tsilivi tourist train

Zante Fun Train

Take a Ride on Nature’s Trail discover Zante’s hidden treasures by train

Zakynthos The “flower of the Levante”

Zakynthos offers many interesting things to the visitor such as the famous Zantechurch of San Dionisio, that keeps the relics of the saint, the numerous museums and the characteristic squares of D. Solomos and Saint Mark; this one dated back to the Venetian period and with the only one catholic church of the island.

Besides the seafront (marine road) and the small internal streets of the city there is a very interesting borough around the ruins of the ancient Venetian castle located at the top of the hill of Strani at the back of the city.

Here the tiny and silent alleys, the old houses with the courtyard with flowers and the enchanting landscape dominating the bay of the city of Zakynthos will make your holiday unique and unforgettable.

Bohali Hill – Panoramic View

Bohali is a pretty area of Zante, just on the outskirts of the capital town and includes the charming villages of Akrotiri, Kryoneri and Varres. Bohali is well known for its magnificent panoramic views which encompass Zante (Zakynthos) Town below and extend far across the azure waters of the Ionian Sea to the Peloponnese. The famous Zakynthian poet Dionysios Solomos, gained inspiration here, on the hill of Lofos Strani, to write his best known poem and its lyrics later become the words to the Greek National Anthem. There are many cafes and ice-cream shops here, the perfect places to stop and delight in the stunning views.

The Venetian Castle is also located in Bohali and this was once the capital town. A nautical museum is also worth visiting whilst in Bohali as it contains many artifacts from the Greek Revolution, and the first and second World Wars and gives a detailed history of the Greek Navy.

The residences of Bohali certainly played an important part in the Greek Revolution against Turkey, in 1821. The Chapel of St George of Filikon was the meeting place of a secret society that planned attacks and it also welcomed those seeking refuge from mainland Greece.

Bohali is very picturesque and well worth visiting.

Lithakia – Olive Oil press

The Olive press Aristaion a traditional family business located in Lithakia Zakynthos. The route starts in 1850 with the traditional animal movement press, part of which survives until today. Then went to metal and later in hydraulic presses.

Since then the technology has evolved, and the need for the creation of a modern lead us in 2008 to establish a village in new technology eco-drive processing olives. The mill we implement food safety management system according to ISO 22000: 2005 certified by TUV HELLAS. In addition all stages of production are controlled by the inspection and certification organization of organic products D.I.O.

Take a Ride on Nature’s Trail

Discover Zante’s hidden treasures by train

KALAMAKI Caretta – Caretta nesting beach

TSILIVI third most popular resort on the island

ARGASSI Argassi lives up to your expectations

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Tsilivi:- A new “Fun Train” in town.

Louise Inzk 18th September 2021 Entertainment Comments Off on Tsilivi:- A new “Fun Train” in town.

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Just a few days ago, Tsilivi saw the arrival of a “Fun Train.” It seems that visitors to our Island are already enjoying the trips as we can see in the videos.

The rides start in Tsilivi and make their way up to Bochali or to Zakynthos Town.  Two rides a day, one in the morning and one in the evening.

So, If you are in Tsilivi, check it out…… definitely a fun way to explore Zakynthos.

To get up-to-date news or more information about Zakynthos, join our Facebook group or follow our Twitterfeed. All articles on this blog are the property of the authors and The Zakynthos Informer. No articles are to be reproduced, copied or screenshot without the permission of the author.

videos by :- Hannah Razzaq

Main Feature Photo by:- Hannah Razzaq

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About Louise Inzk

A true Zakynthian “Glendi” in the village of Agio Dimitrios

PRESS RELEASE The Cultural Association of Agios Dimitrios invites you on Wednesday, August 31 at …

[email protected]

+30.699.580.6809

What to do in Tsilivi and its surrounding areas

Tsilvi is located 6 km north of the city of Zakynthos and is the third most popular resort on the island (after Zakynthos Town and Laganas). In recent years, Tsilivi has become one of the favorite resorts in Zakynthos for couples and families , thanks to the large variety of services offered, and to the more peacefull atmosphere than Laganas and Zakynthos Town. The area offers numerous hotels, apartments, restaurants, bars and even a Fantasy mini golf course. Services include shops, ATMs and a supermarket for essential items. Tsilivi also has a very popular water park that is listed among the top 10 water parks in Greece. Tsilivi Beach is very popular with both new and returning visitors. It offers many water activities and sports such as boating, windsurfing, water skiing and jet skiing . The neighboring areas surrounded by vineyards and olive groves, are delighfully charming.

What to Do in Tsilivi

The beach is sandy and suitable for both all adults and children , since the water is shallow and slopes slowly. The sea is crystal clear and the water is warm. Tsilivi Beach offers services at very low prices (2 sunbeds and 1 umbrella for a maximum of 7 €), but there are also free beaches where you can bring your own towel or umbrella. On this beach, you can also do water sports and even get a massage.

