Navagio (Shipwreck) Beach cove with the rusted wreck on the sand, Zakynthos, Greece

Navagio's cliffs, the turtle bay, and a Zakynthos base that works

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Fix the Navagio closure and the nesting rules before choosing a base

Zakynthos pairs a rebuilt port-town base with a currently restricted Shipwreck Beach, a protected turtle-nesting bay, and the still fully open Blue Caves in the island's north.

Best first base Zakynthos Town

Closest to the airport and the ferry port, with an easy walkable centre.

Navagio Beach Closed to boats through October 2026

Beach access suspended since repeated landslides; the clifftop viewpoint stays open.

Marine Park Greece's first marine national park

Protects loggerhead turtle nesting in Laganas Bay, established 1999.

Getting there About 50 minutes by air

Direct flights from Athens; a ferry from Kyllini as an alternative.

Blue Caves Boat tours from Agios Nikolaos or Cape Skinari

Unaffected by the Navagio closure, reachable year-round by boat.

Best months Late May-June or September

Warm seas with a lighter overlap with peak nesting season.

StartBooker answer

Is Navagio Beach still open, and where should I base in Zakynthos right now?

Zakynthos Town, rebuilt around Solomos Square after a 1953 earthquake destroyed the original Venetian town, is the practical base with the port and airport both close by. Navagio, the famous shipwreck cove, is currently closed to boats and swimmers through October 2026 after repeated cliff landslides, though the clifftop viewpoint above it stays open and free. The Blue Caves near Cape Skinari are unaffected and reachable by boat tour. Laganas sits inside the National Marine Park protecting loggerhead turtle nesting beaches, a genuine tension between its nightlife strip and the protected bay it shares.

Best first base: Zakynthos Town, near the port and airport
Navagio access: Beach closed to boats through Oct 2026; viewpoint stays open
Marine Park: Protects loggerhead turtle nesting, established 1999
Getting there: Direct flights from Athens, about 50 minutes

AI-powered

Plan around Navagio's closure and the turtle-nesting rules

Zakynthos's two biggest draws, Navagio and the sea-turtle bay, both come with real current restrictions worth knowing before you book. Say what matters most to you and the planner can work around what's actually open.

Aerial view of Zakynthos Town harbour with ferries and the mountain behind, Greece

The simplest first-time base

Zakynthos Town keeps the airport, the port and the square close

Zakynthos Town

Zakynthos Town, rebuilt after the 1953 earthquake around Solomos Square, sits closest to both the airport and the ferry port, making it the easiest base for reaching the rest of the island.

The airport and the ferry port both sit a short drive or taxi from the centre, useful whether you're flying in directly or crossing from Kyllini on the mainland.
Solomos Square and the rebuilt waterfront give an easy, walkable base with restaurants and everyday shops, and a rental car picked up here reaches Laganas, Vasilikos and the north coast within an hour.

It has no real beach of its own, and the island's headline sights, Navagio and the Blue Caves, are both a drive or boat trip away.

Four Zakynthos bases, from the port town to the north coast

Zakynthos Town's easy transport links, Laganas's resort strip beside the turtle bay, Vasilikos's calmer beaches and the remote north coast near the Blue Caves pull very different kinds of visitors.

Zakynthos Town

the airport, the ferry port and an easy walkable base near Solomos Square

Book Zakynthos Town for the easiest arrival and a central base for day trips.

Sleep: Lively around the waterfront and square, quieter on side streets.

Neighbourhood stay Walkable

This is the island's administrative and transport hub first, not a beach resort; expect a working-town pace rather than a resort one.

Laganas

the island's main nightlife and beach resort strip, next to the turtle-nesting bay

Choose Laganas for the resort atmosphere, but check the Marine Park's beach rules first.

Sleep: Loud and lively into the night through summer.

Neighbourhood stay Beach

During nesting season, beach umbrellas, loungers and late-night beach access are all genuinely regulated here, not just a suggestion.

Vasilikos

quieter beaches on the peninsula south of Zakynthos Town, including Gerakas

Pick Vasilikos for a calmer beach base without Laganas's nightlife.

Sleep: Resort-quiet, family-paced.

Neighbourhood stay Beach

Some beaches here also sit within the Marine Park's protected area; the same nesting-season rules can apply.

Turquoise water and rock arch at the Blue Caves near Cape Skinari, Zakynthos, Greece

Volimes & the Blue Caves

the Blue Caves, the Navagio viewpoint and the island's quieter northern villages

Base near Volimes for proximity to the north-coast sights over easy nightlife.

