We decided to travel the Ionian Islands in Greece having seen some beyond incredible photos (yes on Instagram where else!). In choosing the western islands of Greece, we were looking for an experience less touristy and more authentic than what Santorini and Mykonos could offer.
The islands of choice were Zakynthos, Kefalonia and Lefkada. We decided to spend 4 days on each island in mid July.
They were phenomenally different from the Cyclades (Santorini etc) in terms of experience and each island we found to be different and special in its own right.
ZAKYNTHOS
Zakynthos was our first stop. We caught a bus from central Athens. The bus took us to Killini where we got on a ferry from the mainland to Zakynthos (still on the bus) and ended up at Zakynthos’ bus terminal. The cost was around €40 for the bus that had both locals and tourists on board.
Key point for Zakynthos – hire a car! Public transport on the island is virtually non- existent and taxis can get expensive. We used dragon car rentals. It was a bit of a bomb car (to be honest) but enough for roaming the island – and you need it, the island is bigger than you think!
On our bucket list was Shipreck bay. It is phenomenal -the turquoise water and the height of the viewing points ensure it’s as stunning in real life as it looks in the photos.
Other sights include the blue caves – if you head north on the island, however we had just as much fun doing our own free diving and finding tiny unspoilt beaches with the help of local tips!
I heard whispers of a colony of sea turtles south of the island. We ventured to have a look, but to my dismay the beaches were overrun with beach bars, thumping dance music and basically nude beach-goers completely ruining any semblance of serenity. I saw a turtle but I felt so sad to think that they had to lay eggs amongst the chaos.. I could not believe more had not been done environmentally to protect them but I suppose in the state of Greece’s economy tourism is number one. I couldn’t help but think of the cost in the long run.
We stayed at Palataki Absolute Blue that was run by a local ‘older’ couple with not a lot of English – but that made our stay feel more authentic. There were some fantastic restaurants nearby if you like seafood- we were obsessed with the stuffed squid and also the local rosè.
KEFALLONIA
Kefallonia was my favourite island. We caught the ferry from the northern tip of the island. It took an hour or two and immediately the landscape changed and the air felt cooler with the clouds hugging the mountains.
We had SO much difficulty hiring a car. You need an international drivers license. We thought it was game over in terms of exploring the island until we found Pelosi rentals.
We took the winding drive along the western coast to Myrtos beach and Petanoi beach (in the photo above). The water was crystal clear at Petanoi and we didn’t want to leave. The following day we went to the stunningly beautiful town of Assos (a formerly Venetian ruled town) with its quaint brightly coloured buildings hugging a tiny inlet with row boats and a lush mountain topped by a castle on its westernmost point.
Kefallonia was certainly beautiful, still very touristy, but there were gorgeous villages that made you feel as though you had stepped back in time. You could picture yourself fishing plentifully, picking fruit from the trees and tending to goats. It had a certain dreamy quality to it.
LEFKADA
From Fiskardo we took the ferry to Lefkada- our final island. Having spent lots of money in Kefalonia we decided to sit tight for a couple of days and we stayed down south in Poros and swam at the local pebbled beach. On our final day we again hired a car to explore and managed to find a sparse beach further north than the crowded beach bars called Etanoi with incredible rock formations studding the fantastically blue water, thanks to the limestone rocks below.
The Ionian islands were very special. They were a lot larger and more touristy than I had first thought. They are certainly worth visiting for their natural beauty and particularly if you are looking for picturesque beaches. I would suggest that the shoulder of the high seasons would be a perfect opportunity to go with less crowds, less heat and perhaps a more local experience, but overall we will never forget this two week adventure in the west!
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