The Greek island of Zakynthos is known for its great beaches and beautiful sea. Are you looking for fine sandy beaches, beautifully hidden coves or trendy beach clubs on Zakynthos? Then read on quickly because in this blog we describe the 9 best beaches and most beautiful bays of Zakynthos!
The best beaches and most beautiful bays of Zakynthos (with and without kids!)
Yes, your holiday is booked, you are going to Zakynthos! And my oh my, how you are going to enjoy the beautiful beaches and the emerald blue water! But where do you find those nice beaches? After more than a week of touring around and visiting beaches, we have made a selection of the most beautiful, most adventurous and best beaches of Zakynthos!
Below you will find a handy map where the 9 different beaches on Zakynthos are indicated. In our description, we start in the north and then go around the clock.
Tip: with a rental car you can easily visit all these beaches. We rented a car through Sunny Cars on Zakynthos because then we know that all goes well and you are fully insured!
1. Makris Gialos beach: wide pebble beach with clear water
In the northeast of Zakynthos, just above Xigia beach you will find this wide pebble beach with beautiful clear blue water. There are more than enough beds and a shower will soon be built here so that you can rinse off the salt water. It’s an easily accessible beach, perfect for a stopover on your way north, but it is not the most special beach in Zakynthos. What is also good here is snorkelling, there are many fish in the water and you can see them well! Click here for the location of this beach on Zakynthos.
- Accessibility: good, located on the road.
- Beach beds: many available
- Parking options: along the road and in a separate parking lot
- Beach clubs: not on the beach, but across the road you will find several restaurants and shops.
- Suitable for children: yes, shallow clear water
- Beach type: pebbles
2. Xigia beach: beautiful bay with thermal water
One of the most beautiful beaches of Zakynthos is located in this small bay in the northeast of Zakynthos. The water has a milky blue color because there is a lot of sulfur in the water. That is also the reason why it smells a little less fresh here. The sulfur makes the top layer of the water a bit cool, but underneath it is nice and warm. The color of the water against the steep rocks makes up for the strange smell, because guys this place is beautiful! And in addition, this water is good for your immune system, a natural thermal bath!
There are a few sunbeds, but this beach is popular so you have to be really early (before 10am) to get one. There is no beach club on the beach itself, but at the top of the rocks you will find a small cafe where you can buy everything. Also nice, order something on the beach and with a cable car the orders from the cafe are brought down. Click here for the location of this beach on Zakynthos.
- Accessibility: reasonable, keep in mind that you have to descend a short but steep rocky path, less suitable for strollers.
- Beach beds: only a few
- Parking options: free parking at the cafe, paid parking (3.50) in the parking lot. Limited place.
- Beach clubs: not present, but Xigia Kanteen, the cafe on top of the rocks does have refreshments.
- Suitable for children: not so much, many pebbles and a rapidly deepening sea. Beautiful for snorkeling.
- Beach type: pebble
Looking for nice (family) accommodation on Zakynthos near these beautiful beaches? Then read our blog about BellaZante Country Villas!
3. Tsilivi beach: the best beach for families!
Tsilivi beach is a popular beach near the famous village of Tsilivi (also called Planos). This wide sandy beach has dozens of bars and cafes where you can rent beds or have a bite to eat. It is a tourist spot, but with fine sand and wonderfully warm and clear water. This beach is perfect for families as the sea is shallow for a long time, the sand is nice to play in and there are plenty of other families around. We found the best beach club here, Seacret, where you can rent a bed with umbrella for 15 euros and have a tasty meal.
Keep in mind that it can be busy here with a lot of commerce. So it is certainly not a quiet secluded beach, but it is a place with all facilities. Click here for the location of this beach on Zakynthos.
- Accessibility: good, it can be reached on foot or by car from Tsilivi.
- Beach beds: more than enough. Costs are between 10-15 euros for 2 beds with umbrella.
- Parking options: free parking in various places
- Beach clubs: plenty, our favorite was Seacret.
- Suitable for children: definitly!
- Beach type: sand
In doubt which island to visit: Zakynthos or Kefalonia? In this blog we describe the differences and you can read which island suits you best!
4. Porto Zorro beach: beautiful bay surrounded by mountains and grass
Porto Zorro is not far from the popular village of Agrassi, just south of Zakynthos town. You are here on the Vasilikos peninsula that is attached to Zakynthos and is surrounded by mountains and olive groves. The bay of Porto Zorro is spacious, but not as large as, for example, the beach of Tsilivi. We liked this location very much because there is a large piece of grass along the beach, which provides coolness. There are various facilities (beds, restaurants), but it is not crowded with all kinds of water activities. The perfect mix between tranquility and comfort.
The beach is made of sand and the water is beautiful blue and clear. We rented two beds with umbrella at beach bar Porto Azurro, we paid 10 euros for this. Click here for the location of this beach on Zakynthos.
- Accessibility: good, 10 minutes from Agrassi
- Beach beds: available, costs 10 euros for 2 beds with umbrella.
- Parking options: limited, if it gets busy the free parking lot fills up quickly.
- Beach clubs: yes, a few
- Suitable for children: yes
- Beach type: sand
Will you als be visiting neighbor island Kefalonia? Read our blog about the best beaches of Kefalonia!
5. Banana Beach: wide popular sandy beach with beach clubs
Like Porto Zorro, Banana Beach is located on the Vasilikos peninsula. This is the best beach on Zakynthos for partying! Where Porto Zorro is mostly quiet and attracts families, Banana Beach is the perfect party beach. The beach itself is nice and wide, with beautiful clear blue water. In the dunes there are several luxury beach clubs from which you look out on endless rows of beach beds and the sea. Click here for the location of this beach on Zakynthos.