Sleep: Quiet, rural villages.

Neighbourhood stay Quiet

Accommodation options are limited and spread thin; confirm availability well ahead rather than arriving without a booking.

Choose an area by the trip you want

Area	Best for	Trade-off	Getting around
Zakynthos Town	the airport, the ferry port and an easy walkable base near Solomos Square	No beach nearby; a drive or boat trip for the headline sights.	Zakynthos Town needs a car to reach any of the island's beaches or the north coast.
Laganas	the island's main nightlife and beach resort strip, next to the turtle-nesting bay	Beach rules from the Marine Park apply directly here.	Laganas is walkable within the resort strip itself.
Vasilikos	quieter beaches on the peninsula south of Zakynthos Town, including Gerakas	Less nightlife and fewer restaurants than Laganas.	Vasilikos benefits from a car to move between its scattered beaches.
Volimes & the Blue Caves	the Blue Caves, the Navagio viewpoint and the island's quieter northern villages	A genuine drive from the airport and most restaurants.	The north coast needs a car; it's the furthest area from the airport and port.

Match the base to what actually brought you to Zakynthos

The cards above sort Zakynthos by area; these sort it by the reason you're actually here.

A simple base for day trips around the island

This suits a short stay planned around day trips rather than a beach holiday.

Skip this if a beach right outside the door matters more than transport links.

A lively beach-resort week

Choose this for the resort strip and nightlife, aware of the Marine Park rules.

Skip Laganas if quiet nights or strict beach rules would frustrate you.

A quieter family beach base

Pick this for a calmer family beach week away from the main resort crowd.

Skip this if the Laganas strip's energy is actually what you want.

The Blue Caves and Navagio's viewpoint as the main event

This matters for anyone building the trip specifically around the north coast.

Skip this unless the Blue Caves and the Navagio viewpoint are genuine priorities.

Once you know whether Zakynthos Town, Laganas or Vasilikos fits your trip, compare live availability, exact hotel locations and room details. Editorial advice here is separate from provider prices and availability.

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Fly in directly, then rent a car for the coast roads

Zakynthos has its own airport with direct Athens flights, so most visitors skip the ferry route entirely, though a mainland crossing from Kyllini remains an option.

A direct flight from Athens, or a ferry from Kyllini

A short flight from Athens, plus seasonal charters

Zakynthos International Airport (ZTH) sits a short drive from Zakynthos Town, with daily year-round direct flights from Athens on Aegean, Olympic Air and Sky Express taking around 50 minutes, plus seasonal international charters from across Europe.

A mainland ferry route through Kyllini, if not flying

An alternative route runs by KTEL bus from Athens to Kyllini on the Peloponnese coast, about four and a half hours, followed by a roughly 75-minute ferry crossing to Zakynthos Town; slower than flying, but useful for anyone already touring the mainland.

A car for the coast roads; boats for the caves

A rental car or ATV covers the island properly

A rental car or ATV is the practical way to reach Navagio's viewpoint, the Blue Caves' boat departure points and the quieter beaches around Vasilikos, typically €18 to €40 a day depending on season.

Buses cover the resort strips, not the north coast

KTEL buses connect Zakynthos Town with Laganas, Tsilivi, Alykes and Vasilikos, but run infrequently and don't reach the north-coast viewpoints or the Blue Caves' departure ports, so a bus-only trip stays confined to the main resort strips.

Blue Caves boats now run as a standalone trip

Blue Caves boat tours leave from Agios Nikolaos, Makris Gialos and Cape Skinari itself, typically an hour or two round trip; since the Navagio boat route is currently suspended, most operators sell the Blue Caves as a standalone trip rather than the usual combined tour.

Boat tours are priced per person, per trip, not as a single island pass

Price the Blue Caves separately from any Navagio add-on

Standalone Blue Caves boat trips run roughly €10 to €25 per person for an hour or two, while a private charter for a small group runs from around €200; treat any listing that still bundles a Navagio stop as needing confirmation, since that leg is currently suspended.

An easy town centre, rougher ground at the viewpoints

The town is flat; the clifftop viewpoints are not

Zakynthos Town's rebuilt centre around Solomos Square is flat and easy going, but the Navagio viewpoint and several north-coast roads involve uneven, unpaved sections with no barriers in places; sturdy shoes matter more here than in the town itself.

Plan around Navagio's closure and the turtle-nesting calendar

Zakynthos rewards planning around two things that changed recently: Navagio's beach-level closure for safety reasons, and how directly the turtle-nesting season overlaps with the island's busiest tourist months.

