Laganas is the most popular and busiest tourist resort on the island and is located 9 km away from the city of Zakynthos. The village was named after the lagels that were made there (clay pots used for water). The village is seaside and ends at the longest beach of the island (9 km long) belonging to Laganas bay, one of the largest in Greece (20 km (coastline). There are plenty of olive groves and it has a pine-covered seafront that is the natural boundary of Laganas with Kalamaki.
Tourist traffic is intense in the area during the summer months. In this village, the heart of the summer strikes, since the fun, and especially the nightlife, is crazy. The biggest development of the village is located on the main road of the village leading to the beach. Along this street there are all kinds of shops and mainly night bars.
It is worth visiting the traditional settlement of Sarakina to get to know the old architecture of Zakynthos. It is not recommended to holidaymakers who want to combine their holidays with tranquility and relaxation.
Laganas Beach is the busiest, cosmopolitan and well-developed tourist area of Zakynthos. The beach looks endless since it is 9 km long. It consists of sand and its waters are warm, shallow and blue. There are plenty of umbrellas and sun loungers for rent and lots of parking spaces next to the beach as the passageways to it are too many. If you are disturbed by the crowd that is in the central part of the beach, you can just walk a little further to find a quieter place. Water sports are not allowed because of Caretta-Caretta turtle reproduction in the bay. There are several boats that take a tour of the bay and visit Marathonisi and if you stand a little lucky you can admire the turtles up close. Other activities include Diving.
There are also plenty of beach bars and taverns where you can enjoy Zakynthian cuisine. In order to protect the turtles, the Bay of Laganas and its areas were declared as a National Marine Park and since then any reconstruction has been reduced and motorized marine vessels have been banned. Their spawning period coincides with the summer holiday season. During July and August, female turtles go out to the coast to give birth to their eggs, biting 50 centimeters below the sand. The warm sand feeds the eggs and the baby turtles come out of their nests 8 weeks later. It is forbidden to visit the protected beach areas after sunset. But during the day, you can see the turtles in the sea as they swim with the boats that have a glass floor. Also in some parts of the beach there are frequent boat trips that take you to nearby beaches.
There are frequent local bus services to the local KTEL from and to Laganas. Also there are many companies to rent cars, jeeps, bikes and motorbikes. There is also a taxi station on the main road of Laganas and next to the 24-hour beach. Finally, access by your own means of transport is easy as the roads are asphalted and there are many parking spaces near the beach or along the village.
The whole village is full of taverns and restaurants that offer tasteful dishes not only from Greek traditional cuisine but also from international (English, Chinese, Italian and Indian). There are also fast foods as the region attracts mainly young people. Most of them are along the main road and many are seaside. Some taverns and restaurants give you the opportunity to enjoy a special Greek night, combining delicious Zakynthian food with live Greek music and traditional dances.
In Laganas there are any shop you can imagine to combine your holiday with your Shopping. Supermarkets, grocery stores, bakeries, pastry shops, gift shops, jewelry shops, leather goods and shops with clothes and handmade leather shoes. In many of the gift shops you will find miniature turtles and traditional, handmade local products such as mantled and pastels.
Laganas is the most popular part of the island, famous for its intense nightlife. There are plenty of nightclubs along the main road. At night, music strengthens as bars and nightclubs compete amongst themselves for who will play the strongest music. Greek music is seldom heard, since Laganas mainly hosts foreign holidaymakers. Many bars organize karaoke nights, quizzes and various other entertaining games. Many cafes show movies or sports matches on big screens. Most of them open from 18:30 in the afternoon until 4 in the morning in the weekdays and until 6 in the morning Friday and Saturday. Entry is usually free of charge.
