Fanari Bay

Fanari lies on the Ionian coast of Epirus, in the Preveza regional unit of northwestern Greece, close to the mouth of the River Acheron, the river the ancient Greeks associated with the entrance to the underworld. Once its own municipality with its seat at Kanallaki, Fanari has been a municipal unit of the wider Parga municipality since the 2011 local government reform, and its 21 communities, including the coastal village of Ammoudia, had a combined population of 6,943 at the 2021 census.

The bay itself, sometimes referred to by sailors as the bay of Fanari-Ammoudia, sits where the Acheron reaches the sea. It shelves quickly near its eastern shore, which keeps it a favourite among small boats looking for a quiet overnight anchorage rather than a large marina. A short distance inland lies the Necromanteion of Ephyra, one of the best-known oracles of the dead in the ancient Greek world, along with the remains of a Mycenaean-era settlement at Ephyra dating to around 1400–1300 BCE; a Venetian-era fort built in the 14th century once stood in the wider area as well.

For sailors working their way down the Ionian coast, Fanari's mix of a sheltered bay, a mythological river mouth and low-key village life makes it one of the anchorages you'll visit on a private gulet cruise in Greece, well away from the busier ports further south.