Zante Greece | tourist holiday travel guide to Zakynthos

Zakynthos Town

The small, scruffy port of ZAKYNTHOS TOWN has made few concessions to tourism. Rebuilt after the 1953 earthquake with a sterile formality, it has little charm, despite a magnificent setting in a large bay with the Bochali hills behind. Quake-wrecked Venetian buildings were bulldozed and replaced with solemn edifice.
The atmosphere improves inland at Solomu Square, a large area that's thronged with strollers on a summer evening, walking past the tavernas and cafes that line the triangular marble-paved piazza. It is dominated by a statue to the island's favourite son Dionysius Solomos, the writer of the Greek national anthem. Zakynthos wasn't his favourite island however - he lived and died on Corfu.
The food served in the piazza is marginally better than the burger and chips staple of many Zante resorts - but waiters have developed the annoying habit of touting passers' by for trade and meals can be expensive.
Tavernas also line the maniacally busy Strada Marina seafront road - part of a one-way system stuffed with screaming mopeds and thick with petrol fumes. This is the main route to the ferry port so it's always busy.
The town has three museums, none of which are particularly interesting. The Byzantine Museum is probably the best, with a few 17th century paintings of the Ionian School and some good icons.
A couple of churches survived the 1953 earthquake. Agios Nicholas which dates from 1561 has recently been renovated, and the spectacular Agios Dionysius, often lit up like a fairground at night, contains some good icons and a magnificent carved silver coffin.
The road north out of Zakynthos town runs behind a disappointingly shabby beach backed by vineyards and orchards.

Tsilivi

About 6km north east from Zakynthos town is TSILIVI, a family type place with a long, wide beach increasingly favoured by package tour operators. Many tourists are shacked up in cement apartments at nearby PLANOS which backs onto a beach below TRAGAKI.
Tsilivi has a pleasant sand beach with umbrellas, showers and toilets, though the latter are not the cleanest on the island and you are better off using any of the many tavernas that back onto the sands. The sea is very shallow and safe for children and there are fewer stones at the eastern end. Heavy winter rains can wash sand away at the western end to reveal rocks and stone.
There are the usual watersports you expect on a popular family beach and being north facing, it can get windy enough for windsurfers to let rip. Low dunes and scrubland give the beach a wide-open feel and this is the only beach on Zante to get a blue flag.
But it's fags, not flags, that the beach suffers from - thousand of fag ends litter the sands. Readers recommend heading for the beach below Alexandre, set in a small cover, which is regularly cleaned..
The resort itself is packed with restaurants, reasonably priced but nothing special and menus appeal to burger British tastes - you will find a chip shop and a McDonalds here. Plenty of family-type entertainment too - karaoke bars, crazy golf, bowling and so on.
A busy main road carves its way through the middle of the resort and there are no pavements and little light, so take care of the kids at night.

Tsilivi visitor reviews

To the west are a whole clutch of pretty and less populated beaches at TRAGAKI, AMBOULA and BOUKA. Bouka has a pleasant sandy beach and an attractive little fishing harbour. The beaches get quieter as you head east and the road to Bouka also leads to the remains of a Venetian observatory and, in the distance, a glimpse of Kefalonia. Inland at SARAKINDA is a small water park, but few recommend a visit - most think it a disappointment.

Alykanas

The resort at ALYKANAS sits on the headland of a huge sandy bay that sweeps around to neighbouring Alykes. Less busy than its neighbour, Alykanas is slowly descending into a burger and chips British resort. Tavernas, shops and supermarkets, line the resort's one main street and this is a popular destination for families and young couples,
Soft sand shelves gently into the sea backed by low dunes, scrub and olive groves and there is a small harbour with fishing boats for added interest. A large hotel complex dominates one end of the beach.
There are all the usual facilities for a busy beach which has safe, shallow waters. The sand narrows and turns to pebbles as you approach Alykes. Cigarette ends and seaweed are a major nuisance here as are the DVD sellers that tour for trade among the sun beds.
The resort has a relaxed atmosphere, though youngsters like to use the main road at night for a race track so care must be taken on poorly lit roads with no pavements.
Some tavernas have a horse and carriage taxi service - free if you use the taverna. Most of the bars, though, are English owned serving English breakfast etc so don't expect to find much authentic Greek here. For those who like it a more busy and downmarket holiday, the more popular Alykes is only a short walk away - 10 minutes along the shore.

