Laganas — Where the Party Meets the Sea Turtles

Laganas is the name that most young Europeans associate with Zakynthos. For decades it has been the island’s party capital — a strip of bars, clubs, fast food joints, and souvenir shops on a long, flat stretch of the southern coast that comes alive after midnight and doesn’t stop until dawn. On summer nights the main street is a wall of sound and neon.

But Laganas is also something far more important. The nine-kilometre bay it fronts — from Kalamaki to the Laganas channel — contains some of the most significant Caretta caretta (loggerhead sea turtle) nesting beaches in the entire Mediterranean. Every summer, between May and October, female turtles return here to lay eggs in the same sand where tourists party. This collision of ecology and nightlife makes Laganas unlike anywhere else in Greece.

The Beach

Laganas Beach is wide, sandy, and extremely long. The western end, near the nightlife strip, is the most developed — sunbeds, beach bars, watersports. The eastern stretch toward Kalamaki is quieter and more regulated by the National Marine Park, which restricts beach furniture and nighttime access during nesting season.

The water is shallow and warm — you can wade out fifty metres before it’s waist-deep. This makes it excellent for families during the day, despite the area’s reputation for nightlife. By mid-morning, the party crowd is still asleep, and the beach belongs to families and early swimmers.

The Turtles

The National Marine Park of Zakynthos (established 1999) protects the nesting beaches along Laganas Bay. The rules are strict and worth following: no beach access between sunset and sunrise during nesting season, no umbrellas in nesting zones, no boats within specified distances of the shore.

Turtle-watching boat trips operate from the small harbour at the western end of the strip. The boats cruise slowly along the bay, and turtles — which are curious and not particularly shy — frequently surface near the vessels. An early morning trip gives the best sighting odds.

Marathonisi, the small island across the bay (locals call it Turtle Island for its shape), is a nesting site too. Boat trips land on its northern beach, where swimming is permitted, while the southern nesting beach is off-limits.

The Nightlife

There’s no point being coy about it: Laganas at night is loud, chaotic, and alcoholic. The main strip runs about 800 metres from the beach road to the inner village, lined with bars offering cheap drinks and resident DJs. Rescue Club, Zeros, and Cherry Bay are the biggest venues. The vibe is Ayia Napa or Magaluf transposed to Greece.

If that’s your thing, you’ll have a memorable time. If it’s not, Laganas after dark is a place to avoid entirely. There’s no middle ground.

Insider Tip: The Quiet Side

What most visitors don’t realise is that inland Laganas — behind the strip, past the roundabout — is a surprisingly normal Greek village. The old centre has a church, a traditional kafeneion, and a handful of tavernas serving proper food at local prices. Sunday lunch at the kafeneion after 14:00 is a genuinely local experience, surrounded by families rather than backpackers.

Also: Limni Keriou, just a ten-minute drive west around the bay, is the complete opposite of Laganas — quiet, local, with excellent diving and kayak access to sea caves. It’s another world.

Getting There

Laganas is 9 kilometres south of Zakynthos Town — about 15 minutes by car, and one of the few villages actually served by regular public bus. Buses run from Zakynthos Town bus station roughly hourly in summer.