The Telegraph Top 20 Greek Islands

Zante awarded 6th place

The full top20 list

  • 1. Kefalonia
  • 2. Crete
  • 3. Samos
  • 4. Hydra
  • 5. Rhodes
  • 6. Zakynthos
  • 7. Mykonos
  • 8. Lefkada
  • 9. Corfu
  • 10. Lesbos
  • 11. Evia
  • 12. Kos
  • 13. Skiathos
  • 14. Skopelos
  • 15. Meganisi
  • 16. Santorini
  • 17. Patmos
  • 18. Kythira
  • 19. Chios
  • 20. Karpathos
The Telegraph Top 20 Greek Islands

Beware of the ATMs:

Greece ATM Euro Exchange Rates

Ever wondered why there are so many ATMs on Zante these days? It's because the banks have discovered a trick of processing transactions in pounds instead of euros allowing them to use their own exchange rate, a process called Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC). The table below shows the comparative cost of obtaining €100 from the most common ATMs if you follow the default option of processing the transaction in GBP, and looking at the receipts left behind by other customers most people are still letting the ATMs steal up to 10% of their holiday money.

If you ignore all the inevitable warnings and choose the other option to do the exchange in Euros, you will find that they will cost significantly less as the bank have to the use the Visa Exchange Rate in the transaction. This should apply to any ATM that you use and you must be given the choice. It's also a trick being used by some retailers and restaurants. It is generally accepted that if you are ever given the choice to make a card payment in GBP always decline the option and pay in Euros as you would expect.

  1. Get as many euros as you feel comfortable taking with you before leaving the UK
  2. Not choosing the default DCC used by ATMs always gets a better exchange rate
  3. Never use a card for transactions of less than 100 euros
  4. Avoid Euronet ATMs like the plague!
 Cost of €200ATM Fee
Tesco UK Online Rate£182.39-
Alphabank (Without DCC)£186.42€0
Alphabank (With DCC)£191.58-
Eurobank (Without DCC)£188.68€2.50
Eurobank (With DCC)£190.79-
Piraeus Bank (Without DCC)£188.23€3.00
Piraeus Bank (With DCC)£193.25-
National Bank of Greece (Without DCC)£188.77€2.60
National Bank of Greece (With DCC)£194.05-
Euronet (Without DCC)£189.99€3.95
Euronet (With DCC)£204.26-

New Ktel Bus Service to the Airport:

Ktel Bus Service to the Airport

Ktel Buses now operate a route from the airport to the main bus station in Zante Town where you can get connecting buses to all the major holiday resorts.

Zakynthos (Bus station) to Airport:

06:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 14:30 17:00 19:00 Except Sunday

Airport to Zakynthos (Bus station):

06:40 08:40 09:40 10:40 11:40 12:40 15:10 17:40 19:40 Except Sunday

Zante Landscape Photography:

Zante Landscape Photography

We've been experimenting with landscape photography and the results are worth a look. The images are protected by Copyright, but you are free to use them for your own personal/non-commercial use. If you want to use one as your PC desktop, view the full size image and then right click on it

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Postcards from the 70s and 80s:

Zante postcards from the 70s and 80s

Ever since Zante Airport opened in 1972 tourism has been increasing rapidly, but have you ever wondered what the place looked like back then? These postcards show that it was a very different place in those days.

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The Truth about the Zante Shipwreck:

Zante Shipwreck Captain

Many people believe that the ship was smuggling contraband cigarettes and ran aground after being pursued by the Greek navy. The truth is somewhat different. The ship was sailing from Kefalonia to Albania when it suffered a mechanical failure on the return journey. With no control and bad weather preventing any rescue the ship ran aground at Navagio on October 2, 1980.

MV "PANAGIOTIS" Captain Charalambos Kompothekras - Kotsoros has released the full story about what happened.

Read More

Gigapixel Panorama of the view from Bochali:

Top 10 View from Bochali

The highest resolution picture ever taken of Zante Town. Use full screen and zoom right in to get the full effect. Checkout the rooftop pool on the Strada Marina Hotel or marvel at the complexity of the back roads in town. No wonder everybody gets lost when they venture in there. Look harder and you can even see the Kalamaki Water Park in the distance.

zante_bochali_view.asp

Driving Routes from Zante Airport to All Resorts:

Zante Airport to All Resorts

Save time and money on airport transfers by picking up your hire car at the airport. The videos show the easiest route from the airport to your resort. Use the direct Vimeo link on the bottom right for more options including downloading the video to play on your smartphone or tablet on arrival.

