As an avid reader of the many posts and travel forums here on Fodors and elsewhere, I finally have a question of my own.

Is Kefalonia and the other islands in the Ionians worth visiting?

We hear and read so much of the Cyclades and Crete that the Ionian islands always seem to take a back seat to them. Kefalonia, Corfu and the other smaller islands of the Ionians are much greener and the beaches look fantastic so we are considering taking two weeks to explore them.

Dawn

We have spent 4 weeks sailing the Ionian islands and loved it.

The villages arent your your white washed typical village you see in many pics of Greek islands. You can see our pics here to get an idea

www.flickr.com/photos/pug_girl/albums/72157657949618609

www.flickr.com/photos/pug_girl/albums/72157673639243226

Kefalonia and the other Ionians are very popular islands, with charter flights from other European countries. Fodor's seems to be inhabited mostly by people from overseas who travel independently, often going by ferry to the Cyclades. That's why you don't see many threads about the Ionians on Fodor's. Go to TripAdvisor and you will find hundreds of threads on Kefalonia, mostly by people who take package holidays, but independent travellers too.

The Ionian Islands have calmer winds, so better for small yacht sailing holidays. I have read many of jamikins' posts, so know what a great place it is, but haven't been to Kefalonia myself.

We will be in Paris for 7 days and then want to spend a week in the Greek islands. We are deciding whether to go to Corfu and Kefalonia or Santorini and Naxos and it will be our first time in Greece.

Dawn

Before you set your mind on Corfu + Kefalonia, be aware that it's not as simple as going from Santorini to Naxos. As far as I know there are no ferry connections, so you will have to go overland part of the way, or fly via Athens. That might be a good opportunity (with a detour) to see some of the mainland if you go by road, though. https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Corfu/Kefalonia

In summer, you can easily combine
Kefalonia with Zakynthos
Kefalonia with Lefkas
Corfu with Paxi

Corfu - Kefalonia means ferry to Igoumitsa and then
either bus to Parga - Preveza - Lefkas - Nydri (3 bus changes) plus ferry Nydri - Kefalonia
or
bus to Patras and second bus to Kefalonia