Skinaria can be understood in terms of the village itself and its wider surroundings: the Blue Caves and the lighthouse are at nearby Cape Skinari, while churches and regional products are part of the context of Volimes. The wider island of Zakynthos offers further cultural and landscape connections. This geographical distinction helps set the village apart from nearby places to visit and the island’s wider range of attractions.
Skinaria and its points of reference
Skinaria is 28 kilometres southeast of Zakynthos Town and five kilometres east of Ano Volimes. These figures provide two different points of reference: the island’s main town and the village of Ano Volimes. The Blue Caves and the lighthouse are in the vicinity of the cape; they are not the same as the village of Skinaria.
Blue Caves and boat trips
The Blue Caves are in the Aspros Vrahos area at Cape Skinari, on the eastern coast of the cape. Small boats travel from the port of Agios Nikolaos in Volimes to the caves. This gives you a specific departure point for boat trips; check current departures locally. The caves can thus be understood as a destination nearby, while detailed tour planning starts at the port.
The history of the Skinari lighthouse
The Skinari lighthouse at Cape Skinari began operating in 1897, using petroleum as its energy source. During the Second World War, it was out of service after its lighting equipment was stolen. In 1945, it resumed operation as a monitored lighthouse powered by petroleum. Electrification and the replacement of the petroleum equipment followed in 1980; the lighthouse then operated as a monitored electric lighthouse. Its opening, wartime interruption and technical conversion thus form three distinct stages in its history.
Volimes: churches, products and crafts
The wider region also includes the Monastery of Agios Georgios sta Gremna, founded in 1535. The churches of Agia Paraskevi, Agios Theodosios and Agios Spyridon are in the lower village of Volimes. These sites complement the focus on the cape with religious history and churches in the surrounding area.
The products of the local community of Volimes also add a distinctive dimension to the wider context. Local dairies and home workshops make the well-known Zakynthian Ladotyri cheese. Home workshops also produce wine and honey, as well as handmade lace and kilims. Cheese, other food products and textiles thus offer different ways to explore the community of Volimes, alongside its churches and monastery.
Zakynthos in a wider context
Across Zakynthos as a whole, there is more to discover beyond the area around Skinaria. The Museum of Zakynthos displays works of the Cretan School, Cretan-Ionian icons and works of Ionian naturalism dating from the 15th to the 19th century. On the ground floor of the Museum of Solomos and Eminent Zakynthians, the mausoleum has housed the remains of national poets Andreas Kalvos and Dionysios Solomos since 1968.
Lake Keri offers a different kind of landscape: it is a wetland protected under the Ramsar Convention, a Natura site and a protected area within the Zakynthos National Marine Park. The port of Agios Nikolaos in Volimes is also a seaport on Zakynthos and connects the island to Kefalonia by ferry. Check current departures when planning your trip. The ferry service is distinct from the small boats that travel from the port to the Blue Caves.
Discover more destinations
Discover more destinations: Zakinthos, Tragaki, KampĂon, Romiri, Alikanás, Marathias, Lithakia, Askos
For the main travel overview: Zakynthos.