Main Street

The main street in Tsilivi comes alive in the evening, when couples and families walk around, enjoying a variety of souvenir shops, restaurants, bars and excursion offices . The atmosphere is more relaxed than in the chaotic Laganas. By 1:00 in the morning, the streets in Tsilivi begin to slowly empty out and the nightlife moves to Zakynthos Town, Argassi and Laganas.

The only Bowling alley in Zakynthos is in Tsilivi. In addition to bowling, it also offers table tennis, football and pool tables.

For the past few years, tourists have been able to take windsurfing lessons in Tsilivi. Manos is the only certified instructor in Zakynthos and has been teaching windsurfing since 2017.

What to Do Around Tsilivi

Visit callinico winery.

Callinico Winery and Museum is owned by the Voultsos family. Admission is free. Visitors have the opportunity to see the wine production equipment used in the past as well as the modern machineries used today. You can also walk inside the cellar to explore where the bottles are stored. At the end of the tour, the owners let visitors taste their wines and discuss their distinguishing features with them.

Visit to the Waterpark

Tsilivi Waterpark is located just outside Tsilivi. This complex is suitable for both children and young people loo king for an adrenaline filled experience. The site https://tsiliviwaterpark.com/ describes all the attractions in this fantastic water park.

Venetian Tower

North of Tsilivi, there is a guard tower dating back to Venetian times. This tower was extremely important to help protect the residents of Zakynthos from invaders. For photography lovers: it is one of the best spots to take beautiful photos at dawn.

Are you looking for more information on what to do in Tsilivi and its surrounding areas?

Directly ask the people living in Zakynthos on the Facebook Group: Welcometozante .

• Shipwreck Zakynthos
• Family Holidays
• Romantic Holidays
• Zakynthos Beaches
• Zakynthos' Sights
• Activities in Zakynthos
• Alistair Ford

Τρίτη 8 Μαΐου 2012

Holiday guide to tsilivi.

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What to do in Tsilivi

When people visit Tsilivi they expect a lively but not over the top holiday, with swanky bars and pubs and a welcoming atmosphere this is the ideal holiday resort for couples and older families.  Many people return to this tiny resort year after year because of the experiences they have here.  While your here make sure you take a ride on the horse drawn carts that regularly ferry you around the resort and through the main sights of Tsilivi. For the best nightlife try out Level Bar , Planet Pub or Enigma Nightclub.  There are plenty of over small bars to choose from, with a few themed bars to boot, if you are looking for more traditional bars then Tsilivi also has something for your tastes.  

If you looking for places to eat in Tsilivi then you wont be disappointed, with excellent family run Tavernas serving up Greek dishes like Mousakka, Stifado and freshly caught fish to restaurants serving up traditional European dishes like steaks and pastas. For places to eat try out The Olde Vineyard or Koukos Greek Taverna, both offer a great choice of Greek dishes very reasonably priced too.  Also a restaurant doing a choice of European dishes and is well recommended has to be Popeyes.  Just above you will see the beach front restaurant called  Paradise Taverna, this is where a lot of the locals eat , and if you follow where the locals eat you will find inexpensive but fine tasting food.

Once you have relaxed on the beach, eaten out in Tsilivi’s excellent restaurants and sampled the great family friendly nightlife then its time to start exploring the island.  You can hire a car from the likes of Holiday Autos and drive down the coast passing through resorts like Kalamaki, Argassi and Alykes.

Grab a boat trip to go turtle watching or why not visit Navagio the Smugglers Cove and one of the most photographed beaches in the world.  If this isn't enough you have the Blue caves from which you can take some stunning photos.  The boat trips are easily bought from the many travel agencies that line the streets of Tsilivi or you can book the trips through your local holiday representative.   The area around Tsilivi is also excellent for fishing and snorkelling, bring your own fishing rod and fish for mullet and bream off the shore with freshly baked bread.  The locals usually use a combination of many hooks wrapped around the bread and cast it out and wait.  If you prefer to be more sporting you can try float fishing bread but you will find the locals soon outnumber your catch.  Snorkelling is a fun sport and the gear can be purchased cheaply from one of the many supermarkets in the town.

Tsilivi sits close to the main airport and is only a short 45 minute coach transfer, you can get here faster by getting a taxi or making sure you hire a car ready for you when you land in Zante.

Tsilivi - Travel Guide

Tsilivi is now one of the most popular holiday destinations in Zante.  Its got everything you need for a lively family or couples holiday.  The small town is packed full of great Greek Taverna’s, great family orientated bars and great nightclubs.

The beaches of Tsilivi are lovely and sandy and stretch for at least a mile, the beaches of Tsilivi have gained Blue Flag awards year after year for the cleanliness of the beaches and also clean seas.  The beach of Tsilivi is great for families who have younger children as the beach is well protected from the strong winds of Zante and it shelves gently into the clear blue seas.

You will find the resort of Tsilivi offers something for everyone, the beach is surrounded by an assortment of beach bars offering up refreshing cocktails and well priced snacks.  There is a football pitch, a well equipped ten pin bowling centre aptly named Bowl M Over .  Its just a short ride to the islands only Waterpark called Zante Water Village .

If you want more information on the best places to eat then look no further, we have included a guide on the most popular eateries and places to drink and go out in the holiday resort of Tsilivi..

