The main church of the community is Agios Spyridon (Greek: Άγιος Σπυρίδων), which is built on a separate, tiny piece of land which is connected by a bridge over shallow waters to the rest of the island.

The community's land area also includes 3 km2 (1 sq mi) of the mainland consisting mainly of the famous Punta Beach.

On the nearby mainland, approximately 6.5 km (4.0 mi) east is Neapoli (Greek: Νεάπολη) of the municipality of Vatika.

About 8.5 km (5.3 mi) south is Cape Frangos (Greek: Φράγκο) on the island of Kythira.

In antiquity, Elafonisos did not constitute an island but a peninsula with the name Onou Gnathos (Greek: Όνου Γνάθος meaning donkey's jawbone) according to Pausanias.