Where to stay in Kefalonia

Argostoli is the capital, with the central square, a cobbled pedestrian shopping street and the museums, about 9 km from the airport. Lassi, about 2 km away, is the resort just outside town, with Makris Gialos, the island's best-known organised beach according to the municipal tourist guide, and Platis Gialos for families.

Skala, at the south-eastern tip, is the resort of the south-east, with a large organised beach where loggerhead turtles nest. On the east coast, Sami is the port for Ithaca, with the Blue Flag beach of Antisamos about 4 km away, and Agia Efimia a harbour village about 10 km north.

In the north, Fiskardo came through the 1953 earthquake with little or no damage and keeps its Venetian-style houses and narrow alleys, and Assos is a small fishing village a few minutes from Myrtos beach. Lixouri, across the gulf from Argostoli, is the quieter town, with Xi beach and its red clay cliffs nearby.

Distances first. By road, the airport is about 7 km from Lassi, about 9 km from Argostoli, about 34 km from Skala and from Sami, about 43 km from Assos and from Lixouri, and about 56 km from Fiskardo.

For Lixouri, the ferry beats the road. Ionian Sea Ferries runs it all year between Argostoli and Lixouri, with tickets bought 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.

In Argostoli we found no official source on street parking or municipal car parks. The municipality runs a free 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. For Lassi, Skala, Sami, Fiskardo and Assos we found no official parking source either, so ask the host whether a space comes with the booking.

Ferries also leave Sami for Ithaca and Fiskardo for Lefkada; check whether the rental agreement allows the car on board. For the roads and the rules, GetCar's guide Driving in Kefalonia goes further.

Greece charges a climate crisis resilience fee per night and per room or property, and the guest pays it before departure. Article 44 of the Code of indirect taxes (Law 5177/2025) sets the amounts, unchanged in the consolidated text of May 2026, and none of them differs by island. From April to October a short-term rental pays EUR 8 a night, or EUR 15 for a detached house over 80 m2, rented rooms EUR 2, hotels EUR 2 to EUR 15 by stars, tourist furnished residences EUR 8, or EUR 15 from 80 m2, and tourist villas EUR 15. From November to March short-term rentals and tourist residences pay EUR 2 or EUR 4, villas EUR 4 and hotels EUR 0.50 to EUR 4.

Hotels and professional hosts also charge the municipal visitor fee on the rent of stays under six months, which the guest pays: 0.5% under national law, and private hosts who let one or two properties do not charge it. Kefalonia has three municipalities. Argostoli, which includes Lassi and Skala, confirmed 0.75% for 2026 in council decision 41/2026 of 23 March 2026. Lixouri kept 0.5% for 2026 in decision 163/2025, and in Sami, which includes Agia Efimia and Fiskardo, the municipal committee proposed keeping 0.5% for 2026 onwards in February 2026.

Every short-term rental 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. Since 1 October 2025, Law 5170/2025 has required smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, a first aid kit, a guide to emergency numbers and civil liability insurance, with a EUR 5,000 fine for a host who fails the rules.

Book the base around the flights and the days out. Lassi and Argostoli are about ten minutes from the terminal by road; Fiskardo takes over an hour.

Two of the ferries follow a season: the Sami to Ithaca boat runs daily from 1 May to 24 October on its 2026 timetable, and West Ferry's 60-minute crossing from Fiskardo to Lefkada runs on a timetable that starts in April. The Lixouri ferry runs all year.

The climate fee drops from November to March, when a short-term rental pays EUR 2 a night instead of EUR 8. Compare prices on this page before booking.

Town life and a short airport run: Argostoli.

A family beach resort next to town: Lassi.

A long organised beach in the south-east: Skala.

Ithaca day trips and the east coast: Sami and Agia Efimia.

Harbour villages and slow weeks in the north: Fiskardo and Assos.

A quieter town across the gulf: Lixouri.