St. George castle is located 7 km southeast of Argostoli, above the village Peratata Kefalonia. A taxi to St.George’s castle (Kastro) takes 15 minutes approximately. It has a polygonal shape and covers an area of 16,000 sq.m . This Castle was originally built in the 12th century by the Byzantines but it was mostly the Venetians who gave it its present form. In fact, its external walls were built in 1504 by the Venetians.
Before you reach the main entrance of the castle, you can walk around the beautiful village with traditional houses and amazing views. The panoramic view from the Kastro,down over the sea and Argostoli and up to Mt.Enos ,gives a good overall picture of the region,with old churches and campaniles recalling the bygone glories of the historic area surrounding the castle. It is worth visiting the ruins of the medieval church of Evangelistria, which dates from 1420, and the church of Agios Theodoros, which is even older.
The original castle dates back to 11th century but most of what is seen today comes from the Venetians who took it from the Turks at the end of 1500 with the aid of the Spanish and the Kefalonians.The Venetians fortified the castle walls with the use of forced labour and shipped in Venetian craftsmen to build a small town in the front of the castle in the area called “the Kastro”.
At the time of its glory, inside the Castle, there were residences, public buildings, storehouses with food and guns, churches, hospitals, prisons, cisterns of water and generally an organized town. In fact, this Castle was the capital of Kefalonia before Argostoli was made the new capital in 1757. Close to a small square in the castle, you will also see the ruins of the Catholic Church of Saint Nicholas.
You can book a taxi from St.George’s Castle to any destination you wish by sending us an email,calling us or using your favorite app. A driver from “Kefalonia Taxi Service” will pick you up as soon as possible and will drive you quick and safely to your destination!