Agia Efimia, Kefalonia

By dawnpratt4

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Agia Efimia harbour

Agia Efimia harbour with sun haze

Set in the bay of Sami, Agia Efimia is a quiet and beautiful harbour village on the east coast of the island of Kefalonia.

There has been a harbour at Agia Efimia for centuries and Roman remains have been found in the area. At the time most of the area’s inhabitants lived in the hillside villages as a safeguard against the pirate raids that plagued the Ionian Islands. In fact, it is said that in 1800 the village of Tarkasata, on the slopes of Mt Agia Dinati, was built for the purpose of protecting the villagers from pirates. After its complete destruction by the 1953 earthquake the residents (about 60 people) abandoned it and went to live in Agia Efimia or the village of Drakopoulata. Today Tarkasata is a place of historical memory.

In the 19th Century many of the people of Agia Efimia were sailors, ship owners and merchants who travelled all over the Mediterranean and Black Sea.

Prior to the 1953 earthquake Agia Efimia was an important trading centre of the island with many stately homes. The village was rebuilt after the earthquake as only two buildings remained intact (one of which can be seen on the right of the bay in Agia Efimia).

The harbour village of Agia Efimia is centred round the harbour which is lined with a range of pleasant restaurants, tavernas, bars and shops. The back streets of the village offer pretty gardens full of flowers and shrubs such as Bougainvillea, Morning Glory, Jasmine and Honeysuckle, which give an abundance of colour and scented aromas.

Agia Efimia is the capital of the Pylaros region of Kefalonia, an area well developed with agriculture. Today, the main economy of the municipality is based on tourism and dairy farming. However, in the tablelands of Kalon Mountain and Falari the main industry is still stock-breeding and cheese-making. In bygone days, apart from fishing, many of the inhabitants of Pylaros were cheese-makers, and they even travelled to Italy and the Balkans, as well as to other parts of Greece, to transfer their craft. It is said that in Pylaros they produce the best Feta cheese in Greece.

Pylaros is also famous for its aromatic thyme honey – produced by local bees and herbs!

Fresh local produce, aromatic herbs, and Pylaros cheese are widely used by the restaurants and tavernas throughout the valley.

Pylaros has 24 villages, one for each hour of the day, and prior to the 1953 earthquake, Kefalonia itself had a total of about 365 villages (one for each day of the year).

The Pylaros area boasts many walks allowing exploration off the beaten track taking in spectacular scenery, flora and forna, architecture, archaeological remains and interesting sights. They are well signposted and are supported by leaflets which are readily available in the Tourist Information Centre in Agia Efimia.

Agia Efimia has a public beach with sunbeds and umbrellas; past the harbour and beyond the jetty are a number of small pebble coves, accessed by steps. Along the road to Sami there are also many coves and small bays. The world famous Myrtos beach with its clear turquoise water is situated at the opposite end of the Pylaros valley.

Agia Efimia, being fairly centrally situated on the island of Kefalonia, is an excellent base for exploring not only the local area, but also the rest of the island. It has a relaxed atmosphere, friendly people, good food and excellent local wine.


Agia Efimia is about an hour's drive from the airport at Kefalonia. There are many charter flights to the island from May to October. There is also a regular flight from Athens.

Ferries from Patras and Killini link the mainland of Greece to Kefalonia.




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