Zakynthos, Zante Tourism Information Ionian Islands, Greece .
Zakynthos is one of the Ionian Islands, the third in size covering an area of 410 square kilometres. The island of Zakynthos along with the Strofades Isles situated on the south form the Prefecture of Zakynthos with a population of about 39,000. The island’s capital is the town of Zakyntos situated on the east coast and it is also called Chora.
The Island is green and that’s why it was named by Homer and the Venetian rulers as the `Levant Flower`. Zakynthos island is very characteristic because of the contrast of the east and west coast. On the west the coast is rocky with steep cliffs which fall straight into the sea and form caves with cyan waters. On the east coast there are beautiful golden beaches with crystal clean warm waters and the famous Blue Caves on the northeast.
There are a number of uninhabited islands around Zakynthos like Marathonissi and Pelouzo in Laganas bay, Strofades and St. John in front of Porto Vromi.
The island’s climate is typical Mediterranean with mild winters and cool summers.
Every year, at the beginning of June, the loggerheads turtles (Caretta caretta) arrive in Zakynthos in order to breed. They bury their eggs in the sand with an incubation period of fifty to fifty five days. The nest contains about a hundred eggs but one in a thousand hatchlings that gets into the water survives. Caretta caretta is an endangered species and is protected by the Greek legislation with the National Marine Park.
On the west coast the seals Monachus monachus breed and are also protected by the Greek legislation.
Zakynthos Map
Zakynthos weather online
Myths and legends
According to Mythology the Goddess of hunting Artemis and her brother Apollo used to wander in the woods of Zakynthos admiring the beauty of the island. The founder of the island, Zakynthos son of the King Dardanus, according to a legend is said to have freed the island of snakes.
Homer in his Odyssey is referred to a slaughter among Penelope’s pretenders, twenty of them where from Zakynthos, which led to a rebellion in the Ionian Islands.
History
Many nations occupied the island consequently and there were many attacks by pirates. The 2nd century found the Roman Empire to rule Zakynthos. The islanders although had some sort of autonomy they rebelled few times against the Romans but in several occasions they fought next to them mainly against the pirates. After the Roman Empire collapsed the Franks occupied the Ionian Islands at the end of the 12th century AD. In 1479, Turks attacked and destroy Zakynthos completely. In 1485 the Venetians conquered the island and years of prosperity began for Zakynthos under the Western influence. After three centuries in1797 the French occupied the island but only for 15 months. In 1800 the state of the Ionian Islands was established by the supervision of Turks and Russians until 1807 when Emperor Napoleon and the French troops invaded Zakynthos. It was the British who followed (1809-1864). After the Greek Revolution in 1821 the Greek State was established and the Ionian Islands were united with Greece. That was made official in 1864 and the British had to abort the island. During World War II Italians and Germans occupied the island but in 1945 after resistance and conflicts it was liberated. In 1953 a major earthquake caused the total distraction of Zakynthos and the island was rebuilt after a strict anti-seismic regulations.
Many notable people were born in Zakynthos. The most known is Dionysios Solomos (1798-1857) a Greek poet who wrote the poem ‘Hymn to Freedom’ and became the National Anthem of Greece, Ugo Foscolo (1778-1827) a Greek-Italian writer and Andreas Kalvos (1792-1869) one of the greatest Greek writers of the 19th century.
Island’s Topography
On the west, the high cliffs forbid any accessibility and some of the most beautiful beaches are reachable only from the sea, ideal for people who want their peace even in mid August. On the east, there are sandy beaches very organised with bars, taverns and water sports for those who prefer it this way.
East Coast
On the north of the island is Cape Skinari. From there the view is unforgettable especially at sundown with Cefalonia very close in front and a beautiful country side all around.
Moving along the East coast there are the famous Blue Caves, where the rocks have been formed geologically to caves and the sea water reflects in all shades of blue. There are many organised trips to Blue Caves and the boats go into most of the caves but it’s a paradise for those who own (or rent) a private boat so they can explore with their mask and snorkel in every cave.
Agios Nikolaos is a small village with a harbour from which ferry boats go to Cefalonia. The beach has small pebbles and the waters are deep. There is also a small island in front of the harbour reachable with a swim.
Makris Gialos is a beautiful beach with sand and pebbles and the sea is crystal-clear with incredible colours. In Makris Gialos the waters are deep with underwater caves and corals and for those who like snorkelling there are many hours of exploring.
Xigia beach is a must for snorkelling, a small beach consisting mainly of a rocky coast. Characteristic for the beach is a sulphur spring, which is very good for the skin and the swim into the sulphurous waters is very relaxing. Near Xigia there is one of the best Greek traditional taverns for a wonderful lunch or dinner with a stunning view.
Alykes is a wide gulf with a long sandy beach for a nice sunbathing and many watersports. It’s a tourist village which offers many solutions for lunch, dinner and for the night. Next to Alykes is the smaller beach of Alikanas a very nice sandy beach as well.
Psarou is a nice and quite sandy beach with crystal-clear waters appropriate for those who want to relax.
Ampoula is a small beach with pebbles and sand. Above the beach there is a grassy level where the restaurants and the bar are situated.
Tsilivi has developed over the last years to a very tourist place with many facilities such as shopping centre, a bowling centre, restaurants, pubs and night clubs. Tourists can find any kind of accommodation next to the beach or on the hills near the town. The beach is very long and sandy and the waters for some meters are shallow which is ideal for many in water sports. The beach is full of life with all kind of sportive facilities and water sports. For those who like crowds and having all day fun Tsilivi is the place to be.
