Antisamos Beach

Antisamos curves for several hundred metres of white pebble between wooded slopes, with water that shifts from pale turquoise in the shallows to deep blue offshore, and the hills behind are unusually green for a Greek beach, covered in cypress and scrub down to the shoreline. The bay looks across the channel to Ithaca. It became widely known after Captain Corelli's Mandolin was filmed on Kefalonia in 2000, with a set village built at one end and removed afterwards, and the beach has been developed since with sunbeds, two cantinas and a paid car park. The pebbles are large and the shelf drops quickly, so water shoes help and children need supervision, but the water clarity is among the best on the island.

What you actually see

• The white pebble bay - a broad curve of pale stone and clear water.
• The green hills - wooded slopes running down to the shore.
• The Ithaca view - the neighbouring island across the channel.
• The beach facilities - cantinas, sunbeds and the car park above.

When to go

May, June and September for space; July and August fill the beach and the car park charges apply. Mornings are calmest, as afternoon breezes pick up in the channel.

Honest expectations

The pebbles are large and uncomfortable underfoot, and the drop into deep water is quick. Shade is minimal without renting an umbrella. The road over the headland is steep and narrow.

Nearby

Sami and the Melissani and Drogarati caves are minutes away; Ithaca is a short ferry from Sami.