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
Sisällysluettelo
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.
Veneellä
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.
Autolla
Use Google Maps: Download the Google Maps app on your Android or Apple device and then download the map ofZakynthos offline -käyttöä varten. Kun sovellus on ladattu, napsauta tätä nähdäksesi ja tallenna tarkistusalustan sijainti, jotta löydät ohjeet siitä sovelluksen avulla.
Ole varovainen: Monet turistit ovat pudonneet kuolemaansa luonnoksista 200 metrin korkeista kallioista Navagio Beachin yläpuolella. Ole varovainen tarkistaessasi tätä aluetta, koska kaikki ei ollut allekirjoitettu hyvin vierailumme aikana. Pysy aidatun alueen takana ja kaukana näiden kallioiden reunasta.
Veneretkellä
Valitse pieni veneretki: Jotkut veneet, jotka tekevät tästä matkasta, ovat massiivisia kaksikerroksia, joten vaikka hiekalla ei olisi retkiä, kun pääset sinne, se tuntuu tungosta vain sen takia, kuinka paljon ihmisiä on veneessäsi kanssasi. Yritä valita pienempi ryhmäretki pienemmälle veneelle, jotta sinulla olisi paljon hiljaisempaa kokemusta.
Vältä päivän puolivälissä matkoja: Ranta on vilkkain keskipäivällä, koska monet ihmiset haluavat olla siellä, kun aurinko on suoraan yläpuolella, jotta he näkevät hiekan kaikessa kunniassaan. Kysymys on, että se voi olla tungosta tällä hetkellä. Yritä valita matkoja aamulla tai myöhään iltapäivällä, ranta on edelleen sensaatiomainen ja hiekassa on murto -osa ihmisistä.
Sinulla on vain 1 tunti: Useimmat veneretket, jotka menevät Navagio Beachille, pysyvät vain hiekalla noin tunnin ajan, joten varmista, että saat muutaman kuvan, valitse uinti, makaa hiekalla ja yritä vain nauttia rannasta niin paljon kuin mahdollista lyhyessä ajassa.
Tuo kengät tai flip flops: rannalla on valkoisia kiviä, ei hiekkaa, joten se voi todella olla hieman tuskallinen paljain jaloissa. Harkitse jalkineiden tuomista, jos aiot kävellä hiekkaa pitkin.
Tuo tarvikkeet: Useimmat retkiyritykset eivät aio tarjota sinulle aurinkovoidetta, hattuja jne. Jotkut eivät edes tarjoa sinulle tarpeeksi vettä. Varmista, että sinulla on kaikki tarvittavat tarvikkeet päivälle rannalla.
Mahdollisuuksia ei ole: Muista, että rannalla ei ole tiloja, joten jos varaat retken veneellä ilman wc: tä, sinun kannattaa tehdä mitään palvelua, jota ei voida tehdä merellä ennen kuin pääset päälle Vene matkalla Navagion rannalle.
Vesi kasvaa nopeasti: Jos matkustat lasten kanssa, huomaa, että vesi syvenee melko nopeasti.
Veneet voidaan peruuttaa: Kaikki veneretken matkat ovat sää sallittuja, joten jos se on myrskyinen, älä järkyttynyt, jos matkasi peruutetaan. Ennen kuin varaat matkasi rannalle, harkitse 5 päivän ennusteen tarkistamista ja valitse päivä, joka on todennäköisesti selkeä ja rauhallinen.
Veneretket voivat myös lähteä nopeasti, jos he näkevät myrskyn tulevan, joten älä uskalla liian kaukana veneestäsi. Ei ole sattumaa, että tällä rannalla on jo hylkytty alus, retki -operaattorit eivät halua lisätä sitä omalla laivastollaan!
Nauti Navagio Beachistä (Shipwreck Cove)!
Navagio Beach on yksi kauneimmista hiekkaosuuksista, joita todennäköisesti näet elämässäsi. Toivon, että tämä viesti auttaa varmistamaan, että hyödynnät matkasi siellä.
Vierastko veneellä tai yllä olevista kallioista, muista ottaa paljon valokuvia, mutta laitat myös kameran/älypuhelimen jonkin aikaa vain nauttiaksesi poikkeuksellisesta näkymästä. Yksi virhe, joten monet ihmiset tekevät Navagion näkemistä laitteidensa näytöltä. Ota se sisään, nautti ja ole varovainen!
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