Ithaca· Φρίκες – Κιόνι
Frikes, Kioni & the north
Two harbours where the yachts tie up and the pace drops to nothing, the Mycenaean site above Stavros, and the biggest, emptiest beaches on the island.
- Couples
- Peace & quiet
- Boat trips
Kioni and Frikes are the two villages people fall for: small harbours on the north-east coast where the yachts tie up in summer and the pace drops to nothing. Both are tiny, both are a few minutes apart by road, and between them they hold the rooms at this end of the island.
Stavros, on the saddle above, is the northern hub — a square with a bust of Odysseus and the Cave of Odysseus at Polis Bay below it. The School of Homer above the village is a Mycenaean site that some archaeologists have proposed as his palace. Exogi, higher again, is half-abandoned and looks west over the whole northern sea. Anogi, high on the northern hill, has a Byzantine church with frescoes and a field of strange standing rocks below it, one of them — the Araklis — about nine metres tall.
The beaches here are bigger and emptier than in the south: Afales and Polis Bay on the west side, Ammoudi below Stavros, and Limenia near Frikes. In summer there are links from Lefkada straight into Frikes, which makes this end of Ithaca a plausible arrival as well as a stay.
🏛️ Frikes, Kioni & the north
Attractions · Frikes, Kioni & the north
🏖️ Frikes, Kioni & the north
Beaches · Frikes, Kioni & the north
🍽️ Frikes, Kioni & the north
Restaurants & tavernas · Frikes, Kioni & the north
🛏️ Frikes, Kioni & the north
Where to stay · Frikes, Kioni & the north
Hotels on the map · Frikes, Kioni & the north
Live prices and availability on a map centred on this exact spot — hotels, studios and villas — so you can judge the distance to the beach, the port or the village from here rather than guess from an address.
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Partner links · GetYourGuide
Tours and day trips from here
Boat trips, guided tours of the ancient sites and tickets bookable ahead — free cancellation on most.
- Gidaki by boatThe island's famous pebble beach, reached by boat from Vathy or a stiff forty-minute walk over the headland.See boat trips →
- The Homeric sitesThe Cave of the Nymphs, the School of Homer above Stavros and the Arethusa Spring — none of them ticketed, which is part of the pleasure.See guided tours →
- Paired with KefaloniaThere is no airport: most people arrive from Sami on Kefalonia, which makes the two islands an easy pair rather than a choice.See day trips →
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Where to stay
The other parts of Ithaca
Before you go
Car hire from local firmsIsland rental companies rather than the international desks — usually cheaper, often with full insurance and no card deposit. On Crete, Kefalonia or Naxos a car is what gets you to the beaches the buses do not reach.Compare local cars →Scooter, ATV & bike hireThe classic island runabout for coves and hilltop villages. Wear the helmet, check what the insurance excludes, and be honest about gravel roads — they are where most rental accidents happen.Find a scooter →Car hire, budgetAn aggregator that tends to surface the lowest headline prices. Read the fuel, insurance and ferry clauses — many contracts do not allow the car on a boat.Compare prices →
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