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Zakynthos: The Island Full of Surprises

The island of Zakynthos sits off Greece's west coast, and has been a crossroads for competing empires since the Bronze Age, and each has left a little bit of history for visitors to see. With beautiful beaches, azure waters and lush hillside olive groves, Zakynthos is a popular destination for holidaymakers year round. It is also known as Zante, the name given to the island by the Venetians who occupied it during the fifteenth century and remained there for the next three hundred years.

There are many attractive resorts to stay at, and Thomson can find the ideal accommodation for any traveller's tastes, yet there is so much more to discover on the island it is worth venturing out of the resort to explore.

Boat trips make an ideal excursion, indeed some of the finest sights can only be reached by boat, such as the Blue Caves near Cape Skinari. These caves in the cliff face are lit up in brilliant turquoise colours by sunlight reflected through the water off the white pebble sea bed. Along the same west coast there are numerous small islands and rock formations best seen from the sea, and the 'Shipwreck Beach' in an isolated cove near Anafonitria can only be reached by boat.

There is a long tradition of Greek Orthodox worship in Zakynthos, and there are many beautiful churches and abbeys to see, and like the Saint George Monastery and St Nicholas church they are often built in locations with outstanding views. For something more extraordinary, the cave of Saint Gerasimos in the north-western mountains is still maintained as a shrine to the sixteenth century hermit who lived there.

There is also plenty for nature lovers to explore, with a National Marine Park at Laganas Bay, an otherworldly clay canyon at Gerakas Beach, and the clear waters around the coast offering some of the best snorkelling sites in the Mediterranean.

With some fascinating museums and ancient ruins, too, Zakynthos truly is an island full of unexpected experiences.