Resorts: Kalamaki | Laganas | Tsilivi | Town

Zakynthos Town is the island's capital. After the earthquake and fire on August 9th 1953, the town was rebuilt preserving the Venetian and Byzantine style wherever possible. The town was historically known as 'The Venice of the South'.The layout of the town is generally the same as before the earthquake with a well-organised grid system rising up towards the hills inland. It is the commercial and cultural centre of the island and there are currently approximately 30,000 inhabitants.

The southern end of the town is dominated by the Church of St Dionysios, the patron saint of the island. St Dionysios, the patron saint of fishermen, preached on the island in the sixteenth century. The building was one of the few survivors of the 1953 earthquake and was erected in 1948. The bell tower is modelled on that of San Marco in Venice and is a tribute to the Venetian architectural legacy on the island. The church has a large collection of icons representing the saint's life as well as his silver coffin.

The town is the cultural centre of the island with a number of impressive museums including The Museum of Byzantine Art (Tues - Sun 8.30am - 3pm). The Byzantine Museum can be found in Solomou Square and offers collections by Doxaras, Koutouzis Damaskinos, Tzanes and Kandounis. This is one of the best collections of the Ionian School and is well worth a visit for its realistic depictions of religious subject matter. The Solomos Museum on Platia Ayiou Markou (Mon - Sat 8.30am - 3pm) contains a collection of manuscripts by Dionyssios Solomos (1798-1857). The Museum of Zakynthos (Tues - Sun 8.30am - 3pm) is an interest collection of local historical artefacts.

The Strata Marina (Marine Drive) is the busiest part of the town. This is the embarkation point for the numerous passenger and car ferries to and from the island. On the top of the hill which provides a natural defence for the town, you will find the magnificent ruins of the Venetian Fortress (the Kastro) built in 1646. (July to October, Tuesday - Sunday 08.00 - 19.00 telephone +30 26950 48099).