LAGANAS
Laganas is located 9 km from the city of Zakynthos where it is the most popular and busiest tourist resort on the island. 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 the homonymous bay. The bay of Laganas is one of the largest in Greece (20km coastline). There are plenty of olive groves, while a pine-covered seafront that forms 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 hits, since the entertainment and especially the night is frantic. 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. You do not recommend holidaymakers who want to combine their holidays with tranquility and relaxation.
Transport
There are frequent local bus services to the local KTEL from and to Laganas. Still too 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.
Restaurants
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 chance to enjoy a special Greek night, combining delicious Zakynthian food with live Greek music and traditional dances
Beaches
Laganas Beach is the busiest, cosmopolitan and well-developed tourist area of Zakynthos. The beach is endless because 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 this bay is the Caretta-Caretta turtle chosen for its reproduction. But there are several boats that take a tour of this bay and visit Marathonisi and if you stand a little lucky you can admire the above-mentioned turtle. From the beach of Laganas you can even dive diving. There is 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 in a National Marine Park and since then 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 also forbidden to remain visitor 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.
Shopping
In Laganas there are all the shops you can imagine to combine your holiday with your purchases. Supermarkets, grocery stores, bakeries, pastry shops, gift shops, jewelery 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.
Nightlife
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. Entrance is free of charge.