Visiting Kefalonia’s Melissani Cave with kids

With 39 beaches on Kefalonia, plus picturesque villages and dramatic mountain scenery, it might sound odd to say that going underground should top your family wishlist, but a visit to Melissani Cave with kids really is unmissable.

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I’m not sure I’ve ever seen water quite as clear as the underground Melissani Lake – even on a cloudy October day, there were a dozen shades of turquoise in the water, so shimmeringly translucent that we could see right to the bottom.

With the light streaming in through the hole in the roof, trees growing around the edges as you look up to the sky and the lake sparkling blue below, it’s a magical place… and that’s before you even get onto the little boats which take you to explore further.

Set just outside Sami, in the village of Karavomilos on the east coast of Kefalonia, only the signs along the route give any idea that you’ll find this natural treasure tucked away.

And the cave itself was only properly explored in the 1950s, when excavations discovered artefacts which date back to the 3rd and 4th century BCE, when it was thought to be a place of worship to the god Pan.

For those who love stories of Greek mythology, Melissani Cave has its own legend – and gets its name from a nymph named Melissanthe (or Melissanthi), a companion of Pan who flung herself into its clear waters because of her unrequited love for him.

At the entrance to the cave, along the steeply sloping ramp, there’s a small statue of Pan and plaque to Melissanthe – although the brief inscriptions in Greek won’t help unless you already know the story.

But it’s easy to feel there’s something otherworldly about this spot, home to myth and magic, before you even get your first glimpse of the lake itself.

Lit by the hole in the cave roof, where part of it collapsed during an earthquake, the sight was enough to quieten even my chattering daughter.

Above us, the clouds scudded overhead and the trees swayed in a gentle breeze, while below the deep blue and glittering aquamarine of the water was broken by little ripples.

With rowing boats tied up against the side of the cave wall, it seemed almost deserted – apart from a few other visitors waiting alongside us at the little dock – until two rowing boats emerged from the far end of the cave, stopping in the pool of light at the heart of the lake.

Stretching 40 metres wide, Melissani Lake is also around 40 metres deep in some places, and a constant cool 15C inside – trailing our fingers in the water during our boat ride, it felt pleasantly cool rather than freezingly chilled.

The lake itself is a mix of salt and freshwater, fed by a river before escaping at the far corner of the cave, out to a nearby lake and on to the sea, with fish and eels making their home in its still waters.

We climbed aboard one of the little boats for the short journey being rowed across the water to the intact section of cave, our guide giving a brief commentary in English in between chatting to his Greek passengers (this definitely isn’t just a tourist attraction!)

Here, stalactites hang from the ceiling: some are as much as 20,000 years old, contorted drip by slow drip into crocodile and dragon shapes, suspended above the water and a little island, another collapsed section of rock.

Narrow enough that the boat can’t be rowed through, our guide towed us along through the gap using a rope on the wall as we gazed up open-mouthed – and then quickly closed those mouths as the occasional drip splashed down.

Then we retraced our steps back into the light, pausing right under the open section for the best view up to the sky above.

Watch my video of our boat trip on Melissani Lake here

Tips for visiting Melissani Cave with kids

• Try to time your visit for between 12 noon and 2pm – the best time to visit varies throughout the year, but you’re most likely to see the sun streaming down through the hole in the cave roof onto the clear water at lunchtime.
  
• Expect to queue if you visit during peak season though. The slanting rays shining down in the morning and late afternoon have a magical quality of their own though, so there’s rarely a bad time to visit.
  
• If you’re visiting outside the main summer season, it’s also a good option for a cloudier day – the better the weather, the more the water will sparkle in the sun, but the lake is still an incredible turquoise even without blue skies.

• If you’re visiting from the south of the island, around Lourdas and Trapezaki, the shortest route takes you through the mountains at the heart of the island – the scenery is wonderfully dramatic, and you can spot mountain goats on the way, but there are rough, twisty switchback roads, so if your kids get travel sick (or you’re a nervous driver), the longer coast road is easier.
  
• There are toilets at Melissani, as well as a small cafe. You’re also close to Karavomilos Lake, which has a taverna on the waterfront, as well as a beach nearby.
  
• The Drogarati Cave is nearby, a huge cavern with some impressive stalactites and stalagmites. Unless you’re visiting with a guide, it’s self-guided but easy to wander through the cave, as you descend 95 metres down.
  
• If you’re staying nearby, ferries run from nearby Sami to Ithaca (Ithaki), which take around 20 to 25 minutes – check the times of crossings at Ferryhopper, but it’s tricky to combine both the cave and the island in one day.

For more of the best things to do in Kefalonia with kids, check out my top picks, along with the best boat trips in Kefalonia, a Kefalonia cooking class review and the best things to do in Argostoli with kids

Need to know: Melissani Lake with kids

Tickets cost 10 Euros for adults, 5 Euros for children, with free parking on site. There’s also a tip box on the boat, so bring cash.

The cave is open from around 10am to 4-6pm (opening hours vary throughout the year).

There’s no need to book in advance, and it’s easy to visit independently. Check out prices for car hire on Kefalonia here, as well as at Zest Car Rental, which I’ve used on various Greek islands.

If you’d prefer to join a tour, there are various tours of Kefalonia which include a visit to Melissani Cave, including this half-day tour from Argostoli which also visits Drogarati Cave, or a half-day tour combining Melissani Lake and Myrtos Beach.

Children of all ages are welcome – there were toddlers in another boat during our visit. The trip doesn’t take long (around 15-20 minutes on board), so it’s good even for short attention spans.

If you’re visiting Melissani Cave with young kids, be aware it can be wobbly as you climb into the boat and there are no life vests – the water is calm enough not to need it, but a carrier is helpful, especially as you can’t take a pushchair down to the cave or onto the boat.

If you know your toddler won’t sit still for two minutes, this boat trip definitely isn’t a great match though!

One section of the tour is in the darker part of the cave: it’s never pitch black as there is illumination throughout, but might scare some younger kids.

Check out my complete guide to Greece with kids here

*First published 2021, last updated 2026*

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