Short answer: The best Zakynthos beaches are not in Laganas: Gerakas (turtle nesting beach in the marine park, open only from 7 am to sunset), Porto Limnionas (turquoise rock fjord on the west coast, no sand), Xigia (sulphur springs in the sea), Banana Beach (long, sandy, families) and Dafni (quiet, national park). The famous Navagio Bay is closed until at least 31 October 2026: no landing, no swimming, boats must keep 50 metres away – you can still see the shipwreck from a boat or from the cliff (source: Joint Ministerial Decision, published 06/2026). We spent four days on the island by car in July 2025.
9:20 am, Porto Vromi. The outboard splutters, the skipper pulls in the line, and for twenty minutes there is nothing but limestone wall, water and the shadow of your own hand. Then the rock opens up and the blue turns so bright you squint. Down on the pebbles lies a rusty freighter as if someone had forgotten it there. Nobody did. The Panagiotis ran aground in a storm on 5 October 1980 – with contraband cigarettes on board, as court documents released later suggest. Since then the cove has been the photo everybody knows of Zakynthos. And since 2022 it has been a place nobody is allowed to set foot on.
In this article: the beaches on Zakynthos that are really worth it – region by region, with access, facilities and honest downsides –, the current status of the Navagio closure and how to see the wreck anyway, the rules in the marine park, getting there by ferry or plane, costs, traps, a checklist and the most common questions. Everything else the island has to offer is in Zakynthos: the sights that are really worth it.
| Beach | Region | Access | Ground & facilities | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Navagio (Shipwreck Beach) | north-west | boat only – landing banned in 2026, boats ≥ 50 m | pebbles, no facilities | photos from the boat and the platform |
| Gerakas | south, Vasilikos peninsula (marine park) | car park above, 5-min walk; 7 am to sunset | fine sand, shallow, a few approved sunbeds, no private umbrellas | families, turtle-friendly, quiet |
| Porto Limnionas | west coast near Agios Leon | winding road, steps and ladders into the rocks | no sand, rock platforms, taverna, no shade | snorkelling, confident swimmers |
| Porto Roxa | west coast | road, concrete terraces with ladders | rocks, sunbeds on terraces, tavernas | sunset, swimming in deep water |
| Xigia | north-east | road, steep path down | pebbles, milky water smelling of sulphur | curiosity, “natural spa” |
| Makris Gialos | north-east | road | pebbles beneath cliffs, small cove | clear water, snorkelling |
| Banana Beach | east, Vasilikos | road, car parks | long sandy beach, sunbeds, bars, water sports | families, groups |
| Dafni | south (marine park) | unpaved road | sand, a couple of tavernas, nesting rules | quiet, park visitor centre nearby |
| Kalamaki | Laganas Bay (marine park) | village right on the beach | sand, shallow for a long way, sunbeds only in zones, cleared at night | families with small children |
| Marathonisi | island in Laganas Bay | boat only from Laganas/Kalamaki/Keri | sand and pebbles, parts closed (nesting) | boat day with swim stops |
Sources: Joint Ministerial Decision on Navagio (Government Gazette, 06/2026), marine park rules according to signage and park information (as of 11/2026), our own trip 14–17 July 2025. Sunbed prices vary by season; we paid for sunbeds everywhere in July 2025.
Ten beaches, ten characters – and the most famous one is the one you may not set foot on in 2026. So first, the truth about Navagio.
The facts: in June 2026 Greece extended the closure of Navagio Bay by Joint Ministerial Decision until 31 October 2026. That means: entering the beach is prohibited, swimming anywhere in the cove is prohibited, and no vessel may come closer than 50 metres to the shoreline or anchor there. The viewing platform on the cliff may only be used once the fencing and protective works on the slope are complete; enforcement lies with the Municipality of Zakynthos, penalties are imposed by the police. No decision has been made for 2027 yet (sources: To Vima, 2 June 2026; greece-trips.com, checked 07/2026; as of 11/2026).
Why? In September 2022 a magnitude 5.4 earthquake between Kefalonia and Zakynthos triggered a landslide in the cove. After a site visit in March 2023 the earthquake protection authority OASP recommended closing the beach, and since then the decision has been renewed every summer. Back in 2018 a cliff had already collapsed – with injuries. The limestone walls rise up to 200 metres, and whatever crumbles at the top lands on the pebbles below (source: Wikipedia, as of 11/2026).
How to see the wreck anyway:
You can book boat tours on GetYourGuide (ad) – look for “no landing in 2026” in the description; anyone promising you “beach time at the wreck” in 2026 is selling something that does not exist.