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Best Time: April to November Read More

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"Of Sandy Seas, Olive Groves and Vineyards"

Tsilivi tourism.

Also known as Planos, Tsilivi is a village and a tourist resort on the island of Zakynthos, Greece. This resort town on the northeastern coast has recently risen to fame among international travelers. Unfortunately, there is not much to do in Tsilivi, and the town is usually preferred for luxury getaways.

Tsilivi houses a 2-km long, warm sandy beach studded with sunbeds and bars. It is an excellent location to spend time with family and engage in some watersports like parachuting and jet skiing. The beach has also been given a blue flag, which means it is tremendously clean. Tourists often like to travel by speedboat from Tsilivi to the Blue Caves and Smugglers Cove, two of Zante's most notable sights. Tsilivi is also famous for wine-tasting tours, even though most of the wineries in Tsilivi are family-run; and within a limited setting. The Venetian tower, located towards the north of Tsilivi, is an ideal place to witness the stunning sunset. A 20-minute drive from Zante, Tsilivi is usually preferred by families for weekend getaways. However, new waterparks and other experiences have been flourishing in Tsilivi for some time now, adding to a wholesome experience.

Things to do in Tsilivi

1. swimming at bouka beach.

2. Water Sports At Tsilivi Beach

3. Tsilivi Waterpark

4. Relax At Gaidaros Beach

Must Know Before You Travel to Tsilivi

• Most places in Tsilivi are within walking distance. For farther distances, hire a bike or a car. However, the local shuttle remains the easiest and cheapest mode of transport.
• The beachside Taverns of Tsilivi offer traditional and international cuisine alongside the experience of traditional dances.
• Luxurious villas and resorts are located near the seaside.
• For more budget-friendly options, stick to the city center.
• If traveling from Zante or other eastern beach resorts, hire a boat and travel around the islets on the west side of Zakynthos before reaching Tsilivi 
• The main street of Tsilivi is studded with souvenir shops, eateries, bars, and excursion offices that open late at night. However, this bustling street starts to empty around 1:00 AM since most of the nightlife moves to Zante.

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All about Ashland Train Day: Virginia town's street festival and railroad extravaganza

ASHLAND, Va. -- Ashland Train Day, a free street festival and railroad extravaganza that celebrates the charming Virginia town's love of all things trains, is Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"We want to make the tracks the center of the center of the universe. So we're surrounding the tracks with all of our railroad fun," Louise Keaton, the marketing director for Downtown Ashland Association, said.

For two decades, Ashland has celebrated its love for trains with the festival.

"Our entire downtown was built around these tracks in the 1800s," Keaton said. "We want to celebrate that history by sharing our history, by creating events like Ashland Day, and here at Downtown Ashland Association we're working towards the vitality of our downtown every day."

For the 20th anniversary of Ashland Train Day, visitors can expect to see more vendors, food trucks as well as some special attractions.

"We have railroad history thanks to the National Museum, the Hanover Black Heritage Society and the Haunted History Tours of Ashland," Keaton said. "We of course have Touch a Truck thanks to RCI Builders, so you can get a hands-on experience with your favorite vehicles."

There is a scavenger hunt, model trains for the kids, and new this year, a beer garden for the adults at the Hanover Arts and Activity Center.

"Our 20th anniversary is being celebrated by Amtrak with the Amtrak raffle to two tickets anywhere along the East Coast," Keaton said. "As well as by Sports Page Bar and Grill and Trackside Kitchen and Wine. They are the reason that today is entirely free."

Registration for the Amtrak raffle is now open online. The winner will be announced on Train Day.

"One of the things we're most excited about is Children's Day, thanks to Los Regios. They are bringing the Mexican Children's Day traditions right here to Ashland just like they do every day through their store," Keaton said.

Teresa Lopez de Ocanas, who owns Los Regios said the store just celebrated its second anniversary.

I've been living here since 2010 and I love Train Day," Lopez de Ocanas said. "I love my town and I love to see all the trains. At first, believe me, when I moved here, I was like, 'Oh my God, trains!' You know all the sounds, but you [end up] loving your town that you know is full of trains during the day."

And now her store, in partnership with the YMCA, is hosting the Children's Day Celebration with performances, entertainment and giveaways.

"We have more than 300 toys that we're gonna give away to all the kids that show up that day," she said. "We have a special bag full of candy and some of the information from you know, different stuff here in Ashland."

Street parking is available for Train Day, but there is also parking at three designated areas with free shuttle rides sponsored by Randolph Macon College.

"We also suggest that you go ahead and take the train into Ashland," Keaton encouraged. "So that way you can be dropped off right in the middle of all of the action without having to worry about parking at all."

More than 200 volunteers and first responders help make the free event such a success.

Click here for more information about Ashland Train Day.

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The Maya Train Will Get You to All of Yucatán’s Best Spots. But Not Yet.

In December, the train began running on its first route through Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. On a five-day journey a few months later, the author encountered enthusiasm, and scheduling hiccups.

By Elisabeth Malkin

Elisabeth Malkin has been visiting the Yucatán Peninsula for three decades.

