature Resort
Above Emblisi bay, outside FiskardoFrom
$231
The best-known hotel on Kefalonia: two pools, a spa, tennis, a swimming platform on the rocks, views to Ithaca and Lefkada, and a shuttle into the village.
- Two pools
- Spa and tennis
- Villas with pools
- Shuttle to Fiskardo
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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LuxuryBraunis Horio
AssosVillas above the bay with infinity pools looking at the entrance to the harbour. The splurge on this coast.
- Villas
- Infinity pools
- Above the bay
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-rangeFaros Suites
Fiskardo, adults onlySuites near the harbour, the middle way between the resort out on the headland and a studio on the front.
- Adults only
- Near the harbour
- Suites
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-rangeFiscardoStudios
Fiskardo harbourFrom
$80
Six studios with kitchenettes, steps from the waterfront. No facilities at all, which is the point: you walk out into the village.
- Six studios
- Kitchenettes
- On the harbour
- No pool
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-rangeMelmar View Hotel
Magganos, near FiskardoFrom
$117
Five minutes from Dafnoudi and seven from Kimilia, the two coves worth the walk in the far north, with an airport shuttle for a surcharge. Cheaper than the harbour, and you drive into it.
- Near Dafnoudi
- Free parking
- Airport shuttle
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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ValueStudios Vrionis Panoramic Sunset
Kothreas, above AssosFrom
$57
Studios on the ridge above Assos with the sunset in front of them, and the cheapest bed in the north by a distance. You will need the car for everything.
- Sunset views
- Studios
- Car essential
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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For the quiet side, and lower prices
Lixouri and the Paliki peninsula
50 min by road · 20 min by boat to Argostoli
Lixouri is the second town, on the peninsula across the gulf from Argostoli, and the little ferry crosses in twenty to thirty minutes against a fifty minute drive round the water. The peninsula has farmland, vineyards and two of the best beaches on the island: Xi, with its red sand, and Petani on the exposed west side. Almost nobody flying in for a week stays here, which is the reason to. Check the last boat before you book a dinner in the capital.
Mid-rangeKymata Bohemian Beach Resort
LixouriFrom
$134
The upmarket address on the peninsula, on the beach, for people who want the quiet side without giving up a resort.
- On the beach
- Pool
- Quiet side
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-rangeAura Boutique Hotel
LixouriFrom
$72
Small and mid-range in the town itself, close to the ferry ramp for Argostoli.
- In the town
- Near the ferry
- Small
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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LuxuryApollonion Asterias Resort and Spa
Xi BeachThe five star of the peninsula, ten minutes on foot from the red sand of Xi and from Megas Lakkos. Nothing else on this side is in its class.
- Five star
- Walk to Xi beach
- Spa
- Free parking
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-rangePetani Bay Hotel - Adults Only
Petani, adults onlyOn the beach at Petani, on the exposed west side of the peninsula, adults only. The quietest good hotel on Kefalonia, and the furthest from a supermarket.
- Adults only
- On Petani beach
- West coast
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
See availability
Scores, review counts and photos are Booking.com data checked in September 2026, and the buttons open the property on Hotels.com. Rates move with the dates, so check them there.
What each base costs you in driving
This is the part the hotel lists leave out. Kefalonia has one mountain, Ainos, in the middle of it and roads that go round rather than over, so the map lies about every journey. Pick a base and see what a morning at Myrtos or Melissani actually involves.
Pick the base you are considering
Where you would sleep
Nothing is more than an hour and a quarter away, and nothing is on your doorstep either. The compromise base.
- Kefalonia airport
- 15 min
- 9 km down the coast at Minies
- The nearest sand
- 10 min
- Lassi. There is no beach in town
- Myrtos
- 45 min
- North on the gulf road, then the hairpins below Divarata
- Melissani cave
- 40 min
- Across the waist of the island towards Sami
- Fiskardo
- about 1 h 15
- The full length of the west coast road
Times are for a car outside July and August, and they match the drive times on our map of the island. Add a third in high season, when the coach traffic to Myrtos and the queue for the Melissani boats stretch every journey.
Where not to stay in Kefalonia
No part of this island is a bad place to spend a week. Several are a bad place for the week most people booking them have in mind, and the lists that rank for this question never say which.
Fiskardo or Assos, if you plan to tour the island
They are the prettiest villages and the furthest from everything. From Fiskardo, Melissani is close to an hour, the airport an hour and a half, and Argostoli an hour and a quarter. Two or three nights here as the second half of a trip, yes. A base for a week of driving, no.
Skala, if the north is on your list
The south-east corner is a fine self-contained resort with the longest beach on Kefalonia. It is also close to two hours from Fiskardo and an hour and twenty from Myrtos, so a north day trip costs most of the daylight.
Argostoli, if this is a swimming holiday
The capital has a lagoon, a bridge and the best restaurants on the island. What it does not have is a beach. Lassi is ten minutes by road, which is either nothing or everything depending on whether you hired a car.
Anywhere but Argostoli without a car
The green buses run for residents going into the capital and back, a few times a day, with almost nothing on Sundays and much less outside the summer. From any other base you will be paying for taxis or excursions.
Lixouri, if you have not checked the last ferry
The crossing to Argostoli takes twenty to thirty minutes and the drive round the gulf takes fifty. Book a table in the capital on an evening when the boat stops early and you will discover the difference.
Couples, families, first visits and no car
Same island, five different answers. Each one below points at a base from the list above and names what you give up by choosing it.
Tell us who is travelling
This trip is
Stay at
Fiskardo and Assos, or Lourdata if you want a beach
The north is where Kefalonia is beautiful rather than convenient, and a couple is the only kind of traveller for whom that trade works. Two or three nights on the harbour at Fiskardo, dinner on the water, a boat to the coves in the afternoon.
