Lixouri is Kefalonia's second town, a low-key harbour across the gulf from Argostoli and the gateway to the Paliki peninsula. This guide covers the ferry, what to see in Lixouri, the beaches nearby, Xi and Petani among them, where to eat and who will enjoy staying here.
Lixouri is the only town on Paliki, the broad peninsula that forms Kefalonia's western arm, and the island's second-largest settlement, with about 3,500 people in the town itself. It sits on the shore of the Gulf of Argostoli, directly opposite the capital, and the two towns have kept up a friendly rivalry for centuries.
Like most of Kefalonia, Lixouri was flattened by the 1953 earthquake and rebuilt in the following decades. It was shaken hard again by two strong earthquakes on 26 January and 3 February 2014, which damaged houses and the harbour front; most of that damage has since been repaired. Today it is a relaxed, everyday Greek town with a long waterfront, a central square full of cafés and far fewer tourists than Argostoli or Skala. Most visitors arrive on the ferry for an afternoon; the people who stay tend to come back.
The quickest way to Lixouri is the car ferry from Argostoli's waterfront, run by Ionian Sea Ferries all year. The crossing takes roughly 20 to 30 minutes. In the autumn 2026 timetable, boats leave every half hour from early morning to mid-afternoon and then hourly until late evening, with hourly sailings all day on Sundays; the first departure from Argostoli is at 7:30. Timetables change by season, so check the operator's site or the board at the quay.
Tickets are bought on board: €3.50 for a passenger, €1.80 for a half ticket and €7 for a car with driver, according to the operator. Taking the ferry saves a long drive round the top of the gulf, and on a fine day the deck has some of the best views of Argostoli and Mount Ainos.
Lixouri is a town for wandering rather than sightseeing. The main sight is the Iakovatios Library and Museum, housed in the mid-19th-century neoclassical mansion of the Typaldos-Iakovatos family, one of the few buildings in town to survive the 1953 earthquake. It was given to the town in 1963 and holds the library, the family archive and a small museum upstairs.
On the waterfront stands the statue of Andreas Laskaratos (1811–1901), the satirical writer from Lixouri; locals like to point out that he turns his back on Argostoli. Beyond town, Paliki is farming country of olive groves, vineyards and small villages, and part of the Kefalonia–Ithaca UNESCO Global Geopark, designated in 2022. At its south-western tip, the Kounopetra was a rock just offshore that famously rocked back and forth with the sea, until the 1953 earthquake fixed it in place.
Paliki has some of the island's best sand. Lepeda, about 2 km south of town, is the closest beach to Lixouri, with reddish-orange sand and a small chapel set in a cave just behind the shore. Further south, Xi is the most famous: a Blue Flag beach about 3.3 km long of soft, rust-red sand below white clay cliffs, with shallow water that suits children, sunbeds, tavernas and showers at both entrances. Its neighbour Megas Lakkos has the same red sand with fewer people.
On the west coast, Petani is a wide bay of white pebbles and very clear water below steep hills, reached by a winding road with hairpin bends. It has two tavernas with parking, no public transport and some of the best sunsets on Kefalonia; it gets crowded in high season, so go early. The west coast catches more wind and swell than the gulf, so check the forecast. See Petani and Xi beaches and the Kefalonia beaches guide.
Eating out is the main evening activity. Fish tavernas and grills line the waterfront and the streets around the main square, and prices tend to be lower than in the resorts because most customers are local. In the morning the cafés on the seafront are known for loukoumades, Greek honey doughnuts. Outside July and August the town keeps working normally, so you will find more open than in a seasonal resort.
Lixouri suits travellers who want a real town with sandy beaches nearby, families who like the shallow water at Xi, and anyone returning to Kefalonia who has done the classic sights. Accommodation is mostly small hotels, apartments and villas around town and on the road to Xi.
The trade-off is distance: Myrtos, Assos, Fiskardo and the caves near Sami are a long drive away, and every trip east starts with the ferry or a drive round the gulf. You will want a car, as buses on Paliki are limited and Petani has none. If you would rather be central, compare Argostoli and the other options in where to stay in Kefalonia.
From the airport, the quickest route is usually a taxi or hire car to Argostoli and then the ferry; driving round the gulf takes noticeably longer. In summer, Lixouri also has occasional ferry links to the mainland, but timetables vary year to year; see ferries to Kefalonia. On Paliki itself, roads are quiet but narrow, and a car or scooter makes the beaches easy. See car hire in Kefalonia.
Roughly 20 to 30 minutes. Ionian Sea Ferries runs it all year, every 30 to 60 minutes from early morning to late evening, and tickets are sold on board.
According to Ionian Sea Ferries, €3.50 per passenger, €1.80 for a half ticket and €7 for a car with driver, bought on board.
Lepeda, just south of town. Xi and Megas Lakkos, with their red sand, are a little further south, and Petani is on the west coast.
Yes, as a half-day trip on the ferry or as a quiet base. It is a real working town with low prices, and it is the gateway to Xi and Petani beaches.
An e-bike ride through the hills and valleys of Paliki for wine lovers, ending at a century-old vineyard. Includes a tasting of local wines and a talk with winemakers about how they are made.
from €109 per person
Check availabilityvia Viator
Prices are indicative and may change. The final price is shown by the booking platform. Prices checked: October 17, 2026.
Argostoli Kefalonia's capital: the Lithostroto, the Drapano bridge, loggerhead turtles in the harbour, museums and Lassi's beaches next door. 
Fiskardo Kefalonia's northern harbour, spared by the 1953 earthquake: Venetian-era houses, yachts, boats to Ithaca and Lefkada and pebble coves. 
Skala Kefalonia's south-east beach resort: a long sand-and-shingle beach, Roman mosaics, nesting turtles and easy family holidays. 
Assos A tiny village on an isthmus below a huge Venetian castle: the walk up, the viewpoint, the pebble beach and the parking. 
Sami The east-coast port for Ithaca and the best base for Melissani, Drogarati and Antisamos, with a long pebble beach and a real town feel. 
Lassi The resort next to Argostoli: Makris Gialos and Platis Gialos beaches, a walk into town, the lighthouse path and the planes overhead. 