I stepped off the platform at the gleaming new Maxcanú train station, eager to see the magnificent Maya archaeological site of Uxmal. All I needed was a taxi to take me there, a trip of about 30 miles away.

There are no taxis, said the stationmaster, as we stood on the polished limestone floors of the high-ceilinged station, which was cool and breezy despite the brilliant late-morning sun outside. And I was the third person in two weeks to get off at Maxcanú expecting to reach Uxmal, he said.

I was midway through a five-day trip to explore the brand-new Maya Train and several of its destinations in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico . Designed to run 965 miles (1,554 kilometers) around a loop of 34 stations when completed, the train will whisk passengers in cool comfort through colonial cities, archaeological sites, splashy resorts and tropical forests.

Now I was stunned. Wrangling a taxi has never been a problem in Mexico. But the drivers gathered in the main square of Maxcanú offered only beat-up vans that hopscotch through small towns, where I might or might not find a taxi to Uxmal. The next van was leaving in 45 minutes.

Yucatán’s layers of history have long held me spellbound. During earlier car trips, I have clambered up deserted Maya temples and palaces, stepped into the cool naves of massive 16th-century churches and visited restored haciendas, testaments of the ostentation — and hardship — of the peninsula’s 19th-century plantation economy. Traveling by train, I thought, would allow me to steep myself in more of that history.

But as I found in Maxcanú, a train won’t necessarily get you to where you want to go.

During my February trip, I traveled on the only route then available, an east-west leg that opened in December and runs from Cancún to Mérida, and then south through the port city of Campeche to the Maya site of Palenque (a short route between Cancún and Playa del Carmen opened last month, with three trains a day). I encountered scheduling confusion, unfinished stations and a dearth of trains — just two operating daily each way between Cancún and Campeche, and only one to Palenque. Overnight sleepers and special dining trains seem years away.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador considers the Maya Train his showcase development project, and wants to inaugurate the rest of the train before he leaves office on October 1. Based on my experience, that goal seems elusive.

A $29-billion route through the jungle

I started my journey in Cancún, where in the pre-dawn gloom the station hovered like a glowing spaceship. An attendant scanned the ticket I had bought online and a half-dozen more pointed me toward my tourist-class car, which was about a quarter full. I planned to go to Campeche, about 300 miles away, stopping once each day. At 120 kilometers (about 75 miles) an hour, the train covers the route in about six hours, the same as a car. (When construction is complete, the train’s speed should increase to 160 kilometers an hour.)

The car’s wide windows looked out at a wall of low jungle. The blue-green seats were comfortable and there was ample space between the rows. I bought a very good cappuccino at the snack bar, but declined the plastic-wrapped sandwiches. The rest of the merchandise was fruit cups, milk boxes and junk food.

The train will ultimately cost much more than the $29 billion budgeted so far, and it’s not the first time ambitious planners have alighted on the region. Cancún was once a tiny fishing village, selected half a century ago as a tourist hub. Last year 10 million international tourists flew into its airport, more than the airports of Mexico City, Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta combined.

But uncontrolled growth has stressed the Caribbean coast’s fragile environment. The Maya Train, scientists warn , will push those problems south, threatening the area’s water supply, its unique system of underground limestone caves and its vast nature reserves.

Mr. López Obrador has charged ahead, handing the train over to the military , and arguing that it will spread Cancún’s wealth and attract new visitors. Mexico received more than 42 million overseas tourists last year and they spent almost $31 billion .

Local governments see an opportunity. “The train will allow people to disperse throughout the peninsula,” said Michelle Fridman, the tourism secretary for Yucatán state, which promotes dozens of attractions far beyond highlights like Mérida and Chichén Itzá .

Now that the train is operating, transport companies will begin to connect stations with lesser-known sites nearby, she said.

It’s fair to ask whether the train is the most effective way to develop the peninsula’s tourism. Tour companies already run trips to many sites from major cities, which are well served by buses. Driving a rental car through most of the area is considered safe , according to U.S. State Department travel guidance .

Route of Mexico’s Maya Train

Canceled trip.

It took two hours (and one time-zone change) to reach Valladolid, a colonial city of handsome streets and ancient churches, where I bought the rest of my tickets at the station. A tourist-class ticket from Cancún to Valladolid costs 472 pesos (around $28) for foreigners and 355 pesos (around $21) for Mexicans. First class, with wider seats, costs 755.50 pesos and 566.50 pesos, and discounts are available for older travelers and residents of the five states along the train’s route. (A first-class bus from downtown Cancún to Valladolid costs between 222 and 344 pesos, depending on the time of day, and takes half an hour longer.)

It was impossible to run the new Maya Train tracks into dense city centers and the Valladolid station, like the rest, was outside the urban core. A waiting bus took disembarking passengers downtown, a 15-minute ride for 35 pesos.

That day I toured Ek Balam , the site of a ninth-century Maya kingdom that is dominated by a 100-foot palace distinguished by a facade of carvings depicting winged warriors, stylized animal features and geometric patterns bordered by giant fangs. Admission to the site includes entry to the X-Canché cenote, one of thousands of limestone sinkholes that were sacred to the Maya.