Two separate calendars: tourist season and the turtle-nesting one

Shoulder months ease the nesting-season overlap

Shoulder months ease the nesting-season overlap

Late May, June and September give warm swimming weather with a lighter overlap with the busiest stretch of turtle nesting and hatching, which runs roughly mid-May to late September at its widest.
Peak season means peak turtle-protection rules too

July and August bring both the heaviest tourist crowds and the peak of nesting and hatching activity at once, meaning beach rules are strictest exactly when demand for beach space is highest.
The Navagio closure has its own timeline, separate from the tourist season

The Navagio beach closure and restoration plan currently runs through October 2026; check for updates closer to travel since the timeline could shift once the stabilisation work is complete.

Price the boat trips, the car and the location separately

Price the Blue Caves as a standalone trip

Price the Blue Caves as a standalone trip

Blue Caves boat trips run €10 to €25 per person for a shared tour, considerably less than a private charter around €200; since Navagio isn't currently part of the combined route, budget it as its own trip rather than expecting a discounted bundle.
A rental car earns its cost on this island

A rental car for the week typically costs more than relying on KTEL buses, but it's the only realistic way to reach the Navagio viewpoint, the Blue Caves' departure points and Vasilikos's scattered beaches on your own schedule.
Laganas and the town cost more than the quieter coast

Laganas and Zakynthos Town both carry a premium over the quieter beaches around Vasilikos or the villages near the north coast; compare the same dates across areas before assuming the busiest strip is worth the extra cost.

Where Zakynthos visitors most often get the current rules wrong

Expecting to actually land on Navagio's beach

Expecting to actually land on Navagio's beach

Booking a boat tour that promises a landing at Navagio's beach risks disappointment; the cove has been closed to boats and swimmers since repeated landslides, and only the clifftop viewpoint remains genuinely open to visitors.
Assuming the Marine Park's rules only affect boats

Setting up beach chairs, walking dogs, or staying on Laganas's beach after dark during nesting season can put you in a restricted area without realising it; the rules apply to ordinary sunbathing spots, not just obvious construction zones.
Expecting public buses to reach the north coast

Relying on KTEL buses to reach the Blue Caves or the Navagio viewpoint from Zakynthos Town or Laganas doesn't work; those routes need a rental car, a taxi, or an organised tour rather than the public bus network.

Is Navagio (Shipwreck) Beach open right now?

No, not currently. Repeated landslides from the unstable cliffs above the cove, worsened by earthquakes in 2018 and 2022 and a further landslide in March 2023, led authorities to suspend boat trips and beach access there until at least the end of October 2026, while a plan to extend and stabilise the shoreline is carried out.

Is the actual shipwreck still there?

Yes. The shipwreck itself is still on the sand, though heavily corroded and visibly deteriorated compared to older photos, sitting further from the water than it once did as the beach has eroded. It remains visible from the clifftop viewpoint above the cove, which stays open to visitors.

What exactly does the Marine Park protect, and does it affect swimming?

The National Marine Park, established in 1999 as Greece's first marine national park, protects loggerhead turtle nesting beaches around Laganas Bay. Nesting runs roughly mid-May to mid-August with hatching into late September; some beaches enforce restricted hours, minimum distances from turtles, and no-boat zones, and Sekania beach is fully closed to visitors.

Are the Blue Caves also closed?

No. The Blue Caves near Cape Skinari are a separate attraction in the island's north and are unaffected by the Navagio closure; boat tours run there as normal, typically as a standalone trip rather than combined with a Navagio stop.

Why does Zakynthos Town look rebuilt rather than historic?

Zakynthos Town was almost entirely destroyed by the 1953 Ionian earthquake; its Venetian-era centre, including Solomos Square, was rebuilt afterward on the same footprint, which is why the town's architecture today reads as reconstructed rather than centuries-old.

Does the turtle-nesting season overlap with the best time to visit?

Yes, directly. July and August, the busiest tourist months, sit right in the middle of the nesting and hatching window, so the strictest beach rules apply exactly when the most visitors are around. Aim for late spring or September if avoiding that overlap matters to you.

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How this guide was researched

Reviewed by StartBooker editorial team Travel editorial research and rewrite

Last reviewed 2026-09-11

Editorial method: Original editorial guidance based on the National Marine Park of Zakynthos, ARCHELON, airport and airline sources, cross-checked against recent editorial reporting on the Navagio beach closure and independent Zakynthos-focused travel publishers for neighbourhood character. Time-sensitive closures, prices and boat schedules are left to the linked operators and authorities.

10 sources reviewed

Primary sources