Zakynthos: Navagio Shipwreck Beach, the Blue Caves Crystal Light, Loggerhead Turtle Nesting at Laganas, the Earthquake-Rebuilt Venetian Town, Porto Vromi North Coast, and Mandola and Verdea Food
Zakynthos, the Ionian island with the world's most photographed beach, combines the enclosed Navagio shipwreck cove, the Blue Caves sea crystal light, the most important Mediterranean loggerhead turtle nesting bay, the architectural coherence of the 1953 earthquake reconstruction, and the Verdea indigenous wine tradition.
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Navagio Shipwreck Beach: The Most Iconic Greek Image
Navagio Beach on the northwest coast of Zakynthos, the shipwreck beach accessible only by boat where the MV Panagiotis cargo ship ran aground in 1980 and has rusted in the white sand cove enclosed by the 200-meter vertical limestone cliffs, is the single most photographed beach image in Greece and one of the most recognized beach photographs in the world. The luminous turquoise of the water in the enclosed cove, the rusting white ship on the perfect sand, and the vertical limestone walls create a composition that appears to be a digital enhancement even when seen in person.
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Blue Caves: The Sea Crystal Light
The Blue Caves at Cape Skinari on the northern tip of Zakynthos, the series of sea caves accessible by small boat from Agios Nikolaos harbour where the reflected light from the white limestone seabed creates the most intense turquoise glow in any sea cave in the Ionian Islands, are the second most visited natural site in Zakynthos after the Navagio Beach. The early morning blue cave boat excursion from the Cape Skinari jetty at 8am, before the water is disturbed by the afternoon boats, offers the finest light quality.
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Laganas Bay: The Loggerhead Turtle Nesting
Laganas Bay on the south coast of Zakynthos, the most important loggerhead sea turtle nesting beach in the Mediterranean with approximately 1,200 nesting turtles per season, is the location of the National Marine Park of Zakynthos established in 1999 to protect the Caretta caretta nesting from the beach development and the nighttime lighting that disoriented the hatchlings. The turtle nesting management at Laganas is the most significant marine conservation program in the Ionian Islands.
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Zakynthos Town: The Venetian Rebuilt City
Zakynthos Town, the capital rebuilt entirely after the catastrophic 1953 earthquake that destroyed the original Venetian city, reconstructed the demolished neoclassical facades in a homogeneous Ionian architectural style that creates the most architecturally coherent post-disaster reconstruction in Greece. The Saint Dionysios Basilica with the silver-encased relics of the patron saint, the Byzantine Museum with the icons rescued from the earthquake rubble, and the Solomos Square with the museum of the national poet Dionysios Solomos who was born in Zakynthos provide the cultural heritage of the rebuilt city.
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Porto Vromi and the North Coast Caves
Porto Vromi on the west coast, the small cove with the boat charter dock from which the Navagio excursion boats depart, and the north coast cave circuit from Agios Nikolaos to Cape Skinari, provide the complete Zakynthos marine landscape experience from the beach and the cliff base perspective. The coastline of northwestern Zakynthos, accessible only by sea, is the finest coastal scenery in the Ionian Islands.
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Zakynthos Food: Mandola and Pasteli
The Zakynthos food tradition, influenced by the Venetian occupation and the island's position in the Ionian culinary zone, includes the mandola almond candy, the pasteli sesame and honey nougat, the sofrito of the Venetian-influenced veal preparation, and the local Verdea white wine made from the island's unique indigenous grape variety. The Verdea, the dry amber-colored wine with the resinous character unique to Zakynthos, is the most distinctive wine produced in the Ionian Islands.