The Ionian Greek Island of Zakynthos also known as Zante

Greece is in Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey

Zakynthos, Kefallonia, Lefkada and Corfu are part of the Ionian group of Islands along the west coast of Greece and East of Italy thus some of these Islands have a distinctly Italian feel about them!

Click on the different areas and resorts on the map below to find brief descriptions about the many locations throughout the Island where you may choose to stay or visit.

Zakynthos, or Zante as the visitor more commonly knows it, is also referred to as the “Flower of the Orient” for it truly is an island of exceptional beauty.

The locals are renowned for their true Greek hospitality, which probably accounts for why so many holidaymakers return to the island time and time again.

Geographically the island is the most southern of the six Ionian Islands located off western mainland Greece. It is approximately 40km long and 17km wide giving an area of over 400 sq. km and hosts a population of approximately 45,000 with an extra 300,000 holidaymakers during the summer months.

The island has a Mediterranean climate providing long hot summers and warm wet winters. Zakynthos gets a lot of rainfall during the winter months and this is the reason it is very green and fertile. The countryside is covered in wildflowers, especially in the spring, and the island has rich vegetation including raisins, olives, vines and citrus fruits.

Zakynthos is well known as one of the favourite nesting sites during the summer months of the Loggerhead turtle Caretta Caretta.

The poet Dionysios Solomos wrote the Greek National Anthem from the hilltop of Lofus Strani while visiting the island and you will see a statue in his honour in the main square of Zakynthos, which has hence been named Solomos Square.

The main town Zakynthos was destroyed in the earthquake of 1953 and since then the town has been rebuilt in a similar style of its former architecture. Today design and construction of buildings in the whole of Greece have to comply with European standards and there are stringent regulations regarding earthquake protection.

The year 2004 was very special for Zante and its residents, as on August 4th the Olympic flame arrived on the island. The sacred flame reached Zakynthos by helicopter and was taken to Solomos Square. Zakynthos was one of the few places in Greece that the flame made an overnight stay.

The island received much publicity back in the early 90’s when a British TV network filmed a documentary called the “Island of Dreams” portraying the lives of four British girls married to local Greeks. It has since then continued to attract many foreigners wishing to make it their home.

There is definitely something special about this idyllic island which, for such a small area, attracts and holds one of the largest populations of permanent foreign residents in Greece.

Whether you come just to visit or to stay for good, the magic of Zakynthos will remain in your memory forever.

Main Resorts in Zante, Zakynthos:

Lagana, Kalamaki, Argassi, Tsilivi, Alykes, Alykanas, Vasilikos, Keri, and Aghios Sostis.