Hotels near Zakynthos Town (Chora) & Bochali Castle

The capital of the island, locally called Chora, was levelled by the 1953 Ionian earthquake and rebuilt in the same Venetian-influenced style. The result is an attractive harbour town with arcaded streets, the marble-paved Plateia Solomou (the main square, named after the national poet Dionysios Solomos who was born here), and the rebuilt Church of Saint Dionysios with its prominent 19th-century campanile.

The Museum of Solomos and Eminent Zakynthians on St Mark's Square holds local 18th and 19th-century art and the tomb of the poet himself. Above the town, a 15-minute drive (or a 45-minute uphill walk) leads to Bochali Hill, where the walled remains of the Venetian Castle of Zakynthos sit among pine trees with sweeping views back over the harbour. Castle entrance costs 4 EUR.

Pro Tip: Time your Bochali visit for late afternoon - the castle gates close at 19:30 in summer (15:00 in winter), and the cafes on the road below the castle have the island's best view of the sun setting behind the Peloponnese mountains across the strait.