Visiting Zante Island
I'm pretty sure you've seen that beach before. Does it look familiar to you?
Well, I had been seeing pictures of that wonderful beach online for a while, and decided to find out where it was. Turns out this heavenly place is in Greece, but not in the Cyclades (where I first intended to go). It's in the Ionian Islands archipelago, which is on the Western side of Greece.
Planning my trip to Greece became very challenging, as I wanted to see pretty much everything: the Cyclades, Athens, Zakynthos, Crete, Skiathos, etc. I had to make some pretty important decisions, and my holiday planning ended up being full.
What you need to know before going to Zakynthos ?
Rent a vehicle to get around the island: a car, a scooter or an ATV.
Don't forget that summer months are crazy hot. Bring lots of sunscreen + water, always!
Be patient, directions are not indicated in English everywhere and it's super easy to get lost.
Plan at least 3 days to visit the most important touristic sites.
navagio - Shipwreck beach
This beach is facing West, therefore it's best to visit it after noon, otherwise it's in the shade and doesn't look as spectacular. My friend Johanne and I arrived on the island late morning and decided to head there directly (early afternoon). The road there is quite challenging, and you might get lost, particularly if you arrive from the South. Drive slow, and look for signs. Be super careful once you get there, the view is out of this world, but it's super dangerous.
On our second day, we also wanted to explore this beach from the ground directly. So we headed to Makris Gialos beach (East side closer to our AirBnb), tanned for a bit, and then booked a boat tour to visit the Blue Caves and Shipwreck Beach. Now even though I think it's worth doing, be prepared to be surrounded by A LOT of people. There are way too many tourists there in the summertime. Also, note that if the weather is too bad of if there's too much wind coming from the West coast, tours aren't possible so check the weather before going!
Xigia & Makris Gialos
These are two gorgeous beaches on the East coast. You should visit Xigia in the morning and have breakfast there. It gets crowded real fast, so the earlier you go the better. Then you can go to Makris Gialos which is not far away.
Cape Skinari & the Cross Tavern
Cape Skinari is located North of the island and has a gorgeous view on the sea. You can definitely spend your day there and swim, snorkel or rent kayaks. Towards the end of your day, you can then head to Cross Tavern (West) to watch sunset.
Keri Caves & Marathonisi Island
For this one, you need to rent a small boat a head to the caves and to Marathonisi Island (also known as Turtle Island). The small detail they forgot to tell us is that we had to drive the boat ourselves... which was NOT ideal at all. After bargaining a little, we managed to pay a bit more and have a private driver with us (thank god!)
Other places that are worth visiting:
Porto Vromi beach
Bocali Hill in Zakynthos town (sunset + dinner time)
Anadalis restaurant (make a reservation)
Bridge to Cameo island
If you’re looking for an affordable way to travel to Zante, I’ve partnered with a local company that helps you find the best price for your ferry ticket.