The Ionian Islands are considered by many to be a true slice of paradise on earth and it's not hard to see why. A group of six larger islands flanked by many smaller satellite islands hugging the West Coast of mainland Greece in the Ionian Sea, this is a land of unbelievably bright hues, stunning scenery, perfect beaches, and large areas that thankfully remain untouched by the intense developments and crowds of mass-tourism. While the island of Corfu was one of the first parts of Greece to begin attracting big tourist crowds, even this part of the Ionian Islands boasts substantial areas that remain unaffected by over-development and many other islands and destinations are very much off the beaten track and hidden gems. It is, however, the great natural beauty of this part of the world that most attracts the visitors who do choose to go for a villa in the Ionian Islands.
If you are looking for some of the most astoundingly lovely coastal towns, unbelievable natural attractions, lush emerald landscapes, turquoise seas, soft sandy white beaches, cloudless and endless cerulean skies, dramatic and gleaming creamy cliffs and rock formations and watercolour sunsets, in particular, then we highly recommend a villa in Zakynthos. With its famous sea caves and turtles, excellent diving and snorkelling, picturesque strands, and more it is, without a doubt, one of the destinations in Greece for those who worship sun and sea. While there are plenty of beaches, in particular, that are worth mentioning and visiting on the island, here is our guide to some of the best beaches to visit while on vacation in Zakynthos...
If you are looking for some of the most astoundingly lovely coastal towns, unbelievable natural attractions, lush emerald landscapes, turquoise seas, soft sandy white beaches, cloudless and endless cerulean skies, dramatic and gleaming creamy cliffs and rock formations and watercolour sunsets, in particular, then we highly recommend a villa in Zakynthos. With its famous sea caves and turtles, excellent diving and snorkelling, picturesque strands, and more it is, without a doubt, one of the destinations in Greece for those who worship sun and sea. While there are plenty of beaches, in particular, that are worth mentioning and visiting on the island, here is our guide to some of the best beaches to visit while on vacation in Zakynthos...
Navagio Beach
Navagio Beach was already a famously scenic and picturesque beauty but received a further spike in fame among tourists from Asia, in particular, when it was featured in a hugely successful Korean television show that was wildly popular across many countries all over the world called, “Descendants of the Sun,” in 2016. Impossibly photogenic, the beach is located on the north-west of the island and is home to a famous shipwreck, called the Panagiotis. A smuggler ship that washed ashore due to a loss of engine power in 1981, the beach is now nicknamed, “Smugglers Cove,” after it and features the bright orange rusted ship rather prominently and romantically on its shore against the pale white sand and rich blue sea. Worth noting for those interested in visiting this spectacular half-moon cove is that, between 10am and 2pm during the peak tourism months of summer, it can be exceptionally busy and that there are absolutely no services such as deck chair or umbrella rentals, bathrooms, or shops selling drinks or snacks on the beach. However, if you visit the early morning or afternoon, you will have the beach pretty much to yourself and will also manage to avoid the hottest part of the day. Just plan your timing right, hop on one of the frequent boat services to Shipwreck Cove from nearby Porto Vromi, from the Harbor of Saint Nikolas in Volimes, or from the island’s capital city of Zakynthos, bring water, snacks, sun cream, and an umbrella, and come see this famous and stunning remote gem of a beach for yourself.
Navagio Beach was already a famously scenic and picturesque beauty but received a further spike in fame among tourists from Asia, in particular, when it was featured in a hugely successful Korean television show that was wildly popular across many countries all over the world called, “Descendants of the Sun,” in 2016. Impossibly photogenic, the beach is located on the north-west of the island and is home to a famous shipwreck, called the Panagiotis. A smuggler ship that washed ashore due to a loss of engine power in 1981, the beach is now nicknamed, “Smugglers Cove,” after it and features the bright orange rusted ship rather prominently and romantically on its shore against the pale white sand and rich blue sea. Worth noting for those interested in visiting this spectacular half-moon cove is that, between 10am and 2pm during the peak tourism months of summer, it can be exceptionally busy and that there are absolutely no services such as deck chair or umbrella rentals, bathrooms, or shops selling drinks or snacks on the beach. However, if you visit the early morning or afternoon, you will have the beach pretty much to yourself and will also manage to avoid the hottest part of the day. Just plan your timing right, hop on one of the frequent boat services to Shipwreck Cove from nearby Porto Vromi, from the Harbor of Saint Nikolas in Volimes, or from the island’s capital city of Zakynthos, bring water, snacks, sun cream, and an umbrella, and come see this famous and stunning remote gem of a beach for yourself.
Porto Vromi Beach
Located near the villages of Maries and Exo Xora, Porto Vromi is positioned down a long and steep path to a picturesque and narrow little bay, like a fjord, that is hugged on either side by green hillsides and limestone cliffs. With a strand of white sand and pebbles lapped by rich aquamarine water, this small natural harbour is usually filled with colourful little boats and pedalos that can be rented or that are among those visiting the bay as part of tours of the surrounding islets and beaches in the area. One can readily simply drop by while on one of these tours (which usually also take you to the nearby aforementioned famous Navagio Beach and to the Blue Caves of Zakynthos) or you can spend the day relaxing here, watching the boats bobbing about, grabbing a drink or snack in the bar behind the beach, snorkelling in the naturally formed grottoes along the cliffs, and swimming about in those beautiful jewel-toned waters. Be sure to be careful if you are a weak swimmer or travelling with children, however, as the beach slopes smoothly out into the water with a quick increase in depth just a few meters from the shore. It is also important to wear footwear of some kind in the water if you have sensitive feet or are just learning to swim and expect to place your feet down often as the sea floor at Porto Vromi is covered in quite sharp stones. Also worth noting is that you will need to bring your own deck chairs or umbrellas if you want them as there are no rental services on the beach. Expect larger crowds in July and August but far fewer numbers and continued warm and pleasant weather in September and October.