The west coast of Zakynthos has not a single classic sandy beach – and that is exactly why it has the clearest coves. Porto Limnionas is a narrow rock fjord near Agios Leon: you climb down steps and concrete platforms to the water, hold on to a ladder and drop into deep turquoise water. No sand, no shade, no lifeguard, but a taverna with a terrace where you can rent sunbeds. With a mask you will see caves and rock arches under water. Not for children who cannot swim confidently yet; for everyone else one of the most beautiful swimming spots on the island.
A few kilometres on lies Porto Roxa: concrete terraces with sunbeds above the water, ladders into the sea, two or three tavernas – and in the evening the sun dropping straight into the Ionian Sea. In the far south-west, Keri waits with its lighthouse, cave boats and the quietest village on the island; the road there is winding but fine. Porto Vromi, finally, is less a beach than a harbour: a small patch of pebbles from which the Navagio boats depart.
Honestly: west coast means hairpin bends. Allow an hour for 30 kilometres, fill up beforehand and bring water – up in the villages there are kafenia, down at the coves often just the one taverna. And while you are in the west: the best comes at the next stop, up north.
At the northern tip of the island, around Cape Skinari and the harbour of Agios Nikolaos, lie the Blue Caves: rock arches and caves where the water glows so blue in the morning that every photo looks filtered. You can only get in by small boat; many operators combine the caves with the trip to the wreck. If you get seasick easily, take the bigger, slower boat.
A few kilometres south comes the curiosity: Xigia Beach. A pebble beach beneath cliffs whose water shimmers milky and smells of sulphur – springs bubble up under water. Some call it a natural spa, others wrinkle their nose. Try it, but rinse your swimwear well afterwards. Right next door is Makris Gialos, a small pebble cove with very clear water and tavernas up on the road – our tip for a quiet afternoon with mask and snorkel.
The north-east is also the side from which you see Kefalonia. And in clear air you understand why the 2022 earthquake between precisely these two islands changed so much.
Laganas Bay in the south is a national park because the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) nests here. That changes everything about a beach day – for the better. Gerakas at the tip of the Vasilikos peninsula is the most beautiful beach in the bay: fine sand, shallow water, no motorboats. The rules (as of 11/2026): access only from 7 am to sunset, completely closed at night from May to October; no private umbrellas or sunbeds, only the few spots approved by the park; during the nesting season you stay within five metres of the water, no digging, no building. At the car park at the top there is a kiosk where visitor numbers are limited in high season. The walk down takes five minutes.
Dafni lies at the end of a gravel road, has sand, two tavernas and little else – but the park’s visitor centre is nearby, where you learn when guided night-time turtle watching is offered. Kalamaki is the family beach: long, shallow, sunbeds only in marked zones, and in the evening everything is cleared from the sand so the animals have a free run. The island of Marathonisi (“turtle island”) can only be reached by boat; parts of its beaches are closed, swim stops in the coves are allowed. A sighting is never guaranteed – and operators promising “touch the turtles” are ones to avoid.
Honestly: Laganas itself – the town – is a party strip with bars down to the beach. The water there is lovely, the promenade is not. If you want peace, stay in Vasilikos, Keri or the north. How we pick beaches when travelling with kids is in Travelling with kids.
The east coast is the sandy side. Banana Beach on the Vasilikos peninsula is one of the longest beaches on the island: wide sand, sunbed zones, beach bars, water sports – busy, but big enough to find your own corner at the edges. Porto Zoro and Agios Nikolaos Beach (not to be confused with the harbour in the north) are the smaller neighbours with shallow bays. Further north lies Tsilivi, a classic resort with a long, calm beach, tavernas and accommodation right behind the sand; in high summer the organised part is full, the edges stay quieter.
Accommodation in Vasilikos or Tsilivi is on Booking.com (ad); how we find the good holiday flats is explained in Booking Airbnb the right way. And wherever you stay: without a car you will not reach the good beaches. The next section shows why.
| Route | Duration | Cost (guide prices, as of 11/2026) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car ferry Kyllini – Zakynthos Town (Levante Ferries) | approx. 1 h 15 min | passenger from approx. €12.50, car from approx. €38 | up to 7 sailings a day in summer, about 4 in winter – book ahead in July |
| Direct flights to Zakynthos (ZTH) | approx. 2–3.5 h from Central Europe and the UK | depends on season | seasonal (summer timetable); in winter via Athens |
| Rental car on the island | – | depends on season | a small car is enough; hairpins in the west, gravel to Dafni |
| Own car from Central Europe | approx. 1,500 km from Vienna to Kyllini | tolls, vignettes, ferry | via Croatia, Montenegro, Albania – or ferry Ancona/Bari – Patras |
Sources: Levante Ferries / ferryhopper.com (ferry prices and frequency, as of 11/2026), our own crossing on 14 July 2025. Check flight connections in the current timetable before booking.
