Travel Journal: Kioni, Ithaca
Taking a moment to go back in time to one of my all-time favorite places and top recommendation if visiting the greek ionian islands… the charming town of Kioni on the island of Ithaca. One week in this place and I completely understand why (according to Homer) Odysseus spent 9 years of his life trying to make it back to his home on this magical island after capturing Troy. It may not be the easiest island to get to, but I can assure you, if you like quaint villages, dozens of places to take a swim in sparkling water, forest to wander through on the way to the beach and charming people, it is so worth the effort.
Getting there
Okay, so how do you transport yourself to this enchanting place? You can get here by ferry or charter a private boat from nearby islands. We also saw many people sail into Kioni’s own harbor, sometimes even just for a meal or a swim. Dreamy! We however, flew into nearby island, Kefalonia (definitely deserves several of your days as well!), and took a 45 min taxi across the island to Fiscardo where we took the Ferry to Ithaca. The Ferry took us to nearby town of Frikes in about 45 minutes. From Frikes we took a 15 minute taxi to Kioni arranged by our lovely Airbnb hosts.
View from Kantina Beach
Top Tips
We really embraced a leisurely lifestyle while in Kioni. We would either make breakfast for ourselves with ingredients from the cute market just around the corner that had just about everything you might need throughout your stay including fresh seafood, homemade hummus and delicious olives, OR we’d head to one of the many cute restaurants on the harbor like Piccolo. Then we’d take a 15 minute enchanting walk along the coast that took you past several swimming spots (stop for a dip if you’re hot!), wound upwards for stunning views of the harbor, sweet town, and coastline, then meandered back down to cross another beach, and then along a forested path that eventually will lead you down to our favorite beach and Taverna — Kantina Beach. This is where we’d set up for the day to enjoy alternating between swimming, lounging, reading and enjoying the fresh food and beers at the cutest family-run taverna. From here you can also take a walk to the Windmills of Kioni which is worth doing for more stunning views and to see some historical ruins.
We’d often walk back to town during sunset which was always dreamy. Then shower off the sea salt, maybe have a glass of wine at our cute airbnb and then head into the lit up town for a tasty dinner. If you’re lucky with the weather, there are also boats you can rent from the grocery shop owner without a boat license to check out other beaches around the area. While we were there, it was a bit windy and choppy so we unfortunately weren’t able to. Just another reason to come back to this incredible spot though. If you’re planning a trip in this region of the world, definitely check out Kioni! It’s even more magical than you imagine.
