The only way to get to the Shipwreck Beach in Zakynthos (Greece) is by boat, so it takes a bit of planning to get here.
In this post, I’m explaining what to consider when taking a boat trip to the Shipwreck Beach.
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PS: Are you planning a romantic getaway to Zakynthos with your loved one? Check out these unforgettable things to do in Zakynthos, especially for couples.
What to keep in mind when booking a boat trip to the Shipwreck Beach
Wherever Jordi and I go, the biggest thing on our mind is always “How do we get the best pictures of ourselves in this place”. To avoid the crowds, we prefer not to travel in July and August. We visited Zakynthos from 10 – 19 September, when the biggest crowds were already gone.
When planning the boat trip to Shipwreck Beach in Zakynthos, these were the things we considered:
Private Boat Tour versus Group Boat Tour to the Shipwreck Beach
The general rule for getting the best pictures at a place is: “the earlier you arrive the better”. So when we spoke to different boat tour companies in Port Agios Nikolaos, we found out that:
- the earliest group boat tour departs at 10am, whereas
- you can book a private boat tour with captain from as early as 8am
However, when we explained that we wanted to get there as early as possible to take good pictures, we were told that you’ll never get the beach to yourself anyway.Β Apparently there are private boats anchored in front of the beach overnight, just to make sure they’ll be the first ones to visit the beach the next morning.
So we decided to save some money and go for the 10am group tour. The group tour cost us about β¬20 per person for a 2.5 hours tour, whereas a private boat tour with captain starts at β¬200 per boat.
I’m normally not a big fan of group tours because they’re usually rushed and overcrowded, but I have to say that I was not disappointed with the Group Boat Tour to the Shipwreck Beach in Zakynthos. We spent about 45 minutes on the Shipwreck Beach, which was plenty of time for us to take our pictures.
If you book a Group Boat Tour, make sure to remember what the people in your boat look like. This will save you the embarrassment of (nearly) missing your boat.
We got so caught up in taking our pictures and videos on the Shipwreck Beach that at some point we were like, “we don’t see any familiar faces anymore, what time is it?”. That’s when we quickly grabbed our bags and ran towards all the boats that were moored in the sea.
We found a boat that looked like ours, but we weren’t too sure if it was. So I asked people if they found two pairs of shoes with elephant prints on them, and someone waved our shoes in the air :’). That’s when we were sure that it was our boat, and we were the last ones to board it *oops*.
When to take the boat tour to Shipwreck Beach
Boat tours to the Shipwreck Beach in Zakynthos run multiple times a day from May to October, but the quietest months to do the boat tour are May, June, September and October. If you do the boat tour in July or August and you want to avoid the crowds, it’s best to go early in the morning or late in the afternoon.
Also, the boat tours are weather dependent, so it’s best to book a tour at the beginning of your holiday. This gives you time to reschedule if needed (and we needed it!).
We purchased our tickets on a Saturday, for a group boat tour departing on Sunday morning 10am. When we purchased the tickets, we were already told that they were expecting bad weather for Sunday, so we needed to check with the boat company if the tour was still going ahead on the morning of the tour.
When we woke up on Sunday morning, it was looking very rainy outside, so we sent the company a WhatsApp message to check if our boat tour was still on. Soon enough we got a text back to say all tours were cancelled for that Sunday, and that we could either reschedule for another day or get a full refund. We chose to reschedule for Monday 10am.
Although our boat tour was scheduled for 10am, our boat didn’t actually leave Port Agios Nikolaos until 10.15am. It took the boat about 40 minutes to arrive at the Shipwreck Beach, so we arrived around 11am.
At that time, the beach was mostly covered in shade from the surrounding cliffs, and only a small corner of the beach was sunny. If you look at the colour of the sand in the left picture above, you will see the sunny patch behind the Shipwreck on the right hand side. Lucky for us, most people just put down their towels and sunbathed at the sunny bit of the beach, so the area surrounding the Shipwreck was relatively empty.Β
So even though we weren’t the first or only ones to arrive at the Shipwreck Beach, and we took a group boat tour instead of a private boat tour, we still had plenty of photo opportunities at different sides of the Shipwreck. I have not photoshopped anyone out of our pictures, we just had to wait a minute or so every now and then for crowds to clear.Β
It was very special for us to be at the Shipwreck Beach, because we had just gotten engaged on top of the cliffs of the Shipwreck Beach Viewpoint two days before. It was so cool to see the place where we got engaged from the Shipwreck Beach. But it was also a bit frightening to see how high and steep those cliffs are when seen from the beach.
What port to depart from to get to the Shipwreck Beach
Obviously Zakynthos is an island, so it has plenty of ports where boats to the Shipwreck Beach depart from. However, tours and prices differ depending on what port you depart from and the distance between the port and the Shipwreck Beach.
Closest ports to Shipwreck Beach
The closest ports to the Shipwreck Beach are Porto Vromi and Port Agios Nikolaos. Boat tours departing from here typically take 2.5 – 3 hours and include multiple stops. They typically stop at the Shipwreck Beach for about an hour.Β
Porto Vromi:Β The Shipwreck Beach is only 15-20 minutes away from Porto Vromi, so if you want to arrive early you should take a boat that departs from here. Most tours from Porto Vromi also include stops at the Hidden Treasure Cave, Sfogio Beach, White Beach, the Secret Blue Cave and the Heart Cave.
Check out boat tours that depart from Porto Vromi:
Port Agios Nikolaos:Β The Shipwreck Beach is about 40 minutes away from Port Agios Nikolaos. Our first accommodation was in this town, so we naturally took a boat trip departing from Agios Nikolaos. Our boat tour also included a stop at the Blue Caves, and the total duration was about 2.5 hours:
Ports further away from the Shipwreck Beach
Boats to the Shipwreck Beach are also departing fromΒ Laganas, Alikes and the Port of Zakynthos.Β However, these ports are further away from the Shipwreck Beach and the boat tours are therefore often sold as half-day and day tours.
Because of the long distance, you won’t get as much time at the Shipwreck beach compared to when you take a boat tour departing from Porto Vromi or Port Agios Nikolaos.
What to wear and bring on a Shipwreck Beach boat tour
The most important thing to keep in mind when it comes to planning your outfit is that you will have to walk through the sea to get to the Shipwreck Beach. As soon as I went down the ladder of our boat, I was standing in knee-deep sea water. So to make sure your outfit doesn’t get wet, bring:
- ShortsΒ
- Swimwear
- Slippers or flip-flops
I was wearing a playsuit with my bathing suit underneath, so my outfit didn’t get wet. I also wore slippers which I left in the boat while we were at the Shipwreck Beach.
There are no shops or restaurants (and also no toilets) on the Shipwreck Beach, so you might also want to bring:
- Towels
- Snorkel Equipment (we brought ours, but didn’t end up using it though)
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- Water and snacks
- Backpack to carry all your stuff in
Add to your bucket list:
Travel Photography for Couples
Learn more about taking your own travel pictures as a couple in my book:
As a travel couple, do you ever wish to travel back to a place, just to take better pictures together? I sure know I do!Β Thatβs why in this book, I am sharing everything we wish we knew about taking pictures together when we first started travelling as a couple. Read more…