Kefalonia holidays - travel guide - activities & sights

Make sure you pack those binoculars - Kefalonia's unspoilt, wild countryside and coastline makes it a paradise for birdwatchers, whether you're an enthusiast or beginner. As well as migratory birds, which stop here in large numbers on their way between Europe and Asia, the island has a wonderful variety of resident species, including buntings and warblers. Keen twitchers should head first for Mount Aenos, where amongst the fir-tree slopes, you might just spot griffon vultures, woodpeckers and short-toed eagles, as well as coal tits, robins and jays. For water birds, it's worth visiting the island's Livadi Marshes and the lagoon at Agostoli, to observe heron, bittern and other colourful species.

Kefalonia has an amazing collection of stunning and beautifully clean beaches. The jewel in the crown is undoubtedly Myrtos. Featuring golden sand and azure blue waters, Myrtos is the trademark beach of the island, and one of the most beautiful in the Ionian islands group.,

For an idyllic day amid fabulous natural scenery, head for Mount Aenos and its surrounding National Park in the south of the island. The mountain's foothills are ablaze with wild flowers in early summer, and higher up, you'll journey through fragrant fir forests, which once served the island's shipbuilding trade. If you're very lucky, you might glimpse one of the small herds of wild horses that roam free in the area - a fantastic sight. And once at the 1620-metre high summit - you can drive almost all the way up - you'll experience breathtaking vistas of the coastline below. It's a great way to escape the hustle and bustle of your resort and savour some true Kefalonian peace and quiet.

Before you've even visited this jaw-droppingly beautiful beach, you'll recognise it from Kefalonia brochures and postcards. Set into the northwestern coast, it's a brilliant, wide crescent of soft, white sand cupped between soaring high cliffs and lapped by iridescent, deep-blue and green waters. Here, you can swim and snorkel in the crystal-clear seas or simply stretch out on the sands and wonder at the amazing, dream-like views all around you. There's also a useful small bar-taverna on the sands for refreshments when you need them. You can drive here - via an extremely steep and winding road curling down the cliff - or take a boat to marvel at the dramatic cliffs and bay from the sea.

Located on the northern tip of the island, this gorgeous, pastel-painted harbour town must be one of Kefalonia's prettiest sights and most charming places to stroll around. Made up of colourful 18th-century Venetian style houses clustered around an L-shaped harbour - luckily, Fiskardo escaped being damaged in Kefalonia's 1953 earthquake - it's a haven for yachts and brightly-painted fishing boats, and offers a wide array of shaded waterside tavernas perfect for passing the time away in time-honoured Greek style. There are lots of interesting little shops and boutiques to pop into, winding alleyways to draw you in, and a cute little museum at the top of the harbour, as well as some nearby Roman and Norman ruins, too.