Emergencies in Zante

Good to Know

• 112 works from any phone in Greece — even with no SIM card, no credit, or no signal from your own network — and is the safest default number if you're unsure which service you need or don't speak Greek.
• On an island like Zakynthos, ambulance and fire response times can be longer than in Athens or Thessaloniki; if you're in a remote part of the island, it helps to also alert your accommodation, a local health centre, or the harbour master at the same time as calling for help.
• If a local police officer answering 100 doesn't speak English, you can ask to be transferred to Tourist Police, or simply use 112 instead, since its operators are trained in English.
• The official mAiGreece app is a genuinely useful download before you land — it has a one-tap 112 button that sends your GPS location directly to Greece's civil protection centre.
• Zakynthos has only one hospital for the entire island, located in Gaitani near Zakynthos Town — for serious trauma, cardiac events, strokes, or complex injuries, expect possible transfer to mainland hospitals in Patras or Athens.
• Call 112 (the pan-European emergency number) for police, fire, or ambulance — English-speaking operators are generally available.
• EU citizens can use an EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) for free or reduced-cost treatment at this public hospital; non-EU visitors should carry travel/medical insurance since they will likely be billed directly.
• If evacuation to the mainland is needed, this typically happens via ferry/road ambulance to Killini/Patras or, for critical cases, air ambulance/helicopter to Athens — factor this into your medical insurance and evacuation coverage before arrival.