ZAKYNTHOS! A GREEK BEACH PHENOMENON

There are some places in life that are almost impossible to explain, you simply must see to believe! Zakynthos is unlike any of the Greek islands I’ve been to. It’s on the Ionian Sea, very close to Italy, so it’s heavily influenced by Italian culture. Driving through the island you see so many vineyards and Italian Cypress trees you’ll think you’re in Tuscany. The architecture is also much more Italian than Greek. The white stuccoed blue-roofed houses won’t be found on this island. It was nice for a change of scenery to mix it up, and the island is insanely beautiful! This island is another must-see island in Greece!

Where to stay in Zakynthos

We stayed in Zante town, right near Zante port, where the ferries come in. I loved our house but didn’t love the location. It wasn’t bad at all! It just wasn’t my top pick of areas to stay after I was able to venture around the island and see the incredible beauty it has to offer. I’d prefer to stay near one of the beautiful beaches, vineyards, or in the old town area, rather than in Zante town next time. However, if you’d like the convenience of staying close to where the ferries dock, then Zante Town is the best option, and it’s why we chose it in the first place.

You really can stay wherever you want in Zakynthos because it’s a really big island, but everything’s so spread out. So, no matter where you stay you’ll need to drive 30 minutes to an hour to get to the main attractions and thoroughly explore the island. The Airbnbs and VRBOs in Zakynthos are huge, fabulous, and inexpensive. You’ll have a hard time choosing cause there are so many incredible ones!

FYI: You will need a car to get around this island. I highly suggest a car instead of an ATV in Zakynthos simply because it is so big.

Our Zakynthos VRBO host was above and beyond. He was super helpful, and let us check-in at 6 am, right when our plane landed, instead of having us wait until our 4 pm check-in time. It’s always a good idea to stay in close contact with your host, so they are able to accommodate you as best as they can.

Best Beaches and Ports in Zakynthos

Everyone knows Zakynthos because of its world-famous Ship Wreck Beach! People always want to know, is it worth the hype? Is it worth the out of the way plane, ferry or bus/drive to get to? The answer is, absolutely without a doubt, HELL YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is insane!! Seriously it’s so jaw-dropping and mind-blowing my eyes welled up as I held back tears!

So many places are either overrated or don’t live up to the hype. Or you see a multitude of over-edited pictures of them on Instagram and when you finally get there in person, it’s a bit of a letdown. Ship Wreck Beach in Zakynthos is nothing like that. It’s more than you could ever imagine! Every picture you see is either exactly how it looks or can’t do it any justice because it’s so much better in real life!

Out of everywhere I’ve been, and all the places I’ve seen, I stood at the Navagio Shipwreck Beach overlook and thought, I am the luckiest person in the world. Seeing something of such beauty and realizing mother nature’s ability is insane! It’s a humbling feeling, to say the least. The color of the water is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It’s unreal. Your mind will do tricks on you because you’ve never seen anything so perfect and so blue.

It’s an hour drive from Zante town to get to the overlook, but the entire drive is incredible. The whole way you wind through streets lined with vineyards and fruit trees galore. Now and then you pop out on to a stunning ocean view. Little goats and adorable animals are running around on the side roads, so keep an eye out and be careful!

Best Time to go to Shipwreck Beach Overlook!

The best time to go to the overlook is in the afternoon around 2-3 pm. That’s when the sun is hitting the water perfectly, not too early in the day and not too late in the afternoon. You don’t want the lighting/time of day to cast too many shadows from the cliffs. It’s just right at that time, and it’s all about the lighting, so you can accurately see the highlighter blue shade of the water! Please go check out my highlighted stories for Zakynthos on my Instagram. This beach is like no other! You have to go see it for yourself!

