Melissani Cave opening hours by season
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 availabilityThe 2026 hours, from the municipality’s notices
The Municipality of Sami runs both caves and publishes the hours as short notices, in Greek, on the Municipality of Sami’s notice page. There is no official cave website; the site that calls itself official is a third party. The 2026 season so far has had two notices.
| Period | Hours | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| High summer 2026 | Daily 09:00–18:00 | From Friday 3 July 2026, both caves. High summer 2025 was the same, from 7 June 2025. |
| Early season 2026 | 10:00–16:00 | From 4 May 2026. Last entry 15:30, thirty minutes before closing. In 2025 the early season was 09:00–15:00 from 13 May 2025. |
| April (2025 pattern) | Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, 10:00–12:00 | Adjusted when a cruise ship calls at Argostoli. |
| November to March | Limited or closed | The sources disagree with each other; typically a few mornings a week, often Thursday and the weekend, or closed — phone the ticket office first. |
Two things stand out in the table. The May notice is the only one that states a last-entry time, thirty minutes before closing; assume the same margin applies in summer and do not arrive at 17:50 expecting a boat. And the summer notice gives a start date and no end date. When the hours shorten again in autumn is not in it, so an October visit is worth a phone call first.
Winter
Between November and March the cave is typically a few mornings a week, often Thursday and the weekend, or closed — phone the ticket office first. The two published winter patterns do not agree on the afternoon, which is why no timetable is printed here. What is safe to say: mornings are likelier than afternoons, Thursday and the weekend are the days most often named, and the municipality adjusts the days when a ship is in port at Argostoli. The cave ticket offices answer on +30 26740 22997 and +30 26740 23302 (sources swap which number is Melissani and which is Drogarati, so try either); the municipality’s information office is +30 26740 23446.
The hours that matter more than the opening hours
Inside 09:00–18:00, the day has a shape. The sun stands over the open roof roughly 11:00–14:00, which is when the water shows the turquoise beam. Coaches and cruise groups arrive from about 10:00 for the same reason, and in July and August the queue between noon and two has been reported at up to two hours. Arriving for opening at 09:00, or after 15:30, trades some of the vertical light for no queue. The light-versus-queue trade, hour by hour.
The ticket, about ten euros for an adult, includes the boat and is sold on arrival, so the hour you are there is the hour you go on the water; two of the day tours include it in their price. Tickets and the free categories.
The tours run inside these hours, on their own timetable
Every day tour on this site visits Melissani within the municipal hours but on the operator’s schedule, which from Argostoli means reaching the lake in late morning, in the light and in the queue. The four-hour tour from Argostoli sends its guide to stand in the line for the group, and it is the one listing that includes both cave tickets; the semi-private van from the cruise terminal is the one whose reviewers say it reaches the lake before the big coaches. With a car of your own, the quiet hours are opening time and late afternoon. Roads, the bus and the car park.
Book the half-day tour with both tickets included
From Argostoli, about four hours, Drogarati then Melissani then the Myrtos viewpoint, with the entrance fees in the price and a guide who holds the group’s place in the queue. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Read next
- Best time to visit — the light, the queue and the cruise calendar.
- How long the visit takes.
- Visiting Melissani, explained.
Frequently asked questions
What time does Melissani Cave open?
In high summer 2026 it opens at 09:00 and closes at 18:00, daily, from 3 July, and Drogarati keeps the same hours. Before that, from 4 May, it was 10:00 to 16:00 with last entry at 15:30. Arriving for opening is the surest way round the queue; see the best time to visit.
Is Melissani Cave open in winter?
Between November and March it is typically a few mornings a week, often Thursday and the weekend, or closed — phone the ticket office first. The municipality’s notice page carries the current pattern, and the ticket offices answer on +30 26740 22997 and +30 26740 23302. Do not plan a winter afternoon around it without a call.
Is there a last entry time at Melissani?
The May 2026 notice states last entry at 15:30, thirty minutes before the 16:00 close. The summer notice does not state one; assume the same thirty minutes and arrive well before 17:30. The visit itself is 30 to 60 minutes without a queue — how long it takes.
Do the tours visit outside the public opening hours?
No. The day tours from Argostoli visit within the municipal hours, usually reaching the lake in late morning. What they add is the transport and, on the four-hour tour, a guide who stands in the queue for the group and both cave tickets in the price.