Kastro

Zakynthos


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

Nearby Zakynthos attractions

1. Museum of Solomos

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…

2. Byzantine Museum

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…

3. Church of St Dionysios

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,…

4. Banana Beach

5.97 MILES

Long, narrow Banana is a busy package-tour beach and is awash with crowds, water sports and parasols.

5. Logothetis Organic Farm

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. Gerakas Beach

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.