Fiskardo

Fiskardo is the northernmost port on Kefalonia, tucked into a two-kilometre bay a short sail from Ithaca. It has always been small: the 2021 census counted just 322 permanent residents, down from 447 two decades earlier, and the working fishing fleet has shrunk accordingly.

The village takes its name from the Norman leader Robert Guiscard, who died nearby in 1085, a legacy from the period of Frankish rule over the island. Its rarest asset today is architectural: Fiskardo escaped the 1953 earthquake that flattened most of Kefalonia, leaving its rows of colourful, Venetian-era buildings around the harbour intact when almost nothing comparable survived elsewhere on the island.

That same harbour now runs ferries to Frikes on Ithaca and on to Lefkada, alongside a steady stream of private yachts, and the surrounding coast and forest are protected under Greek law for their natural beauty. Well sheltered and close to open water on both sides, it remains a popular stop for gulet charter guests exploring Greece, whether for an overnight mooring or a walk among the old stone houses.