Kefalonia

Beaches are the main reason to come. Myrtos, a white pebble crescent under steep cliffs on the north-west coast, is the island's famous view. Across the Gulf of Argostoli on the Paliki peninsula, Petani has the same turquoise water below green slopes and draws fewer people, while Xi, at Paliki's southern tip, has reddish sand and shallow water. On the east coast, Antisamos sits in a green bowl of hills near Sami. In the south, Skala and Lourdas offer long stretches of sand and fine shingle.

The sea is warm enough to swim from June to October, reaching about 25°C in August, and it is unusually clear. Argostoli and Lassi have easy beaches a short drive away, but the best spots lie on different coasts, so most visitors choose a base for the kind of beach they want and spend some days driving between coves.

Food here means tavernas, many of them family-run, by the harbours at Fiskardo, Assos and Agia Efimia or in the hill villages. The island has dishes of its own: Kefalonian meat pie with rice and spices, bourbourelia bean soup and aliada garlic sauce served with salt cod. There is also strong thyme honey, local feta and mandoles, the red caramelised almonds sold in every town.

The Omala valley below Mount Ainos makes Robola, a crisp white wine, and its wineries welcome visitors for tastings. Argostoli has the widest choice and a waterfront fish market. Outside the main resorts, menus repeat from place to place and there is very little fine dining or cooking from beyond Greece.

The earthquake of 1953 flattened almost every town on the island, so Argostoli and most villages were rebuilt in plain postwar style. The exception is Fiskardo in the far north, which survived with its pastel Venetian-era houses around the harbour. Assos has the ruins of a large Venetian fortress on its peninsula, and the Castle of Agios Georgios looks out over the south from its hilltop.

There are also the Mycenaean tholos tomb at Tzanata, the Archaeological Museum in Argostoli and the much-visited Monastery of Agios Gerasimos in the Omala valley. Abandoned Old Vlachata gives a quiet sense of the island before the earthquake. It is a pleasant set of outings rather than a reason to travel.

Evenings revolve around long dinners and a drink by the water. In summer, Argostoli's main square and the Lithostroto pedestrian street fill up late, and Lassi, just outside town, has a strip of cocktail and beach bars. Skala and Fiskardo have harbour bars where visitors linger after eating. Clubs are few and small, and anyone looking for a party island will be disappointed. Outside July and August most places are quiet well before midnight.

This is one of the greenest and most mountainous Ionian islands. Mount Ainos rises to about 1,628m and is protected as a national park, covering the island's dark forest of Greek fir, the tree that takes its botanical name from Kefalonia, and home to semi-wild horses. Trails and a summit road lead up to wide views over Ithaca and Zakynthos. The west coast drops in tall white cliffs, best seen on the coastal road above Myrtos and around Assos.

Under the karst lie the Melissani lake cave, where boats glide over blue water lit from an opening in the roof, and the stalactite chamber of Drogarati. Loggerhead turtles feed in Argostoli harbour and nest on the southern beaches. Sea kayaking along the north-east coast and sailing in the channel to Ithaca are the main activities. Spring and autumn suit walking best, as summer heat makes hiking hard after mid-morning.

The best day out is Ithaca, a short ferry ride from Sami. It has the harbour town of Vathy, the fishing villages of Kioni and Frikes, and the hill sites linked to Odysseus. In summer, boats from Pessada in the south cross to the north of Zakynthos, and ferries and excursion boats from Fiskardo reach Lefkada. Within the island itself, Fiskardo, Assos and the Paliki peninsula make good outings from a base in the south. Beyond these the list runs out, and most crossings run only from late spring to early autumn.

Families do well if they base themselves on the right coast. The sandy, gently shelving beaches of Skala and Lourdas in the south, and Xi on the Paliki peninsula, are better for small children than the dramatic pebble beaches of the north-west, which drop off quickly. The boat ride through Melissani and spotting turtles in Argostoli harbour usually go down well, and village tavernas welcome children without fuss.

There are no theme parks, zoos or aquariums, though, and reaching the sights means long, winding drives in summer heat. A family wanting a beach and a pool will be happy; one that needs things to do every day will run short.

A rented car is close to essential. The island is large and mountainous, and the main beaches, villages and caves lie on different coasts, linked by winding roads that cross ridges and run along cliffs. A drive from Argostoli to Fiskardo takes about an hour and a half. Local buses link Argostoli with Sami, Skala, Poros and Fiskardo, but they run too rarely to plan a day around. Argostoli itself is easy to walk, and a summer ferry across the bay to Lixouri saves a long drive round. Parking near Myrtos, Assos and Fiskardo is tight in high season.

Shopping is limited to Argostoli's pedestrian Lithostroto, which has everyday clothes, jewellery and gift shops, and the small boutiques and craft stalls around Fiskardo's harbour. Things worth bringing home are edible: Robola wine from the Omala wineries, thyme honey, local olive oil and boxes of mandoles. Beyond that, expect beachwear and souvenirs.

Prices are middling for a Mediterranean island in summer. Taverna meals are reasonable, and apartments and small hotels around Skala, Lourdas, Lassi and the villages of the south offer fair value. Fiskardo and Assos, with their yachting crowd and few rooms, cost noticeably more. Car hire is the extra cost almost every visitor carries. July and August are the most expensive months, while June and September bring calmer prices with the sea still warm.

The island has a musical heritage of its own in the kantades, Venetian-influenced serenades sung in harmony with guitar and mandolin, and Argostoli has kept a philharmonic band tradition since the nineteenth century. A visitor is most likely to hear this at village festivals and summer open-air concerts in Argostoli's squares. Beyond that, there is no regular theatre, opera or live-music scene.

There is no bathing or spa tradition here, and pampering means the spas of the larger resort hotels around Lassi, Skala and Fiskardo. What the island offers instead is pace. Long lunches in hill villages, the harbour evenings in Assos and Fiskardo, and the quieter Paliki peninsula and north-east coast make it an easy place to slow down, especially in June and September, when the crowds thin.