Zante Town

The capital city of Zakynthos is a great little town right on the sea. This is the largest city on the island. There are plenty of tourist hotels and restaurants here, but it’s not on the nicest beach and it’s more of a bustling port city than a tourist attraction.

Laganas

Most people who visit Zante will stay in Laganas. This is the main tourist center famous for parties and popular with young tourists and European students on short vacations. There are lots of great accommodation options here including cheap apartments, nice resorts and cool boutique hotels.

Agios Sostis

Just 1 mile west of busy Laganas is the more laid back Agios Sostis. This is a walkable distance from Laganas, so it often gets busy with day trippers, particularly those who come for the picturesque Cameo Island which is linked to the mainland by a beautiful little bridge, as well as nearby Turtle Island.

Tsilivi and Planos

Tsilivi and Planos are another one of the most popular beach destinations in Zante. The family-friendly, calm, shallow, 1-mile long “Blue Flag” beach of Tsilivi is one of the most beautiful and safest to swim in. There are many accommodation options in both towns and great restaurants along the sea here as well.

Psarou and Ammoudi

Situated between the more popular towns of Tsilivi to the south and Alykes to the north, Psarou is a much more laid back area of the island. It’s definitely not one of the main tourist hot spots in Zakynthos, Greece. If you’re going to stay in Psarou/Ammoudi, we definitely recommend having a car because it doesn’t have as many restaurants and entertainment options as some of the other, more touristy cities in Zante.

Argassi

Partway down the Vasilikos peninsula before you reach the beaches of Banana Beach and Porto Azzuro you’ll find Argassi. Situated conveniently between some of the best beaches on the island and the buzzing capital, this town has great hotel and apartment options, amazing Greek restaurants and decent public transport links thanks to its proximity to Zante Town.

Vasilikos

The town on the peninsula of the same name that stretches out of the southeastern part of the island a few kilometres south of the capital, Vasilikos is a relatively less-traveled part of Zante Island. This is where you’ll find some stunning beaches like St.Nicholas, Banana Beach and Porto Azzuro. There’s decent accommodation options down here and some great restaurants.

Kalamaki

A little east of busy Laganas and a little west of Zante Town, Kalamaki is the goldilocks beach town of the south in this respect. Due to the nesting turtles, there are no hotels right on the sand and there are no watersports, which give the sandy beach here a nice, relaxing atmosphere. Kalamaki is a great place for couples and families.

Keri

There is a Keri Village on the west of the island and Keri Beach town on the southeast, which are about a 10-minute drive apart and both offer great accommodation options. Keri beach has a few nice resorts and hotels near the sand, while Keri Village has dramatic views over the cliffs out towards the Ionian Sea as well as the picturesque lighthouse.

Alykes

Alykes is a beautiful beach in a secluded cove complete with a free natural spa treatment. Geothermically heated mud pours into the beach in between a couple of rocks giving the water a cloudy glow and your skin a nice treatment. This is a traditional Ionian seaside village and is much quieter than some of the more developed beach towns in Zante. It is worth noting that Alykes beach is known to have a hint of sulphur smell that some travelers have noted.

Agios Nikolaos

As you pass Alykes and continue north, you start to see less and less development and more mountains and craggy cliffs, that is until you reach the tiny port town of Agios Nikolaos (not to be mistaken for the beach of the same name on the south end of the island). This once scruffy fishing village is quickly being reinvented as a charming little tourist town. If you plan to go to Kefalonia by ferry, you’ll come here to catch it, but it is also a great place to explore for a day.