Property for sale in Ithaca

The island

Ithaca is quiet in a way the larger islands no longer are. There is no airport; you come by ferry from Sami on Kefalonia, from Lefkada or from the mainland, and once there the island is a place of steep roads, cypresses, walking trails and small harbours. Vathy, the capital, sits at the head of a long, sheltered bay; the northern villages of Kioni, Frikes and Stavros face Kefalonia and the open sea. Vathy was rebuilt after the 1953 earthquake in its original style. Buyers are a mix of Greeks from the diaspora, Britons, Italians and other Europeans who want the opposite of a resort.

Where people buy

Vathy offers town houses, apartments and villas on the slopes around the bay with the services of the island's capital. Kioni and Frikes in the north are the prettiest harbours, with stone houses and villas above them. Stavros and the northern hill villages are the traditional choice, with houses to restore and views to Kefalonia. Plots with views may lie outside the settlement boundaries, where the 4,000 m² rule generally applies.

Asking prices

Asking prices are shown on each listing; ask for an independent valuation before you make an offer. Expect to look longer and to accept that the right house may not be advertised at all.

Getting there

Fly to Kefalonia (EFL), drive to Sami and take the ferry to Pisaetos or Vathy; there are also ferries from Astakos on the mainland and, in summer, from Lefkada. Allow half a day from a northern European airport.

Golden Visa

Ithaca has 2,862 inhabitants at the 2021 census, which places it in the €400,000 zone for the Greek Golden Visa under the enacted law. The margin below the 3,100 line is narrow. Ask your lawyer to confirm the classification in writing before relying on it.