Xi Beach
Best for. Families, paddlers and anyone after warm, shallow, easy water, plus calm morning paddleboarders and sunset lovers who want colour without crowds.
Best spot. The wide central stretch by the beach bars for the warm shallows, or walk west toward the white cliffs to use the clay and watch the sun drop.
Know this. The water is famously shallow and warm, which makes it a true family beach. It is west facing and open, so an afternoon onshore breeze can stir up small chop and a little seagrass, calmest in the morning.
Xi is the beach you send families to, and it earns that on the first step into the water. It runs in a long, low ribbon along the south side of the Paliki peninsula below Lixouri, and two things make it instantly different from the rest of Kefalonia. The sand is orange, a soft reddish clay you will not find on the white pebble beaches over the hills, and the water is so shallow that you can wade out a long way and still be barely waist deep. For small children, nervous swimmers and anyone who just wants to float in warm water, that combination is hard to beat.
Behind the sand stand the white clay cliffs that give Xi its other claim to fame. People scoop the pale clay, smear it on, let it bake dry in the sun and rinse it off in the sea, a free and faintly ridiculous spa ritual that has been going on here for years. It is harmless fun and the cliffs are genuinely striking in the late light, but treat them with a bit of care, they are soft and crumbling and best admired rather than climbed.
Here is the honest read on conditions. That shallow, sheltered shelf is what keeps Xi calm and warm, but it is still a west facing, open beach, and the afternoon sea breeze can put a chop on the surface and stir up patches of fine seagrass near the shoreline. None of it spoils the day, but the water is at its clearest and stillest in the morning, and if you are here to paddleboard or kayak that is the window to take, before the breeze fills in. By late afternoon the same wind that ruffles the shallows is setting up a wide, uninterrupted sunset, because Xi faces the open sea with nothing in the way.
Practically, Xi is set up but not overdeveloped. There are sunbeds and umbrellas to rent and a couple of beach bars and tavernas behind the sand for drinks, snacks and a long lunch, with the orange sand giving way to that warm shallow water just beyond. Shade is mostly the umbrellas, so bring sun cover, and the soft sand means you can leave the reef shoes in the bag for once, a small luxury after the pebbles elsewhere on the island.
Who should skip it. If you came for deep, vivid, crystal water and dramatic cliffs to dive off, the shallow warm shelf at Xi will feel tame, and you will be happier at Petani or Myrtos. But if you want the easiest, warmest, most child friendly swim on the Paliki coast, with soft orange sand, beach bars and a knockout sunset, Xi is the obvious and honest choice.
Clubs on this beach
Xi has sunbeds and a couple of beach bars rather than a daybed beach club on the sand, so for a full club style day we point you to the Kefalonia beach clubs directory.
No dedicated beach club on this beach
Xi is a relaxed, family friendly public beach with sunbeds to rent and a couple of beach bars and tavernas behind the sand rather than a daybed club with bottle service. That keeps it easy and good value. For a fuller club style day on the island, with anything unconfirmed clearly marked, see the Kefalonia beach clubs directory.
Lixouri, south coast
Xi lies on the south coast of the Paliki peninsula, about eight kilometres by road from Lixouri. From Argostoli the quickest route is the short ferry across to Lixouri and a brief drive on, or you can loop around by road, roughly thirty five kilometres. A hire car or taxi is easiest, and there is parking behind the beach that fills in high summer.
Facilities are family friendly and seasonal. There are sunbeds and umbrellas to rent and a couple of beach bars and tavernas behind the sand for food and drink through the day. These are operator run and open seasonally, so opening times and prices are best confirmed locally before you rely on them.
Pack for sun and shallow water. The soft sand means you can skip the reef shoes, but shade is mostly the umbrellas, so bring cover and plenty of water. Come in the morning for the clearest, stillest water, especially if you want to paddleboard, and stay late for a wide open sunset over the sea, with the white clay cliffs glowing behind you.
Photo: Frances Wilson via GoogleBook a beach club
Tell us your dates and party size and we will help arrange a daybed or table at a beach club on the island, with the warm shallow water of Xi close by. We reply by email.
We are an independent editorial resource. Booking requests are passed to clubs and operators, and some may earn us a commission at no cost to you. Prices, availability and opening status are set by the venue and are to be confirmed at the time of booking.
Common questions about Xi Beach
Why is the sand orange at Xi Beach?
Xi sits below cliffs of soft reddish and white clay, and that clay colours the sand a warm orange that you will not find on the white pebble beaches elsewhere on Kefalonia. The same clay in the cliffs is what people scoop up to use as a natural mud rinse before washing it off in the sea.
Is Xi Beach good for young children?
Yes, it is one of the best family beaches on the island. The water stays shallow a long way out and is usually warm and calm, and the soft sand is gentle on bare feet. It is still an open beach with no confirmed lifeguard, so supervise children, especially in the afternoon if a breeze puts a little chop on the surface.
Can you paddleboard or kayak at Xi Beach?
On a calm morning, yes, the flat shallow water is ideal for an easy paddle. The beach is west facing and open, so the surface is usually stillest early in the day, and an afternoon sea breeze can pick up and make it harder work, so take the morning window if you can.
Does Xi Beach have seagrass?
It can have patches of fine seagrass near the shoreline, especially after an afternoon breeze stirs up the shallow water. It is natural and harmless, and the water is generally clearest in the morning before the wind picks up.
How do you get to Xi Beach?
Xi is on the south coast of the Paliki peninsula, about eight kilometres from Lixouri by road. From Argostoli the easiest way is the short ferry to Lixouri then a brief drive, or you can loop around by road. There is parking behind the beach that fills in high summer.
Is Xi Beach good for sunset?
Yes, it faces the open sea to the west with nothing in the way, so the sunset is wide and uninterrupted, with the white clay cliffs glowing behind the sand in the last light. Stay on for it after a day in the shallows.
