Greece has plenty of islands. Around 600, actually, from which about 200 inhabited. You can chose your favorite from the Cyclades, with their white houses and specific relief, from the history-filled Dodecaneses, or one of the pretty Aegean islands – or you can visit them all, and, of course, you won’t get bored.
For our trip this summer we chose Kefalonia – the largest island in the Ionian Sea, which has a beautiful mountainous relief, wonderful beaches and plenty of stuff to see. We loved it, so I made up a list of things that we enjoyed here, hoping to inspire you.
RO: Grecia are multe insule. Vreo 600, mai exact, dintre care cam 200 locuite. Poti sa iti alegi preferata dintre insulele Ciclade, cu relieful lor specific si casele albe, dintre Dodecanezele pline de istorie, sau dintre frumoasele insule din marea Egee – sau le poti vizita pe toate, si, cu siguranta, nu te vei plictisi.
Pentru vacanta noastra din vara aceasta am ales Kefalonia – cea mai mare insula din marea Ionica, care are un foarte frumos relief muntos, plaje minunate si o multime de locuri de vazut. Ne-a placut la nebunie, asa ca am incropit o lista cu lucrurile preferate, in speranta de a va inspira.
REASON #1: It’s easy to get there
If you’re planning a road trip you can easily get there by ferry, either from the Greek mainland or from southern Italy. We took the ferry from Kyllini, in the North-Westic part of the Peloponnese. The journey takes around 1 hour and a half, and it costs about 10€ per person and 30€ for a car. It’s also possible to reach it by plane, as a lot of airlines (like EasyJet, Ryanair or Vueling) fly to Argostoli Kefalonia airport. If you go there by plane you can easily rent a car or a scooter; I actually recommend it, as the roads are pretty good and you’d be able to see the whole island.
RO: MOTIVUL #1: Insula este usor accesibila
Daca planuiesti o excursie cu masina, poti ajunge foarte usor pe insula cu feribotul, ori din Grecia ori din sudul Italiei. Noi am luat feribotul din Kyllini, in nord-vestul Peloponezului. Durata drumului este de vreo o ora si jumatate, si costa 10€ de persoana si 30€ pentru o masina. Poti ajunge acolo si cu avionul, pentru ca multe companii aeriene (ca si Easyjet, Ryanair sau Vueling) aterizeaza pe aeroportul Argostoli Kefalonia. Daca mergi cu avionul, poti sa iti inchiriezi o masina sau un scuter; chiar recomand sa faci asta, pentru ca drumurile sunt destul de bune, si in felul acesta poti vedea toata insula.
REASON #2: It’s remote and non touristy
The nice fact about Kefalonia is that it’s super wild – or at least it gave me this feeling. Almost all guest houses were full when we were there (which makes me think it’s a popular island), but it’s definitely not as touristy as other similar places. The cities are small and pretty, you don’t find supermarkets (only small local shops – which makes the whole experience even more authentic), and there isn’t any big hotel or luxury resort (thank God!). This being said, if you’re an adventure seeker and you want to avoit crowded places, Kefalonia is the place for you.
RO: MOTIVUL #2: Nu e deloc turistica
Cel mai dragut lucru despre Kefalonia este ca e foarte salbatica – sau cel putin asta e senzatia pe care mi-a lasat-o. Intr-adevar, aproape toate pensiunile erau pline cand am ajuns noi (ceea ce ma face sa cred ca este, totusi, o insula populara), dar este, cu siguranta, mult mai putin turistica decat alte locuri similare. Orasele sunt mici si dragute, nu o sa gasesti supermarket-uri (doar magazine mici ale localnicilor – ceea ce face toata experienta chiar mai autentica), si nu exista nici hoteluri mari sau resort-uri (slava cerului!). Acestea fiind spuse, daca esti un aventurier innascut si vrei sa eviti locurile aglomerate, Kefalonia e locul potrivit pentru tine.
REASON #3: The relief
The island is covered in mountains, with the highest one being Mount Ainos – with an elevation of 1628 meters and which hosts a great national park on the top. The great thing about the mountainous relief of Kefalonia is that you are able to have a sight of the sea no matter where you’re standing. Almost all the rooms and restaurants have a nice view over the sea, and it’s also a delightful landscape to drive through.
RO: MOTIVUL #3: Relieful
Insula este acoperita complet de munti, cel mai inalt fiind muntele Ainos – cu o inaltime de 1628 de metri, si care gazduieste un parc national grozav in varf. Cel mai frumos lucru despre relieful muntos al Kefaloniei este ca ai ocazia sa vezi marea de aproape oriunde te-ai afla. Aproape toate camerele si restaurantele au vederi spectaculoase spre mare, si este, deasemenea, un peisaj incantator prin care sa conduci.
REASON 4#: There’s a large variety of beaches
You like wide sandy beaches you can relax on all day long, your boyfriend likes small and remote pebble ones he can explore, maybe you are curious about the red sand, or you feel like being surrounded by a tropical jungle – no problem, Kefalonia has them all!
