Discover Zakynthos: Architecture, Squares and Museums

When looking for a hotel in Zakynthos, you can also take the destination’s cultural character into account when choosing where to stay. The city combines a defining history of reconstruction with squares and museums whose collections reveal different aspects of the island’s history. A useful distinction for your interests is that architecture and art in an urban setting sit alongside other cultural and landscape themes that make Zakynthos a distinctive island destination.

Cityscape and reconstruction

The 1953 earthquake almost completely destroyed Zakynthos. Ionian architecture was taken into account during the subsequent reconstruction. At the same time, aesthetic features, colours and an urban elegance shaped since the 17th century were preserved. This history combines a profound rupture with a reconstruction that drew on the architectural features of the Ionian Islands. If you are interested in the cityscape, both the history following the earthquake and this architectural influence are therefore part of Zakynthos’s cultural profile.

Solomos Square is the largest square on Zakynthos and the central square of Zakynthos town. Another landmark is Saint Mark’s Square, where the Museum of Solomos & Eminent Zakynthians is located. These two squares serve as distinct points of reference in the urban fabric; the museum’s location at Saint Mark’s Square also offers access to the history of Zakynthos’s notable figures.

Museums and island history

The Museum of Zakynthos displays religious icons of the Cretan School, Cretan-Ionian icons and works of Ionian Naturalism dating from the 15th to the 19th century. The collection also includes wood-carved icon screens, ecclesiastical objects and sculptures from temples on the island of Zakynthos that are currently damaged. Art styles, religious objects and their origins offer different ways into the collections. For travellers who also want to shape their stay around art and religious history, the museum provides a specific cultural focus.

The Museum of Solomos & Eminent Zakynthians is located at Saint Mark’s Square. On Zakynthos, the mausoleum on the museum’s ground floor has housed the remains of national poets Andreas Kalvos and Dionysios Solomos since 1968. This connection broadens the museum’s significance: alongside its location in a named square, the two poets and the mausoleum’s enduring function are part of the island’s history.

Roma’s Mansion offers another facet of the city’s history. Alexander Roma bought the house in 1880, and it has served as the family’s main residence ever since. This detail describes the house’s family history and adds a private residence to the perspective on public squares and museum collections.

Zakynthos as an island destination

Beyond the city, Zakynthos offers other themes to consider when planning a trip. The Blue Caves are in the Aspros Vrachos area at Cape Skinari. Keri Lake is a wetland protected under the Ramsar Convention, a Natura site and a nature reserve within the Zakynthos National Marine Park. These places differ in character from the city’s squares and museums: they represent the destination’s landscape and nature-conservation aspects.

Zakynthos’s cultural heritage and regional products can also be explored beyond the town. The Monastery of Agios Georgios sta Gremna in Volimes was founded in 1535. Keri Lighthouse is known for panoramic views over the Ionian Sea and the Myzithres Rocks at sunset. Zakynthian Ladotyri cheese is also made in dairies and home workshops in Volimes and offered as a local product. These details point to different areas of interest: historic buildings, views and regional production.

For a stay focused on urban history, reconstruction, squares and museum collections are tangible themes to explore locally. If you view Zakynthos as an island destination, the landscape sites mentioned above, the monastery, the lighthouse and local cheese production are additional options. The port of Agios Nikolaos in Volimes is a seaport access point connecting Zakynthos by ferry with Kefalonia; confirm the current timetable when planning your trip.

Discover more destinations: Kipseli, Skinaria, Agios Kirikos, Anafonitria, Mouzaki, Kalamaki, Korithi, Kampíon.

For the main travel overview: Zakynthos.