Zante Things to Do

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Agalas is well worth a detour. Venetian wells, Damianos Caves (where the ogre used to live and eat the local children), spectacular views of the West coast (great one from the Sunset Taverna), and then this GIATRAS MUSEUM - DIONYSIOS ART GALLERY, beautiful art, low prices and a very friendly reception from Dionysios, the artist. Right next to the village church.

Protected species caretta caretta nest in Zakynthos, but nonetheless, the 9km beach in Laganas bay where the most of their nests are (there are a few on nearby Marathonissi island as well) is crowded by tourists, sunbeds, and all the fuss and noise, even the part without bars and sunbeds that is supposed to be left for turtles. Tourists are irresponsible, they touch little turtles when they hatch out and thus they sign their death penalty as the little ones lose the senses and orientation. There are volunteers taking care of turtles, trying to close the beach at 7.30pm, but it's insufficient. Boats surround a turtle when they spot one and press the horn, tourists yell when it surfaces to take a breath, they just can't live in peace. I understand that tourism = money, but I feel sorry for the poor turtles. They are so used to people, though, one was swimming with me. It was a lovely experience I must admit! But I hope more could be done for their protection.

I think that ever island or a rocky place on the coast has its blue cave. This is the most famous cave area in Zakynthos, even though I preferred Keri caves in the south.
Do not go there by a big speed boat as I did, as you won't be able to get inside the cave, and they don't let you swim there, but somewhere near. Ideal thing would be to rent your own boat or pick a boat trip with a small boat that goes inside the caves.

Probably the most photographed spot in Greece together with the Santorini blue rooftops. Accessible only by boat, it's best to visit in the afternoon as it is on the north-western side of the island. In the morning there will be no sun and the colours won't be as exciting.
There are too many people and the atmosphere is too touristy, you can't relax and enjoy the place. but the water and caves and rocks are amazing!

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From the The Official Web Site of KIS, the Central Jewish Council of Greece:

"In 1522 there were 30 Jewish families and a Synagogue in the island. Until 1712, the Community had two synagogues, the "Zante" Synagogue and the "Cretan" Synagogue, that took its name after the Jews from Crete who had settled in Zakynthos when Crete was occupied by the Ottomans in 1669. The "Zante" synagogue suffered serious damages during the earthquake that shook the Ionian Islands in 1953; the "Cretan" synagogue is completely ruined today.

During the Nazi Occupation, the Germans asked from the Mayor of the island, Mr Loukas Karrer, and from the Metropolitan Bishop, Chryssostomos, to hand them over the list of the Jews of Zakynthos. Thanks to the strong refusal of these two men to do so, the Jews were rescued, hiding in the remote villages of the island. In a gesture of gratitude, the Jews of Greece erected a monument in memory of the these two brave men in the area of the courtyard of the old Synagogue. One may visit this monument on 44 Tertseti Street.

Today Zakynthos no longer has a Jewish community, but the visitor may visit the cemetery, which is located in the Rouveli area near Bohali."

Hire a car for a few days and visit the mountain villages and out of the way beaches. Very easy island to drive around. We booked a car through our rep and had a car from Hertz at a (we think) a very good special offer, but there are loads of car hire firms in Kalamaki who will do a good deal.

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After the Venetians left the island, there was a succession of other occupiers: Russian, French, and finally, the British. After the Venetians, the British stayed the longest. The English Cemetery contains graves from the mid-1800s.

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Because the island was part of the Venetian Empire for over 300 years, there is a lot of Venetian-influenced architecture. Unfortunately, in 1953, there was a terrible earthquake that levelled the main town. Some churches were rebuilt stone by stone. In some of the villages, the effects of the earthquake weren't as strong and some churches survived.