Zaros

View and book hotels in Zaros. Click here.

Zaros by the lake Votomos

Zaros area map

The gorge of Rouvas is starting just north of the village and can be the start or more approprietly the end of a hike through this beautiful gorge.

There is small lake north of Zaros, a favourite gathering spot all year but one can say, crowded with weekend visitors. The taverna at the lake serves delicious food and a relaxing setting to enjoy your drinks around the lake of Votomos.

Trout and Salmon culture is the inn thing in Zaros with at least two tavernas serving "home grown" fish.

Finding accommodation in Zaros is easy since there choice of hotels and apartments. Elaionas Hotel just north west of the village in the gorge of Rouvas can be the first choice while Keramos Hotel inside the village is another popular alternative. Most hotels are open all year as Zaros frequently gets plenty of snow as well.

Click on the links above to view the hotels in Zaros. You can book your rooms on line now.

Staying in Zaros is a pleasant experience wheather you decide to stay in the village and enjoy the local life and it's virtues or take an excursion or two.

The gorge of Rouvas is a must if you are staying here. Walking up the gorge, of course, can be much more difficult compared to walking it from Rouvas to Zaros, but it will surelly reward you with breathtaking scenery.

While in the gorge or by the lake do not forget to pay a visit to the monastery of Agios Nikolaos with some interesting paintings.

Walking in the village itself is another pleasure, getting to know the neighbourhoods and its hospitable people always ready to welcome you.

Do something different. Visit the two Monasteries nearby. Vrondisi and Valsamonero are two important establishments in the area with a lot of history worth exploring and several paintings from the famous Cretan School of the 15th century. Tradition says that El Greco was one of the students in Vrondisi under the guidance of Michail Damaskinos, another famous painter of Crete.

To get to Vrondisi you have to take the road going west from Zaros direction Voriza.

Further on, past the village of Voriza, you arrive at Kamares the village further west on the cliff of Psiloritis, a start to your visit of the Kamares cave - a good three hours walk on steep path - that gave precious items of the Minoan era, one of which the Kamaraic vase is exhibited at the Heraklion Museum.

South of Zaros you can visit all the intersting sites of Phaestos, Gortys, Agia Triada, Agioi Deka or pay a visit to Matala and Agia Galini. Both places have nice beaches.

The good quality spring water of Zaros is bottled today and distributed all over southern Greece. The bottling plant at the western ouskirts of the village is open all year. You can visit the plant and can ask to be shown around. And you can claim souvenir of your visit, a botlle of freshly bottled Zaros spring water.