Myrtos Beach is the postcard image of Kefalonia: an 800-metre crescent of brilliant white pebbles and sand at the foot of sheer cliffs, washed by an Ionian Sea that turns from turquoise to deep blue. Voted the best beach in Greece a dozen times, it lies on the island’s northwest coast, about 30 km from Argostoli.

Myrtos Beach and blue Ionian water beneath steep pale cliffs on Kefalonia
Myrtos Beach, Kefalonia, Hellas.

Where is Myrtos Beach?

Myrtos lies in the Pylaros area of the Municipality of Sami, in a bay framed by two mountains: Agia Dynati, the northern spur of Mount Ainos, and Kalon Oros (901 m) at the base of the Erissos peninsula. A steep, winding road of about 2 km with tight hairpins drops from the village of Divarata, where there are several tavernas, to parking at the back of the beach.

Myrtos Beach on Kefalonia, Greece, seen from above
Myrtos Beach on Kefalonia. Photo: SnapRJW

The view from the road above is half the experience. From the high bends the whole curve of the bay opens up, with the white beach set between the green slopes and the sea. Pull in only where there is a safe lay-by to stop and look.

Why the beach is so white and the sea so blue

Myrtos is a geosite of the Kefalonia–Ithaca Geopark. The cliffs are built of layered limestones, from Upper Cretaceous to Eocene in age, together with younger Miocene marl. Under the pressure of the Agia Efimia fault, older limestones have been thrust over the younger marls, a sign of how tectonically active this coast still is.

The crescent of Myrtos Beach viewed from the opposite side of the bay
The crescent of Myrtos seen from across the bay.

Rock falling from those fractured cliffs piles up at their foot as screes of sand, cobbles and limestone breccia. That pale limestone is what gives Myrtos its dazzling white shore, the backdrop for the famous turquoise water. On the south side of the bay is a sea cave with one entrance from the land and another from the sea.

Visitors and breaking waves along Myrtos Beach
Breaking waves along Myrtos Beach.
Myrtos Beach on Kefalonia, Greece, with cliffs and turquoise sea
Myrtos Beach on Kefalonia’s northwest coast.

Swimming and beach tips

  • Check the sea first. This is an open bay, and waves can be strong on windy days; swim when it is calm.
  • Bring water shoes for the pebbles, plus a hat and drinking water.
  • Keep away from the base of the cliffs. The geopark warns that the fractured limestone is prone to rockfalls, and the 2014 earthquake set off landslides on the beach and along the roads near Charakas, where a bridge now spans an active fault zone.
  • Come early or late in high summer to enjoy the beach at its quietest.
Pale pebbles at Myrtos Beach with cliffs and sea beyond
Pale pebbles at Myrtos with cliffs and sea beyond. Photo: Roberto Paterniti.

Myrtos regularly flies the Blue Flag for clean water and was the setting of the mine-explosion scene in the film Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.

Getting there by car and bus

Most visitors drive from Argostoli (about 30 km) or from the port of Sami and Agia Efimia. In summer, KTEL Kefalonia runs seasonal buses to Myrtos; check current days and times on the KTEL Kefalonia local-routes page, since some services stop up at Divarata. The Municipality of Pylaros has also run a summer bus from the harbour at Agia Efimia.

Myrtos Beach and the Ionian Sea on Kefalonia
Myrtos and the Ionian Sea. Photo: Balatoni Eva

Combine Myrtos with Assos

A short drive north, the village of Assos sits below a Venetian castle that Marino Gentilini built for the Venetian Senate in 1593–1595. The local sightseeing guide recommends lunch in its little square and a swim from its pebble beach. Together, Myrtos and Assos make a perfect half-day on Kefalonia.

People beside the water beneath the sloping cliffs at Myrtos Beach
Beneath the cliffs at Myrtos. Photo: Tieme Pool.

Planning more Greek island time? Our Naxos guide covers the largest of the Cyclades, and our guide to the beach and wellbeing explains why a day like this does you good. Geology details come from the Kefalonia–Ithaca Geopark’s Myrtos page.

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