How to get on Shipwreck Beach

You can’t get down to the beach from the overlook. To take the boat to Shipwreck Beach, and be able to swim in that insane water, you’ll need to book a cruise to the beach from one of the many companies that offer the half or full-day trips. Or, you can rent a boat, or charter a small private boat with a captain. There are quite a few tours that leave from Zante town port, which is what we did. Although, I wouldn’t suggest that, because the best way to do it is to take a boat from one of the ports that’s much closer to Shipwreck. This is because the weather out in the sea is very temperamental, and even if the day looks incredible on land, the waters can be too tumultuous to navigate through to get there.

Shipwreck Beach Tours

This causes them to cancel the trips last minute. That happened to us the first day we booked. The day that we finally got to go, they admitted they should have canceled the trip anyway. It was crazy weather and they wouldn’t even let us out to swim or get on the beach.

The waves were insane, and the water was too dangerous. They also wouldn’t let us swim in the blue caves, which are part of the tour as well. Normally, you get to snorkel and explore the caves, so it was a bit of a letdown.

Best Departure Point for Shipwreck Beach

If you go to one of the ports that’s closer, it will be much easier to get to Shipwreck Beach. For example, if you go to Port St. Nicholas Chinari, then you’ll only be a short boat ride away. They also have better knowledge of the weather inside Shipwreck Beach. They’ll take you there when it calms down.

The weather changes by the minute inside Shipwreck Beach. You will need a car or ATV to drive to this port. Honestly, you’ll need one to get anywhere on the island. Port St. Nicholas is also super cute and the beach is really pretty. There are little cafes and bars there too.

Porto Limnionas

This is another port where the water is incredible! We swam, jumped off cliffs, and sunbathed. It’s beautiful, so definitely check it out. There were mostly locals when we went. There’s also a restaurant and bar here as well!

Keri Beach

We made it to Keri Beach for sunset drinks and a swim and I loved it! The beach is made of pebbles, but it’s lined with beach beds and chairs and the water is such a captivating color. I know I keep saying it, but the water in Zakynthos is like no other. There’s also a small portion of the beach that’s sand. I wish we would have gotten to this beach earlier to get more swimming time in. Either way, it was an incredible sunset and the most gorgeous little setting for appetizers and apéritifs. There’s also a small line of restaurants and bars along this beach as well.

Gerakas Beach

Gerakas is a turtle nesting beach. If you can get there in the right season and time of day to see the turtles, it would be incredible! I would love to see all the baby turtles hatching from the nests and running into the sea! Our VRBO host said there are also lots of big sea turtles you can swim with here too. We didn’t see any when we were there, but it’s still a nice little stop. It isn’t one of the most stunning beaches, but it’s still a pretty swim spot.

Food and Wine in Zakynthos

The one thing we failed to find in Zakynthos was good food and wine. We kept looking and trying the places that appeared to be the best and most authentic, and for some reason, it was just never very good. I’m not sure why that would be, the cuisine is somewhere in the mix of Greek and Italian. Normally, I would love that mixture because Greek and Italian food is usually incredible. Weirdly, they also serve a lot of fried food. I’d say that’s the most prevalent thing. The wine in Greece is incredible, but on this island, it wasn’t my favorite.

Restaurants in Zakynthos

There is one restaurant that has an absolutely incredible view! Kampi Taverna Stavros is the restaurant’s name, also known as the Cross Tavern. The sunset and view from this place is well worth going. You can get drinks and try a few different dishes and hopefully end up with something that you like! This was also the best dinner we had in Zakynthos. There’s another restaurant a little bit higher up the mountain from this one that has the same stunning views. They may even have better food too!

To Summarize!

No matter how many times I go to Greece, I will always be left wanting more! More of the pristine beaches, more incredible food, more crystal clear stunning water, more amazing wine, need I say more? I could go on forever. Island hopping in Greece is always a good idea! With so many islands to choose from and explore, you can go every year and still be left wanting more. Use this itinerary as well as my guides for Paros, Santorini, Mykonos, Ios, and Milos as a starting point for your first Greek adventure. I promise it won’t be your last!

Do you have any further questions regarding Zakynthos, or is there anything I left out? Feel free to write them in the comments below!

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