There are direct charter flights to Kefalonia from May to October from the following countries : United Kingdom (Birmingham, Cardiff, Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester, Newcastle, Stansted), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Cyprus (Larnaca), Slovenia (Ljubljana), Switzerland (Zürich), Serbia (Beograd), Russia (Pulkovo), Austria (Wien, Graz, Innsbrück), Finland (Helsinki), Norway (Oslo), Slovakia (Bratislava), Czech Republic (Prague), Italy (Rimini), Germany (Weeze), Denmark (Copenhagen), Hungary (Budapest). There are correspondance charters from Greece (Chania in Crete, Skiathos, Corfu) and regular flights from Preveza, Zakynthos and Thessaloniki (Salonica).
There are usually two daily regular flights of Olympic Air from Athens to Argostoli (EFL - Kefalonia International Airport). The ticket costs about 80-100 Euros, if it is a one way ticket. The flightlasts about an hour. The airplane is a small but modern ATR (42 or 72 passengers) with screws.

You can travel by train only until Brindisi or Ancona (Italy) by the Eurostar or by another less fast train ; then you have to embark on a ferry boat (look further below). Information on the italian public train company : trenitalia.com
There is also a train leaving from Athens for Patras. But you will always finish your journey by ship. This Intercity is called : "Parthenon" (IC10). It departs from Piraeus at 11:43 and arrives at 15:33. At your return , it departs from Patras at 16:35 and arrives in Piraeus at 20:25 (IC11). The supplement costs about 5 Euros for a A class seat and 4 Euro for B class. You can be informed on the tickets by visiting the train company site : OSE.
More information on prices in Europe : Raileurope or Interail (if you are less than 26 years old).
If you want to know everything about schedules and routes in Europe, you should address to the Europe by Rail guide book : Thomas Cook Publishing.

The route is pretty much the same as the one you follow if you come by train through Italy until Brindisi. You can also embark on a ferry boat in Ancona or in Venice. It depends on your preferences. If you come from a North European country (i.e. very long journey), it is better for you to imbark in Venice, if you come from France or North Italy, the best choice is Ancona. Brindisi is very convenient for Italians from Rome and from the South. Furthermore, taking the car with you can be of great advantage because you will always need it to explore Kefalonia. As long as you are concerned of the distances, you can consult the site of Via Michelin.

1 - International lines
It is possible to go by bus up to Brindisi , Ancona or Venice in order to cross the Adriatic and the Ionian Sea on ship. You can find more about bus routes if you visit Eurolines.com.
2 - Greek lines
Otherwise, if you arrive by airplane in Athens, you can trust the regional bus routes. The coaches depart from the Kifissos Bus Station, also known as KTEL station (connection by bus 051 from center of Athens & bus 420 from Piraeus) and arrive directly to Argostoli. The travel lasts about 6 hours (including a stop of twenty minutes to stretch). The price of the ferry boat is included in the price you pay at the KTEL bus station in Athens but they give you two different tickets . All together, coming to Kephalonia will cost you around 45 Euros for a one-way ticket. You can buy the ticket in the bus office station which is simply called "Kephalonia".
Regarding the bus routes, you have two options :
1- The route Athens - Patras (embarking port) - Sami (port of Cephalonia)
2 - The route Athens - Kyllini (embarking port) - Poros (port of Cephalonia)
Both routes last the same, but if you choose the first one the travel by lasts more (2:45), while from Kyllini to Poros, the travel lasts about one hour and a half.

Ferries come from Italy to Kefalonia (but mostly to Patras). The companies are the following :
"Endeavor Lines", "Minoan Lines", "Anek Lines", "Agoudimos Ferries", "Super Fast Ferries" and t"Blue Star Ferries".
1 - Ferries Brindisi-Sami (direct route to Kefalonia).
Attention : only the Endeavor Lines offer a regular connection from Brindisi to Sami (Kefalonia) during summer.
The voyage Brindisi-Patras lasts a dozen of hours and costs 522 to 765 Euro for a family of four people (children under 12 years) in an inside cabin. A vehicle ticket costs 66 to 135 Euros. A simple seat (pullman seat of the airplane type but with more space !) costs 100 to 165 Euros. The prices above correspond to return tickets and are indicative. If you can't afford it though, it is possible to sleep on the deck too. The difference in price between deck and pullman seat is not that much though so this is why we do not suggest it !
Timetable of direct ferries : Brindisi - Sami &  Bari - Sami
Timetable of ferries by Igoumenitsa/Patras:
Brindisi - Igoumenitsa - Patras &  Bari - Igoumenitsa - Patras

2 - Ferries Ancona-Patras or Venezia-Patras
Minoan Lines , Anek Lines, Superfast Ferries and Blue Star Ferries offer international lines from Ancona or Venezia to Patras.
The companies offer similar prices. There are special offers for four member families. If you come from Venice or Ancone we advise you to rent a cabin because the journey lasts 38 and 31 hours (respectively a mini-cruise in other words). The ferries are gigantic and you can find almost everything inside (piscina, disco, bar, video games, casino, living rooms, shops ...).
Timetable of ferries by Igoumenitsa/Patras:
Ancona - Igoumenitsa - Patras &  Venice - Igoumenitsa - Patras

3 - Ferries Patras-Sami or Kyllini-Poros
Strintzis Ferries, which is a Kefalonian Company, offers the majority of the routes from Patras and Kyllini to Kefalonia (Poros, Sami or Argostoli). Ionian Ferries, a company from Zakynthos (Zante), connect Kyllini with Poros too. Travelling by ship from Italy (as mentioned above) will mean you change ferries in Patras. Be aware, concerning some local ferries (mainly Strintzis), it's not possible to make a pre-paid reservation. You have to purchase tickets, either directly at the port office or contacting us in advance.
local ferries timetable : Patras - Sami &  Kyllini - Poros

Take a look at the differences in prices according to seasons, and you should be able to understand that you have to carefully choose the dates if you want to find what really suits you. Trusting us on the process, will allow you to confirm the prices, see the schedules and make a reservation (prepaid) or get your tickets (we assure a fast and safely sending in all Europe and the rest of the world).
You should not make last minute reservations but at least one or two months before departure (especially if you have a vehicle or you want to have a cabin). If you are coming in August, think about it around February or March.
In general, the low season (for ferries) lasts up to the end of June and starts again on about the 10th of september. However, regarding your travel, ports of departure are important and there are numerous departures in July and August which are fortunately considered as low season departures, especially concerning the direct line from Brindisi to Sami.