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What to do in Zante

You may think Zante is all about lazy days on sandy beaches beside the Ionian Sea and lively nights in music bars, tavernas and legendary nightclubs. But there's much more to do this super island, from thrilling watersports to discovering hidden histories.

Take a boat trip

Boat trips leave daily in summer from Zakynthos Town – a 30-minute transfer from most resorts – to cruise around the island. You’ll stop to swim and snorkel in luminous turquoise water at the famous 'Blue Caves' and picnic at 'Smuggler's Cove' (properly known as Navagio).

This is the iconic image of Zante, where the rusting wreck of a freighter, which ran aground in 1982, lies on a dazzling white beach and gigantic cliffs shelter the sand.

Visit Zakynthos Town

For a glimpse of past glories, you can wander around the ramparts of Bochali castle (also called Kastro), a picturesque Venetian fortress that broods above Zakynthos Town. Like most villages on Zante, the town was trashed by an earthquake in 1953 and was completely rebuilt.

Not many of its older buildings survive, but among them are the Solomos Museum, dedicated to the life and times of poet Dionysios Solomos, and the Byzantine Museum, filled with religious artworks.

Head for the hills

With a rented car, quad or bike you can spend a day exploring the gentle hills and valleys of Zante's hinterland. The island is criss-crossed by country roads that lead through vineyards and olive groves, and you can discover small, out-of-the-way beaches for a picnic away from the crowds.

Keri, with its lonely lighthouse near Zante's southern tip, is a great place for a shot of the sunset.

Hop over to the mainland

It's only a 90-minute hop by hydrofoil or fast ferry to Killini on the Greek mainland. Join a one-day escorted coach tour to visit the ruins of Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic Games, and ramble among the toppled columns of ancient temples, where you can imagine crowds of Athenians and Spartans cheering on their city's athletes in the great stadium thousands of years ago.

Independent travellers can rent a car to discover medieval ruins, such as the mighty Frankish castle at Chlemoutsi.

Where to stay in Zante

For nightlife

Laganas, on a fabulous, south-facing sandy beach, is the epicentre of Zante's clubbing scene, with venues that offer multiple bars and dance floors, top DJs, paint and foam parties and VIP booths. Happy hour starts at sunset here (or even earlier) with a plethora of cocktail bars offering multi-coloured concoctions to get the evening started with a bang.

Sports fans will also find an array of pubs serving up British beers and wide-screen sporting action.

For food and drink

If you're looking for authentic local cuisine, consider seeking out a place to stay in or near Zakynthos Town, where you can eat where locals do in traditional tavernas and seafood restaurants on the waterfront promenade. Vasilikos is another good pick for friendly family-run eateries serving authentic island dishes.

For eats that range from Tex-Mex chilli and burgers to pizza, pasta, and even old-school British fish and chips, you'll find dozens of restaurants and café-bars along the main drag at Laganas.

For culture

Choose a hotel near Zakynthos Town to be within easy reach of historic and cultural attractions such as the medieval Venetian castle, the iconic 16th-century church of Agios Nikolaos, and the Byzantine Museum, with its collection of historic religious works.

Staying near town also makes it easy to hop on a fast ferry to the mainland for a trip to ancient Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic Games and one of Greece's most famous archaeological sites.