Alykanas 1 Alykanas 2 Argassi Kalamaki

The History of Zakynthos:

Although ancient writers attest that Zakynthos was only inhabited during the 15th and 16th centuries BC, Thucydides mentions that the first settlers were Achaians from the Peloponnese. We have only mythological sources to account for the island's prehistoric years, but these, however, may well contain grains of historical truth.

Find out more...

Gone but not Forgotten:

Review Archive

We've resurrected some of the more popular bars and restaurants that have disappeared over the years so you can revive memories of your old holidays on Zante.

Review Archive

Popular Trips and Excursions:

Price: adults €25, kids €14
The Cruise around the island is an all day trip visiting the Blue Caves and Shipwreck Beach. There are swim stops at the Shipwreck and Marathonissi (Turtle Island). Water and food can be purchsed onboard.
Day trip to Kefalonia  (94 Comments)
Price: adults €40, kids €20
The day trip to Kefalonia is a very long excursion because the ferry only operates a single morning and evening service, but you will not be disappointed. Kefalonia is beautiful and catching a ferry to another Greek island makes this an adventure.
Day trip to Olympia  (57 Comments)
Price: adults €48, kids €25
A guided tour of the famous archeological site and museum at Olympia. The trip includes ferry crossings from Zante Town to Killini and visits the fortress at Killini and the modern village of Olympia.
Greek Night  (65 Comments)
A fun night out for all the family. Enjoy a BBQ dinner, followed by traditional Greek dancing. Be prepared to join in the fun and enjoy the dancers plate smashing and fire dancing.
Island Tour by Coach  (90 Comments)
Price: adults €20, kids €10
An all day excursion by coach visiting some of the main highlights of the island. If you don't mind driving then consider renting a car for the day instead. The route is fairly easy to drive and you'll have more time for beach stops.
Jeep Safari  (306 Comments)
Price: adults €35-€45, kids 50% discount
4.0   
A Jeep Safari is a full day excursion starting at about 8am to 9am and ending around 5pm. You will get to see some of the most beautiful locations on Zante and with only a few passengers per jeep, you get a more personal experience.
Levante Speedboat Trip  (490 Comments)
Price: adults €45, kids €25
4.7   
Levante Speedboat TripLevante speedboat excursion is a half day, high speed cruise visiting the most famous tourist attractions on Zakynthos. The boat departs daily from Tsilivi harbour at 8:30 am and carries up to 24 passengers.
Nefis VIP Excursions  (16 Comments)
4.7   
Nefis VIP ExcursionsOur unique tours are designed to provide the Highlight of your holidays! Enjoy shipwreck prior to the crowds, Eco-friendly turtle spotting, Explore authentic Zakynthos, and many more!

Popular Beaches:

Tsilivi Beach  (231 Comments)
Tsilivi BeachA big sandy beach able to accommodate everyone from the neighbouring resort and more. Lots of tourist facilities on hand.
Kalamaki Beach  (209 Comments)
4.1   
Kalamaki BeachProbably the best place to actually see a turtle. Just wade about in the shallow water and if they are about you will soon spot one.
Laganas Beach  (162 Comments)
Laganas BeachIt's as busy as you'd expect from a Club 18-30 resort, but keep walking and you'll find a long stretch of beach where development has been prevented by the Marine Park.
Alykanas Beach  (150 Comments)
4.0   
Alykanas BeachA big sandy beach which rarely gets crowded despite new tourist developments nearby. Plenty of tourist facilities nearby without feeling overly commercialised.
Argassi Beach  (138 Comments)
Argassi BeachOften criticised, mainly because in many places there is no beach! At least the water is shallow with a sandy bottom making it good for bathing.

Popular Places to Visit:

A fun filled day out to the largest Water Park on the Island. Plenty of slides, lazy river, boomer bowl and much, much more. Go Karts and trampolines available at extra cost.
4.1   
Zante Town  (55 Comments)
4.2   

Popular Holiday Resorts:

Laganas Resort  (870 Comments)
4.1   
Kalamaki Resort  (424 Comments)
4.2   
Tsilivi Resort  (353 Comments)
4.0   
Argassi Resort  (276 Comments)
4.1   
Alykanas Resort  (168 Comments)
4.2