Visiting Navagio beach (Shipwreck Cove) in Zakynthos

Navagio beach (aka Shipwreck Cove) is one of the best beaches in Greece and likely one of the most picturesque stretches of sand in the world. This was the featured image on trip Advisor’s home page for a long time and it’s one of the most photographed places in Greece.

Navagio beach also made our list of the best beaches in Zakynthos.

When you first see it, you’ll swiftly realize why. Whether you peer down on it from the towering cliffs above, or you take a boat trip to Navagio Beach, you’ll likely have your breath taken away by the impossibly blue Ionian water, the blindingly white pebbly sand and of course, the eerie-looking shipwreck that lies in the center of the sand.

See Also: Our utmost guide To Greece Travel

Table of Contents
Where is Navagio beach (Shipwreck Cove)
Best Time of Day To See Navagio beach (Shipwreck Cove)
The best Time To visit Shipwreck Cove
How To get To Navagio Beach
The Blue Caves
Restaurants On Navagio Beach
The type of Sand on Navagio Beach
Where To stay Near Navagio Beach
Why is it Called Shipwreck Cove?
Travel ideas For Shipwreck Cove
Enjoy Navagio beach (Shipwreck Cove)!
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Where is Navagio beach (Shipwreck Cove)

Navagio beach is located off the northern coast of Zakynthos Island (aka Zante Island). The island of Zakynthos lies in the Ionian Sea about 250 kilometres west of Athens and just 20 kilometres from the westernmost point of the Greek (Peloponnese) mainland.

Map of Zakynthos Island
To get to Zakynthos, you can either fly direct from Athens or take a ferry from Kyllini on the mainland. The ferries run 7 times per day between 05:30 and 22:30 and will cost around €50 per person each way depending on the time of year.

Best Time of Day To See Navagio beach (Shipwreck Cove)

Generally, you’ll want to visit during the middle of the day if you don’t mind crowds. In the carry season, you’ll have to go a little later so that the sun comes over the cliffs and actually lightens up the sand for your photos.

Any time between twelve noon and 3 pm must be a good time to visit the beach on a lot of days. At the checking out platform on the cliffs above, this is the best time to visit Shipwreck Cove, but if you’re going by boat, this will also be the busiest.

The sand can get very busy, so I’d recommend checking out by boat either early morning or late afternoon and seeing the beach from the cliffs at midday.

The best Time To visit Shipwreck Cove

The best time of year to visit Zakynthos is very similar to the best time to visit Greece. Generally, spring (March to May) and fall (September to early-November) are our much-loved times to visit Zakynthos but you can visit year-round. If you come in the summer, the sea will be great and warm for swimming but there will be lots of crowds.

If you come in the winter, you may have a harder time finding companies to take you as some shut down in the offseason. Also, the sea will be too cold for swimming.

How To get To Navagio Beach

Once you’re on Zante Island there are lots of ways to see Shipwreck Cove. a lot of people opt to take a excursion that can be booked from literally every excursion agency on the island, or online with trusted excursion booking sites like get Your Guide.

There are two ways to see the beach, one is to take a boat (the beach is only easily accessible by sea) and the other is to view the beach from the excellent 200 meter-high cliffs that surround the secluded cove.

By Boat

If you want to actually swim in the azure waters and touch your feet to the sand, you’ll have to book a boat tour. I recommend checking out get Your guide for this so that you can book it in development and make sure you get a spot.

It is also possible to visit Navagio beach and the blue Caves by renting your own boat and driving around the coast of Zakynthos. Renting a boat is a great way to see the island and find lots of hidden coves.

You can rent boats in Alykes starting from around €80 + gas. Be sure that you’re an experienced boat motorist before making the trip all the way to Navagio beach and if there are any signs of bad weather, turn back ideal away. If you get to the beach at a popular time and there are no other boats there, there’s a reason why. turn back and head for a sheltered cove as there’s likely a storm on the way.

From The Cliffs

If you want to have that famous photo that everyone has of Shipwreck Cove then you’re going to want to head to the top of the limestone cliffs near Elatia at the northwest corner of the island. There’s a checking out platform here that is agreat place for photos.

To get here, I highly recommend renting a car (Click here to see where it is on Google Maps). Driving here is easy and is beautifully picturesque as well. We booked a car for our entire stay on Zakynthos Island and I highly recommend it. We always book with Expedia and you can get cars for as little as $15 per day in Zakynthos.

Warning: Please note that there have been some deaths of tourists lately taking photos from the high cliffs. When you visit the Shipwreck Cove lookout point, please don’t be silly like we were in the above photo and stay within the gated off area. When we visited, there weren’t any gates, but thankfully, now there are.

The Blue Caves

Most day trips and excursions to Navagio beach also include a stop at the beautiful Blue Caves. These geological formations are natural archways that have been carved out of the cliffs by years of erosion. 

The caves are a lot of popular for the striking colour of the water inside of them, which is where they get their name. 

You get off the boat at the caves and enter into the perfectly clear blue water and into the caves. 

Some boat trips are on small enough boats that you can actually drive the boat ideal into the caves themselves, which would make for an interesting experience and another reason to book trips on smaller boats.

Restaurants On Navagio Beach

There are no restaurants or bars on Navagio beach which is why a lot of people visit as part of a tour.

