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Kefalonia Cycling Holiday

4.7
(7 reviews)

Come and explore the beautiful and peaceful island of Kefalonia in the Ionian Sea by bicycle. Cycle along quiet country lanes to glorious beaches and quaint villages whilst enjoying amazing sea views. On this tour you will stay at three different locations during your 7 night holiday – two of them in charming villages in tranquil locations, and the third in the bustling capital.

Daily rides will unveil many of the islands most beautiful sights and beaches such as the tiny fishing village of Katelios on the south coast, and Skala with its impressive Roman Villa. You’ll cycle across the island to the gorgeous little fishing village of Agia Efemia, where you'll stay for 3 nights exloring the north of the island. Stop and enjoy the view of the exquisite Myrtos Beach far below – do you descend for a swim or not we’ll leave that decision to you!

Visit some mysterious caves as well as the stunning Antisamos bay - which you may recognise from the movie, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. Ride along the peninsula to Fiskardo, the island’s most beautiful village, where you'll find colourful houses clustered around a tiny harbour contained in an amphitheater of Cypress trees.

Your final night is spent in Argostoli, the island’s bustling capital – the perfect place to celebrate your achievement in one of the many inviting tavernas.

You’ll need a reasonable level of fitness to enjoy this cycling holiday as you’ll encounter some climbs on each of the daily rides.

Itinerary

You’ll need a reasonable level of fitness to enjoy this cycling holiday as you’ll encounter some climbs on each of the daily rides.

You will be picked up from the airport and transferred to your lovely suite property overlooking the south coast in Moussata. After the bike fitting, you are free to relax or go for an exploratory ride on your bikes the beach is just a short 10 minute ride away.

Your first day’s ride leads you along rural lanes, through the tiny, traditional villages of Keramies and Metaxata to the island capital, Argostoli. Take a wander around this bustling little place, perhaps stopping for frappe at one of harbour cafes. If you get there early then you are very likely to spot the loggerhead turtles that live in the harbour. Afterwards you leave the town and ascend to a ridge to enjoy wonderful views across to the island of Zakynthos before descending to the Agiou Andrea Monastery in the valley. From here you return to your accommodation via a well-maintained dirt road.

Today’s route leads you to the east coast of the island along a very scenic road that is undulating but without any major climbs. On your way eastwards you’ll enjoy incredible views across the Ionian Sea to neighbouring Zakynthos. At the village of Pastra you start to descend towards the coast and you have a choice whether to take on the additional loop to Skala (8 km), where you can relax on a sandy beach and perhaps visit the Roman Villa, or head directly to fishing village of Katelios where you can visit the Sea Turtle Information Centre and also relax on the beach. You return to your accommodations via a different route that includes a stretch on a well-maintained dirt road.

Today you bid Moussata farewell and follow a scenic route north along the Bay of Argostoli. At the northern coast of the island you reach the look-out point above Myrtos Beach. It’s up to you if you want to descend the road for some quality time on this stunning beach as the climb back up is pretty steep. From here you follow a quiet road across to the east coast of the island all the time enjoying fabulous views across the valley. Your home for the next 3 nights is the picturesque fishing village of Agia Efimia.

Today is a nice, easy day. Cycle south along the coast to the neighbouring towns of Karavomilos and Sami. You may wish to visit the rather unique Melissani Lake and Caves, before ascending to the traditional villages of Poulata and Chaliotata in the hills behind the town. Returning to the coast you cycle along the quayside in Sami and then over a hill and down to the beautiful beach of Antisamos, where many of the scenes from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin were shot. Afterwards you follow the coastline back to your hotel in Agia Efimia.

Today is a real treat as you cycle to the northernmost tip of the island to the beautiful village of Fiskardo. The route first takes you past the Assos peninsular, another beauty spot that is also worthy of a short detour to explore further. The coastal road north serves up a conveyor belt of visual treats topped off with a lovely descent through the cypress forest to Fiskardo. Colourful buildings line the quayside with yachts and brightly painted fishing boats jostling at their moorings in the tiny harbour. You return to Agia Efimia via a different but no-less scenic route which includes an exhilarating descent over the last kilometer. If you don’t fancy the extra climbs and kilometers to Fiskardo, the ride can be shortened by 20 km.

