Zakynthos Beaches: Navagio, Gerakas and the Vasilikos Sands
Zakynthos splits its beaches between the boat-only coves of the sheer west coast, led by Navagio Shipwreck Beach, and the sheltered family sands of the south and east, from the Vasilikos peninsula to the turtle bay of Laganas. The west is cliffs and clear water reached from the sea, the south-east peninsula of Vasilikos holds the softest sand at Gerakas, Porto Zoro and Banana Beach, and the north-east keeps the long resort beaches near the capital. This guide runs the coast by area. Hire a car to explore Zakynthos at your own pace, covered in our Zakynthos car hire guide.
- Marquee beach
- Navagio
- Turtle nesting
- Gerakas
- Family sand
- Vasilikos
- West coast
- Boat only
Navagio, the Shipwreck Beach
Navagio, the Shipwreck Beach, is the marquee beach of Zakynthos and one of the most photographed spots in Greece, a strip of white sand under sheer white cliffs on the roadless north-west coast, wrapped around the rusting hull of a freighter that ran aground there. The cove has no road, so you reach the sand only by boat from Porto Vromi, Agios Nikolaos or the town harbour, while a signed viewpoint on the cliff above, near Volimes, looks straight down onto the wreck. Bring water and shade, since the beach itself has no facilities.
Gerakas, Porto Zoro and Banana Beach
The Vasilikos peninsula, the green tail of land in the island's south-east, holds the softest family sand on Zakynthos. Gerakas is a long curve of pale sand backed by clay cliffs and one of the main loggerhead-turtle nesting beaches, so it closes at night in summer and keeps its development light. Porto Zoro is a smaller sandy cove with clear water and rock stacks offshore, and Banana Beach is the longest sweep of sand on the peninsula, well organised with sunbeds and watersports. All three sit a short drive from the resorts of Argassi and Kalamaki.
Laganas Bay and Kalamaki
Laganas Bay is the wide, shallow bay on the south coast and the busiest stretch of beach on the island, a long run of sand shared by the resorts of Laganas and Kalamaki. It is also the core of the National Marine Park, so parts of the sand and the sea around Marathonisi are protected for nesting turtles, closed at night and limited to slow boats in summer. Laganas has the loudest beach and the nightlife, while Kalamaki at its eastern end stays a touch calmer and closer to the turtle nesting grounds.
The west coast and Keri
The west coast of Zakynthos is a wall of cliffs, so its beaches and the sea caves below them are reached from the water rather than the road. Boats run from Porto Vromi in the north-west and from Limni Keriou in the south to the arches and caves along the coast, and the headland at Keri, in the far south, keeps small pebble coves, clear water and the caravan of white sea caves that boats thread through on the way to Marathonisi. The Keri lighthouse on the cliff above gives one of the island's best sunset views.
The north-east beaches
The north-east coast holds the long, easy resort beaches near the capital. Tsilivi has a wide sandy Blue Flag beach with shallow water that suits families, Alykes and Alikanas keep quieter stretches of sand around a small harbour, and just north of them the small cove of Xigia is fed by cold sulphur springs said to be good for the skin. These beaches are the most accessible on the island, backed by tavernas and served by the KTEL bus from Zakynthos Town.