Later that afternoon, I was wandering through the Museum of Ethnic Clothing, a private collection of traditional dress, embroidery and hats, when a WhatsApp message from the ticket office blinked on my phone. My train scheduled for the following day was canceled.

I decided to deal with the problem in the morning and enjoy the city. As I wandered past the antique shops and boutique hotels of the elegant Calzada de los Frailes, it was clear that Valladolid’s tourism, and the infrastructure to handle it, was well established. The Maya Train is simply an alternative way to reach a city that tourists discovered years ago.

‘We’re on the Tren Maya!’

In the morning, I found that my train had not been canceled, but the station for which I had a ticket, Tixkokob, was closed. I got off instead one stop earlier at Izamal, known for its ocher streets and the giant Franciscan convent of San Antonio de Padua, built atop the ruins of a pyramid.

During the 90-minute ride, I heard widespread enthusiasm among fellow travelers who expressed a willingness to give the train time to work out the kinks. “We’re an experiment,” said Oliva Escobedo Ochoa, 64, who was vacationing from her home in central Mexico.

Leticia Iliassich, 57, who is Mexican, was traveling with her Croatian husband along with relatives from Mexico and Croatia. They had initially been scheduled on an earlier train to Mérida that had been canceled. “We knew that it was a new project,” she said. “We don’t mind.”

The group had already sent a video to friends declaring, “We’re on the Tren Maya!”

At the Izamal station I hitched a 15-minute ride into the town center with a man who had asked me to take his photo alongside the train and his father. From there I negotiated a taxi to Hacienda San Lorenzo Aké, a working hacienda that still turns the fiber from an agave plant called henequén into coarse rope. Global demand for henequén, known as Yucatán’s “green gold,” brought fantastic wealth to the region in the mid-19th century, speckling the peninsula with more than 1,000 haciendas. ( Many are now sumptuous hotels.)

Where geometry, nature and the divine merge

It was during my third day that I found myself stuck in Maxcanú, after a 90-minute train ride from Izamal. The stationmaster, an army captain, offered me a ride to Uxmal, just as he had to the stranded tourists before me.

Eying Uxmal’s 4 p.m. final ticket sale, I accepted.

My situation made it clear just how distant the Maya Train’s promises are for tourists seeking to explore more of Yucatán. In time, that will change, said Ms. Fridman, the tourism secretary. “The idea is to have more hotels along the train line,” she said. “That will happen little by little.”

But Uxmal , among the most stunning of the Maya sites, made up for the inconvenience. Uxmal’s grand buildings are faced with intricate decorative masks as well as friezes in which geometry, nature and the divine merge. New plaques at each structure offer detailed information in English and Spanish, part of the government’s investment in improving displays at Maya sites for the train project.

Most tourists either take day trips by car or bus to Uxmal from Mérida or stay at one of three nearby hotels. As I finished dinner at my hotel, the dining room began to fill up: 47 Polish tourists had arrived.

Panama hats and a cramped van

My plan for the day was to go by taxi to Bécal, a town where Panama hats are woven in limestone caves to keep the fibers soft, and then pick up the afternoon train in nearby Calkiní for the port city of Campeche.

But I spent so much time watching the hat-making demonstration and then fitting my new hat and buying gifts that we set off with little time to reach the station. To my chagrin, I missed the train, the last one of the day.

On Calkiní’s central square, I found a van that was leaving for Campeche. Cost: 65 pesos. Time: about 1 hour and 20 minutes, similar to what I would have spent on the train. Of course, I was trapped in a cramped seat and had to listen to the driver’s choice of sentimental ballads, but I was dropped off in downtown Campeche, close to my hotel.

The next day, I toured the Museum of Maya Archaeology , an expertly curated collection that included haunting jade funeral masks, glyphs and delicate ceramic figures.

José Madrigal, 45, an engineer from Fremont, Calif., was trying to make Maya pottery interesting for his twin sons. The boys had just turned 5 and their birthday present had been a ride on the Maya Train. “They love trains,” Mr. Madrigal said. Then the family moved on, keeping up a brisk clip through the museum. They had another train to catch.

Should you take the train?

Yes, if you are traveling between larger stations. The train also offers a way to get to Palenque, which is harder to reach and has roads with security concerns. Travelers can stow bicycles on board.

To see train times, check the destinations on the website . You cannot buy tickets online more than a week in advance. But when you finally board, the ride is smooth — and the coffee is excellent.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2024 .

Open Up Your World

Considering a trip, or just some armchair traveling here are some ideas..

52 Places:  Why do we travel? For food, culture, adventure, natural beauty? Our 2024 list has all those elements, and more .

Mumbai:  Spend 36 hours in this fast-changing Indian city  by exploring ancient caves, catching a concert in a former textile mill and feasting on mangoes.

Kyoto:  The Japanese city’s dry gardens offer spots for quiet contemplation  in an increasingly overtouristed destination.

Iceland:  The country markets itself as a destination to see the northern lights. But they can be elusive, as one writer recently found .