If you book a day trip on a boat to Shipwreck Cove then you’ll normally be given lunch at the beach as well and some drinks. It’s worth checking with the excursion operator before you book to make sure you have food and drinks as there are no restaurants at Shipwreck Cove.

The type of Sand on Navagio Beach

Navagio beach is like lots of other beaches in Zakynthos and in the rest of the Ionian Sea. You’ll find that when you view the beach from the checking out platforms on the cliffs 200 meters above, you’d be certain that it’s white powdery sand. 

But when you step off the boat and flinch slightly in pain as your feet hit the beach, you’ll swiftly realize that it’s actually tiny pebbles. It’s best to wear water shoes or at least flip flops so that you can be comfortable while walking around the beach and heading out for a swim.

Where To stay Near Navagio Beach

While Navagio beach is a sensational sight to behold, the accommodation around the cove isn’t the best on the island. If you’re going to be staying on Zakynthos Island for a few days, then I’d recommend staying elsewhere and visit Navagio beach as a day trip instead.

Some of the best places to stay in Zakynthos include Zante town (the capital), Laganas (the party/tourist hot spot), Tsilivi (family safe beach), or Psarou (a local village where we stayed).

No matter what you decide when researching where to stay in Zakynthos, I recommend renting a car so that you can easily get to Shipwreck Cove and the other sites around. There are lots of things to do in Zakynthos, and by having a car you’ll easily be able to explore a lot of of them in a few days or a week-long holiday.

Why is it Called Shipwreck Cove?

Well, once you see Navagio beach you’ll swiftly realize why it’s called Shipwreck Cove. There’s a massive 157 foot Freightliner plunked in the center of the sand that crashed on the beach on October 2, 1980. 

The ship got caught in a bad storm and was unable to see where it was going before it ran aground upon the picturesque cove. Some rumours say that the ship was smuggling drugs (which also lends to the fact that the beach has the nickname “Smugglers Cove”), but these claims were never officially confirmed and the captain and crew were not convicted on any such offences.

The ship was abandoned there and has been sitting on the beach, rotting away ever since. Later, the beach took on the name. This crash [turned out to be] lucky for Greece as it’s now one of the country’s a lot of popular vacationer destinations. Sure, people would’ve still come for the picture-perfect sandy cove, but the shipwreck just adds to the allure.

Travel ideas For Shipwreck Cove

Not all excursions are created equal and there’s quite a bit to know about checking out the beach as there are two ways to see it, by road and by boat. here are a few basic ideas to help you plan how to see Shipwreck Cove.

By Car

Use Google Maps: Download the Google Maps app on your Android or Apple device and then download the map ofZakynthos for offline use. once you have the app and the map downloaded, Click here to view and save the location of the checking out platform so you can find directions there using the app.

Be Careful: Many tourists have fallen to their deaths from the sketchy 200 meter high cliffs above Navagio Beach. Please be careful when checking out this area as not everything was well signed at the time of our visit. stay behind the gated area and far away from the edge of these cliffs.

By boat Tour

Choose a small boat Tour: Some boats that make this trip are massive double-deckers so even if there aren’t any excursions on the sand when you get there, it’ll feel crowded just because of how lots of people are on your boat with you. try to choose a smaller group excursion on a smaller boat to have a a lot more quiet experience.

Avoid Mid-Day Trips: The beach is busiest at midday because lots of people want to be there when the sun is directly overhead so they can see the sand in all of its glory. The issue is that it can be insanely crowded at this time. try to choose trips in the morning or late afternoon, the beach is still sensational and there will be a fraction of people on the sand.

You only have 1 Hour: Most boat excursions that go to Navagio beach only stay on the sand for around an hour, so make sure you get a few photos, choose a swim, lay on the sand and just try to take pleasure in the beach as much as possible in the short time provided.

Bring shoes or flip Flops: The beach has white pebbles, not sand, so it can actually be a little bit painful in bare feet. consider bringing some footwear if you plan to walk along the sand.

Bring Supplies: Most excursion companies aren’t going to offer you sunscreen, hats, etc. Some don’t even offer you enough water. Make sure you have all the needed supplies for a day at the beach. 

There are NO Facilities: Keep in mind that there are no facilities on the beach so if you book a excursion on a boat without a toilet, you’ll want to do any service that can’t be done in the ocean before you get on the boat on the way to Navagio Beach.

The Water gets Deep Quick: If you’re travelling with children, be aware that the water gets deep quite quickly.

Boats Can Be Cancelled: All boat trips to Shipwreck Cove are weather permitting, so if it’s stormy don’t be shocked if your trip gets cancelled. before booking your trip to the beach, consider checking the 5-day forecast and choose a day that is a lot of likely to be clear and calm.

Boat trips can also leave swiftly if they see a storm coming, so don’t venture too far from your boat.  It’s no coincidence that there’s already a wrecked ship on this beach, the excursion operators don’t want to add to that with their own fleet!

Enjoy Navagio beach (Shipwreck Cove)!

Navagio beach is one of the most beautiful stretches of sand you’ll likely see in your life. I hope this post will help make sure that you make the most of your trip there.

Whether you visit by boat or from the cliffs above, make sure to take lots of photos, but also put the camera/smartphone down for a while to just take pleasure in the extraordinary view. One mistake so lots of people make is seeing Navagio from the screen of their devices. Take it in, take pleasure in and be careful!

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