Things to do in Zakinthos

Zakynthos is the southernmost of the main Ionian islands, and it is known for a beach nobody can land on. The 1953 earthquake levelled the town. It was rebuilt low and plain, so the Venetian island survives mostly in the hill villages.

The west coast

Navagio is a strip of white pebble under cliffs over two hundred metres high, with a coaster wrecked on it. The Panagiotis has lain there since October 1980. The cliffs shed rock, so landings and swimming have been banned, and the boats hold off.

That leaves two honest ways to see it. Check which one your trip actually does before booking.

• From the water. Boats run from Porto Vromi, Agios Nikolaos and the town, and take in the Blue Caves at Cape Skinari on the same run.
• From above. The clifftop platform near Anafonitria looks straight down on the wreck, and needs no boat.

The south, and the turtles

Laganas bay is a nesting beach for loggerheads and sits inside a national marine park. The rules on boat speed, distance and beach lights are not decorative. Nests are under the sand from early summer.

Half-day boats work the southern corner: Marathonisi, which everyone calls Turtle Island, the Keri sea caves and the Cameo footbridge. Turtle-spotting boats go out of Laganas with glass floors.

Inland and after dark

• Bochali. The Venetian castle on the hill above town, and the view down over the harbour.
• Jeep days. The mountain roads to Agalas, the Damianos cave and the villages the earthquake spared.
• Kampi and Keri. The two sunset cliffs, one above the west coast, one over the Myzithres rocks.
• Wine and fish. Small inland estates, and eco-fishing days that cook the catch on board.

Practical

• Wind. The west-coast boats are cancelled for swell more often than anything else here. Ask about the refund rule when you book.
• Timing. The big boats converge on the cove between eleven and two, so the early departures are the ones worth taking.
• Season. May to October, with August booked out and largely families. June and September are calmer and cheaper.
• Driving. A car or a quad is needed inland, and the roads down to the west coast are steep, narrow and unforgiving.
• The airport. It sits beside Laganas bay, so the flight path is part of the deal in the resorts below it.