Zakynthos

This is a general guide to Zakynthos, but with special emphasis on the island's countryside and the National Marine Park. It covers getting there and getting about, recommended accommodation and restaurants (with price guides), practicalities A-Z, history, customs and traditions, religious festivals, and all the major sights.There are five car tours (with fold-out touring maps), highlighting places where you can stop for a walk or just a stroll to a lovely picnic setting. Much of the book is devoted to over 20 main walks, each with several variations and charmingly 'mapped out' with the author's own 3D drawings. But even non-walkers will appreciate the walking section: while the walk descriptions themselves are brief, each walk is followed by two facing pages focussing on the island's geology, habitats, agriculture, flora and wildlife - all illustrated (there are over 10 photographs for each walk). The author is a biologist who has lived on the island for over a decade, working with various governmental departments and the newly established Marine National Park; she is particularly interested in sea turtle research and conservation of the island's many habitats.