Where to look
Navagio & Scenic Wonders
Scenery lovers · Boat trip enthusiasts · Photography fans · Iconic landmark visitors Navagio Beach is one of the most extraordinary natural and man-made spectacles in the Mediterranean. The rusting wreck of the MV Panagiotis (a cigarette smuggler's boat run aground in 1980) lies on a beach of brilliant white pebbles, enclosed by vertical white limestone cliffs that rise 200m on all sides — entirely cut off from land. The water inside the bay shifts from turquoise to deep blue. It is genuinely one of the most beautiful places in Greece. The viewpoint above the cliff (accessible by car via a rough track from Anafonitria) gives the famous aerial perspective — the entire bay visible from above, with the wreck and the beach as a tableau below. The view is best in morning light (looking east) before midday crowds arrive. The boat trip from Porto Vromi (15 minutes each way) gives the closest access and allows swimming time in the bay. Longer trips from Zakynthos Town include the Blue Caves.
Sea Turtle Lovers & Nature Enthusiasts
Wildlife lovers · Conservation enthusiasts · Snorkellers · Nature photographers Zakynthos's Laganas Bay is one of the most important sea turtle nesting sites in the Mediterranean — one of the last remaining strongholds of the caretta caretta loggerhead turtle in Europe. The Mediterranean Marine Park of Zakynthos (the first marine park established in the Mediterranean, in 1999) protects the nesting beaches and the marine environment of the bay. Female turtles come ashore at night from May through August to lay eggs, returning 50–60 days later when the hatchlings emerge. Daytime snorkelling and boat trips in Laganas Bay regularly encounter turtles — the protected waters provide clean, shallow feeding grounds. The ARCHELON information point near Laganas has outstanding displays and the organisation runs volunteer turtle-monitoring programmes for those who want to contribute. Sightseeing boats in Laganas Bay must follow strict approach distances. Swimming on the nesting beaches at night is prohibited during nesting season — designated observation nights allow responsible wildlife watching.
Beach & Sun Seekers
Beach lovers · Swimmers · Blue water enthusiasts · Snorkellers Zakynthos has some of the finest beach scenery in the Ionian Islands. Navagio is only accessible by boat but the visual experience is incomparable. Porto Zoro on the east coast is a beautiful pebble cove with brilliant turquoise water and good snorkelling. Banana Beach (officially Agios Ioannis) is one of the island's longest sandy beaches with excellent organisation and watersports. The east coast beaches — sheltered from the prevailing westerly winds — have consistently calm, warm water. The Blue Caves on the north coast, near Cape Skinari, are sea caves where the light enters through underwater openings and reflects brilliant blue on the cave interior — the effect is most dramatic in morning light (10–11am). The caves are visited by small boat from the cape or from Agios Nikolaos. Xigia Beach on the north coast has natural sulphur springs that bubble up through the sea floor — the water feels warm and slightly oily (beneficial for skin conditions, locally claimed) and has an unusual sulphurous smell.
Party & Nightlife
18–30s crowd · British holiday partygoers · Club and bar strip lovers Laganas on the south coast is Zakynthos's party resort — a strip of bars, clubs and restaurants that caters almost exclusively to the 18–28 UK tourist market throughout July and August. The atmosphere is intense and the bars operate from sunset through dawn. It is one of the more famous party resorts in the Ionian Islands, rivalling Kavos on Corfu for the concentration and intensity of nightlife. It is worth noting that the party strip of Laganas is directly adjacent to the sea turtle nesting beaches — an ongoing tension between the tourism industry and conservation. Responsible visitors should follow Marine Park regulations at all times (no lighting on beaches at night, no beach furniture on nesting areas, no contact with turtles). The party itself is genuinely lively; the coexistence with the turtle park is complex and fragile.
Romantic Couples
Couples · Honeymooners · Special occasions · Ionian sunset seekers Zakynthos has several exceptionally romantic settings. The village of Keri, in the southwest, sits on clifftops above the sea with extraordinary views towards Marathonisi (Turtle Island) and the open Ionian — one of the most beautiful sunset viewpoints on the island. The lighthouse above Keri has a panoramic terrace. The Blue Caves at sunrise, approached by small boat from a deserted cape, have a quiet, otherworldly beauty. Zakynthos Town (Zante Town), rebuilt after the catastrophic 1953 earthquake in a Venetian-influenced style, has a beautiful neoclassical waterfront and a cathedral with extraordinary Byzantine icons salvaged from the earthquake. The Venetian castle above the town gives panoramic views over the bay at dusk. Agios Nikolaos, in the quiet northeast, is a tiny fishing port with a beautiful sheltered bay and almost no tourism development — an excellent base for couples who want the scenery without the party.
