Fiskardo ~ Kefalonia with Kids

The first time I visited Kefalonia I was only 10-years-old myself. I remember it seemed like something from the movies or a travel show. The island was just opening up to tourism then and we visited blonde kids out of season staying in a little apartment in the capital. One of my favourite places on Kefalonia as a kid that time was Fiskardo, a pretty untouched and older Greek fishing town on the top of the island.

Visiting later when we sailed Fiskardo was the most vibrant of the moorings on Kefalonia. Still a pretty town, but now with a buzzing marina and cafe culture. We’ve visited twice since including with a toddler and it is still a firm favourite of ours.

Fiskardo

Fiskardo is one of the only towns on Kefalonia to stand intact after the 1953 earthquake. This gives it a much different feel than the rest of the island.

It’s also a buzzing yatching town, the harbour/marina is surrounded by restaurants, cafes, little grocers and supermarkets plus souvenir shops cattering to the tourists that arrive by land or sea.

With a ferry that arrives regularly it’s also the place to go to jump over and visit some of the other islands in the Ionian Sea.

Exploring Fiskardo with Kids

There is a small pebble beach in Fiskardo but as this is a harbour and marina as a family we decided it best not to paddle and swim – there are plenty of other beaches on the island for kids to play, swim and have fun.

Instead this is a place to enjoy some delicious food, watch the boats and explore the streets and history of the island behind the modern harbour.

The last time we visited it was with a buggy and although there are some steps they are wide and not very deep meaning that even with our toddler asleep we were able to navigate the town.

Read some of our top tips for travelling with toddlers to avoid the meltdowns.

Getting To Fiskardo

There are two main ways to get to Fiskardo you can either arrive by land or by sea.

If you come by sea then you will need to contact the habour master before you moor. From memory there are moorings in the harbour as well as on the jetty’s but these can become busy if Flotillas arrive.

By land, a lot of the tour companies visit the area and you can often get a coach there.

However, with a hire car you can spend time taking in the view as you drive up past Asos and the vista down to Myrtos bay. There is a car-park that is signposted that you can park in at the top of the town.

Exploring Greek and Roman History in Fiskardo

Although the harbour was our draw as watching the boats was a top activity for our toddler I loved to explore some of the Greek and Roman history of the island.

Fiskardo was identified as the ancient town of Panormos when excavations for a new shoping centre dug up a plaque giving thanks to the town from Athens for allowing their citizens to hunt there around 5BC.

Later the Roman’s inhabited the area and an amazing Roman Grave Complex and theatre were discovered in the early 2000s. It’s possible to walk and look at the excavations of these.

Nature and Exploring Around Fiskardo

With the ferry and other boats it’s a great place to either hire your own boat or to go on a boat trip.

You can take the ferry to Lefkada or Astakos which is great if you want to explore more of the islands in the Ionian.

However, part of the fun is exploring the area yourself. Hire a boat and you get to see a completly different side of the island and discover places that you can’t get to by road.

If you don’t feel like hiring a boat yourself, then there are also organised tours that you can book and take including one on a traditional Greek wooden boat to look at the marine life.

Things to Do Around Fiskardo With Kids

Around Fiskardo in the area of Erisoss, there is plenty to do with kids. You can head to the beaches, explore some more of the history of the island or take a hike and explore the island on foot.

Beaches around Fiskardo

The beaches around Fiskardo are pebbly rather than the sandy beaches you find at the south of the island. This, however, doesn’t stop their beauty.

With kids the best one to explore and easiest to get to is Emblissi beach as you can drive to the beach and there is a car-park there.

It is basic though, but is a beautiful setting and worth a visit.

Walking And Exploring Around Fiskardo

There are a few signposted walks that it is worth doing with either your toddler in a carrier or older kids around Fiskardo.

The trail to Faros Lighthouse is worth it to see some natural and human history on the walk. It’s a nice easy walk and younger children will enjoy it as well.

At the end is the Venetian Lighthouse as well as some remains of a pre-Christain monument.

More Ideas of Things to do with Kids on Kefalonia

Although we have hired a car and travelled around the island self drive there are plenty of organised tours on the island that it is worth looking at. Check out these ideas below and if you are self driving then continue reading for our other top 2 places and pick of the best beaches to visit on the island.

Explore Melissani Lake and Cave on a boat with your kids. This cave from Greek mythology is a fun trip for the family.

Another cave but very different than Melissani Lake above is the Drogarati Caves on the island.

Love the beach but with so many to choose from which ones should you take the kids to? Check out our pick of the best beaches on Kefalonia to visit with Kids.

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