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Zakynthos Island (Zante)
Zakynthos island - also widely known as Zante - is the third largest and the most southern of the Ionian Islands. It is easily reachable by air and by the sea from the continent and the UK. The following assessment of the island is based upon our own experiences and therefore description given below necessarily contains an element of subjective opinion, which may not reflect your own experience on another occasion.
Key attractions
- Excellent sandy beaches,
- Great nightlife in Laganas - plenty of bars, clubs and restaurants are located along the main street, perfect for parties and adult fun,
- Spectacular landscapes of Navagio the Shipwreck beach,
- Beautiful water colour in caves around the island,
- Off road 4x4 driving - if you like off road driving you will find plenty of places where you will be able to in the mountains to explore the island,
- Venetian Kastro in Zakynthos Town and the hill above the Zakynthos town is a really interesting place to go for lunch or an afternoon coffee and enjoy panormic view of the town,
- Askos Stone Park - the biggest park in south west Greece,
- Tsilivi Waterpark,
- Marine turtle spotting,
- Watersports in St. Nicholas Beach Vassilikos.
Best places for swimming
Xygia beach - “is the prettiest and the most charming little paradise I have came
across”. Its location, incredibly beautiful azure colour of the water and its healing
cosmetic ingredients i.e. collagen and sulphur make this tiny, white stony beach
very special. Its remote location - fair distance from the key southern tourist
resorts of Laganas and Kalamaki make Xygia beach rather a stopover on the way north
to Askos, Aghios Nikolaos and Blue Caves. On the approach to the beach a road sign
informs tourists about cosmetic and healing powers the spa water has. On the beach
you may notice strong sulphur smell which comes from the mixture of sulphuric and
sulphurous elements. On the cliff above the beach you will find a little canteen
selling drinks, ice creams and serving delicious, fresh toasts and sandwiches. It
is also a perfect place for photography enthusiasts to take a picture of the very
scenic shore.
Laganas and Kalamaki beach - a few miles long belt of golden sandy beach with shallow
waters stretches between popular tourist resorts of Laganas and Kalamaki. This beach
is perfect for swimming and sunbathing. The beach tends to be very busy in a close
proximity to both tourist villages and therefore it is perfect for everyone who does
not like to be alone. However, if you prefer less crowded places you may walk further
along the beach to find some nice quiet spot. If you are close to Kalamaki rocks
please be extremely careful as the rocks may fall from the top. It is a good idea
to go as far to the sea as possible to avoid this dangerous spot. As Kalamaki and
Laganas beaches are part of The National Marine Park of Zakynthos the beaches are
closed for the public from 8 p.m. until 7 a.m. to protect endangered Caretta caretta
turtles.
Navagio - the shipwreck beach - this beautiful white stony beach is located in the
northern part of the island and it can be only accessible by boat. Thanks to its
famous (very rusty) shipwreck lying on the beach and beautiful blue water it has
become a very popular ‘a must see place’ and an essential stopover for all around
the island cruises.
Porto Vromi Bay - fine stretch of white stony sandy beach. Water has incredible blue
colour here. Unfortunately after a forest fire in August 2009 this place has lost
its charm as all you can see on the hills surrounding this charming bay are black
leafless trees. I think it will take a couple of years for this place to regain its
charm.
Gerakas beach - fine, quiet sandy beach remotely located in a fair distance from
popular resorts of Laganas and Kalamaki. In the bay no watersports are allowed due
to the endangered Caretta Caretta (the loggerhead turtle).
Banana beach (Ionio beach) - this fine sandy beach is situated between Argasi and Porto Roma.
Zante for landscape photographers
The island offers plenty of spectacular landscapes and all photography enthusiasts will find here lots of charming places to take very good photos. Among our favourite photo spots are the following places (for exact location please refer to the map):
Shipwreck beach - view from top of the cliff. You do not actually sail to the beach but need to drive to the edge of the cliff to take spectacular photos of the shipwreck and the beach from the distance.
View from Venetian Kastro - the hill which is situated just a few miles away from Zakynthos Town centre offers fantastic view over the town.
Sunsets - western side of the island - if you are a fan of sunsets you should definitively go to one of the “sunset restaurants” located in small villages on the cliffs in western side of the island. Apart from delicious food you will have a perfect opportunity to take good sunset photos.
Road to Porto Vromi Bay offers also spectacular views.
Last updated on 6th September 2010
By Arek Zasowski
Photographs by Viola and Arek Zasowski
Excursions and cruises
If you have plenty of free time and would like to explore the island further you may choose among a number of excursions and cruises offered by numerous travel agents:
- Keri Caves and Caretta-Caretta cruise with glass bottom boats,
- Yellow Submarine - Caretta-Caretta turtle spotting - from Agios Sostis,
- Shipwreck beach (Navagio) and Blue Caves - half day cruise,
- Cruise around the island,
- Greek Night - live Greek music, traditional Greek dances, very good fresh food - usually great fun!
- Jeep Safari or horse riding,
- One day excursion to Kefalonia,
- One day excursion to Olympia - the birthplace of the Olympic Games,
- Two days excursion to Athens,
- Furthermore, if you drive you may go up north and visit charming Askos Stone Park.
Useful Links
Car rental - Auto Fox in Laganas - although you will find lots of places where you can rent a car we would recommend you Laganas based Auto Fox. They are very friendly and extremely flexible.