Alykes

The beach at ALYKES gets it name from the salt pans that surround the resort. The beach itself is a 3km long stretch of golden sand that sweeps around the bay from Alykanas to the salt flats behind the eastern end of the village. A walk around the latter has a creepy moonscape atmosphere but the beach itself is magnificent and quite the best to be found north of Zakynthos town.
The sea is shallow for a few metres but then dips sharply, making it fine for children if they stay close to the shore and great for surfers who take advantage of the big breakers that roll in when the wind is in the right direction.
The centre of the beach is the busiest and watersports are located there, as are most of the cigarette ends; it is virtually an ash tray. Those looking for a more peaceful spot don't have very far to walk in either direction before the main crowds thin out, although pebbles are more prevalent to the east. There are also some large lumps of underwater concrete near the jetty.
The village is very compact, if a little scruffy. It is just a couple of streets with the usual tourist shops, tavernas and cafes. More developed than its neighbour Alykanas there are plenty of pleasant tavernas and bars, none too brash or noisy and most close around midnight. Tavernas are plentiful but you will learn to hate chips which arrive with every meal. There is even a tourist train to Alykanas if you are too idle to walk.

Agios Nikolaos (north)

North east of Alykes is a long coastline of cliff and rock dotted with small pebble coves, many of them, unfortunately, difficult to reach.The cliffs get wilder and steeper, until they reach the tiny port at AGIOS NIKOLAOS. Don't confuse it with the much more popular resort in the south.
Here the setting is idyllic, let down only by the the drab cement block buildings and a shanty town appearance. There is a small pebble beach and nearby rocky coves to explore down the many tracks.
This is the main port linking Zakynthos to Kefalonia with a daily ferry. Caiques also venture to the nearby isle,t of the same name as the resort, and to the Blue Caves, a favourite with visitors (see Zante Highlights). This is also a popular mooring point for visiting yachts and boats and a good place for those who prefer to stay off the tourist trail. There are tavernas and cafes on the coast road, both in the village and on the outskirts

Volimes

VOLIMES is the largest of the island's hill villages, actually a conglomeration of three smaller hamlets within a few minutes walk of each other. Prepare to take a step back in time as each is a cliche living museum, with some of the best preserved buildings on Zakynthos having survived the 1953 earthquake..
Road improvements have now made this a must visit for coach parties and villagers take every opportunity to flog the local embroidery, cheese and exceptionally good honey.
If you do visit try to leave before the coach parties arrive and flood the place out. There is a pleasant cafe opposite the school.

Porto Vromi

Two steep limestone bluffs rise each side of a narrow inlet at the small but beautiful village of PORTO VROMI. Here is a sheltered harbour for a few fishing boats and a narrow strip of white sand and shingle.
The name means 'Dirty Port' because of the natural tar that stains the beach but this is not a real problem. It is far enough off the beaten track to ensure visitors are few but there are boat trips from here to the nearby Blue Caves. Above the harbour is the 15th century monastery of Panagia Anafonitria, noted for its lovely frescos.

Kampi

High on the western cliffs perches KAMPI, another target for coach parties here this time to watch the sun setting over the waves. The tavernas along the clifftops offer stunning vistas from the 300-metre-high cliffs and the sunsets quite spectacular.
The place is far enough off the beaten track to ensure views are rarely marred by the shadowy heads of other tourists craning for a look.
The village also houses a small and interesting folk museum stuffed with domestic and agricultural paraphernalia.

Keri

KERI is on the southernmost tip of the island, east of Laganas Bay, and boasts several picturesque pre-earthquake buildings. There was a lake here once, now drained, and the area is sometimes referred to as KERI LAKE or LIMNI KERIOU.
The steep, narrow beach is more pebbles than sand but still very attractive with warm, shallow waters that make it great for children and a small river running into the sea for added interest. The view from the beach is impressive with high cliffs flanking both sides and the turtle islet of Marathonisi lying offshore.
There are many paths along the coast that lead to secluded coves. A rough track leads to a whitewashed lighthouse above the cliffs and a small car park near the taverna offers spectacular views of nearby limestone sea arches.
Boats can be hired to visit the turtle nesting island of MARATHONISI but they tend to get booked early so late arrivals miss out. The island has two reefs that link it to the cape of Marathias. There are two small beaches, one sand the other pebble, and both are pristine, with crystal clear blue water. The turtle nesting beach is a long sand bank that stretches out to sea and it's a permanently protected part of the marine park.

Agios Sostis

The quiet resort of AGIOS SOSTIS, near Laganas, has been taken up by a number of UK tour operators recently as a viable overflow to Laganas which lies further along the bay to the east. It's a pleasant enough resort with a narrow sand beach shelving gently into the shallow sea, good for children and for snorkeling. Decent tavernas overlook the beach and waiters will even bring drinks to your sun lounger.
The beach is named after the islet in the bay which is easily visited and once had a small chapel. The resort is pretty uncommercialised so there are no clubs and discos. Tour operators tend the sell the place (near Laganas) as more lively than it is. Laganas is about 30 min walk away but the coastal track is for those who are fit enough to negotiate it.

