Greece
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
779km²
Area
291km
Coastline
1,628m
Highest point
Mount Ainos
36,064
People
26°C
Warmest sea
August
20km
To the mainland
When to go to Cephalonia
Best for the beach from July to August.
The sea is warmest in August (26 °C) and coolest in February (15 °C). Comfortable swimming (21 °C or more): from June to October.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Greek island in the Ionian Sea
Cephalonia is an island in Greece. It covers 779 km², with 291 km of coastline. Its highest point, Mount Ainos, rises to 1,628 m. About 36,064 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 20 km away.
Getting there
- Kefallinia Airport (EFL)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at EFL airport (Kefallinia Island)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesKefaloniá (Lixoúri) - Kefaloniá (Argostóli), Cephalonia (Poros) - Kyllini, M/V Captain Kostis, Cephalonia (Sami) - Ithaca (Pisaetos)
- 20 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From July to Augustbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Cephalonia.
- 141beachesKaminia Beach, Megas Lakkos, Antisamos and 138 more
- 43viewpointsFort high point, View to Myrtos Bay, Viewpoint Petani beach and sunset and 40 more
- 6lighthousesLighthouse Agion Theodoron and 5 more
- 9ferry terminalsSámi, Argostoli, Poros and 6 more
- 6marinasSmall Akrotiri Marina, Agia Effimia Marina, Port of Sami and 3 more
- 5named peaksMegas Soros, Merovougli, Kalon Oros and 2 more
- 2waterfallsPotisti Waterfall, Niagara Grados
- 6castles and fortsAssos Fortress, Kasteli of Paliki, Vardiola at Piniatoros’ property and 3 more
- 76ruins and archaeological sitesRemains of original Old Skala Church, Archaic Temple of Skala, Roman Villa of Skala and 73 more
- 2dive centresFiscardo Divers, Blue Manta Diving
- 4waymarked walking routesThe Battery Trail, The Cypress Trail, The Battery Trail Variante and 1 more
- 2campsitesCamping Karavomilos Beach, Camping Argostoli
- 235hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 394restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Cephalonia in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Cephalonia, each with its own numbers.
1beachCoastya
1waterfallCascadyas
Beach with the warmest sea
25.9°C
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
1 waterfalls
on Cascadyas, the waterfall atlas
- Gradou waterfalls
Cascadyas is coming soonOpen Cascadyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 357 m above the sea. 40 % of it is below 200 m.
- 12 %0–50 m
- 28 %50–200 m
- 31 %200–500 m
- 26 %500–1,000 m
- 3 %1,000–2,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
20 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Argostólion9,820 people
- Lixoúri6,989 people
- Sámi1,347 people
- Póros1,131 people
- Farakláta1,123 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 14 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 21 | 25 | 28 | 29 | 26 | 22 | 19 | 15 |
| Night low (°C) | 11 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 18 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 20 | 16 | 13 |
| Sea (°C) | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 20 | 18 |
| Rain (mm) | 119 | 93 | 76 | 45 | 29 | 19 | 12 | 19 | 77 | 103 | 129 | 148 |
| Wet days | 13 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 15 |
| Sun h/day | 3.9 | 4.9 | 6.7 | 8.4 | 10.4 | 12.0 | 12.5 | 11.3 | 8.6 | 6.7 | 4.7 | 3.6 |
| Wind (km/h) | 20 | 20 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.8 | +1.0 | +0.4 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | −1.1 | +0.3 | +0.9 | +1.0 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +1.3 |
| 2021 | +1.6 | +1.1 | +0.9 | +0.1 | +0.2 | −0.4 | +1.1 | +1.4 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.3 |
| 2022 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.2 | −0.1 | +0.3 | +1.6 | +1.8 | +1.2 | +0.6 | +0.1 | +0.9 | +1.0 |
| 2023 | +1.4 | +0.6 | +0.6 | −0.1 | −0.7 | +0.1 | +1.7 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +1.7 | +1.3 | +0.1 |
| 2024 | +0.9 | +1.0 | +0.9 | +1.4 | +0.3 | +1.1 | +2.3 | +2.8 | +1.9 | +0.6 | +1.4 | +1.5 |
| 2025 | +1.6 | +1.8 | +1.4 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +1.3 | +1.6 | +0.4 | +1.1 | ±0.0 | +0.4 | +1.1 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
AlbaniaAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q178488) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Cascadyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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