In 2022, we traveled to the Grecian island of Kefalonia. We had never heard of Kefalonia until we saw cheap tickets there on our unplanned three week trip around Europe and decided why not check it out? Apparently, not many other people have heard of it either because it receives significantly less visitors than many other Greek islands and had an overall pretty authentic un-touristy vibe. We only stayed on the island for two days, but my favorite experience ended up being a spontaneous stop at Ammes Beach on our way to the airport to catch our flight out. Ammes Beach is located right off the end of the runway, just a 4 minute drive to the airport so you can literally stop there right before catching a flight or immediately upon landing. That in itself makes for a fun, unique experience, but seeing jets soaring just a hundred or so feet over your head as they take off and land from the airport is the cherry on top. An especially great experience if you have kids! Jasper was 1-year-old at the time and couldn’t believe his luck getting to swim and see airplanes all at the same time.
Ammes Beach - just a 4-minute drive from the airport!
Is It Free?
Yes, there is no entry fee to visit Ammes Beach
Parking
There isn’t a parking lot for Ammes Beach, but parking for free is allowed along the road. Folks were just parallel parked all along the road by the beach, and just off the end of the beach we found an open field that people were pulling into in a row like a parking lot. We decided to park there and it only took us a couple of minutes to walk to the path leading down to the beach.
Aerial view of Ammes Beach. We parked by the field at the bottom of the picture where maps says “Tropicana Snack Bar-cafe”
Google street view of the field area where we joined other cars in parking. Still very close to Ammes Beach if you can’t get a spot along the road right by the beach.
Beautiful views of the water as we walked along the road to reach the path to the beach
Amenities
There were quite a few beach umbrellas and loungers set up on the beach that can be rented for 12 euros for two loungers according to others who have visited the beach. There are two toilets on the right side of the beach and apparently a some kind of stand or bar where you can buy snacks and drinks. We didn’t check either out so can’t speak to them personally, but at least the option is there. A really nice amenity we noticed on our way back to the car is a free shower by the path back to the road. Such a nice thing to not track sand back to your vehicle and to get feel fresh if you’re about to catch a flight!
Umbrellas and loungers for rent on Ammes Beach
The Beach
After following the footpath down to the water (its location is obvious) we headed to the left away from the loungers and found a really quiet area of perfect sand and water at the end of the beach where it starts to get rocky. If you’re looking for powdery white sand, Ammes Beach might not be for you, but the sand was still soft and the golden color lent the water a wonderful turquoise hue. Even better was how calm the water was and the gradual slope of the beach ensuring a very toddler friendly place to swim. Furthermore, the water temperature was very comfortable (we visited in July). Truly ideal if you’re a family with young children. It was also very clean. We didn’t see any trash, which was awesome. Even though the beach is close to town and the number of umbrellas and loungers makes it look like it could be crowded, it wasn’t packed at all while we were there, which seems to be the norm from other people’s reviews. Planes flew right over our heads a few times while we were swimming and we loved it! Truly a cool experience. Another potentially cool experience is seeing turtles that apparently sometimes come over from a protected area nearby. We didn’t see any during our visit, but it’s a neat possibility.
The area at the end of the beach where we went swimming
Jets fly right over your head on Ammes Beach on their final approach or takeoff from the airport
Great calm, shallow beach for babies, toddlers, and young kids
The water temperature was great and the views of sailboats wasn’t too bad either
Jasper had so much fun!
Pros
4-minutes drive from the airport so you can stop and swim right before a flight or immediately upon landing. Not something you get to do most places!
Free parking
Not crowded at all, which seems to be the norm
Clean
Very calm beach with shallow entry so very family friendly, even for babies and toddlers
Get to watch jets taking off and landing right over your head for a really unique beach experience!
Can rent sun loungers and umbrellas if you want
Shower on the beach so you can clean off, especially if you’re on your way to the airport to catch a flight
Two toilets on the right side of the beach - we didn’t check them out so can’t speak to the condition, but at least there’s something for emergencies
Cons
No designated parking lot so you have to be okay looking for parking along the side of the road and potentially walking a little bit if it’s a busy day
Not really any natural shade aside from a few small areas cast by rocks on either end of the beach. Not great if you plan to stay awhile and like us, don’t want to pay 12 euros for an umbrella and loungers. As such, plan accordingly if you intend to spend some amount of time.
Overall Thoughts
We thought Ammes Beach was the perfect way to end our trip. It felt like the quintessential “Greek islands experience” to be swimming minutes before heading to the airport and watching jets taking off and landing right over our head really made for a unique experience. If we ever visited Kefalonia again we’d definitely make a stop at this beach.
Have you been to Kefalonia? If so, what was your favorite beach? We and our readers would love to know so leave us a comment!