What is there to see in Zante?
Four areas hold the island's sights, and they sit at very different distances from where you go out at night. Zante Town and the Bochali hill are closest to Argasi, Keri is closest to Laganas, and Navagio and the Blue Caves are at the far end of the island.
The beaches are a separate list, covered in Zante's beaches coast by coast. The road distances below were calculated on OpenStreetMap data from the centre of Laganas and of Argasi, rounded to the kilometre.
| Stop | Where | From Laganas | From Argasi | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zante Town, Museum of Zakynthos | East coast, the capital | 9 km | 4 km | Museum 08:30–15:30 in summer, closed Tuesdays |
| Castle of Zakynthos, Bochali | Hill above the town | 11 km | 7 km | 08:30–15:30 in summer, closed Tuesdays |
| Keri lighthouse | South-west cape | 14 km | 24 km | Lighthouse and viewpoint on the cliffs |
| Navagio viewpoint | North-west cliffs | 33 km | 37 km | Clifftop platform; the beach is closed |
| Cape Skinari, Blue Caves | Northern tip | 36 km | 35 km | Sea caves in the cliffs below the cape |
Zante Town: what is there to see in the capital?
Start at Solomos Square, the heart of the town, with the statue of Dionysios Solomos, Greece's national poet, and the Museum of Zakynthos in a neoclassical building. Opened in 1960, the museum shows paintings from the 15th to the 19th century across seven halls, including icons of the Cretan School.
Nearby, Saint Mark's Square holds the Museum of Solomos and Eminent Zakynthians. Further south along the waterfront stands the church of Agios Dionysios, the island's patron saint, whose feast comes twice a year, in August and in December, with processions.
Most of what you see was rebuilt: the 1953 earthquake almost entirely destroyed the town, which rose again in the Ionian style. Walk under the broad arcades of the Rouga and of Strata Marina; the Venetians called the island Fioro di Levante, the Flower of the East.
From 1 April to 31 October the Museum of Zakynthos opens 08:30–15:30, closed on Tuesdays, with a full ticket at €10 and last entry 20 min before closing. From 1 November it opens fewer days a week, so check the Hellenic Heritage page before you go.
The town is 4 km by road from Argasi, home to Club Barrage and Gatsby, and 9 km from Laganas.
Bochali: what is inside the castle above the town?
Bochali is the pine-covered hill 2 km from the modern town, and its castle is the capital's second ticketed sight. Hellenic Heritage, the Greek state's portal for its heritage sites, puts it 38 min on foot or 7 min by car from Solomos Square.
The Venetians rebuilt the fortress after its destruction in 1479 and finished the walls by 1646; the lion of Saint Mark still decorates the third gateway. Inside are vaulted prisons, a Venetian powder magazine, barracks and a football pitch from British rule, and the ruins of churches from the 12th to the 17th century.
In summer it opens 08:30–15:30 every day except Tuesday, and a full ticket costs €5. It closes mid-afternoon, so Bochali is a morning visit.
Keri: why head to the south-west cape?
Keri is the clifftop corner closest to the Laganas strip: the lighthouse on Cape Keri is 14 km by road from Laganas, past the village of Keri. From Argasi it is a longer drive, 24 km.
The National Marine Park of Zakynthos describes this south-west coast as steep, with wide stretches of limestone rock and underwater caves used by the Mediterranean monk seal. The cape faces open sea to the west, so it is a place to watch the sun go down.
Once the light is gone, the Laganas strip is the nearest night out.
What is the National Marine Park of Zakynthos?
It is the bay right in front of the Laganas strip. The park was created by presidential decree in 1999 and covers the Bay of Laganas, where loggerhead sea turtles lay their eggs on 6 beaches.
Those nesting beaches have their own hours and rules, set out in the Marine Park's turtle rules, and each beach has its place in our guide to Zante's beaches.
How do Zante's sights fit around a night out?
Plan the sights around where your nights are. If you go out in Argasi, the town is 4 km away and the castle 7 km; if your nights are on the strip in Laganas, Keri is your nearest cape.
The museum and the castle open at 08:30 and close at 15:30, so they belong to a morning. The north-west is the island's long drive, best kept for a day after a quiet night.
Before you choose, check what time the clubs close and how a summer evening moves along the strip, hour by hour.