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Laganas

LAGANAS is by far the biggest and worst resort on Zakynthos, not only on this island but perhaps any other in the Med. Bars and cafes line the beach for over 1km and a similar length inland, offering an indiscriminate diet of junk food fry-ups, bargain booze and tacky souvenirs.
This is not the place for a peaceful break or a quiet night. They party around the clock here. In the evening the neon flashes along a Golden Mile of deafening music bars frequented by 'out for a larf' revelers - loud and drunk or sick and comatose. There are at least 100 bars along the main strip and they outnumber restaurants by about 10-1.
The beach in Laganas bay is the biggest on the island, stretching for the best part of 9km. The sands are firm, hard packed in places where jeeps and cars roll over it at night. Nuisance touts patrol the sun beds plugging the local clubs and discos or trying to flog pirate DVDs..
The shallow water makes it an ideal spot for holiday crowds - and for nesting turtles. This beach is biggest breeding ground in Europe for the endangered loggerhead turtle 'caretta caretta'. The meeting of nature and mutton-headed businessmen has been a serious problem for years.
Happy to cash in tacky turtle trinkets and t-shirts, the locals are less than happy at measures taken to prevent killing them all off, particularly when it eats into profits. Such has been the animosity, a bomb even went off in the offices of the founder of the local ecological movement.
Stung by criticism from the Council of Europe, locals have been long time blind to the fact that protecting turtles may protect their future in an ever more green-aware world. As one commentator said “It's possible that the animal itself may be killed off, only to live on as a fridge magnet.”
The locals have begun to see sense in recent years and at least motorised water sports have been banned from the beach. But many complain that protection laws are widely ignored and those who ignore them go unpunished.
Greece is being threatened with legal action after the European Union Court of Justice ruled in 2002 the sea turtle, categorised as an endangered species, was not being protected under EU law. Anyone who cares about nature should avoid the place. There are plenty of other island beaches where you won't end up sticking your beach brolly through a clutch of turtle eggs or scaring them off with pedaloes and other boats.

Laganas visitor reviews

Kalamaki

KALAMAKI is basically the upmarket end of Laganas beach. The dark coloured sands are just as good as those of its neighbour and the atmosphere nowhere near as raucous.
It is still not a terribly quiet place to stay, least of all because of the airport noise which can be considerable when the planes fly in. But the sands are soft on the long beach although it hard to avoid the fag ends in the sand and litter is a problem.
The waters very shallow with some impressive rock formations out at sea. Doughnut and fruit sellers patrol the sunbeds selling their wares.
For those that like the company of others but need to escape the raucous downmarket atmosphere of Laganas it can seem like heaven.
Kalamaki beach is also a favourite with egg-laying turtles and several tracks lead from the village down to the favoured nesting site at the back of the beach. Visitors are asked to stick to the shoreline to protect the nest sites. Parts are now classed a National Marine park giving turtles and other wildlife protection that is a lot more in evidence than that at nearby Laganas. Most of the development in along the main road to Laganas, leaving the turtle nesting grounds relatively untouched.
The resort has the stunning backdrop of Mt Skopos and citrus and olive groves to add interest. Nightlife is mainly tavernas and bars and those looking for something more lively will head for the lights of Laganas.

Gerakas

On the eastern side of the peninsula at GERAKAS or YERAKAS is one of Zante's finest beaches. Here is a long sublime crescent of golden sand with sandstone cliffs curving around the bay offering good shelter and shallow waters, with views across the bay to Laganas.
Often voted among the best beaches in Europe Gerakas heaves with tourists during the day but, this is also being a major turtle breeding ground, it is off limits from dusk to dawn. Its designation as a conservation area has spared it the ugly fate of neon hell-holes like Laganas. There is an information centre on the turtles on the hill above the beach.
Wardens patrol the nesting areas at the back of the beach where sunbathing is banned. There are no watersports here and visits are limited to three hours, making the sunbeds a very expensive option.
A trio of tavernas on the road to the beach provide the basics. There is parking near the mini market on the way to the beach, handy as the car park was closed in 2007.
This is a wonderful place to enjoy early in the day or in the off-season when the crowds disappear, though the tavernas and snack bars also shut down the moment the season ends.
The white cliffs at the southern end are of white clay, which visitors used to use to paint their faces as a natural sun block. The cliffs have now been closed off as people hacking out the clay managed to cause several rock falls.

Porto Roma

Around the headland and set on the tip of the peninsula is the tiny cove of PORTO ROMA with a small, narrow sand and pebble beach, a taverna overlooking the sea, and precious little else.
It is a sublimely beautiful spot with olives and pines kissing the shore and clear blue sea below cliffs covered in rich vegetation. The beach has taken its name from an island notable, Alexandros Romas, who had a house in the hills nearby.
The waters are shallow here and gently shelving. Despite being small it can still attract many visitors to it's wise to get there early if you want a good spot. There are two beach bars and some apartments have been built behind the beach but they are not intrusive.

