Kipseli: Orange Groves, Olive Mill and Vardiola

Kipseli lies in the northeast of Zakynthos, near the popular resort of Tsilivi. The village was formerly called Belousi; this name is still commonly used among Zakynthians. A description from 2021 portrays Kipseli as surrounded by lush vegetation and numerous orange groves. Another description from the same year mentions a small beach near Kipseli with a mix of sand and pebbles. When choosing a place to stay, you can therefore experience both green surroundings and coastal scenery as distinct impressions.

Olive oil and a local product

Liotrivi Olive Mill invites visitors to tour the mill and sample its olive oils. Check the details with the business. Another culinary speciality is the sweet Belousiotiko onion, for which Kipseli is known and which is grown in the municipal area. Oil and onion represent two different local connections: the mill offers a specific visitor experience, while Belousiotiko is a local produce. Both can play a role in choosing your travel focus, alongside scenery and history.

Fountain, Vardiola and village history

An old fountain lies among the lanes; it once supplied the villagers’ water needs. Kipseli’s Vardiola offers a different historical perspective: it dates from the 16th century, has a pyramidal roof and two loopholes on each side. The chapel of Agios Charalambos is located near the Vardiola. The fountain and the Vardiola differ clearly in subject: the former recalls the village’s past water supply, while the latter offers a distinct architectural focal point through its form and date.

Zakynthos beyond Kipseli

Beyond Kipseli, Zakynthos offers other themes of a different kind. The Museum of Zakynthos displays works of the Cretan School, Cretan-Ionian icons and works of Ionian Naturalism from the 15th to the 19th century. The Blue Caves are in the Aspros Vrachos area at Cape Skinari. Keri Lake is a wetland protected under the Ramsar Convention, a Natura site and a nature reserve within the Zakynthos National Marine Park. In Volimes, Zakynthian Ladotyri cheese is also made in dairies and home workshops and offered as a local product; the Monastery of Agios Georgios sta Gremna there was founded in 1535. The island thus brings together art history, nature, coastal scenery and local products alongside the specific impressions of Kipseli. The port of Agios Nikolaos in Volimes is a sea gateway and connects Zakynthos with Kefalonia by ferry; check the timetable in advance.

When choosing a holiday apartment, you can weigh these themes according to the kind of trip you want: should Kipseli’s local character be the deciding factor, or would you prefer to include a wider range of cultural and natural themes across Zakynthos?

Discover more destinations: Ampelokipoi, Askos, Kallithea, Agios Leon, Vasilikos, Kalamaki, Zakinthos, Alikanás

Go to the overview of destinations: Zakynthos.