Zaros - Heraklion, Crete

Zaros is a mountain village in Heraklion prefecture, central Crete, on the southern slopes of the Idi range below Mount Psiloritis, the highest mountain in Crete. Zaros is famous for its spring water, and its name is said to come from 2 ancient Greek words, "za" and "rous", meaning "much water flow".

Zaros Spring Water

Zaros is known across Greece for its natural spring water, which has supplied the area for thousands of years. Remains of the Roman aqueducts and ceramic water channels that carried Zaros water to ancient Gortys can still be seen in the village. The springs also supply the village itself, so if you stay in Zaros your morning shower is pure spring water!

Water is never far away in Zaros. Small streams and channels run through the village, carrying the spring water down towards the Fragma dam below.

If you've visited Crete before, you have probably seen the name Zaros on bottled water. The water is bottled by Votomos S.A. at a plant just outside the village, and the company still sells Zaros water today.

The abundant water keeps the area around Zaros green even in midsummer.

Where Zaros Is

Zaros lies at an altitude of 340 m, about 45 km from Heraklion. About 1,750 people lived in the village at the 2021 census, and about 2,550 in the wider Zaros municipal unit, including a few foreigners who love it so much they have settled there.

The central location of Zaros makes it a good base for exploring most of Crete. The south coast beaches of Matala, Kommos and Kalamaki are close by, and Agia Galini is a drive away. The archaeological sites of Phaistos, Gortyna and Agia Triada are near, and Knossos is within reach.

Many Byzantine churches and monasteries stand in and around Zaros. The monastery of Agios Nikolaos is open to the public, and so is the monastery of Agios Fanourios, an early school of religious painting that El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) is said to have attended.

Lake Votomos and the Fragma

Lake Votomos is a small lake just north of Zaros, fed by the Votomos spring and surrounded by olive and carob trees. It makes a perfect picnic spot, with ducks and geese to feed your leftover lunch to.

The Fragma is a dam and reservoir below Kato Zaros, which attracts many water birds, including hundreds of coots and moorhens. The water covered a valley of olive and almond trees and even an old Byzantine church, and the tops of the drowned olive trees can still show above the water.

Zacharioudakis Winery

Zacharioudakis Winery stands on the hill of Orthi Petra, at an altitude of 500 m beside the settlement of Plouti, just north of ancient Gortyna. The area has grown grapes and made wine since ancient times, and grape-treading tanks carved into the rock have been found near the settlement. Planting of the vineyard began in 2003, on terraces cut into the steep hillside. The winery building houses every stage of wine making, from vinification to bottling and ageing.

The vineyard grows both local Cretan and international grape varieties:

• Red wine grapes: Kotsifali, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
• White wine grapes: Vilana, Vidiano, Sauvignon Blanc, Malvasia di Candia and Malvasia di Candia Aromatica.

The tasting area looks out over the Messara Plain and the Libyan Sea as well as the Idi range and Mount Psiloritis. At harvest time, visitors can join traditional grape treading, though the juice is not used for the winery's wines. We loved our visit to the winery.

The Zacharioudakis Winery visit page says the vineyard and winery are open to visitors all year, with wine tastings booked through the same page (checked October 2026). The site gives no fixed opening hours, so book before you go. Our guide to Cretan wine covers the island's grape varieties and other wineries.

Rouvas Gorge

The Rouvas Gorge, also called the Zaros Gorge, lies above the village and leads up to the protected Rouvas Forest, the oldest oak forest on Crete. Walkers and trekkers on the E4 European walking path across Crete pass through Zaros, and there are many other scenic walks around the village.

In spring the hills around Zaros fill with flowers, including rare orchids, fields of purple anemones, red poppies and violet irises. They make perfect subjects for photographers and artists.

Wild herbs cover the hillsides and scent the air around Zaros. We were told that 2 eagles nest above the Rouvas Gorge too.

Village Life in Zaros

Zaros has a number of small shops and craftspeople, including a folk craft shop, artists and icon painters. When we visited, the friendly owner of the folk craft shop, which sells traditional embroidery and colourful woven goods, demonstrated traditional crafts for us.

Antonis Stefanakis has made traditional Cretan and Greek musical instruments for many years. Guests at Nana Apartments, run by his family, can see the instruments, learn about them and buy one.

The Lavender shop in Zaros sold herbs, honey, olive oil and other traditional Cretan products when we last wrote about the village. Herbal teas, honey, olive oil and handmade goods such as hand-painted icons, embroidered linen and woven textiles are all on sale in the village.

Accommodation in Zaros

Accommodation in Zaros ranges from a traditional family guesthouse to modern apartments and a family-run hotel.

Studios Keramos

Studios Keramos is a traditional family guesthouse with clean, comfortable, traditionally furnished rooms. The owner, Katerina, is famous for her huge homemade breakfast, made with produce from the family farm and garden.

Breakfast includes traditional Cretan pastries, breads and cheese pies, homemade goat's cheese, fresh farm milk and eggs collected that morning, with Greek coffee or Cretan mountain tea. Guests are made to feel very much at home.

Nana Apartments

Nana Apartments are modern, airy apartments with views of the Idi range and Mount Psiloritis, a contrast to the traditional rooms of Keramos. The Stefanakis family has run them since 2006, just off the main street near the centre of Zaros.

The complex has just 5 apartments, more like bungalows than flats, so it never feels crowded. Each sleeps up to 5 people and has 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room and a patio with a small garden. The owner has also hosted traditional Cretan evenings, playing the music himself.

Hotel Idi

Hotel Idi is a family-run hotel founded in 1980, on the road from Zaros to Lake Votomos.

Where to Eat in Zaros

The 2 tavernas we know in Zaros are Vegera, for home-cooked and vegetarian dishes, and Votomos, for fresh trout and salmon.

Vegera Taverna

Vegera (which we used to spell Vegerra) is a small taverna in the heart of Zaros, run by Vivi, of the same family as Studios Keramos. It is not a vegetarian restaurant, but it has more vegetarian and vegan dishes than the typical Greek taverna, cooked with seasonal, organic, home-grown vegetables.

Vegetarians and meat eaters alike will find well-presented, reasonably priced home-cooked dishes. Our review of Vegera Taverna in Zaros describes the food in more detail.

Votomos Taverna

Votomos Taverna is known for fresh trout and salmon from its own fish farm beside the restaurant. From Zaros village, it lies past the Hotel Idi on the road to Lake Votomos. The menu also has the usual traditional taverna dishes, and the owner, George, and his staff are warm and generous hosts. Yammas!

You can watch the fish in their large tanks, and on our visit a grey heron was watching them too from above the farm. The restaurant at Hotel Idi is now run by Votomos Taverna as well.

We love Zaros and encourage visitors to explore the village and the country around it.