Zakynthos, sometimes called Zante, is the southernmost of the main Ionian islands and home to one of the most photographed beaches on earth: Navagio, the smuggler's cove with a rusting freighter half-buried in white sand. Beyond that single image, Zakynthos is a substantial island combining limestone cliffs and Blue Caves on the wild north-west coast, long sandy family beaches at Laganas and Kalamaki on the south, the protected Bay of Laganas where loggerhead turtles still nest, and a fertile inland of vineyards and currant raisins (the original Corinthian raisins of the dried-fruit trade).

Zakynthos Town, on the east coast, was levelled by the 1953 earthquake and rebuilt in low-rise Venetian style around Solomos Square. The town is pleasant for an evening but most visitors base themselves at a beach resort. The south-east coast around Kalamaki, Argassi and Laganas has the most accommodation, including a large slice of the all-inclusive market. Tsilivi and Planos to the north are smaller, calmer family resorts. The wilder north-west coast around Anafonitria and Volimes is the access point for Navagio viewpoints and the Blue Caves boat trips.

The island has a particularly strong music tradition (the kantades serenade has Ionian origins), good wine from the inland Verdea vineyards, and a reputation for warmth that comes from being further south than Corfu or Kefalonia. Zakynthos suits families wanting sandy beaches and all-inclusive comfort, couples wanting villas with views over the south coast, and travellers who want one truly iconic beach to bring home as a memory.