Antisamos Beach: the green bay over the hill from Sami

What Antisamos Beach is like

Antisamos fills a deep, curving bay north-east of Sami, facing the channel towards Ithaca. The beach is long and made of smooth white pebbles, and behind it the hills rise steeply, covered in green scrub and trees almost down to the shore. That green frame is what sets it apart from the bare cliffs of Myrtos.

The water is very clear and shades from turquoise near the shore to deep blue further out. The bay faces north-east, away from the prevailing summer north-westerly, so it is usually calm when the west coast is rough. In the afternoon the sun drops behind the hills and the beach falls into shade earlier than west-facing beaches.

The road to Antisamos and parking

From the harbour in Sami, follow the signs for Antisamos: the road climbs over the ridge east of town and then drops to the bay in a series of tight hairpin bends, with views down over the beach on the way. It is about 4–5 km in all, roughly 15 minutes by car. On the hill above the bay stands the Agrilion monastery, worth a short detour if you are dressed for it, with shoulders and knees covered.

The road is paved but narrow in places, and in high season you meet coaches and scooters on the bends, so take it slowly. Parking is along the road behind the beach and in the spaces near the beach bars; by late morning in July and August it fills up, so arrive early. There is no regular bus to the beach, although KTEL buses run between Argostoli and Sami.

Facilities, swimming and snorkelling

In summer Antisamos is an organised beach, with beach bars renting sunbeds and umbrellas and serving drinks and food, plus water sports. There is also a free stretch where you can lay a towel. The bars play music and the beach can be busy and a little noisy in high season; the far ends are usually quieter.

The seabed drops off fairly quickly, but on calm days the water is excellent for swimming and snorkelling along the rocks at either end, where you can see plenty of fish. Bring water shoes for the pebbles. Outside the main season, from late September, some bars start to close, so bring water and snacks.

Antisamos and Captain Corelli's Mandolin

Antisamos became known well beyond the island through the 2001 film Captain Corelli's Mandolin, based on Louis de Bernières' novel about the Italian occupation of Kefalonia in the Second World War. Several scenes were shot on the beach, which stood in for the camp of the Italian soldiers, while the waterfront of Sami played the island's pre-war capital.

The beach has since been developed with bars and sunbeds, but the view down from the road over the bay is still the one from the film. The history behind the story, including the killing of thousands of soldiers of the Italian Acqui Division in September 1943, is remembered in Argostoli.

Combining Antisamos with the caves and Sami

Antisamos makes an easy half day from anywhere on the east coast. Melissani Cave is about 3 km by road from Sami, at Karavomylos, and Drogarati Cave is a few kilometres south-west of town on the road to Argostoli, so a morning at the caves and an afternoon on the beach works well. Go to Melissani around the middle of the day, when the sun shines straight into the lake.

Sami has tavernas on the waterfront and the ferry to Ithaca; see our Ithaca day trip guide. To see the coves of this coast from the water, look at boat trips and boat hire from Sami and Agia Efimia.

Staying near Antisamos

There is no village at Antisamos, so most visitors stay in Sami, a working port town 15 minutes away with hotels, apartments, a town beach and the island's most central position for sightseeing. Agia Efimia, about 10 km north of Sami, is a quieter harbour village and the closest base to Myrtos. Both suit couples and families with a car; see where to stay in Kefalonia and the Kefalonia beaches guide for other options.