Zakynthos
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Overview
Zakynthos, also known by its Italian name Zante, is an island of two stories. The southern and southeastern shorelines are dominated by heavy – and often low-quality – package tourism, although even here there are some attractive lower-key bases hiding just out of sight of the larger, run-of-the-mill resorts; examples include Keri and Limni Keriou in the remoter southwest. Once you leave the south behind, however, and set off to explore the rest of the island, you'll discover a different place altogether. It's one where plenty of forested wilderness and traditional rural villages remain, but it’s the spectacular scenery of the rugged west coast, where mighty limestone cliffs plummet down to unreal turquoise waters, that’s the true highlight.
Attractions
Must-see attractions
Zakynthos
This magnificent museum of ecclesiastical art is housed in a beautifully restored building on the central waterfront plaza. Almost everything here was…
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Zakynthos
The most dramatic sight along the west coast is magnificent Shipwreck Beach. A favourite of Instagrammers travelling through the Greek islands, the beach…
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Zakynthos
Devoted to Zakynthos' patron saint, the Church of St Dionysios (1948; rebuilt following the 1953 earthquake) stands at the southern end of the waterfront,…
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Zakynthos
The 80-hectare Logothetis farm produces purely organic olive oils (some flavoured with orange, lemon and other fruits) as well as olive-oil products. You…
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Zakynthos
In an evocative clifftop site, the Monastery of St George has an interior covered in faded frescoes. The strange tower at the centre of the complex was…
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Zakynthos
To give it its full name, the Museum of Solomos and Eminent Zakynthian People houses not only the archives of island-born poet Dionysios Solomos (1798…
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Zakynthos
A ruined Venetian fortress sits atop the wooded slope that looms over the town centre. Reached by a steep but enjoyable 15-minute hike or a circuitous 2…
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Zakynthos
The best beach in the south, Gerakas is a strand of fine sand that faces the Bay of Laganas. It's also a crucial turtle-nesting site, so visitor numbers…
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