Kefalonia: blue caves and white pebble beaches

The largest of the Ionian Islands, Cephalonia hides underground lakes and beaches where water takes on almost unnatural shades of blue.

A rental car remains necessary to explore the island.

The Lake of Melissani, a cave with its roof collapsed thousands of years ago, reveals an underground lake with turquoise waters navigable by rowboat.

A few minutes away, Drogarati Cave, with stalactites millions of years old, occasionally hosts concerts thanks to its exceptional natural acoustics.

Continuing along the coast, one reaches the beach of Myrtos, with its white pebbles and turquoise waters nestled between high limestone cliffs.

Toward evening, the village of Assos, built on a small isthmus with views of a Venetian-fortified peninsula, closes the day in a tranquil atmosphere.

Lake Melissani formed when the ceiling of an ancient karst cave collapsed thousands of years ago, leaving a circular opening through which sunlight today filters onto the underground waters.

Myrtos Beach, often cited among Greece's most beautiful, requires a steep descent along hairpin turns carved into the cliff face before reaching the sand below.