The Ionian light has something special about it: it makes white whiter and blue almost unreal. Zakynthos, which the Venetians called Zante and nicknamed the "Flower of the Levant", is bathed entirely in this clarity. Ships drop anchor in the bay and tenders bring passengers directly to the quay of the island capital: as soon as you step ashore, you are in the town centre, facing the arcades and bell towers rebuilt after the 1953 earthquake.

The island draws visitors for two images that have become famous worldwide: a rusted shipwreck resting on a beach inaccessible by road, and sea turtles that come to lay their eggs on its southern shores.

Zante, the Venetian town risen from its ruins

The town is easily explored on foot. Solomos Square pays tribute to the Greek national poet Dionysios Solomos, a native of the island, while the Church of Agios Dionysios, dedicated to the local patron saint, raises its bell tower above the rooftops. The shopping streets line up leather, honey and mandolato nougat shops. Moving a little away from the waterfront, the terraces fill with residents rather than travellers, and the frappé coffee lingers in the shade.

To gain some height, Bochali Hill overlooks the rooftops north of the centre. You go up by taxi, or on foot for the most energetic, to the remains of a Venetian fortress hidden among the pines. The reward lies in the panorama: the island capital at your feet, the sparkling channel and, on clear days, the coast of the Peloponnese.

Navagio, the most photographed shipwreck in Greece

On the west coast, a coaster that ran aground in 1980 rests on a strip of golden sand surrounded by limestone cliffs: Navagio Beach. No road leads down to it; it can only be reached by sea. Boat excursions leave notably from Porto Vromi, from which about ten minutes of sailing is enough, or from the small landing at Agios Nikolaos in the north. From the lookouts set up atop the cliffs, the plunging view over the cove and its milky turquoise water alone explains millions of photographs. Allow half a day for the round trip from the capital, as the wreck is about 35 kilometres away by road.

The turtles of Laganas Bay

To the south, Laganas Bay is part of the National Marine Park of Zakynthos, created to protect the loggerhead turtle, Caretta caretta, which comes to bury its eggs in the warm sand. Supervised boat trips leave from the surrounding area, notably toward the islet of Marathonisi, whose shape fittingly evokes a turtle shell. Seeing a turtle's head break the surface near the boat ranks among the most moving moments the island offers, provided you choose operators who respect viewing distances.

The blue caves of the north

Near Cape Skinari, the sea has sculpted arches and hollows where the water takes on electric blue reflections: the Blue Caves. Excursions to Navagio often combine them, and swimmers sometimes treat themselves to a dip in these natural pools where the light seems to come from the depths rather than the sky. Glass-bottom boats in the area also offer glimpses of the play of reflections beneath the surface.

Evening falls on the Flower of the Levant

Back on the quay, a last gelato in hand, you watch the mountains of the neighbouring island of Kefalonia darken across the channel. In a single day, Zakynthos will have shown its two faces, the gentleness of its capital and the wildness of its coasts. Many leave promising to return by plane, to explore every cove. The turtles, for their part, have been returning every summer for millennia.