Zante Town

Places to Visit in Zante

      
Rebecca R          10/10

the best place to shop in town is alexa roma (the main street).  best get there in the morning as some shops shut at lunch and dont re-open.  Plenty of shops for jewellery, gifts, clothes, shoes etc and the siade roads comign off also offer some lovely items.

 
the people moaning clearly didnt find the main stree, pick up a map or ask the taxi driver drop you as close as he can.
 
Plus if you go round august 24th then head into town for the st dennis' market (if u like crowds then go on the 24th but i warn you now they carry his body around the town).  the market is always busy and is only there for 10 days around the 24th.  Visit after that and they reduce everything to a few euros.  Last year there was alot of house hold stuff but they sell clothes/underwear/socks/shoes/bags/make up/perfume/jewellery (and yes its sterling silver 925 she has lots of lovely stuff i highly recommend her)/food/animals etc.
 
Am so gutted i wont be there this year as im going at the start of august instead.
 
 

Paula R          8/10

Hi, we stayed at tsillivi, which is a small bus ride away from zante town. We watched the procession on st dennis day, did go on abit and you get bitten alive by the local mosquitoes. But it was fancinating to watch a saint of over 4 hundred years old, hold so much respect, for the locals. I thought zakynthos was beautiful, the weather was way too hot for us though, but only because we are not used to it.. lol!!!!!

highly recommend boat trips, as you see quite alot of the island, but we unfortunately only saw 2 turtles. would i go again? yeah.... depends what you want from your holiday. We wanted total relaxation, which we got. They do pester you a bit to come in there restaurants etc and drink coktails, but you only have to politely say no, the greek men are lovely!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kym W

Hang on a minute......this site is to post about YOUR experience....good or bad points then you can make your own mind up.....i know my holiday was in 2002 and i have just found this post after all these years and couldnt believe the stick some people are getting for being honest about their time in zante....nobody is moaning as you put it they are simply stating their experience.....its bloody self catering in greece not all inclusive fiji darling...its not gonna be perfect...yes they do try n get you in the bars at night, im not saying theres anything wrong with it...you probably never experienced this as your not a 20 year old skinny blonde, i experienced it alot...dont forget to state your experience every bit good n bad...personally i never saw any beggers but hey ho.....plus we dont really need anyone to tell us that the worlds crime rate is going up and that we need to watch our purses.....oh and its got nothing to do with the fact that im from "up north" Some people got nothing better to do...thats Areaism for you...x

Lesley S          10/10

A trip into Zante Town at night is not to be missed. First a drink up on the roof terrace of the Strada Marina Hotel, wow, the views are FAB, and a lovely breeze as you sip your pre dinner drinks. Follow this with a meal at Spartakos, mmmmmmmm that moussaka is GORGEOUS, and the fillet steak is perfection, oh and don't forget the mixed meze starter for two to start off with. Wonderful food, great staff and sit and watch the world go by, perfect

Can't comment on the shops really, I'm not a "girl" who does retail therapy, much to my husbands delight  

Mr B          7/10

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If you fancy a day off the beach, take the local bus inot Zante Town. We took a day trip from Tsilivi, it cost 1 euro 40 each, and took about 20 minutes.

Have a stroll along the harbour front, which is very scenic, and watch the boats and ferries come in and out.
You'll find more designer shops than 'tourist' souvenir shops in the side streets.
The Church of St Dennis is also well worth a visit, and is situated on the harbour front.
Zante Town has a spanking new bus depot, set up on the hill, but don't worry, it's only a 5 minute walk to the harbour front.

Sue F

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Zante – drove through here but didn't think much of the capital at all, very run down and the bin men on strike so rubbish everywhere. Didn't stop other than in the old town – great views looking down over Zante and the harbour.

Hayden S          8/10

 very nice place to visit, pretty little shops to the harbour.All very friendly in the little cafes. Driving around the town itself was hard work though!!! crazy drivers and parking very difficult, well worth the visit overall.

Kelly R          10/10

We paid a visit to Zante town on the Friday night of our weeks stay! What a great decision it was! We got a taxi-which was 10 euros (I know how cheap!) and got dropped off near the shops.

The shops were all pretty similar-however as Laganas has hardly NO perfume shops you may be pleased to know there were a couple here!!! We stopped off for dinner at a lovely place in the square! and as an extra bonus the Greek waiter was very nice to look at!

Louise H          10/10

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Worth a visit. We took the little tourist train form argassi to get there, but its about 10 mins in the car. or you can get a bus if you wanna wait.

Make sure you go either before 2 or after 6 if you want to go shopping, dont forget they have siesta!
 
Alexandra Roma is the main shopping street in zante town. see pic.
 
There are many bars restaurants and its very pretty. Solomon square and st marks square are lovely.
St Dionysus church is worth a visit, the patron saints body is mummified in the church. Every year on the 24th august they take is body and parade him upright thourhg the town.
Every so often they wil unveil his feet in the church (they dont tell the locals they are going to do this or it would be packed) lucky people will get to kiss his feet!!!!! hmmm they believe it will heal any ailments they have. very interesting and the church is stunning - all gold.

Abby B           

Zante town is worth going for a walk round the shops and to watch the boats going in and out of the port,we went for one day and that was enough really,theres not lots to do to be honest,be careful about getting the bus back as it isnt  very clear about what bus to get on,if in doubt ask the bus driver or a friendly face in the queue

Sarah L           

caught local bus 1.10 euros. not many signs to show where things are . okay for coffee. would have been better if we had known what there was to do and where it was.

