Ithaca has the craggiest of coves round every corner, making you itch to explore, and making it easy to imagine Odysseus wandering around perhaps. It also has one of the largest natural harbours in Europe, which is lined with its buzzing capital, Vathy.
Although we only spent 2 nights there, Ithaca left a huge impact on us. I had a feeling that we were going to really love it, so whilst we couldn’t move our dates around at the time, we made sure to leave Fiskardo early to get the first ferry over, ensuring we truly had 2 whole days and a 3rd morning in Ithaca to experience it as much as we could.
Vathy
We stayed at the ‘edge’ of the round vase of the harbour, which we loved. Very quiet and it’s a lovely walk into the center. Walking around the town is a treat and there are numerous great places to browse and eat & drink. A lot of the places by the water cater very much for an english boating crowd, so we recommend going a few streets back in town for better prices and less tourists.
🍜 Eat at Sirines restaurant – everything you would want a med restaurant in the middle of a bustling square to be. The octopus starter & rabbit stew were especially good.
☕ Enjoy the coffee, friendly staff & surprisingly niche techno music at Sesto Coffee Snack Bar. Be prepared to wait for all the elderly locals to come pick up there usual orders ahead of you – a sure sign that the coffee is good.
🏖️ For a beach a quick scooter from Vathy, we recommend Filiatro Beach. Comfy sun loungers, a cafe and the clearest water I had seen yet in Greece, somehow outdoing it’s predecessors!
Kathara Monastery
No matter where you are staying on the island, a trip to Kathara Monastery, ideally around sunset, is not to be missed.
I wrote a about our excursion here
Boat day
So much of Ithaca feels best viewed from the sea, so assuming you are not in possession of a proper boat, or friends with one, not hiring a speed boat would be a bad call!
See the beautiful Kioni & Frikes villages from the sea and feel a bit like you are cheating when you zoom past all the Greeks on sail boats.
Bonus points for if you send your partner to pick up the boat ahead of you and therefore get picked up on the dock right by where you are staying a feel a little bit like a bond girl/super villain
2 night Ithaca itinerary
- Day 1: Get early ferry and enjoy breakfast before checking-in to where you are staying. Hire a scooter or if you have your own wheels already, get straight to spending the afternoon exploring beaches. In the build up to sunset, drive up to Kethara Monastery for gorgeous views
- Day 2: Pick up your speed boat for the day and visit the villages of Kioni & Frikes and stop by all the deserted beaches you couldn’t get to on wheels
- Departure morning: one last stroll around Vathy harbour before leaving. If you get the ferry to Sami – head to Cafe Bar Steki for excellent coffee and grab a pastry from the bakery opposite
Tips for Ithaca
- There was a set price to get from the ferry port (Pisaestos) to Vathy. This seemed pretty much the only option and if remembered correctly, was 15 euros each way.
- We stayed in Vathy which we loved, and suited us without a car as we could get scooter hire from here and we wanted to experience being in a working town, but other villages around the island are no doubt beautiful if less accessible
- At the end of September, the beaches with bars and facilities were all closing down for the end of the season – a bad time for cold beach beers, a great time for idyll.
a drifting thought 
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