Melissani Cave tickets and prices
The tariff, from the municipality’s notice
The Municipality of Sami runs both caves and publishes the prices. These were set in April 2024 and restated in the notice of 3 July 2026, at the Municipality of Sami’s notice page (in Greek). Every ticket includes the boat; there is no separate boat fee, because the boat ride is the visit.
| Ticket | Price | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Melissani, adult | €10 | Everyone not in a row below |
| Melissani, reduced | €5 | Children 6–18, students, over-65s, large families |
| Melissani, free | €0 | Under-6s, people with disabilities, the unemployed, permanent residents of the municipality |
| Melissani + Drogarati, adult | €13 | One combined ticket for both caves |
| Melissani + Drogarati, reduced | A little cheaper again; ask when you arrive | Same reduced categories |
| Drogarati, adult | €6 | Raised from €5 in 2024 |
| Drogarati, reduced | €3 | Same categories; same free list |
Many pages still print the pre-2024 figures, which were lower; the municipality raised the tariff in April 2024 and the table above follows its latest notice. The combined ticket with Drogarati is the one to ask for if you are doing both caves the same day, which most tours do; the two caves are five minutes apart by road, and the comparison page says which order to take them in.
Payment: cards are reported to work; carry cash to be safe. A coin for the boatman is usual, not required; the boatmen keep a tip plate. The municipality also lists a priority ticket and a private visit outside opening hours, at prices most visitors will never need and not sold on the booking platform.
How to get a Melissani ticket
Two ways. Book a day tour that includes it: the four-hour caves tour from Argostoli has both cave fees in the price, the lake-and-beach tour has the Melissani fee, and on every tour the guide handles the queue while the group waits in the shade. Or buy the ticket on arrival: it is sold at the entrance whenever the cave is open, with no timed slot, and the hours change several times a year. On any tour or on your own, the lake is at its best with the midday sun on the water; the quietest hours are opening time and after 15:30, and the light and the queue, hour by hour sets out the trade.
Every listing on this page cancels free up to 24 hours before departure. Reserve the date while you are looking at it; if a quieter day turns up on the cruise calendar, move the booking.
What a tour adds, and which ones include the ticket
Six listings on the platform visit Melissani from Argostoli. Each one is the transport, the pickup and the guide, and every one includes the boat ride; two add the cave ticket to that. The column on the right is read off each listing’s own inclusion and exclusion lists, so the days that include the ticket are easy to spot. Exact prices are on the listings and change with the season.
| Listing | Price (approx.) | Length | Cave tickets |
|---|---|---|---|
| From Argostoli: Melissani Lake & Drogarati Caves Tour | ~€65 per person | 4 hours | Both caves included |
| Kefalonia: Melissani, Myrtos, Fiscardo & Wine Tasting | ~€40 per person | 9 hours | Neither — both paid on arrival |
| Argostoli: Melissani & Drogarati Cave Tour with Wine Tasting | ~€40 per person | 5 hours | Neither — paid on arrival |
| From Argostoli: Melissani Lake & Beach Relaxation | ~€60 per person | 5 hours | Melissani included; no Drogarati on this tour |
| Kefalonia: Melissani, Drogarati & Beach Small-Group Tour | ~€65 per person | Four and a half hours | Neither — both paid on arrival |
| Kefalonia: Private Tour The Caves & Myrtos Beach | ~€120 per person | 5 hours | Neither — paid on arrival |
The full comparison, and who each day suits, is on the tours page. The lake-and-beach tour is the odd one out: it includes the Melissani ticket and does not go to Drogarati at all, which is the point of it.
The six tours
Entry fees includedBoth cave tickets includedFrom Argostoli: Melissani Lake & Drogarati Caves Tour
Full island dayKefalonia: Melissani, Myrtos, Fiscardo & Wine Tasting
Cruise passengersArgostoli: Melissani & Drogarati Cave Tour with Wine Tasting
Lake + beachMelissani ticket includedFrom Argostoli: Melissani Lake & Beach Relaxation
Small groupKefalonia: Melissani, Drogarati & Beach Small-Group Tour
PrivateKefalonia: Private Tour The Caves & Myrtos Beach
What the ticket buys
A shared rowing boat of about twelve people with a boatman, 10 to 15 minutes on the water: the open chamber under the collapsed roof, then the boatman pulls the boat by a rope along the wall through the narrow passage into the closed chamber with the stalactites, and back. Swimming is not allowed. The way down is a sloping tunnel with roughly a hundred steps, and the same back up, so the boats are not wheelchair accessible; a viewing balcony above the open chamber is the alternative. There is a free car park that fills at midday in summer, toilets, a snack counter and a kiosk. The boat ride, from the tunnel to the pier and back.
Next: how to get there, the day tours from Argostoli, and the ones built around a cruise call.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to enter Melissani Lake cave?
About ten euros for an adult, about half for children aged 6 to 18, students, over-65s and large families, and free for under-6s, people with disabilities, the unemployed and permanent residents of the municipality. A combined ticket for Melissani and Drogarati costs a little more. The ticket includes the rowing boat, and the tariff is the Municipality of Sami’s, in the table above.
Can I buy Melissani Cave tickets online?
The simplest way to have the ticket sorted in advance is a day tour that includes it: the four-hour caves tour from Argostoli includes both cave entrance fees, and the lake-and-beach tour includes the Melissani fee. Otherwise the ticket is sold at the entrance whenever the cave is open. All six tours, with the ticket column made explicit.
Is the boat ride included in the Melissani ticket?
Yes. The ticket is the boat: a shared rowing boat of about twelve with a boatman, 10 to 15 minutes across the open chamber and through the rope passage into the stalactite chamber. There is no separate boat fee. A coin for the boatman is usual, not required. What happens on the water.
Do the tours include the Melissani ticket?
One does fully: the four-hour tour from Argostoli includes both the Melissani and Drogarati fees. The five-hour lake-and-beach tour includes the Melissani ticket only, and skips Drogarati. The island day, the two cruise excursions and the private car leave the fees to be paid on arrival, about ten euros for Melissani.
Is Melissani Cave still seven or eight euros?
No. Those are pre-2024 figures still printed on pages that have not been checked since; the municipality raised the tariff in April 2024 to about ten euros for an adult, and the table above follows its latest notice. The Municipality of Sami’s notice page is the source; the hours page links it too.
Can I pay by card at Melissani?
Cards are reported to work; carry cash to be safe. Reviewers say they paid by card, and one advises cash anyway. The same applies at Drogarati. If you are on the tour that includes the fees there is nothing to pay at either cave.