Agios Nikolaos (south)

AGIOS NIKOLAOS is a small, attractive stretch of good sand split by an outcrop of rock crowned with a taverna-cum-bar. It is names after the striking chapel that sits on the bluff above the beach. It should not be confused with its namesake in the north west.
The desert landscape around the village makes it feel rather more remote than it is. The beach gets more popular by the year and is now unfortunately dominated by the large, dull cubist complex of the misnamed Vassilikos Beach Hotel

Ano Vassilikos

The area around ANO VASSILIKOS has seen considerable hotel development in recent years. It is reached by a very scenic drive through beautiful pine clad hills to a tiny hamlet above a narrow beach of sand and pebble.
The main hotel developments have been to the north of the area where a more popular beach called Banana owes more to the bulldozer than to nature. Unlike Laganas, this area has long been declared a nature reserve and some efforts have been made to combine tourism and conservation. Watersports, for example, are either banned or sharply curbed.

Porto Zoro

PORTO ZORO is one of the most spectacular beaches on the peninsula and also one of the hardest to find. The main road soon gives out and you have to abandon the car and trek on foot - though you may be able to get a vehicle down a rough track off the main road by following the splendidly marked signpost 'Beach with Rocks and Flowers'.
The beach is simply stunning. A small and perfectly formed crescent of deep sand with a couple of tavernas, a bar and a few rooms to let. A clutch of attractive rocks litter the headland to provide shelter. Recently 'discovered' it is a place you will have to share with many others as more sun beds cram the shoreline

Argassi

Plenty of cheap package tour firms have focused their efforts on the beach resort of ARGASSI. Concrete slab hotels crawl up the hillside overlooking a very small beach, so narrow in places that you are hard put to lie down without getting your feet wet - mostly just a metre or two of shingle. There are small patches of sand here and there but you may have to ignore the rubbish and fag ends. Most visitors opt for one the sun beds that cram most of the beach.
The gobs of seaweed don't help, though the water is very shallow and warm for many metres out, attracting many shoals of fish and making it safe for children. Beyond the shingle that lies along the shoreline, it is at least sandy underfoot.
This has become a popular family resort and visitors will find the usual tourist facilities and a good selection of shops and tavernas. Hotels opt for family rooms and there is plenty here to occupy children, such as mini golf and an animal farm.
Smarter hotels hug the seashore and there are plenty of snack bars and toilets. Tavernas generally dish up food that is, at best, mediocre. Anyone who enjoys good food will probably head for Zakynthos town in the evening as it is only 3km away. Tavernas get steadily more authentic as you head inland. The place is also home to a trio of discos, a magnet for the young at heart who hardly seem to care what they eat anyway.
There are plenty of small, secluded coves to be explored further long the shore to Vassilikos.

Argassi visitor reviews

Caves of Zante

The northern coast is littered with caves and seas eroded cliffs that act as a magnet for the pleasure boats. Most spectacular of all is the KIANOUN CAVE which bathes in a light of shimmering blues best viewed in the early morning. Readers recommend arriving early and taking one of the smaller boats that go right inside the caves. Boat trips usually last for about 90mins.
Daily boat trippers also take in the caves at SKLAVOU and to the sulphur springs at XIGIA where the sand is so hot you need shoes for protection. There is a small beach, now called Sulphur Beach, which is a narrow strip of sand beneath a stark sheer cliff where the sea does have a slightly sulphurous smell but it's not unpleasant.
There are boats from many resorts offering visits but it is usually better to drive to a northern port such as Agios Nikolaos then take a short boat trip. Sailing from the south take a long time getting there.

Shipwreck cove Zante

Almost every visitor to Zante goes to see the notorious SHIPWRECK COVE or NAVAGIO, subject of more Zante postcards than you can shake a beach umbrella at.
Few are disappointed at the romantic scene with a beach of steep white pebbles nestling between vertiginous white cliffs. The wreck itself is rather less romantic, merely an old steamer that struck the beach while on a cigarette and booze smuggling expedition. It ran aground in poor weather while being chased by a Greek navy patrol boat.
But the setting is perfect with a small sandy beach and steep cliffs all around. There are no roads to this spot and the only access is by boat.
Photos of an empty beach are difficult to get now as tour boats arrive every hour on the hour and the place is normally heaving with bodies.
Views from the cliffs above are also far more dramatic than those from a boat arriving for its allowed slot of 60mins but few are willing to slog up and down the steep cliff path.