The Ionian Islands off the west coast of Greece are home to some of the most spectacular beaches in Europe and they don’t get much more breathtaking than Myrtos Beach. Located on the north-west of Kefalonia, Myrtos is dramatically positioned between the feet of two mountains, Agia Dynati and Kalon Oros. Myrtos Beach is so beautiful, it’s constantly listed in travel publications as one of the top 30 beaches in the world. With its electric blue waters, white pebbled beach and spectacular cliffs, it’s not hard to see why.
We spent a magical week road tripping around Kefalonia, where I totally fell in love with Myrtos Beach. We had planned on spending one day at Myrtos before heading up north, but I loved it so much we ended up coming back a few days later for another sunset and more beach time.
The water is incredibly clear and the brightest shade of aqua – these photos have hardly been edited but we did have the perfect light for the shots where I’m wearing a nude coloured bikini on the beach. Sometimes the best colours come out on overcast days. I thought this particular day was a write-off for photos – there were so many clouds! But the cloud cover acted as a natural diffuser – so when the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, the water illuminated to an iridescent shade of aqua that I hadn’t seen on the most picture perfect sunny days.
Sunset at Myrtos Beach
While down on the beach in the Ionian Sea is the best place to be, the cliffs above the beach are a hot spot for watching the sunset. We drove up to the top of the cliffs one evening after our swim and grabbed a few takeaway beers from the local taverna along the way. The roads around the top of the mountain are a little sketchy – there isn’t really anywhere to pull over except the actual lookout areas. They aren’t hard to miss – just look out for all the people and cars. Make sure you don’t get too close to the edge, no photo is worth risking your life and you can get great shots not far from where you’ll park your car.
How to get to Myrtos Beach:
Kefalonia: There are international airports on Corfu, Kefalonia and Zakythos with some limited flights in summer on Lefkada – we flew in and out of the airport on Kefalonia. Alternatively, Kefalonia can be also be reached by ferry from the mainland towns of Patra, Igoumenitsa, Crete and even Athens.
Myrtos Beach: You can access Myrtos by sea if you have a private boat, or by car (there is a large car park next to the sand) or by public bus service.
TIL Tips:
- Wear aqua shoes
The pebbles are impossible to walk on without them – you’ll need to wear them to get in and out of the water.
- Bring a beach umbrella
When we were there in 2017 there were no sun beds or umbrellas available for hire and there’s no natural shade either, so you’ll need to bring your own.
- Pack food and drinks
They might have a kiosk down there now, but back in 2017 there was nothing down on the beach – the closest shops were 2kms away at the top of the cliffs. There you can find some shops selling beach equipment (inflatables, beach umbrellas, towels, snorkels, etc.) and a few Greek tavernas where you can stock up – we wanted to maximise beach time so we got a takeaway moussaka, grilled fish, salad and drinks and had an impromptu beach picnic.
