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Late summer in Zakynthos – Greece without the crowds

If you’re feeling that you’d like to prolong the summer sunshine a little longer, you’ll be jealous of our plans to visit the Greek island of Zakynthos, where my sister lives, this coming October. The late summer and autumn is one of my favourite times of year to visit Zante when the August crowds have gone home and the island starts to breathe again, but the temperature is still warm right through September and October.

Gerakas beach with Turtle nesting sites on Zakynthos
Gerakas beach with Turtle nesting sites on Zakynthos

This is the time when the tiny pink cyclamen are in bloom in the olive groves and you can smell the scent of woodsmoke as the piles of olive pruning are set to burn in the fields. You might pass by the local co-operative where the trucks of olives are being brought by all the farmers, so that every family will have their supply of olive oil to keep them going right through the year.

After the August rush the price of your holiday is likely to be a lot lower and you’ll probably find some great holiday deals if you shop around the web. To keep the costs of your holidays down even further, enjoy the simple pleasures of life on a Greek island.

Beaches on Zakynthos

In September and October you can still enjoy a swim in the sea but many of the sun-loungers will have been packed away and you can see the natural beauty of the beaches. As my sister lives in Argassi, we tend to explore the beaches on this side of the island and our favourites are Gerakas, Dafni beach and Porto Zoro towards Vasilikos.

Gerakas is at the south-east tip of the island and the beach is known for its loggerhead or Caretta Caretta turtles that nest on this beach. This area is part of the Marine Park of Zakynthos and so no building is allowed on the beach and sun loungers are limited to a small area away from the turtle nesting sites. We always enjoy a meal at the tavern here and pop in to the Earth Sea and Sky conservation centre next door.

Porto Zoro beach, Vassilkos
Porto Zoro beach, Vassilkos

Dafni beach is just around the headland from Gerakas and is quite difficult to get to as you need to drive down a steep and winding dirt road – you definitely need a hire car to get there. It’s a long sandy beach with a couple of small beach bars if you want to sit with a drink in the shade.

Out of season my favourite is Porto Zoro as there is a rocky section at one end where you can have fun swimming and snorkeling around the rocky outcrops. Again there are a couple of bars here, one which is more traditional, the other that is catering for the trendy crowd.

Around Zante town

When we visit, we always like to spend some time just wandering around Zante town, looking at all the boats in the harbour and then going up and down the backstreets to find the more interesting bakeries, cafes and shops that the locals use. If you want to people-watch then head down to St Mark’s square, at the harbour end of town to sit on the rattan sofas and sip a chilled coffee frappe.

Harbour of Zante town
Harbour of Zante town

Along the main harbour road you can see some of the traditional fishing boats unloading their nets, but if you walk down the long jetty at the end of town you’ll really get away from the hustle and bustle and feel the sea wind set fair for a sail over to the next island of Kefalonia. You may spot some smart jet set yachts or beautiful wooden sailing ships or perhaps dream of taking one of those smaller boats to spend a summer sailing from island to island.

View from the Venetian fort on Zakynthos
View from the Venetian fort on Zakynthos

The Venetian Fort at Bochali

If you can, head up to the Venetian fort on the Bohali cliff set above the town – it’s a steep climb so make the most of your hire car or take the little tourist train up if you can’t face the walk. The fort was built in the 15th century and when you go through the stone archway, you find yourself inside a compound that was once like a small village. Now you can wander under the pines and see the cannons and remains of the buildings that once stood on the site. Even if the fort is closed, I recommend sitting with a drink in one of the terrace cafes with a fantastic view over Zante town and harbour – it’s a favourite place for the Greeks to come for an early evening drink.

Eating out on Zante

Traditional Greek cooking is very much based on the produce of the island – the tomatoes, olives, local cheese and vegetables. If meat is prepared, it may often be local rabbit, goat or lamb that is cooked slowly in lashings of olive oil. If you’re trying to keep costs down then go for the Mezze dishes where you can share a selection of different plates such as fried whitebait or calamari, with local dishes such as giant butter beans in tomato sauce and the garlicky tzatziki made from creamy yogurt and cucumber.

Mezze lunch in Zante town
Mezze lunch in Zante town

A boat turtle spotting boat trip

If you want to treat yourself to one memorable experience, I’d make it a catamaran trip such as the one that we enjoyed, organised by Yannis from Nature World Travel who run turtle friendly boat trips. We skirted around the coastline, crossed Laganas bay and moored up for some swimming in the crystal blue water near the sea cliffs and sea caves. On the way back across the bay, we kept our eyes peeled for turtles, but unfortunately we didn’t see any as they are become increasingly rare – unlike some boat trips Yannis never guarantees a sighting as he believes that this just leads to the turtles being harassed by the boats.

Catamaran trip on Zakynthos
Catamaran trip on Zakynthos

We had a great day nevertheless, and ended up back at Porta Roma beach at the cafe overlooking the bay. Out boat had plenty of space and a shady area at the back as well as a cabin if you felt the sun was getting too much.

Porto Roma, Zante
Porto Roma, Zante

We’re looking forward to our late summer break and searching out new corners of the island of Zakynthos, as well as soaking up the sunshine before winter truly sets in. Perhaps we’ll see you there?

More things to enjoy on Zakynthos

The Venetian fort at Bohali on the Greek island of Zakynthos
A turtle spotting boat trip on Zante in Greece
Sunday morning Greek coffee and glika on Zante in Greece

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

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Greek Island Vacations – The Ultimate Guide – Greekido

Thursday 27th of September 2012

[...] A Mini Guide to Visiting Zakynthos [...]

Holiday Cottage

Monday 26th of March 2012

Turtle spotting is amazing and I bet you had a great time. I was fortunate enough to swim with turtles in Barbados - amazing.

Heather

Monday 26th of March 2012

@Holiday Cottage - Yes I hope that when I'm next in Zante I'll get to see the turtles, but they're becoming quite rare there

Gorilla tours

Saturday 24th of March 2012

Perfect getaway for your summer holidays !

gorilla safari

Saturday 24th of March 2012

Greece ,I believe is an amazing destination...the history and the mythology. It is a must see this summer.

Cornwall holiday cottages

Monday 6th of February 2012

The pictures are stunning! I am falling in love with the food just by looking at it. How peaceful everything looks, it's amazing!