Zakynthos North and Farewell: Katastari Largest Village, Pigadakia Sunset View, Alykanas Beach, Makris Gialos North Cove, Ionian Village Life, and the Complete Island Summary
The Zakynthos north circuit and departure covers the Katastari village market and church, the Pigadakia traditional village for sunset views, the Alykanas resort beach on the north coast, the Makris Gialos rocky cove, the authentic Ionian village life rhythm, and the complete island summary for the departing visitor.
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Katastari: The Largest Zakynthos Village
Katastari, the largest village in Zakynthos with 2,000 inhabitants, sits at 200 meters above the north coast with the view over the Alykes salt flats and the Ionian Sea and the Kefalonia silhouette that the village position rewards. The Sunday market in Katastari is the most active rural market in the island and the village kafeneion remains the most authentic social institution in the Zakynthos interior, with the men playing backgammon and the women at the tables and the conversation entirely in the Zakynthos dialect that incorporates the Venetian loan words.
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Pigadakia Village: The Elevated Viewpoint
Pigadakia village in the northwest of Zakynthos, the most elevated village on the north coast ridge above the Navagio area, provides the aerial view of the Shipwreck Beach from the ridge walk that begins at the village square. The Pigadakia sunset with the Navagio cove visible directly below and the Kefalonia silhouette behind is the most dramatic sunset viewpoint in the northern half of Zakynthos and the most romantic viewpoint on the island for the couple who arrives early enough to watch the light change on the white limestone.
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Alykanas: The Family North Coast Resort
Alykanas on the north coast, the quieter and more family-oriented of the north coast resort beaches compared to the developed Alykes strip, has the long sandy beach, the calm water sheltered from the Ionian swell, and the beach taverna infrastructure that makes it the most comfortable long beach day destination in the northern part of the island. The Alykanas beach in the morning before the day-trippers arrive from the south coast resorts has the peaceful atmosphere of the local beach that the main resort beaches no longer provide.
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Makris Gialos: The Northern Rocky Cove
Makris Gialos on the extreme north coast beyond the Cape Skinari lighthouse, the rocky cove accessible by the rough track from the main road, provides the most isolated beach experience in the island with the limestone rocks, the clear deep water, and the absence of any infrastructure making it the destination for the visitor equipped with the snorkel and the water shoes. The Makris Gialos water is the clearest on the island and the sea bed visibility in the deep water channel between the rocks exceeds 20 meters.
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Ionian Village Life: The Authentic Zakynthos Rhythm
The authentic rhythm of Zakynthos life, still observable in the interior villages of the island that the coastal resort development has not absorbed, follows the traditional Mediterranean agricultural calendar with the olive harvest in November, the grape harvest in September, and the village panegyri festivals in the summer that honor the patron saints of each village church. The Zakynthos village life is the most direct access to the Ionian cultural heritage that the island shares with Kefalonia, Lefkada, and Corfu in the Ionian island chain.
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Zakynthos Departure: The Ionian Conclusion
The complete Zakynthos experience, from the Navagio clifftop to the Keri lighthouse and from the turtle nesting beach to the Solomos museum, reveals an island that has achieved the most difficult balance in Greek island tourism: preserving the natural heritage that made it internationally famous while providing the beach resort infrastructure that the majority of visitors seek. Zakynthos is the proof that the Greek island can be both the conservation destination and the package holiday resort, and the model that the more developed islands of the Aegean are studying with increasing urgency.