In Town you may stroll at the historic St. Mark's Square and visit the Solomos & Kalvos Museum which is also their Mausoleum. There are kept original artifacts of the island's gentry along with their seals. At the nearby Solomos Square with all the neoclassical buildings you may visit the Byzantine Museum and marvel at the old icons and frescoes that survived from the medieval churches which did not survive the disastrous earthquake of 1953.
On Zakynthos you will find the mountain villages and those of the plains besides those by the sea-side. In between the sharp edged rocks, the white sand and the turquoise water bays the Caretta-Caretta sea-turtles find refuge to reproduce. The beaches of Lagana(8km) and Geraka(17km) are welcoming them every year when they come out at night to lay their eggs.
The mountain villages (Keri, Lithakia, Maherado, Koiliomeno) are famous for their true Zakynthian hospitality and you will surely enjoy the local gastronomy and unsurpassed wine tradition. Local dishes, cheases, cold meat cuts and the special sweets but most of all the semi-dry wine (mastelado) of the area will stay with you for a long time. Sgantzeto, pantseta, ladotyri, chiromeri, mantolato & pasteli are some of their names you must remember when coming.
The Monasteries is another point of interest that should not be forgotten. There history and worship along with the special Zakynthian way of chanting will lift you to another dimension. Frescoes, old icons make the simplicity of the Nuns & the Monks regal.
On this island everything is different, the musical stories sang at the tavernas, the historic wineries, the stalactite & the blue caves, the sight of the "ship wreck" sunk in the sand now, the cave of St. Damian and so much more you must explore for yourself.
Travel There
You may reach Zante by Plane or by Car up to Killini port and then take the Ferry Boat, which departs several times on a daily basis.
During the summer months, there are daily routes also to Pessada in Kefalonia from the port of St. Nikolas in Volimes.
With buses of the KTEL of Zante which have daily service and directly connect Zante with Athens, Patra, Thessalonica and via the strait of Kyllini (across from the coast of the Peloponnese) with Zakynthos.
This sea voyage lasts one hour and is carried out by a ferryboat on approximately an hourly basis during the summer months and five times a day during the rest of the year. Zante is also connected to the surrounding islands of Kefallonia and the Peloponnese (Kyllini).
Travel around
You may meet and explore the island and its beauties by several ways. The local transportation company connects frequently and on a daily basis, Zante city with the villages. Furthermore the Local Transportation offers tours around the island with buses that travel around and stop at the main villages and resorts.
Many are the excursions being organized by the various travel agencies that operate in the island. In most of the areas there are several Agencies from which you may hire a car, motorcycle and bicycles, which are considered essential if you wish to explore the various beaches and villages.
Another very pleasant way to travel around the island is with the small cruise boats or small boats which depart on a daily basis from Zante town, and will take you around the island by sea, giving you the chance to meet even the most distant beaches and marine sights as the Shipwreck and the Blue Caves.
Furthermore, in many beaches you have the chance to rent your own small boat on a low cost and wander in the nearby coasts.
Tourism Office of Prefecture Acanthus 26950 22518
Tourist Police Department 26950 27367
Airport "Dionisios Solomos" 26950 28322
Port Authority of Zante 26950 28117, 28118
Port Authority of Killini 26230 92211
Olympic Airways 26950 28611, 28322
Domestic Buses of Zante 26950 42656, 22255
Buses for Athens 210 5129432
Buses for Patra 26210 272246
Buses for Thessalonici 2310 551057
Ferry Boats Consortium 26950 22083, 41500
Ferry Boats Office in Killini 26230 92385
Radio taxi 26950 48400.
The above information in each category is the most updated.
As schedules change very often and in the high season more are added, it is advised that you contact the offices directly by phone a few days before you travel.
