Sami

Sami is a small port town on the central east coast of Kefalonia, the largest of the Ionian Islands. According to the 2021 census, the municipal unit of Sami has a population of around 2,500, with fishing and farming still part of daily life alongside a busy summer ferry trade to Patras, Astakos, Ithaca and Italy.

The town sits in a wide, sheltered bay ringed by hills, which keeps the water calm for most of the year and helps explain its long history as a trading harbour. Nearby archaeological remains, including sections of the ancient acropolis walls, recall Sami's role in antiquity, and the island's traditional link to Homer's Odysseus lends the area a mythological backdrop that draws visitors interested in Greek history as much as its coastline.

Just inland, the Melissani Cave draws visitors to its underground lake, where sunlight falling through a collapsed section of roof turns the water a striking blue around midday, and the nearby Drogarati Cave offers an equally dramatic show of stalactites and stalagmites formed over thousands of years. Combined with its calm anchorage and laid-back waterfront tavernas, Sami is a popular stop for gulet charter guests exploring Greece.