The town of Zakynthos has to offer a beautiful day at the traditional old shops or the new shopping area, a choice of many restaurants and the joy of a coffee to one of the several coffee shops in Solomos square. One of the most beautiful places of Zakynthos is Bochali, a small village above the town of Zakynthos. Bochali is the place for a romantic walk or a romantic dinner especially at sunset when the view is unforgettable.
Very close to the city of Zakynthos is Argassi a small village with many traditional taverns restaurants and pubs. Many visitors prefer to stay in Argassi (there are many hotels, rooms to let, studio flats) so they don’t have to move around a lot as the beach is beautiful and well equipped and there are many clubs and pubs for the night lovers.
As we move further south the land takes the formation of a tongue with a number of beaches such as Kaminia, Porto Zoro, Banana, Agios Nikolaos (not to be mistaken with the one on the north), Plaka and Porto Roma. Some of these beaches are well equipped with many facilities and water sports for the tourists and others are quieter but with a sun bed to be found. They are all sandy beautiful beaches with crystal-clear waters.
South coast
At the south of the island the turtle’s bay begins with the beach of Gerakas and going west it ends with Cape Marathia. This is Zakyntho’s Marine Park and it also covers the beaches of Dafni, Kalamaki, Laganas, Agios Sostis, Porto Koukla, Limni Keriou and Strofades islands. The access to the beaches, protected by the Marine Park, is forbidden from an hour before sunset to an hour after dawn and according to the rules of the Marine Park few persons at a time are allowed to the beaches.
Gerakas is a long sandy beach and one of the most famous because the promontory is made of argyle and as there are no facilities on the beach people enjoy not only the sea and the sun but the pleasure of an argyle bath as well.
Dafni is a beautiful sandy beach with nice warm and shallow waters and with only few restaurants and a bar. Opposite Dafni to a close distance is the island of Pelouzo.
Kalamaki and Laganas are very similar tourist towns which offer all kind of facilities. The beaches are very long and sandy full of crowds (except maybe the east end of Kalamaki) but even here apply the rules of the Marine Park. Along with Tsilivi, Alykes and Argasi are the most tourist places for all day and night.
Agios Sostis is an island which at the past it was attached to mainland but now a bridge connects it to it. During the day is a nice place for a swim and during the night it turns to a club. The long but narrow beach next to this island is also called Agios Sostis.
Porto Koukla is the continuation of Agios Sostis beach. It is also long and narrow with shallow and warm waters and opposite the beach is Marathonissi island.
Kaminia is the continuation of Porto Koukla but it’s a beach with pebbles. There are no facilities here and the place is ideal for those who want to swim alone.
Limni Keri is a pebble beach at the end of the village which has a small harbour, diving shops, many restaurants and shops. From Limni Keri tourists could take trips to Marathonissi and the caves of Marathia.
Cape Marathia is the end of the Marine Park. There are many small pebble and rocky beaches on the promontory ideal for snorkelling as the waters are crystal clear. There are also taxi boats to Marathonissi island.
West coast
The west coast is far more beautiful and wild with the cliffs diving steeply in the water but most beaches are unreachable from mainland. It is heaven on earth for those who own private boats. For those who don’t there are organised boat trips which take tourists to the west side up to Navagio (shipwreck) but there are also some places reachable from mainland.
The land on the west coast creates fiords with little beaches and many caves. The main fiords reachable by car are Plakaki, Porto Roxa, Porto Limnionas,Porto Stenitis and Porto Vromi. The access might be difficult but is all worth it as the colours of the sea are amazing there are many caves to explore and even the flatness of big rocks and stones is something to remember. There are no facilities on these places except Porto Limnionas where there is a bar-restaurant. From the bay of Porto Vromi ferry boats leave for daily trips to some of the caves of the west coast and to the beach of Navagio.
Navagio is one of the most beautiful and famous beaches in Greece. It got its name from the shipwreck of a boat transferring illegal cigarettes in 1983. The ship today is in the middle of the white beach surrounded by the sand as the years past. It’s reachable only by sea hidden in between titanic vertical cliffs which consist of sulphurous caves. The beach has small pebbles and the sea has the most amazing shades of blue and turquoise because of the sulphur. There is a road which leads to a balcony on top of Navagio so people could have the most stunning view of the landscape
Accessibility
Zakynthos has one airport, Dionysios Solomos International Airport. There are daily flights from Athens to Zakynthos with the duration of 50 minutes. Olympic Airways operates flights to Zakynthos via Athens from London Heathrow. During the summer there are charter flights connecting Zakynthos with European cities. Many charter flights connecting Zakynthos to airports in the U.K including Luton, Stansted, Bristol, Birmingham, Gatwick, Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds, Cardiff, East Midlands, Edinburgh. Direct flights to Zakynthos take about three hours and a half. From Zakynthos there are also flights to the islands of Cefalonia, and Corfu.
Many car ferries run regular services from and to Zakynthos. From Italy, (the ports of Ancona, Bari, Britizi, Venice and Trieste) a number of car ferries (such as Blue Star Ferries, Hellenic Ferries, Super fast Ferries) depart to reach the port of Patras. From Patras, after a distance of 68 kilometres, the town of Kyllini is reached. From the port of Kyllini a car ferry crosses the canal (1 hour and a half) to Zakynthos daily. There is also a daily car ferry service from Zakynthos (Agios Nikolaos) to Cefalonia (Pesada) which takes about an hour.
A daily bus service connects the major cities of Athens (4 hours), Thessaloniki (8 hours) and Patras (2 hours) with Zakynthos.
Zakyntho’s road net is generally good with bus and taxi service to main resorts (Laganas, Argasi, Agios Nikolaos, Alykes, Keri, Tsilivi) and makes it easy for tourists to rent all kind of vehicles such as motorbikes, bicycles and cars. There are also many travel agents that organise daily trips by boats, buses and cars.
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