100% customisable travel idea
Kefalonia and Zakynthos Two Ionian Islands as a family
Greece - Kefalonia - Zakynthos
In the Ionian Sea
Your trip
Two direct flights and a ferry crossing make up the logistics of your trip. Then, for occasional travel, you have a car at your disposal: independence, range, flexibility. There’s nothing to stop you from going anywhere. At every stop, a family villa awaits you, serving as your operational base. Spacious and well-equipped enough to live comfortably. Not far from a beach and connected to the roads, without being in the midst of traffic. Respectful of the landscape. Whether you want to relax or be active, there's always an option. Each generation can go at their own pace. The activity already in your itinerary - sailing along the west coast to Shipwreck Beach in Zakynthos - is, of course, accessible to all. As are the options of canyoning and caving, an adventure on Mount Ainos in a jeep or discovering the secrets of Greek olive oil. And if, along the way, you’d like to try something you hadn’t planned for, or if a slight setback arises, you will have the contact details of our on-site Concierge to help you. They work with your travel specialist and can also make changes to your trip according to your preferences as it unfolds.
Itinerary
100% customisable for you
Pick up your rental car and drive to Trapezaki, on the south-west coast of Kefalonia. Stay for five nights in a modern white villa between Mount Ainos and the beach. The layout is designed for good times, for coming and going, for living according to how you feel, with a private swimming pool for exercising or relaxing. The house comprises bedrooms, bathrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, a dining room and a living room. All this, plus the great barbecue, guarantees complete independence. Meals can be ordered and delivered. A fifteen-minute walk takes you to the water's edge, which can be seen from the house and never fails to capture your attention.
The beaches are evenly distributed around the island and interspersed between rocky areas. Myrtos, on the west coast, is considered the most beautiful, although Antisamos, on the east coast, would dispute this. See for yourself! The roads run more or less close to the coast, depending on the terrain. To the east, the road passes between the Ainos massif and small coastal hills. The 7th-century BC fortress of Krani is made up of white stone blocks east of Argostoli, near the village of Razata. From Saint George's Castle, the Venetian capital of Kefalonia (as the Serenissima had trading posts throughout the Mediterranean), to Peratata, there is a splendid view to the south and west. As for the Agios Andreas monastery a little further south, it has a beautiful collection of ancient icons. In the far south, at Cape Mouda, a 3rd-century AD Roman villa with beautiful mosaics has been unearthed. To the north, you can visit Fiskardo, which is a charming Venetian port that was spared by the 1953 earthquake that devastated the island. In the inlet on the east coast, in the village of Karavomylos, Melissani Cave is a famous natural site that was a refuge for nymphs in ancient times. It is a karst formation that is partly open to the sky for modern-day visitors, who explore it by boat.
Optional - Private canyoning and caving; private safari in Mount Ainos Park.
Transfer to the port of Pessada. Ferry crossing to Agios Nikolaos, Zakynthos. Stay for five nights in Marathias, on the south coast. The estate borders the sea, to which it offers exclusive access. Rocky and pebble beach. The house is surrounded by olive groves and orchards, where lemon, olive, fig and apricot trees grow. These fruits are also offered to guests. Your accommodation is functional and elegant. There are no extravagant decorative effects, but rather a well-maintained and comfortable interior. The terraces are particularly pleasant. One of the best tavernas in Zakynthos is located right at the entrance to the property. And the village of Keri is 1.5 miles (2 km) to the west.
From Zakynthos city, a network of roads connects all corners of the island: the Vasilikos peninsula to the south-east, Keri and Myzithres to the south-west, Volimes and Agios Nikolaos to the north. You can swim at the quiet beaches on the Vasilikos peninsula, surrounded by the scent of pine trees. Gerakas Beach is a nesting site for loggerhead turtles, which means it is protected. From the peaceful village of Keri, an easy hike leads to spectacular cliffs and the Myzithres, which are two imposing karst rocks jutting out into the sea. At the foot of these is a beach that rivals that of Shipwreck Bay on the west coast. The shipwreck in 1980 was probably a boat carrying cigarette smugglers. To enjoy the beautiful rolling countryside of Zakynthos, head inland to Volimes, where you’ll find old olive trees, vineyards and pine trees. This northern capital is famous throughout Greece for its crafts. The 1953 earthquake turned it into a modern town. Agios Nikolaos is a bit like Volimes but on the sea, where you can hire a caique for a trip to the blue caves.
On your itinerary - Sailing along the west coast and Shipwreck Bay. You’ll board a motorboat in Porto Vromi with an English-speaking skipper. And you can go wherever you want for four hours, starting from the west coast. You usually sail along the cliffs, near the caves. You’ll take a trip to Shipwreck Bay and its beach, which is only accessible by sea. However, nothing is pre-planned and the course will be decided with the ship's captain.
Optional - Secrets and production of olive oil.
Return the car at Zakynthos airport. Return flight.
À la carte
This suggested itinerary can be customisable down to the smallest detail, including duration, stops and content. An à la carte menu of experiences is also available to create a journey that reflects who you are.
Canyoning and caving in Kefalonia
The combination of Vouva Canyon and Grouspa Cave is accessible to all, with no qualifications required, other than the ability to walk and climb. The activities are supervised by qualified instructors. The organisation provides all the necessary equipment. We start with the canyon, which narrows considerably after we have climbed a little way up the dry river bed. Erosion has given the walls surprising flared shapes and created obstacles that add to the adventure of the walk. There are even abseiling sections! Next, the cave, in an even more enclosed setting, provides new opportunities to test your skill, flexibility, sense of balance and composure. In these games, adults aren't always the strongest!Optional
Private safari on Mount Ainos
Aboard a jeep and accompanied by a guide, we set off to explore the heights of Kefalonia's iconic mountain. After its altitude, it is its fir trees that distinguish Ainos: Abies Cephalonica, as the botanists would refer to them. The species is found elsewhere in Greece, but this is its home. Protected by a national park, it has provided wood for shipwrights since at least the time of Odysseus. If you look closely, you can spot orchids and Kefalonia violets, whose name gives them their colour, or Ainos saponaria, which, as the name suggests, is purple. A herd of wild ponies is the main attraction in these parts, but these agile little horses are not easy to approach. From up there, you can see the vast, azure sea. The old abandoned village of Vlachata evokes Kefalonia before the earthquake.Optional
Secrets and production of olive oil in Zakynthos
On a farm near your villa, you will learn about olive trees, olives and olive oil, with a private English-speaking guide. Olive groves are a major cultural feature of the Mediterranean; the domestication of the olive tree dates back to the invention of writing. They cannot be ignored. So, maintenance of the trees (which produce their maximum yield between 35 and... 150 years!), fruit harvesting, crushing, pressing, centrifuging, decanting, bottling - you can cover everything in a dynamic and hands-on way. Once you are well equipped with information, you can move on to tasting and make the necessary distinctions. To accompany the tasting, enjoy a traditional Greek mezze.
Why visit Greece with Voyageurs du monde?
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