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Assos seen from the walls of its Venetian castle, a village of pastel houses on a narrow neck of land between two bays, with boats at anchor and wooded mountains behind

Where to stay in Kefalonia

Photographed in 2011. Photo: Spiros Rokkos, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Kefalonia

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About Kefalonia

Kefalonia airport is about 9 km from Argostoli, but Fiskardo in the north is about 56 km away by road. A base near the drives you plan saves hours, and the Lixouri ferry cuts the trip across the gulf.

Greece. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airport
Kefalonia Anna Pollatou (EFL), about 9 km by road from Argostoli; the car park outside the terminal is open around the clock and free for the first 20 minutes. Source
Climate resilience fee
Per night, April to October: short-term rentals EUR 8, or EUR 15 for a detached house over 80 m2; tourist residences EUR 8, or EUR 15 from 80 m2; tourist villas EUR 15; rented rooms EUR 2; hotels EUR 2 to 15 by stars. November to March: EUR 0.50 to 4. One national table, unchanged for 2026: Code of indirect taxes (Law 5177/2025), article 44. Source
Municipal visitor fee
0.5% of the rent on stays under six months under national law, borne by the guest; private hosts with one or two properties do not charge it. Argostoli, which includes Lassi and Skala, charges 0.75% for 2026 (decision 41/2026); Lixouri (163/2025) and Sami, which includes Agia Efimia and Fiskardo, keep 0.5%. Source
Short-term rental rules
Every short-term rental must be in the AADE registry and show its 11-digit AMA number on every platform and advert; licensed properties show a 16-digit ΕΣΛ or a 7-digit ΜΑΓ number instead. Source
Rental safety rules
Since 1 October 2025 each short-term rental needs smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, a first aid kit, a guide to emergency numbers and civil liability insurance (Law 5170/2025). Source
Argostoli without the car
Free municipal bus Monday to Saturday, 07:30 to 15:30, every half hour from the KTEL bus station, with stops at the market and the Lixouri ferry. No official source on street parking was found. Source
Lixouri ferry
All year between Argostoli and Lixouri, tickets on board: EUR 3.50 per passenger, EUR 7 for a car with its driver. Source
Monthly stays
Under 60 days per contract is a short-term rental in Greece, with the per-night fee; 60 days or more without extra services is an ordinary lease. Airbnb calls 28 nights or more a monthly stay. Source
Emergency number
112 Source

Areas of Kefalonia

The waterfront promenade in Argostoli in early morning light, with a row of palm trees, patterned pebble paving, the harbour quay and mountains across the bay
Photographed in 2014. Photo: Jean Housen, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Argostoli

The island's capital, with the central square, a cobbled pedestrian shopping street, the Clock Tower and the museums, and a short run to the airport. It suits a town base, a mix of beach and town, and a month outside summer.

Kefalonia airport
about 9 km
Makris Gialos beach
about 4 km

Car and parking

No official parking source for Argostoli was found as of September 2026. The municipality runs a free town bus Monday to Saturday, 07:30 to 15:30, every half hour from the KTEL bus station, with stops at the market and the Lixouri ferry, so the car can stay parked during the day.

A sandy beach at Lassi with clear shallow water and flat rocks, swimmers further along the shore, hotels on the slope and mountains in the distance
Photo: Helena Teresa, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Lassi

The resort just outside Argostoli, with the island's best-known organised beach, Makris Gialos: sandy, Blue Flag, reached by a flight of stairs and suited to young children, according to the municipal tourist guide. Platis Gialos next door is the family beach. It suits families and beach holidays close to the town and the airport.

Kefalonia airport
about 7 km
Argostoli
about 2 km
Makris Gialos beach
about 1 km

Car and parking

No official parking source for Lassi was found as of September 2026. Argostoli is about 2 km away by road and the airport about 7 km.

A large sandstone boulder at the water's edge on the beach at Skala, with clear turquoise water and the long sandy beach continuing below a wooded slope
Photographed in 2012. Photo: Fæ, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Skala

The resort at the south-eastern tip, with a large organised beach and hotels close to the sand, according to the tourist guide. Loggerhead turtles nest on the beach at Skala and at nearby Mounta, where ecological groups fence the nests. It suits a beach holiday in the south-east.

