What not to miss in Zakynthos – 8 must-see sights

July 8, 2022

Reading Time: 9 minutes

[RO] Am petrecut o saptamana in Zakynthos si simt ca nu a fost suficient! Ai atat de multe lucruri de facut, de vazut, nici dupa o luna nu cred ca ai fi gata de plecat acasa. Dar sa o luam cu inceputul.

Noi am fost in Zakynthos in perioada 26 iunie 2022 – 03 iulie 2022. Am avut zbor direct Iasi – Zakynthos, la un pret decent.

Ne-am cazat in Laganas (despre care am povestit mai multe aici), noua capitala a distractiei din Grecia! Aici poti sa o tii intr-o petrecere continua, zi si noapte. Este un fel de Costinesti, dar mai fain.

Dupa o saptamana pe frumoasa insulita, am facut o lista cu cele mai faine obiective pe care ar fi bine sa le bifezi.

[EN] I spent a week in Zakynthos and I feel that it was not enough! You have so many things to do, to see, even after a month I don’t think you would be ready to go home. But let’s start with the beginning.

We were in Zakynthos between June 26, 2022 – July 3, 2022. We had a direct flight Iasi – Zakynthos, at a decent price.

We stayed in Laganas (about which we told more here), the new capital of fun in Greece! Here you can have a continuous party, day and night. It is a kind of Costinesti, but nicer.

After a week on the beautiful island, I made a list of the best objectives that you should check off.

1. Navagio

[RO] Plaja Navagio este pe locul 10 in top 10 plaje din lume, fiind o plaja foarte populara si mediatizata. Ce-i drept, este superba. Nisipul alb, apa de un albastru deschis ireal, golfuletul inconjurat din 3 parti de stanci inalte si epava contrabandistilor stand lenes la soare pe plaja (care btw are o istorie tare interesanta), toate aceste lucruri fac plaja Navagio sa iti ramana intiparita pe retina.

Pe plaja se poate ajunge cu barca (noi din Laganas am mers cu barca piratilor – cu cei de la Cavo Grosso) sau puteti merge cu masina pana suuus pe stanci sa vedeti plaja de acolo.

⚠️ De retinut ⚠️

Aceasta plaja este destul de periculoasa. Cand intrati in apa, dupa cativa pasi apa ajunge pana la gat. Cand am fost noi apa era rece si erau valuri. Pe nisip sunt multe pietricele, nu este un nisip fin, ar fi bine sa va luati papucei de mare. Pe instagram o persoana mi-a scris ca era sa se inece in acest loc (https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cfgwe_xjRlu/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link vezi in comentarii).

Daca mergeti cu masina sa vedeti plaja de pe stanci, mare grija din nou. Chiar in perioada cand am fost eu, acea zona a fost inchisa o perioada deoarece o fata a vrut sa faca selfie-ul perfect si a cazut in gol (din pacate a murit..). Acesta este un obiectiv superb de vizitat, dar din nou, sa aveti mare, mare grija.

[EN] Navagio beach is on the 10th place in the top 10 beaches in the world, being a very popular and well-publicized beach. Indeed, she is gorgeous. The white sand, the water of an unreal light blue, the cove surrounded on 3 sides by high rocks and the wreck of the smugglers standing lazily in the sun on the beach (which btw has a very interesting history), all these things make the Navagio beach remain imprinted on your retina.

The beach can be reached by boat (we from Laganas went with the pirates’ boat – with those from Cavo Grosso) or you can go by car all the way to the rocks to see the beach from there.

⚠️ To remember ⚠️

This beach is quite dangerous. When you enter the water, after a few steps the water reaches up to your neck. When we were there, the water was cold and there were waves. There are many pebbles on the sand, it is not fine sand, it would be good to take your beach slippers. On Instagram, a person wrote to me that he was going to drown in this place (https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cfgwe_xjRlu/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link see in the comments).

If you go by car to see the beach from the rocks, be very careful again. Even when I was there, that area was closed for a while because a girl wanted to take the perfect selfie and fell into the void (unfortunately she died…). This is a superb objective to visit, but again, be very, very careful.

zakynthos navagio — Plaja Navagio vazuta de sus de pe stanci | *Navagio beach seen from the top of the rocks*

2. Zante Town

[RO] Zante este capitala insulitei, un loc de petrecut o dupa amiaza superba. Va recomand sa mergeti pe dealul Bohali (se poate ajunge cu masina), de acolo veti avea o priveliste superba. Puteti sta la o terasa, sa serviti o masa delicioasa sau sa va bucurati de view.

De asemenea, o plimbare seara in orasel pe langa apa (si pe langa supeeerbele iahturi) este recomandata. Orasul este viu, plin de taverne cu mancare traditionala, cu afaceri de familie. Noi am mancat la Kantouni estiatorio (https://goo.gl/maps/fZCtRhTt7CzDCxFC7), un mic local, afacere de familie, unde mancarea a fost dementialaaa si preturile chiar mici.

[EN] Zante is the capital of the island, a place to spend a gorgeous afternoon. I recommend you to go to the Bohali hill (you can reach it by car), from there you will have a wonderful view. You can sit on a terrace, serve a delicious meal or enjoy the view.

Also, an evening walk in the town by the water (and by the yachts) is recommended. The city is alive, full of taverns with traditional food, with family businesses. We ate at Kantouni estiatorio (https://goo.gl/maps/fZCtRhTt7CzDCxFC7), a small restaurant, a family business, where the food was insane and the prices really low.

