The viewpoint
The whole bay from the road above before you descend.
Matt Sims โ CC BY 2.0 ยท Matt Sims โ CC BY 2.0 ยท Matt Sims โ CC BY 2.0 ยท Splendid entry โ CC BY 3.0
**Free**; umbrellas, loungers and two tavernas in season. โ **โ The road down is very steep and winding** with tight bends โ drive extremely slowly; **parking at the bottom is small**. โ **The pebble hurts and burns** โ **water shoes are essential**. โ **โ The water deepens fast** as at Myrtos and currents are possible โ **watch children closely**, do not swim out, and **there is no lifeguard**. โ **Exposed to the west wind** โ when it blows the swell builds quickly; move to the east coast. โ **No natural shade.** โ **It is far**: at the northern tip of Paliki โ about 15 km from Lixouri on mountain road, โ **and the easiest approach is the ArgostoliโLixouri ferry** and then the drive. โ **โ Stop at the viewpoint above the bay** before descending โ the best view, and free. โ **It faces west, so the sunset here is excellent**, which is rare on Kefalonia. Allow **half a day**.
๐ฌ Ask on WhatsAppOpen in Google Maps โ**A white pebble bay between two towering cliffs โ the western Myrtos, without the crowds** โ at the northern tip of the Paliki peninsula. The resemblance to Myrtos is obvious and deliberately noted by everyone who has seen both: **a crescent of white pebble**, **two cliffs enclosing it**, and **blue water grading into turquoise** along sharp boundaries. โ The difference is that Petani is **on the other side of the island**, away from the coach routes and organised tours โ **so it is far quieter**. Its best quality is that it faces **west** โ making it **one of the few beaches on Kefalonia where you watch the sun set straight into the sea**. โ And there is a **viewpoint** on the road above giving you the whole bay โ as at Myrtos. โ The descent is **steep and winding**, and the water **deepens fast**.
The whole bay from the road above before you descend.
The sun dropping straight into the sea โ rare on this island.
The same scene as Myrtos with a fraction of the crowd.
Petani, 28100 Paliki, Kefalonia, Greece
**Cross by ferry, not by road โ the most useful practical tip on Kefalonia.** โ **The ferry**: **Argostoli to Lixouri** in **20โ30 minutes**, **carrying cars**, running regularly โ **whereas driving round the gulf is about 35 km** and much longer. **Save the road and enjoy the crossing.** โ **Check the timetable and the last sailing** before you cross. โ **A suggested order**: cross in the morning, **Lixouri** for a coffee and a short walk, then **Xi** for a morning swim (sandy, shallow, good for children), then lunch, then **drive north to Petani** in the afternoon โ **stopping at the viewpoint above it** โ swim, and **stay for sunset**, since it faces west. Then the last ferry back. โ **Calculate the last ferry carefully** if you stay for sunset โ or plan to return by the land road round the gulf if you miss it. โ **An alternative**: **spend a night in Lixouri** โ cheaper than Argostoli and quieter.
**Geology โ the island is largely limestone, and limestone does not readily make sand.** โ **How sand forms**: beach sand is mostly **erosion-resistant grains** โ chiefly **quartz** โ produced by the breakdown of rocks like granite and **carried by rivers** to the sea over thousands of years. โ **The problem on Kefalonia**: its rock is **largely limestone**, **and limestone does not break down into quartz** โ it **dissolves** in water or fractures into **smooth pebbles** rather than fine grains. โ **And there are no large permanent rivers** on the island to wash sediment from the interior to the coast. โ **The result**: beaches of **fine white pebble** โ visually beautiful (and the white pebble is precisely why the water is so clear and so coloured, since it reflects light and does not cloud) โ **but painful underfoot**. โ **The exceptions** โ **Xi** and **Megas Lakkos** on Paliki โ are sandy because **that area's soil is red clay**, different from the limestone of the rest of the island. โ **The practical lesson**: **carry water shoes on Kefalonia** โ they will change your trip.
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