Texas:  Canoeing the Rio Grande near Big Bend National Park can be magical. But as the river dries, it’s getting harder to find where a boat will actually float .

Tsilivi.com

• Suggested Tours

starting from Tsilivi Zakynthos Zante

• Various Media & Info

Detailed timeline for Zakynthos Tour

Start your day by leaving Tsilivi and visiting Bohali hill where you can enjoy amazing views of Zakynthos town while having a drink or a bite to eat at one of the many cafes and restaurants.

Next, visit the ruins of the old Venetian Castle, surrounded by pine trees and offering tranquillity, as well as a beautiful view of Zakynthos town, the Ionian Sea and the Peloponnese.

Continue towards the renowned Strani hill, an area full of bushes, wildflowers, trees and great historical significance. This is where the poet Dionysios Solomos conceived and wrote the Greek National Anthem.

As the journey progresses, stop at Zakynthos town where you can do some shopping, visit a few museums (Byzantine and post Byzantine museum, Solomos and Kalvos museum, etc.) or enjoy a break at one of the many coffee shops on the port or in one of the lovely squares (Solomos and San Marco).

Drive through Argassi sea side tourist resort and you arrive at the beautiful, green Vassilikos village. Here you can choose between some of the most beautiful beaches on the island, like Porto Kaminia, Porto Zoro, Ionion, Banana, Agios Nikolaos, Mavrantzi, Porto Roma, Gerakas, Dafni and Sekania beach which are mostly protected by the National Marine Park as they are nesting places for the endangered turtle Caretta Caretta. In Vassilikos, there are many traditional tavernas that serve delicious Zakynthian delicacies. Have a taste while you admire the view of the blue Ionian Sea.

After this adventurous tour you can return to Tsilivi to regain your energy for another fun packed day.

No Zakynthos holiday is complete without a visit to the famous Shipwreck and the dazzling and rare Blue Caves.

You have two choices. The first one is to visit Alykes tourist resort with the many restaurants, tourist shops and anything you may need for an enjoyable holiday as well as a beautiful beach. From here you can get on one of the many boats that visit the two major attractions of the island. Alternatively, you can pass by Alykes and continue to the well known Makris Gialos beach, stop and have a swim or head towards Xigia beach and have a dip in this special water with a high sulphur content that helps with aches, pains, arthritis, cellulites, etc. From here you can head towards Agios Nikolaos or Korithi and get a boat and enjoy the amazing experience of swimming in the Shipwreck bay and the Blue Caves surrounded by water in all the shades of blue and turquoise you can imagine.

For another interesting day leave Tsilivi and visit Bohali hill where you can enjoy amazing views of Zakynthos town while having a drink or a bite at one of the many cafes and restaurants.

Continue towards the renowned Strani hill, an area full of bushes, wildflowers and trees. This is where the poet Dionysios Solomos conceived and wrote the Greek National Anthem.

Make another stop and visit Zakynthos town where you can do some shopping, visit a few museums (Byzantine and post Byzantine museum, Solomos and Kalvos museum, etc.) or enjoy a break at one of the many coffee shops on the port or in Solomos or San Marco square.

As the journey progresses pass through Kalamaki family tourist resort renowned for its long beach that is a nest area for the endangered Caretta Caretta turtles and the busy Laganas with the many bars and nightclubs.

Continue to the quiet and secluded Agios Sostis and Porto Koukla resorts and then you reach Keri village. There you can take a boat trip and visit the beautiful Keri Caves, rent a boat and visit Marathonisi Island (also known as Turtle Island) on your own or even take some diving lessons and explore the majestic underwater world close by. You can also just relax on the beach of Marathia and take in the sun. After a tasty meal of fresh fish or Zakynthian homemade dishes you can return to Tsilivi for some shut eye. Return to Tsilivi with many photographs and lovely experiences.

How about a day in the mountains of Zakynthos? Start from Tsilivi and drive to Maherado village where you can admire the Saint Mavra church, a basilica with an imposing Venetian belfry built in a way that every bell ring can be heard throughout Zakynthos. Close by you will find the Monastery of Eleftherotria where you can get embroideries and other handmade objects crafted by the nuns.

As you continue your journey you reach Koiliomeno village with the church of Agios Nikolaos and the unique stone-carved belfry of 1893 that is well worth admiring.

At a short distance you will see the Monastery of Yperagathos which belongs to the original Monastery of Sina where God is said to have given the 10 commandments to Moses.

After, you will reach the village of Agios Leontas. Here you can stop and have a swim in Porto Roxa or Limniona. These are not beaches but rocky points from where you can dive into fabulously blue coloured, cold waters, very deep but also very clear. Don't forget to get a bite at the traditional Zakynthian taverna located on top of the rocky point at Limniona. You can also enjoy a tasty traditional meal at Kambi Cross while admiring the breathtaking view of the endless blue of the Ionian Sea.

Next, you can make a stop at Exo Hora village and check out the Platanos square with the 2000 year old olive tree.