3. Blue Caves

[RO] Tot cu cei de la Cavo Grosso am luat o croaziera si am mers la Blue Caves. Ce peisaje veti gasi acolo.. pur si simplu sunt de nedescris. Albastrul apei este ireal. 50 shades of blue in just one day. Va mega recomand sa mergeti. De asemenea, daca mergeti cu cei de la Cavo Grosso (noi am dat 25 euro de persoana si am bifat mai multe atractii intr-o zi) veti avea anumite zone, in zona cave-urilor, unde puteti inota.

[EN] Also with those from Cavo Grosso, we took a cruise and went to the Blue Caves. What landscapes you will find there.. they are simply indescribable. The blue of the water is unreal. 50 shades of blue in just one day. I highly recommend you to go. Also, if you go with those from

4. Kerry caves

[RO] Aici va recomand sa mergeti cu o barca mai micuta, ca sa puteti intra si in pestera (atat cat este posibil), sa treceti pe sub o arcada stancoasa. Again, apa este ireala si aici.

[EN] Here I recommend you to go with a smaller boat, so that you can also enter the cave (as much as possible), to pass under a rocky arch. Again, the water is unreal here as well.

5. Marathonissi Island si Caretta Caretta

[RO] Marathonissi este insula broastelor testoate Caretta-Caretta. Aceste broscute sunt o specie protejata. In lunile iunie, iulie, august, ele migreaza in golful Laganas pentru a-si depune ouale. Golfuletul este supravegheat intregul an de ecologisti si evident ca sporturile acvatice sunt interzise in zona. Pe insula Marathonissi veti putea vedea multe cuiburi de oua (sunt semnalizate). Clar, nu este indicat sa va apropiati (nici nu puteti, este interzis), sa sapati sau orice altceva. Natura trebuie respectata. Broastele testoase ajung pana la 1m lungime si 90 kg si din 1.000 de oua doar 1 pui supravietuieste..

Noi am mers cu cei de la Cavo Grosso pe insula, am stat o dimineata si am inotat (apa e aproape transparenta, barcile par ca plutesc; sunt muuuulti pesti, e un loc super bun pentru snorkeling) si dupa am mers sa gasim broscutele in apa, in jurul insulei (turtle spotting). Dureaza putin pana ies la suprafata, dar am vazut doua broscute!

[EN] Marathonissi is the island of Caretta-Caretta tortoises. These frogs are a protected species. In the months of June, July, August, they migrate to Laganas Bay to lay their eggs. The cove is supervised all year round by ecologists and obviously water sports are prohibited in the area. On the island of Marathonissi you will be able to see many nests of eggs (they are signposted). Clearly, it is not advisable to get close (nor can you, it is forbidden), to dig or anything else. Nature must be respected. Turtles reach up to 1m in length and 90 kg and out of 1,000 eggs only 1 hatchling survives…

We went with the people from Cavo Grosso to the island, we stayed one morning and swam (the water is almost transparent, the boats seem to float; there are a lot of fish, it’s a great place for snorkeling) and then we went to find the frogs in water, around the island (turtle spotting). It takes a while until they surface, but I saw two turtles!

6. Plaja Kalamaki

[RO] Aceasta nu este chiar un obiectiv turistic, dar am ramas impresionata de apa de aici. Valuri aproape deloc, intrarea in apa suuuuuper lina, apa calda. Mi se pare plaja ideala pentru familii cu copii, dar si pentru cei care nu vor valuri. Si aici erau cuiburi de oua de broscute, toate semnalizate.

[EN] This is not really a tourist attraction, but I was impressed by the water here. Almost no waves, the entry into the water is super smooth, the water is warm. It seems to me the ideal beach for families with children, but also for those who don’t want waves. And here were nests of frog eggs, all marked.

7. Zoo/Parcul Askos

[RO] Cand mergeti la Navagio, faceti o oprire si la Askos. Este un loc ataaat de frumos. Este un parc/zoo foarte bine ingrijit unde puteti sa hraniti caprioarele si ratonii (cu mancare oferita de personal), sa vedeti broscutele testoase, paunii si alte animalute. Majoritatea sunt libere si se plimba prin tot parcul. Au apa si mancare la discretie, personalul este foarte prietenos si va indruma prin parc.

[EN] When you go to Navagio, make a stop at Askos. It is such a beautiful place. It is a very well-kept park/zoo where you can feed deer and raccoons (with food provided by the staff), see turtles, peacocks and other animals. Most of them are free and walk around the whole park. They have free water and food, the staff is very friendly and will guide you through the park.

“Askos Stone Park” is the place where 170.000 self -sown plants (bushes and trees) grow, exactly as placed by Mother Mature.
Askos park

8. Insula Cameo

[RO] Aceasta insulita este legata de insula Zakynthos printr-un podulet de lemn. Poduletul este doar pentru pietoni, este ingust. Cand vreti sa mergeti sa va interesati daca insulita Cameo este deschisa, cand am fost noi era o nunta acolo si nu am putut merge pe plaja :(. Dar de sus arata frumos tare.

[EN] This islet is connected to the island of Zakynthos by a wooden bridge. The podulet is only for pedestrians, it is narrow. When you want to go, check if Cameo islet is open, when we were there there was a wedding there and we couldn’t go to the beach :(. But it looks beautiful from above.