The hotels there: Emelisse Nature Resort, FiscardoStudios, Braunis Horio at Assos. On the south coast, F Zeen at Lourdata is adults only.
What you give up: It is an hour and a half from the runway, and touring the island from there means driving back past everything twice.
Can you manage without a car
From Argostoli, for a few days, yes. Everywhere else, plan on driving. The green buses all radiate from the capital, they are timed for people who live here, and the services that would make a beach day work are the first to thin out in May and September. Melissani, Myrtos, Assos and Fiskardo are not realistic by bus, which is why most visitors collect a car at the airport on the way in.
If the car is only for part of the week, hire it for the days you go north rather than for the whole stay. Fleets on Kefalonia are small, though, and August sells out, so book early even for three days.
What a room on Kefalonia costs
Kefalonia is cheaper than the famous Cyclades and priced like the other Ionian islands. The aggregators advertise the island from about $55 to $70 a night at the bottom of the range, which buys a room in Argostoli, Sami or Lixouri outside the peak. The village moves the price as much as the star rating does: Lassi, Lourdata and Skala sit in the middle, and Fiskardo and Assos charge for the view, since the north has few rooms and everybody wants the same harbour in August. We do not quote a nightly rate per hotel, because it changes with the dates and we would be guessing.
The month moves the bill more than the village. June and September cost noticeably less than the peak, the sea in September is warmer than in June, and the roads are drivable instead of queued. Many hotels here open in May and close in October, and outside that window most of the island is shut, which is the real reason the shoulder season is the answer. If you are still weighing this island against its neighbours, the guide to the Ionian islands sets Kefalonia against Corfu, Zakynthos and Lefkada, and the equivalent list for Corfu shows how differently the two islands split up.
Questions people ask about staying on Kefalonia
What is the best part of Kefalonia to stay in?
Argostoli if it is your first visit, because the capital has the restaurants, the bus station and a drive of under an hour and a quarter to everything on the island. Lassi if you want sand at the end of the road, ten minutes from the capital and twelve from the runway. Sami if you came for Melissani, Antisamos and the boat to Ithaca. Fiskardo and Assos if the point is the north itself and you accept an hour and a half from the airport at each end. Skala for a self-contained beach week in the south-east. There is no single best part, only the part that matches what you want to do with the days.
What is the nicest town in Kefalonia?
Fiskardo, and it is not close. It is the only village the 1953 earthquake spared, so the Venetian colours are still standing around a small yacht harbour lined with tavernas and shops. Assos is the other one people photograph, a hundred inhabitants on an isthmus below a Venetian fort, with a bay on each side. Agia Efimia is the quiet harbour in between. Argostoli, rebuilt on a grid after the earthquake, is the useful town rather than the pretty one, and Sami is plainer still.
Which side of Kefalonia has the best beaches?
The west and the north-west. Myrtos, under white cliffs below Divarata, is the one on every photograph of the island, and Petani on the Paliki peninsula is the same kind of beach with a fraction of the coaches. Both are swimming beaches rather than lounging ones: the shingle shelves away fast and the sea is often lively. The south and the south-east have the sand you sit on all day, at Lassi, Lourdas, Skala and Xi, with sunbeds and tavernas behind them. The east coast around Sami has coves and Antisamos.
How many days is enough for Kefalonia?
A week, split between two bases. Four or five nights on the Argostoli side covers the capital, the beaches at Lassi, Melissani and Myrtos, and then two nights at Fiskardo or Assos give you the north without driving back over the mountain every evening. Five days from a single base works if you pick Sami or Argostoli and accept that the far corners are an hour or more away. Anything under four days and the island is too big: Skala to Fiskardo alone is close to two hours each way.
Where to avoid in Kefalonia?
Nowhere on Kefalonia is unpleasant, but several places are the wrong choice for the trip people book them for. Fiskardo and Assos if you want a beach holiday or plan to tour the island, because they are an hour and a half from the airport and most of the sights are back the way you came. Skala if the north is on your list at all. Argostoli if you came to swim, since the town has no beach. Lourdata if you are not up to a steep hill at the end of a beach day. And anywhere except Argostoli without a car, because the buses are built for residents rather than visitors.
Is it possible to travel around Kefalonia without a car?
Partly, and only from Argostoli. Every green bus line on the island starts there, the town itself is walkable, and Lassi's beaches are a short taxi ride away. But the timetable is built around residents going to the capital in the morning and home in the afternoon, so day trips to Myrtos, Assos and Fiskardo either do not work or eat the whole day. Most visitors hire a car, usually at the airport. A middle way is a few days in Argostoli on foot, then a car for the two or three days you go north.
Which is better, Corfu or Kefalonia?
Corfu if you want an old town, an easy transfer and the option of skipping the car. Its Venetian quarter is a UNESCO site, the airport is three kilometres from it, and the near coasts have a usable bus. Kefalonia if you want landscape over streets: it is bigger, greener, emptier, and its beaches and caves beat anything on Corfu, at the cost of driving to reach them. Families on a package and first-time visitors tend to be happier on Corfu. Walkers, drivers and people who have done the Greek islands before tend to prefer Kefalonia.
Which is better, Zakynthos or Kefalonia?
They are next to each other and they are not alike. Zakynthos is smaller, flatter in the middle, cheaper, and busier, with Laganas as its party resort and the Navagio shipwreck as its one unavoidable photograph. Kefalonia is nearly four times its size, mountainous, quieter and better for a car holiday, with Myrtos, Melissani and the north. If you want a short transfer and a resort, Zakynthos. If you want to drive somewhere different every day, Kefalonia. A small ferry links the two in season, from Pesada to Agios Nikolaos.
