In June, we chartered a boat across the Greek Ionian Islands with a group of 23 friends (including WC and I). Most of us traveled from the U.S. (Colorado, Florida, Georgia), but we also had one friend join us from Melbourne, Australia! We met her on our Sail Croatia group trip back in 2022 and quickly connected with her.
If you’re following along on our itinerary, you know we sailed day one from Corfu to Paxos. On our second day, we headed for Kefalonia, the most mountainous of the Ionian islands. This was also our longest day of sailing at approximately 8 hours.
A Week in the Ionian Islands: Day 2 – Paxos to Kefalonia:
Morning on the Aegeotissa II Sailing to Kefalonia
Our yacht, the Aegeotissa II, set sail from Paxos around 6:00 am. Since it was our longest sailing day, we weren’t expecting to get a swim stop. Fortunately the weather made for nice sailing conditions and we made good time on our trek to Kefalonia. Around 12:30 captain Demitrius pulled into a gorgeous cove for our swim stop. The background was so scenic, we all had to snap some photos before jumping in.
This cove was a fairly popular spot with a number of other catamarans anchored in the area. Fortunately there was plenty of space so it didn’t feel crowded. There were also two beaches here we could have swam to as the water was pretty calm.
After swimming, we got back on board for lunch (prepared daily by the talented Stefi). Just after lunch, we departed for Kefalonia’s Sami port. During the rest of the ride into Sami most of us showered and got ready for a late afternoon/evening tour of Kefalonia planned by our friend Harah. When we docked in Sami at 5 pm, two drivers from La Rotta Tours were waiting at the port with vans to take 16 of us around the island.
Afternoon on land in Kefalonia
The first stop of our island tour was Melissani Cave, just a short 10 minute drive from the port. The entrance fee to Melissani is 10 EUR cash. Once you have your ticket, you follow the path down into the cave to the boarding area for the boats.
Each rowboat fits about 10 people so our group split up in two boats.
A guide paddles each rowboat while sharing history and information about Melissani cave. Our guide didn’t speak English but he was very enthusiastic which made the experience. The tour goes through the two main “rooms” of the cave. The main room has a large opening in the ceiling where the sun shines through illuminating the water. The second room (it’s a tight squeeze heading into this area) is more cavernous with stalactites and stalagmites. The tour lasts about 15 minutes.
The second stop on our Kefalonia tour was to one of the most famous spots on the island: Myrtos Beach viewpoint. The views over the beach are incredible and the water below is a beautiful turquoise. This was just a short photo stop but worth the visit.
From Myrtos Beach, our next stop was Assos village. The drivers dropped us off at the bottom of the walkway to Assos Castle. The hike up is not difficult as its on a paved walkway. However, it was a hot end-of-June afternoon in Europe so that makes any hike feel a bit harder.
Plan to spend about 25-30 minutes making your way up to the entrance. Also note this is not a working castle; it’s ruins of a 16th century Venetian castle. There is not an entrance fee here and once inside the main gate there are several paths you can take to explore.
We had limited time so we choose the path to the right and didn’t get a chance to explore the other areas of the castle grounds. The right path is just a few minute walk and ends at the ruins of a tower. Our friend Stuart is the selfie king so he lined us up for a group pic. And who wants a boring group photo when you can take an “album cover” photo?
Our full group got a little split up on the hike up to the castle so, after we’d all explore the grounds, we snapped another ground pic outside the main gate.
After the hike, we’d earned some cocktails! We made our way back down into Assos village to the Three Wise Monkeys. If you’re in Kefalonia, don’t miss this fun spot! The music and atmosphere were on point and the snacks were delicious. We recommend the sourdough with dips (chimichurri, smoked butter, and romesco).
Once back to Sami (around 10 pm), we freshened up on the boat and headed out to explore the port. It was a fair bit quieter than Paxos, but most of the waterfront restaurants were open until around midnight. At the recommendation of Stavros, the lead deckhand/jack-of-all-trades for the Aegeotissa II, we choose Το Ραχατι/Rahati, a Greek tapas restaurant. The restaurant has a nice waterfront location and the food did not disappoint. Between the small group at our table, we tried the greek salad, tzatziki, spicy and extra spicy sausage (it is as the name says!), calamari, local cheese, aubergine dip, and a few other items.
By the time we finished dinner, most of the bars in Sami port were closing up so we headed back to the boat for a few after-dinner cocktails before bed. Then it was time to get some sleep before our voyage to Zakynthos!
Next Stop: Zakynthos
In our next post, we’ll recap day three of our sailing trip which took us to Zakynthos aka “Zante.” It’s definitely the party island of the Ionians, but it also has so much more to offer.
Need more Greece inspiration?
Check out these blog posts to help you plan your trip to Greece:
- One Week in the Ionian Islands: Day 1 – Corfu to Paxos
- How to Spend 48 Hours in Athens
- 3-Day Mykonos Itinerary
- 4 Days in Santorini, Greece
- What You’ll See with the Athens Multi-Site Ticket
- 10 Things You Must Do in Santorini
- Visiting the First Modern Olympic Stadium
- Hiking from Fira to Oia
- Must Do in Mykonos, Greece
- Guide to Visiting the Acropolis
- Wine Tasting in Santorini: Estate Argyros
- 10 Things You Must Do in Athens
- Sunset at Santo Wines
- Tasting Beer at Santorini Brewing Company
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