It's time for a swim so head towards Maries village where you will find Porto Vromi, a lovely pebbled beach with clear waters. Relax on the beach or go on a boat trip to the Shipwreck and nearby caves and secluded beaches.

In order to return to Tsilivi, take the road through Katastari village, the biggest village of the Island and have a glimpse of the church Virgin Mary of Katastara and the village square. Head towards the area called Hartata and admire the monastery of St Ioannis the Baptist, built in the 16th century which offers an uninterrupted view to the nearby island of Kefalonia and the coast of the Peloponese.

After this last stop, return to Tsilivi feeling full of experiences and beautiful memories.

Two nights, three provinces, and 1,600 miles. A sleeper train through Maritime Canada is slow travel at its best.

Via rail’s sleepy eastern route brings travelers through rural villages and towns in quebec, new brunswick, and nova scotia..

C HARLO, New Brunswick — I woke up with the sun peeking through the curtains of my sleeper car, and I couldn’t wait to see what was happening on the other side. I felt like a kid on Christmas morning, a kid with noticeable flecks of gray hair in his bedhead, but a kid just the same. I sat up, wrapped myself in the bed’s comforter like a burrito, and yanked back the drapes.

I was suddenly looking at a sunny snowscape in northern New Brunswick. This was a thrill because when I boarded the Via Rail train at Montreal Central Station the day before, there was no snow, and the sky was the color of dishwater. Having experienced little to no winter in Boston, seeing this Bing Crosby landscape was a refreshing change of pace.

While I slowly woke up, the train rumbled along the tracks, and I watched the broad blue expanse of Chaleur Bay slowly pass by. Across the water, the hills and cliffs of the Gaspé and Acadian peninsulas were visible. It was as if the entire scene had been timed perfectly for the morning entertainment of the train’s passengers.

I was traveling Via Rail Canada’s Ocean route from Montreal to Halifax. The train wasn’t as glamorous as the Rocky Mountaineer, nor was the scenery as grand as the Winnipeg to Churchill trip. But Via Rail’s 22-hour route is a lovely travel throwback with gorgeous scenery. Thanks to the strength of the US dollar against the Canadian dollar, I was able to score a sleeper car with a private bathroom (complete with a shower) for $400 a night. It also helped that I was traveling during mud season. Rates go up during the summer and into foliage season.

The fare included all meals, which were served in the dining car on actual plates with actual flatware. I reasoned that I was getting a room, all meals, and the constant entertainment of the ever-changing landscape for $400 a night. That seemed like a decent deal. I decided to book my return to Montreal on the train as well. That would give me a solid 44 hours on board.

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The train departed Montreal at 7 p.m. on Friday and was scheduled to arrive in Halifax at 5:51 p.m on Saturday. I was curious to see how Via Rail, Canada’s national rail company, compared with Amtrak, particularly its sleeper cars. As I cased out my room, I watched the Farine Five Roses sign and the rest of the Montreal skyline disappear behind us. My cabin was designed for two people, but I wanted a room with an en suite bath and shower. The cabin was about 30 square feet (not including the bathroom). It had a sofa that folded down to a bed, with a bunk bed that folded down above it. There was a narrow closet, and in the bathroom, there were towels, a bottle of shampoo, and a bar of soap.

It wasn’t the Ritz, but it was clean and cozy. These cars were built for the canceled European Nightstar train service in the late 1990s. The trains would have used the Chunnel to take passengers from London to cities in mainland Europe. When the project failed to materialize, Via Rail bought the cars and shipped them to Canada in 2000. Despite being in service for nearly 25 years, the train was in good shape.

After inspecting and unpacking, it was dinner time. We were well on our way to Quebec City by the time I sat down and perused the menu. I opted for leek-crusted chicken with wild rice pilaf and roasted butternut squash. This was better than any meal I had ever consumed on an Amtrak train . I was seated with a retired sports editor (pure coincidence) from New York. He had taken most of the Amtrak overnight trains in the United States and now wanted to sample Canada’s offerings.

He agreed with me that the food was better than Amtrak, and the train cars were generally in better condition, but he pointed out something I hadn’t noticed: The staff was much friendlier than the staff on Amtrak, and it made a huge difference. One of my chief complaints, particularly on Amtrak’s Silver Meteor, is that the staff often seemed surly.

By the time I finished dinner and returned to my room, the attendant had made up the bed. I decided I would try sleeping in the bunk, but I quickly soured on the idea when I realized the only way in and out was a narrow ladder. The bunk seemed a bit high for my liking. I folded it back and slept on the lower bed. The bed is 6 feet long and about 2½ feet wide, so it may not be ideal for taller passengers. The mattress was comfortable, and the comforter was wonderfully thick. Each cabin has individual temperature controls, so even though the temperature was in the single digits outside, I was tucked away comfortably for the night. I’m a light sleeper, but I dozed off quickly.

The next morning, it was time to test the shower. To my shock and delight, the water was hot enough, and the pressure wasn’t bad. I went to the dining car and tried the breakfast poutine. I concluded that poutine is a perfect all-day meal. I wrote “open 24-hour poutine restaurant” in my notebook and watched as the train gradually made its way inland. My breakfast companion was a retired teacher from Montreal who was going to visit her grandchildren in Halifax.

