Argostoli

For centuries the capital of Kefalonia was not by the sea at all, but on a hill inland: the castle town of Agios Georgios, above today's village of Peratata. As trade grew, life moved down to the harbour, and in 1757 Argostoli officially became the island's capital and administrative centre. It still is, with a population of about 11,000 in the town itself.

Argostoli grew under the Venetians and then the British, who ruled the Ionian Islands in the early 19th century and left a strong mark on the town. In 1813 a Swiss officer in British service, Colonel Charles Philippe de Bosset, built a wooden bridge across the shallow lagoon to shorten the road to the south of the island. It was soon given stone arches and later rebuilt entirely in stone, with an obelisk halfway across. The De Bosset Bridge carried traffic until 2005; today it is a walkway and one of the town's favourite spots for an evening stroll.

The 20th century was hard on Argostoli. German bombing damaged the town in 1943, and the earthquakes of August 1953 destroyed almost all of it. The rebuilt town is organised around a large central square and a long pedestrian street.

The harbour front and the turtles. Loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) live in Argostoli harbour all year, and you can often see them surfacing close to the quay or from the De Bosset bridge. Enjoy them from a distance: do not touch or feed them, and avoid flash photography. Food thrown into the water by people is bad for their health.

Lithostroto and the central square. The pedestrian street known as Lithostroto runs through the heart of town, lined with shops, cafés and the bell tower, which was rebuilt in 1985 to house its original clock. Along the street, a small museum honours the soldiers of the Italian Acqui Division, killed on Kefalonia in 1943. The central square is the place for an evening drink.

The De Bosset Bridge. Walk out over the lagoon at sunset for the view back to the town, as in the photo above.

The Katavothres. At the northern tip of the peninsula, near the Lassi road, the sea does something very rare: it flows into the land, disappearing into sinkholes known as the Katavothres. In 1835 an Englishman named Stevens used the current to drive a sea mill. In 1963 scientists poured green dye into the sinkholes and found it fourteen days later on the other side of the island, at Melissani Cave and Karavomylos near Sami. A water wheel still turns at the site today, and entry is free.

Agioi Theodoroi lighthouse. A little further along the coast road, the lighthouse first built by the British in 1829 — destroyed in 1953 and rebuilt to the original plans — is a classic place to watch the sun set over the sea.

Argostoli is a living town, not a resort, so it is worth visiting all year. Summer evenings are busiest, with the whole town out on the squares and the waterfront. Spring and autumn are perfect for walking the peninsula.

• From the airport: Kefalonia's airport is a short drive south of town.
• Ferry to Lixouri: A car ferry crosses the bay to Lixouri on the Paliki peninsula — about once an hour in winter and twice an hour in summer. It is the easiest way to reach Xi Beach.
• On foot: The centre, the harbour and the bridge are all within easy walking distance; the Katavothres and the lighthouse make a pleasant longer walk or a short drive.
• By boat: Day cruises in the bay and along the south coast leave from Argostoli harbour.

• Shops in town usually close for a break in the afternoon and reopen in the evening.
• Argostoli is a good base for the south of the island, and for the Omala valley and the Monastery of Agios Gerasimos.