Kefalonia airport
about 34 km
Argostoli
about 36 km
Skala beach
under 1 km

Car and parking

No official parking source for Skala was found as of September 2026. The airport is about 34 km away by road and Argostoli about 36 km.

Agia Efimia seen from the hillside above, a village of red roofs curving around a bay with a small harbour, wooded hills and mountains behind
Photographed in 2014. Photo: Radio89, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sami and Agia Efimia

The east coast. Sami is the port for the daily summer ferry to Ithaca, with the Blue Flag beach of Antisamos about 4 km away by road and the Melissani cave lake close by; Agia Efimia is a harbour village about 10 km north. It suits travellers who want the east coast and Ithaca day trips.

Kefalonia airport, from Sami
about 34 km
Argostoli, from Sami
about 27 km
Antisamos beach, from Sami
about 4 km

Car and parking

No official parking source for Sami or Agia Efimia was found as of September 2026. Before an Ithaca day trip with the car, check whether the rental agreement allows it on the ferry.

Pastel painted houses on the rocky shore at the entrance to Fiskardo harbour, with swimmers and moored boats in clear water and hills across the channel
Photo: Sofcharatsi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Fiskardo and Assos

The north. Fiskardo came through the 1953 earthquake with little or no damage and keeps its Venetian-style houses, narrow alleys and a harbour of yachts and fishing boats. Assos, a few minutes from Myrtos beach, is a small fishing village with a pebbly beach in a sheltered bay and a Venetian castle on the hill opposite. Both suit couples and slow weeks, far from the airport.

Kefalonia airport, from Fiskardo
about 56 km
Kefalonia airport, from Assos
about 43 km
Emblisi beach, from Fiskardo
about 1 km

Car and parking

No official parking source for Fiskardo or Assos was found as of September 2026. Fiskardo has narrow alleys, so ask the host where the car goes. The airport is about 56 km away by road from Fiskardo and about 43 km from Assos.

The main square of Lixouri seen from the quay, with cafe umbrellas, a bronze monument, a tree and a large pale yellow building with a columned porch
Photographed in 2017. Photo: Kefalonia 2017, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Lixouri

The town across the gulf from Argostoli, quieter than the capital according to the tourist guide, with Petritsi square at its centre and the red clay cliffs and shallow water of Xi beach nearby. It suits families, a quiet town stay and a month outside summer.

Argostoli, by road
about 36 km
Kefalonia airport, by road
about 43 km
Lepeda beach
about 3 km

Car and parking

The ferry from Argostoli takes cars all year, EUR 7 for a car with its driver, with tickets on board; by road the drive round the gulf is about 36 km. No official parking source for Lixouri itself was found as of September 2026.

Guides

Questions

How far is Kefalonia airport from the main areas?

By road about 7 km to Lassi, 9 km to Argostoli, 34 km to Sami and to Skala, 43 km to Assos and 56 km to Fiskardo. The car park outside the terminal is free for the first 20 minutes.

Is there a tourist tax in Kefalonia?

Greece charges a climate crisis resilience fee per night and per room or property. From April to October a short-term rental pays EUR 8, or EUR 15 for a detached house over 80 m2, and hotels EUR 2 to EUR 15 by stars; from November to March EUR 0.50 to EUR 4. Hotels and professional hosts also add a municipal visitor fee on the rent: 0.75% in Argostoli for 2026, 0.5% in Lixouri and Sami.

How does the Lixouri ferry work?

Ionian Sea Ferries runs it all year between Argostoli and Lixouri, with tickets sold on board: EUR 3.50 per passenger and EUR 7 for a car with its driver. By road round the gulf the trip is about 36 km.

How can a guest check a rental is registered?

Every short-term rental in Greece must show its 11-digit property registry number, the AMA, on every platform and advert. Licensed properties show a 16-digit ΕΣΛ or a 7-digit ΜΑΓ number instead.