“Don’t you dare write anything bad about this train,” she sternly warned me as only a teacher could. “It’s my favorite way to get to Nova Scotia. If it shuts down I’ll blame you.”

The scenery out the window was always changing. When I left Montreal, it was gray. Coastal New Brunswick was snowy and bright, and as the train descended south, the snow disappeared, and the sky darkened. By the time we neared the Bay of Fundy, it was snowing, and then it was raining, and then the sun started peaking out.

The biggest frustration was that the train was running two hours behind schedule. I had made dinner reservations in Halifax for Saturday night but missed them because of the delay. I had one night in the city before getting back on the train the next day and lost precious time.

Another frustration I faced was that the train’s observation car was no longer used. One of the best parts of taking a scenic train is, well, watching the scenery. I could still see the countryside from my room, the lounge, or the restaurant, but the glass-domed observation car on the Ocean route was removed two years ago because of a track change in Halifax. Having that car would have made the experience even more special.

I got back on the train Sunday afternoon, settled into my new room, which was identical to the previous one, and headed back to the cafe car for lunch. All of this investigative reporting was really adding inches to my waistline. I tried the gnocchi pomodoro and decided to treat myself to a glass of local wine. Unlike Amtrak, alcohol is not free in Via Rail’s sleeper class. Again, I was impressed with the menu options, service, and food.

I watched the small towns blur past from the lounge car, one of the few places on the train where the internet was available. Even so, it was usually empty. The pace of train travel, devoid of the internet, is a rare treat. Eventually, a pair of sisters came into the lounge car and asked me if I wanted to play cards with them. I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I played cards, so I put down my camera and began a game of rummy. I can imagine that this was what travel was like before planes or even cars. Without screens, I was actually looking up, talking to people, and playing a game that wasn’t on my phone.

That night, before I went to bed, I opened my laptop and started scrolling through the photos I’d taken throughout the trip. I frantically scrolled up and down, looking for a big “wow” photo. I needed a picture with pizazz. Then I stopped scrolling and looked at the pictures together. This trip wasn’t about flashy sites or Instagrammable moments. It was a long weekend of fluffy waffles, snow banks, blue rivers, and expansive brown fields.

Mostly, however, it was about taking a moment to slow down and breathe.

Christopher Muther can be reached at [email protected] . Follow him @Chris_Muther and Instagram @chris_muther.

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Hi all, advice needed please. Is Tsilivi a large resort, is it hilly, is it full of English bars and tribute acts at night or is it a mixture of bars and local tavernas, is there a bus that runs through the main road of the resort from one end to the other? A few questions there I know, but I want to make sure I will be going to somewhere we’ll like as it will be our Silver Wedding anniversary holiday at the end of September. I’ll have more questions later on! Thanks for reading.

17 replies to this topic

Tsilivi is a lovely resort. It caters for everyone & many people return year after year because they love it so much. We have been 4 times & are going again in September. There are loads of lovely restaurants catering for all tastes. Lots of them have Greek nights with dancers & plate smashing. The Main Street is on the the flat & this leads to the long sandy beach with lots of sunbeds & places to eat & drink. There are also quite a few hotels which are beachfront. There is no bus that runs through the resort but there is a bus that goes to Zante town which is well worth a visit. Some hotels & apartments are up a hill but it’s not that steep. If you are on Facebook have a look at We love Tsilivi group & you will get a great insight to the place. You can also put any questions you have on this group & you will get lots of replies. Hope this helps.

I agree with all of the above. Tsilivi has something for everyone.

Take a look through this information and enjoy an aerial tour of Tsilivi. See if the landscape suits you.

https://www.justzante.co.uk/tsilivi.htm

Thanks for all the advice.

That said if you just want to use it as a base rent a car and drive around the island as unlike many Greek islands it has a lot or greenery. Car rental is now expensive. I found the best value was Autoprime at 50 euros a day fully insured. Check your travel company prior to leaving as ours was showing 35 euros if you booked before leaving. But only do it through your travel company I wouldn’t risk on-line as commentators here have found there is no car when they turn up. I found Vasilikos a nice area (30 mins drive) and there is a tiny bay called Plaka Beach just up from Banana Beach . Google Punta Basta beach bar and you are there. Very few people go there. 15 euros for two longers and an umbrella. Stop off at the Coffee House in Vasilikos for breakfast or lunch or an evening meal.

I have written this because I met folk who were completely shocked by what they found when they got here. However if you want music, food and lots of people drinking this is for you.

Be aware it’s a long transfer to Elounda too, if on a package deal ☹️……

Tsilivi isn't pretty pretty it's a resort which caters for young and old and offers something for everyone.Its not Kavos or Laganas it's lovely in some areas and quiet in others.Is it romantic ? Not really but offers so much.Food fab and yes it's Greek.Super clear waters.Transfer time short.

Parga is beautiful but much quieter.Lindos lovely again quieter.

It's a question of horses for courses.

Good luck in your search

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Tsilivi (Planos) Hotels and Places to Stay

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