Your last day’s cycling on Kefalonia is the most demanding but the scenery again is first class and you’ve had 5 days of training so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem! Bid farewell to Agia Efimia and head along the coast to Karavomilos where the route turns inland. After a demanding climb you reach the ridge where you can catch your breath and take in the view before enjoying a descent into a valley thick with olive groves and vineyards. Robolla wine is produced here and you are welcome to stop at a local vineyard to learn more about this quality product. From here you have an enjoyable ride across undulating terrain to Argostoli, the island’s bustling capital where you will spend the last night of your holiday.

After breakfast it’s time to check-out and head for home or your next adventure. You will be picked up from your hotel and transferred to the airport.

Bikes

On this tour you can choose between a regular bike or an E-bike.

Regular bike: Is an alloy framed trekking model with 21 speeds and a comfortable, relaxed riding position, perfect for a leisure cycling holiday. The minimum height for a male specific bike with a crossbar is 155cm. Bikes come equipped with a pannier, lock and repair kit. 

Electric bikes: These unisex/step through electric bikes are a popular option on this route and ensure riders can enjoy the scenery along the way, whilst not working too hard at the climbs. Minimum height for an electric bike is 155cm. Bikes come equipped with a pannier, lock and repair kit. 

Helmets are included but must be pre-booked. However, we always advise you to bring your own.

Accommodation

Below you will find examples of the accommodation typically used on this tour. Please note that the hotels we book for you may differ slightly from those described but they will certainly be of a similar standard.

Comfort category:

Moussata: Diana Studios

Agia Efimia: Poseidon Apartments

Argostoli: Hotel Moustakis

Local taxes

Hotels charge a local/tourist tax and for 2024 there is now also an environmental tax. These taxes are not included in the sale price of the tour and must be paid directly by you at check-in or checkout at the hotels. This fee varies and is ever changing but as a guide, you may be asked to pay between €3-4 per room per night

Getting There

Fly to Kefalonia airport. Transfers from and to the airport at either end of your holiday are included in the package.

Research flights from the UK here.

