Why Zakynthos?
A small island is not yet very popular among tourists: here you are not waiting for a crowd of compatriots and queues wherever you go. At the beginning of the season, the island is even a bit deserted, many taverns are still closed in the mornings, and markets operate only at dawn. But the most important argument in favor of Zakynthos is, of course, the incredible nature and the azure sea. The territory of the island is a nature reserve of world significance: it is here that the extremely rare species of Caretta-Caretta turtles live, and the beaches and cliffs look like Instagram photos with many filters.
How to get there
To get to Zakynthos, you first need to fly to Athens. From Kiev to the capital of Greece, UIA Airlines and the Ryanair low-cost airline regularly operate flights. UIA flights are actually even more profitable: tickets to Athens bought in advance (8 months or more) will cost € 100 in both directions, while Ryanair needs to constantly monitor promotions and promotions – and then you can find cheap tickets (about € 150 round trip).
From Athens, you can get to the island in several ways: by car, bus or plane.
Auto
The most comfortable way to get to the island is to rent a car (in front of you, obviously, a ferry crossing will also be waiting for you). This can be done in advance online or right at the airport. Own car is a huge advantage on the island itself, because public transport in Zakynthos is poorly developed, and having time to see everything and get to the coolest places is more convenient in your car. Renting a passenger car in Greece will cost € 30-40 per day + insurance.
Bus
The journey by regular bus will take about 5 hours and will cost € 30 in both directions. You can buy tickets in advance on the website of one of the carriers or at the ticket office. The bus will take you to Kilini, and from there you will be delivered by ferry to the island.
Airplane
There is an operating airport on the island. You can book a direct flight from Athens with your local Sky Express company . A ticket for the tourist season will cost € 70-110, off-season tickets can be found from € 40.
Road
We chose the option of renting a car to get to the island and then ride around Zakynthos. Zakynthos is an island, so, as mentioned above, we had to cross the ferry. Ferries to Zakynthos depart from the port town of Kilini.
If Google shows you that you can get from Athens to Kilini for free – do not trust him: almost the entire road to the port is paid. Moreover, unlike other European countries, where you often pay once, for example, € 20 and go quietly, in Greece, vending machines stand every 3-5 km and collect a tribute of € 1.80-3.50 for each leg of the journey . But the road is very well-groomed and comfortable – a distance of 300 km can be easily covered in 3 hours. In addition, the highway for the most part runs through very picturesque places: along the shore of the bay, past the Corinth Canal and Patras.
Ferries from Kilini go 5 times a day according to the schedule. Tickets can be bought in advance here or locally. Return tickets are cheaper: € 30 per person and € 50 per car.
Housing
To rent a luxury villa on the island is a feasible and very appropriate idea. Airbnb has many rental offers for the whole house: beautiful white villas with pools, a barbecue area and everything you can only dream of. The cost of such a dream home is from € 50 to 150 per day, depending on requests.
In the city of Zakynthos, which is closest to the port on the island, there is a whole tourist area where you can rent hotel rooms or separate apartments. Various options are also available on Airbnb and on Booking.com.
1. Blue Caves and Navajo Bay
By renting a car, you will become a completely independent island resident (s), but there is also a small one. To get to the most tidbits of the island – the Blue Caves and Navajo Bay, which Zakynthos is famous for, you will have to look for a boat or boat rental. Incredible azure water, intricate natural grottoes and caves are accessible only from the sea. You can take an individual excursion for yourself and friends in a small pleasure motor boat or join a large excursion group on a boat. Depending on the chosen program, such a trip will cost from € 10 to 40 per person.
A trip to the Blue Caves is best combined with a visit to the Bay of Navajo – that same beach with the remains of the ship “Panagiotis”, crashed in 1983 and abandoned by smugglers.
2. Deer Reserve Askos Stone Park
You can see Bambi and his relatives live in the stone park Askos. This is a large stone conservation area in the literal sense of the word: paths, feeders, small houses and benches are made of this natural material. Right at the entrance you are surrounded by curious deer, which can be fed with olive branches and gently stroked. A park ranger approaches the visitors and tells how to behave with animals. In addition to deer, black African goats, sheep, huge perennial turtles and raccoons live in the park. All animals walk freely in the park (several fences exist only to zone the territory in order to avoid conflicts between different species of animals).
3. Wineries
If you want to start drinking wine in the morning, but conscience does not allow it yet, call it a guided tour of the winery and go explore the most authentic island wine. On Zakynthos there are about 6-7 wineries where you can order a tasting, and then (if you want) buy your favorite wine in bottles. The prices for bottled wine in such private wineries are usually 3-4 times higher than the store ones, but you pay not just for a bottle of wine, but for the atmosphere and history.
Usually, everything happens like this on an excursion: the owner of the winery meets you, tells the story of creating his own brand, and then invites you to a tasting, where he talks about each sort of wine separately. So we managed to try smokey wine – pink wine, which was obtained from grapes harvested after last year’s fires on the island.
Typically, olive trees of two varieties are also planted in the vineyards: with small oblong olives for food, and with large pot-bellied fruits for making butter. But, as in the case of wine, the prices for completely ordinary olive oil from the winery will differ from the store by 2 times.
Here are the top 5 wineries , in each of which you will find something interesting, in addition to wine:
Grampsas Winery (Lagopodo 29092)
Art & Wine Winery (Maries 29091)
Ampelostrates Horse Vineyard (Koiliomenos)
Solomos Wines (Kydoni-Bohali, 29100)
Callinico Winery (National Road of Zakynthos Kallipado)
4. Turtle Island and National Marine Park
Zakynthos Marine Park is located on the southern coast of the island and occupies part of the beach and Laganas Bay – the most important nesting place for the big-headed sea turtle in the Mediterranean Sea. A long sandy beach stretches here, where Caretta-Caretta turtles lay their eggs. A feature of this species is that such turtles lay their eggs where they were born. This makes them return to the bay again and again, and the reserve has all the conditions for their favorable spawning and protection of the species.
It is not surprising that one of the symbols of Zakynthos is a turtle, so if turtles in the marine park do not seem enough, you can visit the whole turtle island Marathonísi. You can sail there on a rented boat or boat. And stay there all day.
5. Zakynthos Town, Port and Dionysios Solomos Square
You can dilute the color of wild life on the island by going down to the port, on the main square of the island. The square is named after the great Greek poet Dionysios Solomos, who wrote the anthem of Greece and in general is an extremely respected and revered figure in the whole country. A monument to the same Dionysios is also installed on Dionysios Square (logically, of course).
The Byzantine Museum of Zakynthos and the ancient church of St. Nicholas are located right on the square. And, of course, many cafes overlooking the port, where you can have lunch or dinner.
If you walk along the embankment from the square, you can still see a lot of interesting things for example, a beautiful library, an old church on the pier and St. Mark’s Square. On this triangular square is the museum-mausoleum of the famous Greek poets Solomos and Calvos.
