Ithaca (Ithaki): Odysseus’ Island Guide, Beaches & Hotels

The island of Ithaca

Ithaca is one of the Ionian islands and lies a little to the east of the larger island of Kefalonia. It is not large and it is quiet, a very hilly island of 96 square kilometres with a population of just over 4,000. Most of its beaches are pebble and there are few big attractions, so it draws fewer tourists than its neighbours, yet the ferry connections are good. There is not much more to do than walk over the hills and enjoy the silence, the beauty and the romance of the place.

Homer’s Odysseus and Ithaca

Myth makes Ithaca the birthplace of Odysseus, the Greek hero who besieged Troy and thought up the great wooden horse. There is no hard proof of it: no palace has been found where his wife Penelope would have lived, and there is little archaeological evidence that Ithaca was an important power at the time. The story still colours the island, and near Vathi the Cave of the Nymphs is where, in the myth, Odysseus and the goddess Athena once hid a treasure.

Vathi and the villages

Vathi, the capital, lies deep in a bay in the middle of the island, with red-roofed houses and a small islet out in the water. An earthquake destroyed the town in 1953, and it has since been sympathetically restored; most visitors gather in the harbour by the water. A bus runs through the hills from Vathi to the coastal village of Stavros in the north and to the old village of Perahori just above the capital, once the island’s centre in the days of the pirates. In high season taxi boats link Vathi with the pretty fishing villages of Kioni and Frikes in the north-east.

Sights of Ithaca

Vathi has a small archaeological museum. A kilometre from the capital lies the Cave of the Nymphs, and at the south-east corner of the island the Aretousa Fountains make a fine walk, though the spot is usually dry, so bring water. The fishing village of Kioni in the north-east has a lovely harbour and old windmills, while a path from Perachori leads to Paliochora, the ruins of the medieval village with churches of beautiful Byzantine icons. Ancient Alalcomai, on a hill above Piso Aetos, keeps the 6th-century-BC ruins of its acropolis. The Monastery of Katharon, built in the late 17th century on Mount Neritos at 600 metres, looks out over Vathi and the Gulf of Patras; the 17th-century Monastery of Taxiarchi stands south-west of Vathi, and an early Hellenistic settlement at Pilikata, a kilometre from Stavros, shows the ruins of an ancient settlement.

Getting to Ithaca

Ferry connections to Ithaca are good even though the island is not really a tourist draw. Most large ferries call at the capital Vathi, while some stop at Frikes in the north or at Piso Aetos on the west side, where a boat sometimes comes across from Kefalonia and large international ferries occasionally call. The nearest airport is on Kefalonia, about 45 kilometres from Vathi.

Where to stay on Ithaca

Accommodation on Ithaca is limited and can be on the expensive side. Vathi has some rooms to rent and a few hotels in the port near the kaikis, and there are rooms in Frikes and Kioni too. Browse the options on the Ithaca hotels page and the Ithaca villas page.

Hotel Mentor

Hotel Mentor stands in the port of Vathi, the capital of Ithaca, within walking distance of the centre and with a panoramic view of the harbour; it is about 45 kilometres from Kefalonia Airport. The fully renovated rooms — 4 suites, 28 double-bed and 4 single-bed rooms — each have a bathroom, air conditioning, TV and a direct-dial telephone. Services include a 24-hour reception, room service, internet access and fax, a restaurant and roof garden, and a cafe bar on the ground floor with a view of the sea.