Peter K           

Went in to Zante twice not much to do but nice in the evenings with the locals about .Had to go in to visit a jewellers we went to last year called platinum.I bought my wife diamond earings and necklace.He told us then that if we came back in the future and wanted better diamonds he would exchange them and deduct the price we originally paid against the new items ,He kept his word unfortunately for my wallet.Laugh

Laura C           

Hi all,

We've been to Zante many times and visited Zante town at least once on each visit. There is the occassional begger ( I also saw a woman with a tiny baby in 2004). It is sad that they use their children in this way, but don't let it ruin your holiday. We bought a pack of biscuits for a small boy but that was all.
 
There are very few people calling you into their restaurant or cafe in Zante town. Most of the places have far more locals in them that brits! We have had many lunches in Zante town and I have nothing bad to say about any of them. We got married in Zante town hall (not the prettiest of buildings lol) and so spent a lot of time there. The best memory I have was of a group of about 15 local old men singing in one of the cafes at about 11am one morning, all slighty tipsy i think. It was amazing and such a lovely feeling to hear them sing without a care in the world.
 
There are lots of shops in Zante town and plenty of museums too. There are some posh shops and some cheap shops. There as some posh cafes and some regular ones - if you don't want to spend loads then check the menu before you order. Have a look around and remember you're not in a cosmopoliton city, but a small town.
 
 
 

Karen K           

Zante town is a beautiful place to visit, the locals are very friendly and the two main squares are a fantastic place to spend an evening.  I think many people forget it is the islands main town and not there to cater for tourists.  Visiting Zakynthos town will give you a taste of real Greece.

Paula H           

We went into Zante town twice on our holiday.  We never saw any beggars or tramps of any kind and as regards watching your purse and wallet ... you have to everywhere these days so we didn't find that a problem either.  It is worth walking down the end of the pier near St. Solomos square and there there is a cafe/taverna with a covered seating area by the water.  It is lovely to sit there and have a cold beer and watch the beautiful sunset and all the boats coming in.  We thought  St. Solomos Square was lovely and there was a wedding on in the church there at the time so there was plenty of people buzzing around and locals so a great atmosphere.  We ate in Squeros Restaurant in St. Marcos Sq (I think) which was quite nice but the guys outside every rest do try and pull you in (which is a bit annoying!)  After our meal we sat at one of the cafes amongst locals just people watching and drinking cocktails and hot chocolate!  It was relaxing and a change from other bars in the resorts.  Only problem we had was local children on bikes and skateboards etc whizzing in and out of people up and down the streets, but we were all young once

Stephen C           

By the way they do not try to pull you into the restaurants and you dont have to watch your purse.

Christ most of the people that holiday in Zante come from up north. Liverpool-Newcastle-Nottingam etc etc. Your telling me this areas worst than those get a grip. The food was excellent, too much money? put your hand in your pocket and spend your on holiday and stop moaning. I met one english woman at the waterpark she said its not very big (its not bad) is it to her son, we will find a bigger one in Cyprus next year, with locals standing all around us. If she wasnt happy go home. What is it with people, the shops are ok priced theres a good variety, but thats the euro for you.
 
Some people never seem satisfied whether at home or abroad. 

Stephen C           

Dont beleive the comments people put on this page if they are knocking Zante Town.

We went here by hire car 5 times on various days at various over two weeks. There are no beggars
anywhere. Thw best time to go is after 6.00 as most of the main shops open at this time until 10.00pm.
All the English people have left by then and you can enjoy a fantastic meal at the various tavernas
with local families and couples. It was a very relaxed atmosphere. This is not on the main front but the road behind. There is also a big square with three big outside coffee bars.
We also went to the St Dennis festival. Which included fireworks, a fair and big market (went back three times).There were alot of street stalls and people which made for a great night. He is the saint of the Island, and has been dead some 130-150 years. They carry him around in a gold plated box with a big parade. 
This is a great place to visit.  

Richard S           

took taxi from Argassi 9 euro not a lot to shout about really if your going to do a bit of shopping dont bother we did and bought two cups of coffee total waste of time

Karen M           

We went on an evening coach trip on a friday night and enjoyed it, Lovely atmosphere, old people not scared to come out like they are here! Very child friiendly. Lovely shops and cheap costume jewellry stalls. Two chemists if you need one, I did!

Yiannis M           

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Here are some recent photos of zante town that were taken 3 weeks ago! 

looking over to argassi and mount skopos from zante town
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zante harbour
 
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st. nickolos church at solomos square

John W           

Went on local bus from Alikanas and wouldn't have cared if  i hadn't gone at all too much hussle and bussle for my liking

Graham W           

We went to Grecos bar, awesom, one of the best bars on the island, gorgeous bar maid and great service!

Defo go back

Siobhan P           

Went there via a public bus from Kalamaki - quick journey. It was nice to be out in the traditional town and away from the tourist bits. Climbed up a hill and got some great views. Had a look at the harbour and got more great pics. Once looked round the same old shops not much left to do however.

Cee C           

I WENT TO THE ZANTE TOWN CENTER, I WAS A GREAT PLACE TO VISIT THE ONLY THING THAT I HAVE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT WAS THE WAY THEY DRIVE, I WAS NEARLY RAN DOWN ON MANY OCCASIONS, THEY TAKE NO PRISONERS AT ALL??? SO YOU HAVE TO BE ON THE LOOK OUT ALL THE TIME

Jade N           

We took the bus to Zante Town via bus service one morning. A total waste of time. Too much hustle and bustle and everywhere you walked you had to avoid cars and motor bikes. (Not exactly making this a nice stroll around the town). Couldn't stay around waitng for the bus trip back that afternoon so took a taxi. The taxi driver was so short he had to keep shuffling to the front of his seat to see over steering wheel. A very scary ride back to Alykanas and cost 15 Euro.

Loved our holiday but would never go into Zante Town again!!

Zante Tourist Map

Zante Tourist Map