Authentic Zakynthos & Quiet Villages
Culture seekers · Authentic island lovers · Hikers · Off-the-beaten-path visitors The north and west of Zakynthos, away from the east coast resorts, preserves something of the island's original character. Volimes is the most important lace-making village on the island — a traditional craft that has survived because the villages here escaped the 1953 earthquake that destroyed most of the island's architecture. The drive through the Anafonitria area to the Navagio viewpoint passes through a landscape of olive groves and Byzantine monasteries. Machairado, an inland village, has one of the most beautiful churches on the island — the Church of Agia Mavra with its extraordinary 14th-century Byzantine icon of the same saint that has been the focus of pilgrimage for six centuries. The church's bell tower survived the 1953 earthquake intact. Agalas, a small village in the south above Keri, has excellent local wine and olive oil produced on the terraced hillsides and almost no tourist presence.
Budget Travellers
Backpackers · Island hoppers · Cost-conscious visitors · Budget beach seekers Zakynthos Town is the cheapest base on the island — the rebuilt Venetian-influenced capital has budget hotels and guesthouses at prices well below the beach resorts, good bus connections to most beaches, and the island's best evening atmosphere for its price point. The covered market near the harbour has excellent local food at local prices. Tsilivi, while a resort area, has good competition between apartment complexes that keeps prices reasonable outside peak season. The beach is excellent. Argassi, just south of Zakynthos Town, is an affordable resort with a reasonable beach and bus connections to town. May and September cut prices across the whole island by 40–50% while maintaining excellent sea temperatures. The ferry to Kefalonia (from Agios Nikolaos) is cheap and gives access to a second island.
⚓ Navagio (northwest)
The most famous beach in Greece. Accessible by boat only. Cliff viewpoint from road. Closest base: Porto Vromi or Agios Nikolaos. Scenery · Photography · Day trip
🐢 Laganas Bay (south)
Sea turtle nesting Marine Park. Party strip (Laganas). Important conservation zone. Complex coexistence — respect Marine Park rules. Wildlife · Party · Beach
🏖️ Tsilivi / Alykanas (northeast)
Best family resorts. Calm sandy beaches, shallow water. Tsilivi well-organised, Alykanas quieter. Good value. Families · Beach · Budget
🌊 Agios Nikolaos (north)
Small fishing village. Blue Caves boat trips, Navagio access, Kefalonia ferry. Quiet, authentic, beautiful bay. Authentic · Couples · Nature
💎 Argassi / Porto Zoro (east)
Close to Zakynthos Town. Mix of beach and nightlife. Porto Zoro has the clearest east coast water. Convenient base. Couples · Beach · Nightlife
🏙️ Zakynthos Town
Rebuilt Venetian-style capital. Neoclassical waterfront, museum, Byzantine icons. Cheapest accommodation. Bus connections. Budget · Culture · Central
🌄 Keri / southwest
Clifftop lighthouse. Best sunset viewpoint on the island. Marathonisi (Turtle Island) boat trips. Very quiet. Romance · Nature · Sunset
Tips for booking
- Visit Navagio by early morning boat from Porto Vromi. Morning departures (8–9am) reach the bay before the main wave of tour boats from Zakynthos Town. You get perhaps 30 minutes in the bay with far fewer people. By 11am the cove fills with boats and the experience becomes crowded. Porto Vromi boats are also significantly shorter and cheaper than the full island circumnavigation trips.
- Responsible turtle watching requires booking an ARCHELON-approved tour. Commercial turtle boat tours that approach turtles too closely are harmful. The ARCHELON night walks (joining their monitoring on designated nesting nights) are the responsible, legal and most extraordinary way to watch turtle nesting. Book through ARCHELON directly.
- Blue Caves are best seen between 10am and 12pm. The blue light effect inside the caves depends on the sun angle — morning light entering through underwater openings creates the most intense blue colour. Late afternoon visits are less dramatic. Small rowing boats from Cape Skinari are the best way to enter the caves.
- Stay away from the nesting beach sections in Laganas even during the day. Signs mark the protected nesting zones on Laganas and Kalamaki beaches. These zones cannot have sun loungers, umbrellas or people between 7pm and 7am during nesting season. Respect the signs — fines are applied and the conservation cause is genuine.
- Agios Nikolaos in the northeast is the island's most romantic quiet base. A tiny fishing village with a sheltered bay, ferry access to Kefalonia, boat trips to the Blue Caves and Navagio, and almost no resort development. Stay here for quiet evenings and spectacular morning excursions.
- Stop at Volimes for authentic handmade lace and local honey. The village women sell genuine handmade lace from small stalls along the main street — unlike the Chinese-made 'local crafts' sold in resort shops. The village also has excellent local honey from the thyme-covered north coast hillsides.
- The KTEL bus connects Zakynthos Town with most resorts cheaply. Buses run to Tsilivi, Alykanas, Kalamaki and Laganas from the town bus station. For Navagio, Porto Vromi and the north coast, a hire car or scooter is needed — the buses don't reach the northwest.
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