Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tsiliví, Plános and around
North and inland from Zákynthos Town, the roads thread their way through
luxuriantly fertile farmland, punctuated with tumulus-like hills.
TSILIVÍ
, 5km north of
the capital, is the first beach resort here and is in effect one with the hamlet of
PLÁNOS
,
the resultant conglomeration rivalling
Argási for development.
The beaches further along this stretch of coast become progressively quieter and more
pleasant, and all have at least some accommodation and restaurants to choose from.
Good choices include
Pahiá Ámmos
and
Dhrossiá
.
Alykés Bay
Alykés Bay
, 12km north of Tsiliví, is a large sandy bay with lively surf and the
northeast's two largest resorts. The first,
ALIKANÁS
, is a small but expanding village,
much of its accommodation being foreign-owned villa rentals. The second,
ALYKÉS
,
named after the spooky saltpans behind the village, has the best beach north of the
capital.
11
Makrýs Yialós and around
Tiny
Xygiá beach
, cut into a deep cove 4km north of Alykés, has sulphur springs
flowing into the sea - follow the smell - which provide the odd sensation of swimming
in a mix of cool and warm water. The next, somewhat longer, beach of
Makrýs Yialós
also makes for an extremely pleasant break on a tour of the north. Just to the north of
Makrýs Yialós you come to a pretty promontory with a small harbour, called
Mikró
Nissáki
.
Áyios Nikólaos and around
Just over 20km from Zákynthos Town,
ÁYIOS NIKÓLAOS
, known to locals as
Skinári
(after the nearby inland village) to avoid confusion with its namesake on the
Vassilikós peninsula, is a small working port with a daily summer ferry connection
to Pessádha on Kefaloniá but unfortunately there is no bus service, so travellers
using the crossing without their own transport are forced to fork out for a taxi or
hitch a ride south.
The Blue Caves
Boat trips €7.50; €15 combined with Shipwreck Bay
he
Blue Caves
are some of the more realistically named of the many contenders in
Greece; ignore scams claiming that Áyios Nikólaos is the last place from which you can
catch a boat. They're terrific for snorkelling and when you go for a dip here your skin
will appear bright blue. To reach them, follow the road as it snakes onwards from Áyios
Nikólaos through a landscape of gorse bushes and dry-stone walls until it ends at the
lighthouse of
Cape Skinári
, from below which the cheapest
boat trips
operate.
Katastári
Two kilometres inland from Alykés,
KATASTÁRI
is the largest settlement after the
capital. Precisely because it's not geared towards tourism, it's the best place to see
Zakynthian life as it's lived away from the usual racket. Its most impressive edifice is
the huge rectangular church of Iperáyia Theotókos, with a twin belfry and small new
amphitheatre for festival performances.
Pighadhákia
A couple of kilometres south of Katastári, the tiny hamlet of
PIGHADHÁKIA
is the
unlikely setting for the
Vertzagio Cultural Museum
(March to early Nov Mon-Fri &
Sun 9am-2pm & 6-8pm, Sat 9am-2pm; €3), which houses an interesting array of
agricultural and folk artefacts. There is also the diminutive
Áyios Pandeléïmon
chapel,
which has the unusual feature of a well, hidden beneath the altar.
