A ruined Venetian fortress sits atop the wooded slope that looms over the town centre. Reached by a steep but enjoyable 15-minute hike or a circuitous 2.5km drive, it’s now essentially a peaceful forest park, enclosed within sturdy ramparts and affording tremendous views. Tumbledown churches lie scattered through the woods, along with a 19th-century British-made football pitch and a cafe.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.44 MILES
This magnificent museum of ecclesiastical art is housed in a beautifully restored building on the central waterfront plaza. Almost everything here was…
15.38 MILES
The most dramatic sight along the west coast is magnificent Shipwreck Beach. A favourite of Instagrammers travelling through the Greek islands, the beach…
0.85 MILES
Devoted to Zakynthos' patron saint, the Church of St Dionysios (1948; rebuilt following the 1953 earthquake) stands at the southern end of the waterfront,…
6.61 MILES
The 80-hectare Logothetis farm produces purely organic olive oils (some flavoured with orange, lemon and other fruits) as well as olive-oil products. You…
14.83 MILES
In an evocative clifftop site, the Monastery of St George has an interior covered in faded frescoes. The strange tower at the centre of the complex was…
24.16 MILES
This handsome estate, bristling with peacocks, produces a range of wines, including its delicious flagship red Domaine Mercouri. Unless you book a visit…
7.69 MILES
The best beach in the south, Gerakas is a strand of fine sand that faces the Bay of Laganas. It's also a crucial turtle-nesting site, so visitor numbers…
26.4 MILES
Attractive, expansive and busy white-pebble beach (sadly often largely covered in sunloungers!), set against a mountainous green backdrop. Just 16km…
Nearby Zakynthos attractions
0.37 MILES
To give it its full name, the Museum of Solomos and Eminent Zakynthian People houses not only the archives of island-born poet Dionysios Solomos (1798…
0.44 MILES
This magnificent museum of ecclesiastical art is housed in a beautifully restored building on the central waterfront plaza. Almost everything here was…
0.85 MILES
Devoted to Zakynthos' patron saint, the Church of St Dionysios (1948; rebuilt following the 1953 earthquake) stands at the southern end of the waterfront,…
5.97 MILES
Long, narrow Banana is a busy package-tour beach and is awash with crowds, water sports and parasols.
6.61 MILES
The 80-hectare Logothetis farm produces purely organic olive oils (some flavoured with orange, lemon and other fruits) as well as olive-oil products. You…
6. Mediterranean Marine Life Centre
7.61 MILES
At this small centre you can learn about the problems turtles face and perhaps see some of them at the in-house rescue and rehabilitation centre. The…
7.69 MILES
The best beach in the south, Gerakas is a strand of fine sand that faces the Bay of Laganas. It's also a crucial turtle-nesting site, so visitor numbers…
8. National Marine Park of Zakynthos
7.73 MILES
Covering an area of 135 sq km, this marine park in Zakynthos' Bay of Laganas was created in 1999 to protect the endangered loggerhead turtle.