Located near the villages of Maries and Exo Xora, Porto Vromi is positioned down a long and steep path to a picturesque and narrow little bay, like a fjord, that is hugged on either side by green hillsides and limestone cliffs. With a strand of white sand and pebbles lapped by rich aquamarine water, this small natural harbour is usually filled with colourful little boats and pedalos that can be rented or that are among those visiting the bay as part of tours of the surrounding islets and beaches in the area. One can readily simply drop by while on one of these tours (which usually also take you to the nearby aforementioned famous Navagio Beach and to the Blue Caves of Zakynthos) or you can spend the day relaxing here, watching the boats bobbing about, grabbing a drink or snack in the bar behind the beach, snorkelling in the naturally formed grottoes along the cliffs, and swimming about in those beautiful jewel-toned waters. Be sure to be careful if you are a weak swimmer or travelling with children, however, as the beach slopes smoothly out into the water with a quick increase in depth just a few meters from the shore. It is also important to wear footwear of some kind in the water if you have sensitive feet or are just learning to swim and expect to place your feet down often as the sea floor at Porto Vromi is covered in quite sharp stones. Also worth noting is that you will need to bring your own deck chairs or umbrellas if you want them as there are no rental services on the beach. Expect larger crowds in July and August but far fewer numbers and continued warm and pleasant weather in September and October.
St Nicholas Beach
For those looking for a bit more action, St Nicholas Beach is the best option among the many different beaches on Zakynthos. The St Nicholas Beach Watersports and Diving Centre offers an array of different water sports and activities with all the necessary safety precautions and excellent teachers and experienced members of staff. Water sport options on the beach include water-ski rentals, outings in canoes and pedalos, banana boat trips and rides on the crazy sofa and fly fish, single and double paragliding, diving lessons, and more. Then, when you're tired from your adventures, you can come back to the soft sandy shore and lie out on a blanket or rent a sun lounger and umbrella, cool off in the gently shelving turquoise water, grab a cocktail or lunch from the beach bar, and enjoy the view. With everything you could want from a day at the beach in one place and plenty for everyone in the group to enjoy, a visit to St Nicholas Beach is sure to delight!
For those looking for a bit more action, St Nicholas Beach is the best option among the many different beaches on Zakynthos. The St Nicholas Beach Watersports and Diving Centre offers an array of different water sports and activities with all the necessary safety precautions and excellent teachers and experienced members of staff. Water sport options on the beach include water-ski rentals, outings in canoes and pedalos, banana boat trips and rides on the crazy sofa and fly fish, single and double paragliding, diving lessons, and more. Then, when you're tired from your adventures, you can come back to the soft sandy shore and lie out on a blanket or rent a sun lounger and umbrella, cool off in the gently shelving turquoise water, grab a cocktail or lunch from the beach bar, and enjoy the view. With everything you could want from a day at the beach in one place and plenty for everyone in the group to enjoy, a visit to St Nicholas Beach is sure to delight!
Xigia Beach
Another rather unique gem, the spectacular Xigia Beach boasts an extraordinary feature that sets it apart from all others in the area. When one arrives at the beach, it is hard to overlook the strong smell of sulphur that fills the air and is immediately apparent. However, this smell (though not entirely pleasant) is due to the large concentration of sulphur in the waters there, which makes them rather special, indeed, as it imbues them with some truly amazing therapeutic properties. The minerals and collagen in the sulphurous waters at Xigia come from neighbouring caves in natural spring streams and flow out into the warm sea at the beach. The experience of swimming at Xigia Beach, therefore, will ease aches and pains and help with the symptoms of various ailments like arthritis and rheumatism, as well as leaving the skin feeling and looking refreshed and great: it's basically a free spa treatment! So, if you're looking for the picturesque charms of the famously beautiful beaches of the island while on vacation in Zakynthos but you're also in need of some serious relaxation and pampering, then this is definitely the beach for you!
Get browsing our villas in Zakynthos and our villas in the Ionian Islands and come discover these and the many other exceptional beaches dotted throughout this island in Greece...
Another rather unique gem, the spectacular Xigia Beach boasts an extraordinary feature that sets it apart from all others in the area. When one arrives at the beach, it is hard to overlook the strong smell of sulphur that fills the air and is immediately apparent. However, this smell (though not entirely pleasant) is due to the large concentration of sulphur in the waters there, which makes them rather special, indeed, as it imbues them with some truly amazing therapeutic properties. The minerals and collagen in the sulphurous waters at Xigia come from neighbouring caves in natural spring streams and flow out into the warm sea at the beach. The experience of swimming at Xigia Beach, therefore, will ease aches and pains and help with the symptoms of various ailments like arthritis and rheumatism, as well as leaving the skin feeling and looking refreshed and great: it's basically a free spa treatment! So, if you're looking for the picturesque charms of the famously beautiful beaches of the island while on vacation in Zakynthos but you're also in need of some serious relaxation and pampering, then this is definitely the beach for you!
Get browsing our villas in Zakynthos and our villas in the Ionian Islands and come discover these and the many other exceptional beaches dotted throughout this island in Greece...