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Visiting Zakynthos in December

BySunMed Guide

Visiting Zakynthos in December

Weather in December: Average high 9.7°C, 65mm rainfall.

# Zakynthos in December: What It’s Actually Like

Let’s be straight with you: December in Zakynthos is not the postcard version. The famous turquoise water is still there, but you’re unlikely to be swimming in it when the temperature is hovering around 10°C and the sky has that heavy, grey permanence that settles over the Mediterranean in winter.

The rain is real. Sixty-five millimetres across the month means you’ll almost certainly catch a few properly wet days, not just a brief shower before sunshine. Pack accordingly and mentally prepare for a day or two genuinely stuck inside somewhere.

What you get in exchange is a place that actually breathes. The summer crowds that turn Laganas into a sweaty, sunburned chaos are completely gone. Navagio Beach, that iconic shipwreck cove on every screensaver, is inaccessible by boat most of December due to rough seas anyway, so temper your expectations there. But the hilltop villages, the olive groves, the harbour at Zakynthos Town — they belong to you in a way they never would in August.

Speaking of what’s open: honestly, not everything. Many beach bars, water sports centres and tourist-facing restaurants have shuttered until April. However, Zakynthos Town itself functions perfectly well as a real Ionian town rather than a resort. Local tavernas, kafeneions and bakeries are open. The Venetian-influenced architecture, often overlooked when everyone’s racing to the beach, is worth proper attention.

This trip suits you if you’re interested in slow travel, hiking the quieter inland paths, eating actual Greek food without a laminated tourist menu, or simply wanting somewhere peaceful and affordable to decompress in winter. Flights and accommodation are dramatically cheaper. A hotel that costs €200 a night in July might run €50.

It does not suit you if sunshine and swimming are non-negotiable.

**One practical tip:** Rent a car. Public transport is skeletal in winter and the island’s best parts — the monastery at Anafonitria, the views near Keri — require wheels. Don’t assume you’ll manage without one. You won’t.

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