We came with our own car in July 2025 – as a leg of our 40-day road trip across the Balkans: ferry from Kyllini on the Peloponnese, a good hour’s crossing, arrival in the port of Zakynthos Town. In high summer car spaces on the ferry are scarce, so book ahead. If you fly, compare flights on Kiwi.com (ad) and pick up a rental car at the airport – for example via Discover Cars (ad). The airport is at Kalamaki, right next to the marine park: night flights are restricted during the nesting season, so do not be surprised by unusual flight times.
One more thought for road-trippers: from Ksamil in Albania to the ferry in Kyllini it is about five to six hours plus the border. Combine the Albanian Riviera with Zakynthos and you get two completely different coasts in one week – more in Albania: the sights that are really worth it.
May, June and September are the best months: warm enough to swim, without the July heat. In July and August it is crowded – we lived it: sunbed next to sunbed on the east coast, queues at the Navagio platform at midday, ferries sold out. In return the warmth lasts into October, and the sea is warmest in September. In winter ferries run less often, many tavernas are closed, and the turtles are gone.
What a beach day costs (guide prices, our experience in July 2025 and 2026 figures): a pair of sunbeds with umbrella roughly €10 to €20 depending on the beach, at rock coves like Limnionas as a minimum spend at the taverna. Boat trip to the wreck from Porto Vromi roughly €15 to €30, with the Blue Caves €40 to €70. Parking is free at most beaches. If you do the maths: a day at Gerakas with your own towel costs nothing but fuel. How to pay abroad cheaply without giving away ATM fees is explained in Money abroad.
All avoided? Then only one decision remains: which cove tomorrow. Our suggestion: Gerakas at seven, Limnionas in the afternoon, Porto Roxa for sunset.
Greece is part of the EU and the Schengen area. EU citizens need a valid passport or national ID card, children need their own document, and no visa is required. Austrian travellers find current advice on safety, the wildfire season and traffic on bmeia.gv.at → Reiseinformation → Griechenland. If you drive in via Albania, mind your car insurance’s Green Card and the summer border queues – details in our Balkans road trip. Travellers without an EU passport (UK, US, Canada, Australia and others) should read about the Entry/Exit System (EES) and the ETIAS travel authorisation exclusively on travel-europe.europa.eu, the EU’s official website (as of 11/2026).
Warning: There are broker websites charging several times the real price for ETIAS, “entry permits” or supposed beach tickets. We once fell for a site like that ourselves – since then: official websites only, type the address yourself, never via an ad. In the guide you will find all official links as QR codes; the Frangipani guide “Greek islands: Zakynthos, Mykonos, Santorini” compares the three islands and tells you which one fits you.
New: Fira to Oia caldera hike on Santorini – 10 km along the crater rim
New: Mykonos without the party: quiet beaches and villages on the neighbouring island
No. Until at least 31 October 2026 entering the beach and swimming in the cove are prohibited, and boats must keep 50 metres away. You can see the wreck from a boat and – once the safety works are complete – from the platform near Anafonitria. No decision has been made for 2027 yet (as of 11/2026).
For sand and families Gerakas, for clear water and snorkelling Porto Limnionas and Makris Gialos, for sunset Porto Roxa. Navagio remains the most spectacular sight – but only from a distance.
Yes, with some luck on boat trips in Laganas Bay around Marathonisi, from May to October. Nesting animals on land are off-limits: beaches like Gerakas are closed at night, and the park’s visitor centre has information on guided observations.
By Levante Ferries car ferry in about 1 hour 15 minutes to Zakynthos Town; up to seven sailings a day in summer, passengers from approx. €12.50, cars from approx. €38 (as of 11/2026). Book ahead in July and August.
Yes. The beaches are far apart, buses are rare and do not go to the rock coves in the west. A small car is enough; quads on the hairpins are for experienced riders only.
June and September: warm sea, fewer people, all tavernas open. July and August are hot and crowded but have the longest days. From November to April it is low season with few ferries and closed beach facilities.
Passend dazu:
If this has got hold of you, read Zakynthos: the sights that are really worth it next – or compare the islands: Mykonos has the white alleys, Zakynthos the wilder coves.
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