Search Kefalonia's Best Holiday Deals & Discounts

Check-in date

calendar

Check-out date

calendar


Resort Guide to Aghia Efhemia Kefalonia


Aghia Efhemia is one of the best places to visit if you want to spend some time in a traditional Kefalonia fishing village. It is the capital of Kefalonia’s Pilaros region and the perfect place for a (really) quiet holiday and to act as a base for the rest of the island. The village of Aghia Efhemia is peaceful and attractive, although there is very little to do there and it is not the place to go if you are looking for a holiday resort. It is centered around a working harbor and although the village has its share of shops, bars and tavernas and is a good place for a quiet meal, it offers rather limited facilities. That said however, if you are looking for genuine peace and quiet there are few better places and it is still less developed, more peaceful and cheaper than its neighbor, Fiscardo.



The harbor is wonderfully charming as are all the tavernas and restaurants on offer – indeed a meal by the harbor as the sun sets is one of the highlights of this part of the island. Not only is the sunset itself gorgeous, but the combination of watching the locals go about their business whilst looking out over the sea to Ithaca island is quite enchanting. There is great diving nearby and the diving school is in the main quay at Aghia Efhemia. The area often gets a little livelier at night as a number of the people from yachts parked out in the bay come onto shore for a drink and a meal. Additionally there are regular mini-markets selling local produce and local crafts and a number of bars have live (local style) music late into the night.

What Aghi Efhemia does best is offer a good base for exploring the rest of Kefalonia as it is very central. Car hire is a must, but once you have a car it is easy to get to any other part of the island. There are some sights in the town itself – an afternoon spent wandering around the cobblestone back streets for example. Not only are the winding cobbled streets cool and picturesque on their own, but they are also decorated with an array of stunning floral displays that have turned Aghia Efhemia into a riot of smells and colors. Buildings everywhere are overflowing with lavenders and violets, Bougainvillea as well as Morning Glory, clematis and hundreds of other pots and plants. Mix in numerous ancient ruins and rubble-strewn sites from the 1956 earthquake dotted around the hills and Agi Efhemia is one of the most picturesque towns you’ll ever see. If you happen to be in Kefalonia in July then make sure you head to Agi Efhemia on the 1oth to experience the evening service at the Saint Efimia church when they hold a wonderful little festival featuring a barbecue and dancing. The festival celebrates the feast day of Saint Efimia and it is worth visiting not just for the barbecue but also to see the wonderful mosaic floor of the church, leftover from Roman times.

If you get a chance it is also worth taking a car out from Agi Efhemia along the coastal road to Sami and stopping off at any of the numerous untouched, empty and beautiful pebble beaches, decorated with crystal blue sea and stratified rocks. Also, from Agi Efhemia you can catch a ferry for a daytrip over to Ithaca.

Agi Efhemia is a charming village and well worth a visit even if you stay elsewhere. That said, it is growing in popularity as a resort to stay in, especially amongst people looking for a more tranquil holiday.