- Accessibility: very good
- Beach beds: very much present
- Parking options: you can park for free in several places near the sea. The parking spaces are large and well maintained.
- Beach clubs: many present
- Suitable for children: yes, but the beach attracts a party crowd
- Beach type: sand
6. Gerakas beach: beautiful natural beach where the turtles come to lay eggs.
This beautiful raw beach is located at the very tip of the Vasilikos peninsula. Because of the rocks that surround the bay, but also because of the lack of beach clubs with music, it feels calm. And what makes it extra special is that on this beach every night, turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. A special section has been set up for this purpose where you are not allowed to walk. This is also the reason that there is a zero garbage policy and there is good monitoring. You will find more information about the turtles at the entrance of the beach, but do know that it is forbidden to be on this beach before sunrise and after sunset. The chance that you will see the turtles is therefore not that big.
We found this a nice beach with warm water. However, keep in mind that shadow is limited (except for the umbrellas). Good to know about, but definitely worth a visit! Click here for the location of this beach on Zakynthos.
- Accessibility: good, you have to walk a bit (400m) from the parking lot to the beach
- Beach beds: present
- Parking options: free parking
- Beach clubs: not present. If you want something to drink or eat, you have to go back to the parking lot where there are several restaurants
- Suitable for children: yes, the sea is shallow
- Beach type: sand but also pieces with pebbles
7. Myzithres beach: best beach with the most beautiful water in all of Zakynthos
Myzithres is located in the southwest of Zakynthos. It is not the most comfortable beach, in our opinion it is the best beach of Zakynthos! The reason why? Is has the most beautiful blue water in all of Zakynthos! You can only get here by boat (we arranged a 4-hour boat trip in Keri harbor) and actually they are two beaches that are separated by a peninsula. You can swim to the other side through a cave, or climb over the rocks and get to the other side.
Because there is little shade, it is smart to take a look at the time of day. Before 1 pm, it is best to go to the most northerly beach, there is just some shade from the rocks. After 1 pm, it is best to head to the south beach, where you will begin to get shade.
This beach is really worth it, especially because of the beautiful blue water, the secluded location and the beautiful rocks. But it is not easy to get here, there are no facilities and the beach (and the sea) is strewn with pebbles. So water shoes are handy. Click here for the location of Myzithres beach. You can also admire this beach from above. Click here for the viewpoint.
- Accessibility: difficult, you can only get here by boat
- Beach beds: no
- Parking options: not applicable
- Beach clubs: not present
- Suitable for children: reasonable, provided they can swim, there are large pebbles and the water gets deeper quickly
- Beach type: pebbles
8. Porto Limnionas: beautiful bay in the cliffs with beds on the rocks
Porto Limnionas is a bay in the west of Zakynthos. The bay itself can be reached via rocks and cliffs and has clear blue water. You swim here sheltered from the open sea and there are all kinds of small caves to explore. There is no real beach because the area consists entirely of steep cliffs and rocks, but restaurant Porto Limnionas Tavern has come up with something clever and created terraces with sunbeds on different rock levels. This way you can still enjoy yourself, without lying on the hard rocks.
It is also nice to have a drink here with a view of the open sea while the sun slowly sets. You will not see the last part well because then it disappears behind nearby mountains, but it is still a wonderful view. Click here for the location of this bay on Zakynthos.
- Accessibility: good, you drive here from Zakynthos town in about 40 minutes
- Beach beds: yes, 12 euros for two beds with umbrella
- Parking options: yes, but limited, you will see many cars parked on the side of the road.
- Beach clubs: restaurant Porto Limnionas Tavern
- Suitable for children: not really, the many stairs, the lack of a sandy beach and the rocks where they can easily hurt themselves.
- Beach type: rocks
9. Navagio beach: the most famous beach of Zakynthos
This beautiful little bay is probably the most famous beach of Greece. You can only get here by boat and the location is very popular, dozens of tour boats leave here every day. On the beach is an old shipwreck that you can walk through and have a closer look at.
Please note that there are no facilities on this beach and it can get very crowded. We did not visit the beach itself, but admired it from above, from this viewpoint. Also well worth it. Click here for the location of this beach on Zakynthos.
- Accessibility: poor, only by boat. Click here to book a tour directly.
- Beach beds: not present
- Parking options: not applicable
- Beach clubs: not present
- Suitable for children: not for the youngest, but for children who can swim.
- Beach type: sand
From the port town of Agios Nikolaos you can rent boats and see the famous Blue Cave and Shipwreck Beach. Click here to book a day trip.
Bonus beach: The beautiful beach of Marathonisi (turtle island)
The island of Marathonisi is located off the coast of Laganas. This is also called the turtle island because they lay eggs here at night. It is a beautiful beach, where you can snorkel well, but it can get quite crowded here. You can also only reach this beach by boat, and there are no beds. You will find a snack boat here, where you can buy something to drink or an ice cream. For an hour (as part of a boat trip) this is a nice beach to visit, but the mainland of Zakynthos itself has beaches that are nicer. Click here for the location.
- Accessibility: only by boat.
- Beach beds: not present
- Parking options: N/A
- Beach clubs: not present
- Suitable for children: yes, shallow water and sandy beach
- Beach type: sand
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What a list of epic recommendations! I thought it was only the famous beach with the boat, gladly surprise. Sure going to my list! Thanks