Melissani and Drogarati caves tour, reviewed
The only listing on this site that includes both cave entrance fees, and the most-rated of the six: 4.6 from 652 ratings. Four hours in an air-conditioned coach from the port or your hotel in Argostoli, a live guide in German, English and Italian, Drogarati first, then the boat at Melissani, then the Myrtos viewpoint and back. What its reviewers talk about is the queue and the guide who stood in it for them.
Going without a car?Every tour here picks you up in Argostoli and cancels free up to 24 hours before. Reserve the date now, decide later.
Check tour availabilityWhat the listing itself says
Included, as the listing writes it
- Port/Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Transportation by airconditioned coach
- Short rowing boat ride inside Melissani Lake
- Local guide
- Entrance fees
Not included, as the listing writes it
- Food and drinks
The entrance-fee line is the one that separates this listing from the other five. With both tickets in, the fare on the listing is the whole day, and set against the island day with its fees paid on arrival the gap is modest: it buys a guide who holds your place in the queue and a four-hour half day instead of nine. The six compared on one page.
The listing’s own notes are worth reading before booking. The boat ride is shared with other visitors and lasts about ten to fifteen minutes. Total driving time is about an hour and three quarters. Both caves have steps and uneven surfaces, so comfortable shoes. Pickup outside Argostoli adds transfer time on top of the four hours. And in July and August, and on days with more than one cruise ship in port, the listing itself says the caves are busy and the guide organises the visit around the queue. That is the listing being straight with you, and the reviews below bear it out.
What reviewers found
The written reviews from late August 2026 are nearly all five stars and nearly all about the guide. Three of them describe the queue.
Eva made the trip fly by with her stories and information. Although there was a one-hour wait at the lake, the time passed quickly because Eva stood in line for the whole group. Super suitable for small children (daughter 4)
Melissani caves was busy being mid August but our guides saved our place in the line, whilst we could go and grab a coffee and some shade.
The guide did not speak in Italian but in Greek and English. Otherwise, the excursion was pleasant. They stood in line to enter the caves, and it lasted half a day.
Read Juliane and Floriana together and you have the whole trade. A one-hour wait at the lake in the last week of August, the guide standing in it for the group, and a four-year-old who was fine. Floriana gave five stars and still wrote that it lasted half a day and that her guide did not speak Italian; the listing promises German, English and Italian, so ask at pickup which language your guide is working in that day. Catarina, on the same week, wrote “We were lucky with the waiting time at the lake.” That is the variable: the queue is 30 minutes on a quiet day and up to two hours between noon and two in July, and this coach arrives in the late morning with everyone else. When the light and the queue are on your side.
Verdict
Book it if you have half a day, no car, and would rather pay once. It is the only listing that covers both cave tickets in the fare, and the guide standing in the Melissani queue is the thing its August reviewers thank her for. It is not the tour for the quiet boat at opening time; for that, drive yourself for 09:00 or take the small van.
Who it suits
- Anyone in Argostoli or Lassi without a car who wants both caves in a morning
- Cruise passengers with a ship in port for the day: the terminal is a named pickup
- Families with small children (Juliane’s daughter was four)
- Travellers who want the guide in German or Italian, not only English
Who it does not suit
- Anyone who wants the lake before the coaches: this is a coach
- Anyone who wants a swim: Myrtos is a viewpoint photo stop on this route
- Wheelchair users: the boats are reached by a tunnel of roughly a hundred steps, and Drogarati by about 150
Other tours to consider
The same route without the fees in the price, sold to cruise passengers, is the wine-tasting tour. The same caves in a van that reviewers say gets there first is the small-group tour. The whole island in nine hours is the island tour.
Cruise passengersArgostoli: Melissani & Drogarati Cave Tour with Wine Tasting
Small groupKefalonia: Melissani, Drogarati & Beach Small-Group Tour
Full island dayKefalonia: Melissani, Myrtos, Fiscardo & Wine Tasting
Frequently asked questions
Does the Argostoli caves tour include the Melissani ticket?
Yes. Its inclusion list has an entrance-fees line, and it is the only one of the six listings on this site that covers both Melissani and Drogarati in the fare. The beach tour includes the Melissani ticket; the other four leave the fees to be paid on arrival: tickets, in detail.
How long is the queue on this tour?
It depends on the day. A reviewer in the last week of August 2026 reported a one-hour wait at the lake, with the guide standing in line for the group; another the same week was lucky with the waiting time. The listing itself says July, August and multi-ship days are the busy ones. How long the visit takes, with and without a queue.
Is the Argostoli caves tour good for children?
Reviewers say so: one took a four-year-old and called it super suitable for small children. The tunnel down to the boat has roughly a hundred steps and Drogarati about 150, so a carrier is easier than a pushchair. What to wear and bring.
Where does the tour pick up?
At the port, at hotels, and at named meeting points around Argostoli and Lassi, including the cruise terminal. Pickup outside Argostoli adds transfer time on top of the four hours. All the day tours from Argostoli.