Reviews

Kajsa Carton - September, 24 Sep 2019
Service
5
Excellent customer service, offered great advice and organised the trip to perfection. No issues in contacting to ask further questions / clarifications - very pleasant to deal with
Andy - January, 02 Jan 2020
We have a great team and it's great to hear you were pleased with the service Kajsa - many thanks for the feedback
Service
5
Excellent Holiday, Picked up from airport on time, hotels perfect, bikes delivered and questions expertly answered. Route maps easy to follow. The advice to hire e-bikes was justified - ensured we enjoyed the scenery and the cycling. Kefalonia itself was beautiful, and cycling enabled us to see the whole Island at a relaxed pace. Hardly any cars, friendly people and great places to stop to eat and drink along the way.
Andy - January, 02 Jan 2020
Many thanks for the lovely review Kajsa and we are so pleased you enjoyed Kefalonia so much.
Anonymous - September, 19 Sep 2019
Service
4
Ally, in the office, was really helpful. Sadly we didn't receive the documents until a week before, after I had chased it.
Andy - September, 23 Sep 2019
Glad you had a great trip. Your holiday documentation was sent out 6 weeks prior to your trip but unfortunately there seems to have been an issue with the first email address you gave us. We're glad the documents arrived immediately as soon as we tried the second email address you subsequently gave us.
Service
5
Good accommodation, great luggage transfers and great airport transfers. This trip really needs better cycle routes though. We got helpful advice from a local cyclist and used the ride GPS app to plan our own routes.
Andy - September, 23 Sep 2019
Many thanks for the review and we're glad our routes on the Ride-with-GPS app helped with the navigation.
Carol Newbery - July, 01 Jul 2019
Service
5
Flexitreks managed to squeeze us in as a late booking, ally did all she could to accommodate us . The only thing that could have been better was to receive the ful info pack before we arriveed. It would have been great to have been able to do a bit more planninf
Andy - September, 03 Sep 2019
Thanks Carol. We prefer to provide the road-books and maps in resort at the first hotel as this ensures nothing gets lost in the post and allows us to add info on any diversions/changes right up to the last minute prior to arrival.
Service
5
This was a really fabulous holiday, kefalonia is a beautiful island, May was a beautiful month to go, not too hot . There are lots of hills but it is all doable . The bikes were pretty reasonable, once you figured out there quirky behaviour. I would defiantly do this again.
Andy - September, 03 Sep 2019
So glad you enjoyed it Carole and thanks for the lovely review.
Margaret Donald - November, 17 Nov 2016
Service
5
Good friendly service and all questions were answered quickly.
Service
5
We had such a wonderful time cycling and thoroughly enjoyed exploring by bike. The bikes were good for the route and the local assistance really friendly. The first accommodation is more basic compared to the others and in quite a rural place. However, that also made it quite peaceful and having the pool to enjoy at the end of a days cycling was great. The other 2 hotels were just lovely. The route notes were detailed and the route itself varied and really interesting. Having so many places to enjoy a dip in the seas was great as well.
Andy - April, 25 Apr 2017
Thanks Margaret, we love Kefalonia too, mainly for the peaceful cycling and abundance of swim stop options.
Andy - February, 21 Feb 2018
Update: We are happy to announce that, in light of previous customers' comments, we have replaced the first night's accommodation on this tour with a better property in a better location.
Felicity Smart - October, 07 Oct 2016
Service
5
Excellent, all queries promptly answered and real efforts made to meet our needs
Felicity Smart - November, 08 Nov 2016
Service
4
Overall great holiday, the routes and maps were good, the bikes supplied suitable, and a minor problem swiftly dealt with by the supplier. The only niggle was the first accommodation which was very basic and poorly equipped, but the other two places were definitely above expectations. The terrain is certainly hilly but the routes well researched. I would probably have graded this holiday as moderate rather than leisurely / moderate
Andy - November, 07 Nov 2016
Thanks for the review Felicity. We're glad you had a great time overall and are sorry you found the first property to be a little under par - this is something we're working on with our local supplier.
H&T - October, 01 Oct 2016
Service
4
All very efficient and easy booking process.
Service
4
We loved Kefalonia as a cycling destination, although we were glad to have chosen September as it may have been too hot in July and August. We enjoyed the variety of routes and felt that we had seen a good portion of the island. The cycling was challenging at times, especially some of the climbs, but all the effort was rewarded by fabulous views and descents. The road surfaces were generally very good and traffic conditions better than we expected. The bikes were very well maintained/equipped and the bike shop staff were very helpful and accommodating. We had one small issue which was that only one of the bike computers worked. The smaller bike was still on the large size for me (petite female rider) and may have benefited from a shorter stem. The accommodation was generally fine but rather mixed in quality. We loved the Olive Bay in Ag. Efimia but were rather disappointed by the Rodi Apartments. The rooms themselves were very tired and rather cramped, but the pool area and views were lovely. We thought a better location for this first stop might be a bit further east along the coast with access to more tavernas etc. The other significant piece of feedback we'd like to offer is about the day cycling from Ag. Efimia to Fiskado (day 6). The notes highlight damage to the coast road resulting from an earthquake in 2014. They say that the road should be reopened by May 2015. As at September 2016 this road remains closed. We would have expected that the notes would reflect this and provide either an alternative route or at least clarification of the closure and therefore whether or not the route is viable. We were unsure if the road was passable for bikes and therefore, given the length of the ride and uncertainties, we did not attempt the ride at all. We would have expected Flexitreks to have sought more recent and accurate information from their local contacts, and to have this in the notes.
Olwen - June, 12 Jun 2016
Service
5
Friendly and helpful .
Service
4
Holiday very much as advertised. The bikes were great and delivered with friendly advice and explanations of kit etc. All the transfers of luggage went seamlessly and the hotels in Karavados and Agia Effimia were great. It was the beginning of the season so everywhere was very uncrouded, a good time to go as I'm sure it gets a lot busier later on. The cycling was lovely, the right pace to see the island and lots of oppurtunities to cool off in the sea. There some hard hills of course but all doable. Navigation notes very easy to follow, well laid out. All in all a great experience. Thank you Flexi Treks.
Andy - June, 23 Jun 2016
Glad you enjoyed your holiday Olwen and thanks for the lovely review.