The most beautiful beaches we’ve been to in Kefalonia, and we think you should also go to:
- Pessada
- Koroni
- Kako Langadi
- Skala
- Agia Effimia
- Myrtos
- Antisamos
- Paliora
- Xi
- Petani
- Vuoti
- Alaties
- Embilisi
RO: MOTIVUL 4#: Exista o varietate foarte mare de plaje
Tie iti place plajele late si nisipoase unde te poti relaxa cat e ziua de lunga, prietenului tau ii plac plajele mici cu pietricele, pe care le poate explora, poate esti curios sa vezi nisipul rosu, sau poate ai chef sa fii inconjurat de o jungla tropicala – nicio problema, Kefalonia le are pe toate!
Cele mai frumoase plaje pe care le-am vazut in Kefalonia, si unde credem ca ar trebui sa mergi si tu:
- Pessada
- Koroni
- Kako Langadi
- Skala
- Agia Effimia
- Myrtos
- Antisamos
- Paliora
- Xi
- Petani
- Vuoti
- Alaties
- Embilisi
REASON #5: There are plenty of other sights if your favorite activity is not tanning
The nicest thing about Kefalonia is that you can have an amazing time even if tanning is not your favorite activity. There’s the Melissani Cave, for example, which is a great natural underground cave with a crystal clear lake inside you can ride a boat on. I highly recommend going there at midday, as you can enjoy a full sun and water spectacle, with the sun up in the sky right above the cave hole. If you’re there, you can also go to the Drogarati Cave, very close by.
If you love small, cozy cities and the traditional Greek atmosphere and food, you’re in the right place. Fiskardo is a very beautiful small town in the North of the island (we ate some delicious seafood dishes at the Lagoudera Restaurant, right next to the harbour). Katelios is another cute city by the sea, locally known for the fresh fish. We ate some mussels here, at a beautiful remote restaurant on the beach, called Nontas Albouro, which you should check out if you’re there. Another town you should go to is Agia Effimia. It’s super cozy, it has a nice beach I showed you earlier, cute little souvenir shops and it also has a great restaurant I highly recommend, as that’s where we ate the most delicious dinner (Taverna To Perasma). If you’re into history and you’d like to find out more about the Venetian age of Kefalonia (yes, it used to be under the Venetian rule), you can visit Assos and its castle.
You can also hike in the national park on the Ainos Mountain, the one I told you about earlier. Due to a heavy forest fire condition, it was forbidden to go there during our stay, so make sure you ask at your hotel’s reception about it before you go.
Paragliding is also very popular in Kefalonia. No wonder, with such a beautiful landscape! You can book a tandem flight here, for about 70€.
MOTIVUL 5#: Gasesti o gramada de lucruri de facut, daca activitatea ta favorita nu este sa te bronzezi
Un lucru dragut despre Kefalonia este ca poti sa te distrezi de minune si sa ai o vacanta frumoasa chiar daca nu esti adeptul statului la soare. Poti merge la pestera Melissani, de exemplu, care e o grota sub pamant creata in mod natural, cu un lac cristalin pe care il poti parcurge cu barca. Iti recomand sa mergi acolo in jurul orei pranzului, pentru ca in felul acesta te poti bucura de un spectacol complet al soarelui si al apei, cu soarele luminand chiar prin golul grotei. Daca esti acolo, poti merge si la pestera Drogarati, foarte aproape.
Daca it plac orasele mici si primitoare, si atmosfera si mancarea traditionala greceasca, Kefalonia e locul potrivit. Fiskardo e un oras mic si foarte frumos in nordul insulei (am mancat aici niste delicioase meniuri cu fructe de mare la Lagoudera Restaurant, chiar langa port). Katelios este un alt oras mic si dragut langa malul marii, cunoscut pentru pestele proaspat. Aici am mancat niste midii la un restaurant retras grozav, pe o plaja, numit Nontas Albouro, pe care ar trebui sa il incercati daca sunteti in zona. Un alt oras unde ar trebui sa mergeti este Agia Effimia. Este foarte primitor, are o plaja draguta despre care v-am spus mai devreme, magazine mici cu suveniruri si un restaurant deosebit pe care il recomand, pentru ca acolo am mancat cea mai delicioasa cina (Taverna To Perasma). Daca esti interesat de istorie si vrei sa afli mai multe despre era venetiana (da, Kefalonia a fost sub dominatia Venetiei), poti vizita orasul Assos si castelul sau.
Te poti plimba si prin parcul national de pe muntele Ainos, cel despre care am amintit mai devreme. Din cauza incendiilor freccente din padure, a fost interzis sa mergem acolo pe timpul sederii noastre, asa ca asigura-te ca ceri informatii de la receptia hotelului inainte sa mergi.
Zborurile cu parapanta sunt, deasemenea, foarte populare in kefalonia. Nici nu ma mir, cu un asa peisaj spectaculos! Poti sa iti rezervi in zbor in tandem aici, pentru suma de 70€.
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