Agia Efimia resort

Kefalonia holiday report and map

Agia Efimia Kefalonia

AGIA EFIMIA is as much of a traditional Greek fishing village as you will find on Kefalonia these days. It lies on the east coast about 30km overland from Argostoli.
There has been a harbour here for centuries but most homes were first built here after the 1953 earthquake when many of the local hill villages were flattened.
Agia Efimia village life, which these days means mainly tourist life, is centred around the harbour where there is a liberal sprinkling of tavernas, bars and shops.
When the chic port of Fiscardo, to the north, became too expensive, yacht flotillas turned to Agia Efimia for cheaper moorings. This has led to a busy harbour and a substantial boost to the local economy in recent years.
Agia Efimia's popularity with day trippers has increased local traffic and brought parking problems. In fact ,the place can get uncomfortably packed with holiday traffic in the summer.
A few original buildings survived the 1953 earthquake, but most are modern homes and apartments and surprisingly tasteful for Kefalonia. The resort is noted for its flowering gardens, with bougainvillea seeming to tumble off almost every wall.
A recent spate of building - presumably to cash in on the tourist trade - has set some alarm bells ringing and fears that Agia Efimia could quickly lose the charm that has established it as such a popular holiday resort.
There are no beaches to speak of in Agia Efimia - just three small strips of shingle with no facilities. The main occupations are sitting in the harbour tavernas or wandering the narrow Agia Efimia back streets. This can make the resort a better place for a day trip visit than a place to stay.
The Effimia Express runs boat trips from the harbour where you can buy tickets at the taverna next the bakery. The area around Agia Efimia has lots of walks, with tracks up to ancient hill villages.
There are several small rocky coves along the road to Sami and it can be worth hiring a bike or a boat in the resort - the Yellow Boat company is recommended by visitors. Sami is just to the south and there are regular ferries there for day trips to Ithaca.