Agios Leon is a small village located on the western side of Zakynthos Island. Thousands of tourists pass through this village daily to reach the rocky beaches of Porto Limnionas and Porto Roxa, unfortunately often ignoring the features that make Agios Leon a place definitely worth spending some time at. Let’s see them in detail.

What to Do in Agios Leon

Cheese Tasting

For cheese lovers, Agios Leon is a mandatory stop while staying on Zakynthos Island. In fact, just outside the town, there is the only cheese factory in Zakynthos. Open every day from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., it is possible to taste various types of cheese for free including: Feta, Prentza, Graviera, Ladograviera and Ladotiri. More info: “Basta Cheese Factory“

Breakfast With Tsoureki and Cold Espresso

On the village main street, there is a pastry shop that makes excellent tsoureki, a sweet bread typical of Greek cuisine. If you haven’t had breakfast in the morning, we recommend you stop here and try the simple or chocolate tsoureki with cold espresso: you won’t be disappointed.

The Village Bread (Choriatiko)

A little further down from the pastry shop, there is a small bakery that makes “Choriatiko”, a local bread baked in a wood oven. If arriving in the morning, there is a pretty good chance of finding it still warm. Nikos the baker uses only olive wood for the oven and starts preparation around 2 am, with the baking of the bread taking 40-50 minutes.

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Tasting

The “Vounò” oil mill was founded in 1971 from the collaboration of five local families. Each bottle of extra virgin “Vouno” oil is the result of experience and teamwork and represents the heart of the Zakynthos mountains. The harvest in fact comes exclusively from the surrounding mountains.

Church

The church of Agios Leon dates back to the 14th century and is dedicated to Saint Leone, bishop of Catania (720-789). Its most notable feature is the bell-tower, a converted mill, whose loggia at the top offers a beautiful view of the town below.

The Old Village

The old Agios Leon Village is located behind the bakery. It consists of a few mostly abandoned houses, some from pre-seismic times; in fact in 1953, a powerful earthquake destroyed almost all of Zakynthos Island. Walking through these streets, you can picture how slowly life went by in this area of ​​the island.

What to Do Around Agios Leon

Porto Limnionas

Porto Limnionas is located just 6 km from Agios Leon. It can be accessed through a winding road with a series of hairpin bends, but the landscape that opens up during the descent is truly enchanting. Although Porto Limnionas is referred to as a “beach” (like almost all coves on the western coast of Zakynthos), it is actually rocky. A restaurant provides deck chairs and umbrellas for a fee, but you can also spread your towel on the rocks for free. Thanks to a source of fresh water that flows straight into the sea from a karst-marine cave, the water has the color of a swimming pool but it is also colder than in other areas. Furthermore, the seabed drops abruptly and immediately becomes deep, making it not ideal for children. Since 2019, it is also possible to practice PADI certified diving. More info on: Diving in Zante.

Porto Roxa

Porto Roxa is located only 1.5 Km from Porto Limnionas. The unique amenities of this natural fjord are the rocking beds, where you can be lulled by the sound of the waves crashing on the coast and the diving platforms, from where you can dive into the clear water during the hottest hours of the day. Here too, as in Porto Limnionas, the seabed drops abruptly and immediately becomes deep, consequently making it not suitable for children.

Exo Chora

Continuing north from Agios Leon, you arrive at Exo Chora, a village of 100 residents famous for the oldest olive tree in Zakynthos. Actually, not too many people know that this village has much more to offer. More info on: “What to Do in Exo Chora and Its Surrounding Areas“.

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

Directly ask Zakynthos residents on the Facebook group: Welcometozante.