Zakynthos · North Coast · Combo Tours
The wreck and the caves sit on the same stretch of coast, so almost every northern trip sells them together. The question is the format: a full land-and-sea day with hotel pickup and the clifftop viewpoint, or a two-to-three-hour boat from Agios Nikolaos. Here is how the combos compare.
When You Are Ready
Select your preferred date and time. Instant confirmation — free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
The Experience
Hotel pickup, Bochali, Xigia, the viewpoint, then the boat leg past the wreck, into the Blue Caves and on to Poseidon's Face — for ten dollars less than the most-reviewed version.
Four things to settle before you compare prices.
The famous overhead photograph of Navagio is taken from a clifftop platform reached by road; the wreck at water level needs a boat. Only a land-and-sea tour gives you both in one day.
Navagio is closed to landings and to swimming inside the bay through 31 October 2026. Boats hold about 50 metres offshore. Every swim stop has moved to the caves and the coves nearby.
Day tours that run the north coast by road reach the famous Blue Caves at Skinari. Those whose boat leaves Porto Vromi visit the west-coast caves near Maravelia instead — good, but different.
The big-name tours run full minibuses; the max-10 semi-private version costs the same as the most-reviewed tour and swaps the excursion boat for a speedboat. Private charters start at about $233 per boat.
Photo Gallery
Navagio from the water and from the cliff, the Blue Caves, and the coves where the swim stops now happen.
Four land-and-sea days compared on group size, boat, which caves the water leg reaches, and price.
| Feature | BEST VALUE DAY Value Land & Sea Day | Most-Reviewed Land & Sea Day | Max 10 Guests + Speedboat | Glass-Bottom Boat Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Format | Minibus + boat, hotel pickup | Small-group minibus + boat, hotel pickup | Minibus (max 10) + speedboat, hotel pickup | Minibus + glass-bottom boat, hotel pickup |
| Duration | ≈8–9 hours | ≈8–9 hours | ≈8–9 hours | Full day |
| Navagio viewpoint | ✓ Included | ✓ Included | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Which caves the boat reaches | Northern Blue Caves + Maravelia and Poseidon's Face | Northern Blue Caves + Maravelia, Sfogio, Heart Cave | West-coast caves from Porto Vromi Maries | West-coast caves + Maravelia, Poseidon's Face |
| Boat | Local boat | Excursion boat | Speedboat — fastest, bumpiest | Glass-bottom — steadiest, slowest |
| Group size | Standard minibus | Small group | Maximum 10 | Standard minibus |
| Rating | 4.6 / 5 (3,729 reviews) | 4.9 / 5 (5,720 reviews) | 5.0 / 5 (417 reviews) | 4.6 / 5 (278 reviews) |
| Starting Price | From $37/per person | From $47 per person | From $47 per person | From $29 per person |
| Check Availability | See the day tour | See the small-group tour | See the glass-bottom tour |
North, South and Private
The most-booked trip on each side of the island, the small boat that sails into the arches, a private charter, and the cheapest cave cruise we list.
BEST VALUE DAYThe value land-and-sea day: Bochali, Xigia, the Navagio viewpoint, then a boat past the wreck, into the Blue Caves and on to White Beach, Maravelia Cave and Poseidon's Face.
MOST REVIEWEDThe island's most-reviewed excursion: hotel pickup, the Navagio clifftop viewpoint, then a boat into the Blue Caves and past the wreck, with swim stops at White Beach and Maravelia Cave.
MAX 10 GUESTSSemi-private land-and-sea day for a maximum of ten guests: Xigia, the Navagio viewpoint, then a speedboat from Porto Vromi Maries to the wreck, the west-coast caves, White Beach and Poseidon's Face.
BOAT ONLYA small boat from Agios Nikolaos that sails right into the Blue Caves arches, with swim stops at Agios Andreas Bay and inside the caves, in about two and a half hours.
LOWEST PRICEThe cheapest way to the wreck and the caves: hotel pickup, the Navagio viewpoint, then a two-hour glass-bottom boat to the wreck, the caves, Maravelia, White Beach and Poseidon's Face.
The Breakdown
Best overall, best value, best small group, shortest and cheapest — with the one fact about each that the listing won't tell you.
Shipwreck Beach and the Blue Caves are the two things everyone comes to Zakynthos to see, and they happen to sit on the same north-west stretch of coast. That is why the pairing is the island’s dominant excursion: two of the products below carry more than 3,700 reviews each, and one carries more than 5,700. The trips look interchangeable in a listing. They are not — the format decides whether you see the wreck from above, from the water, or both, and which set of caves your boat actually enters. This page is about the combos from the caves side; for the beach itself — its closure, the viewpoint, the departure ports — start with the Shipwreck Beach guide.
Zakynthos: Shipwreck Beach with Blue Caves Land & Sea Tour — $47, 4.9 from 5,720 reviews — is the reference product. A small-group minibus collects you at your accommodation, climbs to Bochali above Zakynthos Town, stops at the Xigia sulphur beach, then reaches the clifftop platform above Navagio for the photograph everyone has seen. The boat leg runs from the north coast: the wreck from offshore, the Blue Caves, White Beach, Maravelia and Sfogio, and the Heart Cave, with a lunch stop at a local restaurant. Eight to nine hours, a good deal of it in a vehicle, and worth it if you want above and below in a single day. Our breakdown →
Zakynthos: Shipwreck Beach & Blue Caves Land and Sea Tour — $37, 4.6 from 3,729 reviews — is the one we feature on this page, because it does the same shape of day for ten dollars less. Bochali, Xigia, Makris Gialos, then the boat: the wreck, the Blue Caves, White Beach, Maravelia Cave and Poseidon’s Face, before the viewpoint and the old olive tree at Exo Hora. It runs the north coast by road, which is why it can legitimately cover the northern Blue Caves and the west-coast stops in one itinerary. Read the listing’s note on the boat fee before booking. Our breakdown →
A third day tour in the same tier, Zakynthos: Above & Beyond Shipwreck & Blue Caves Tour at $35 (4.6, 1,035 reviews), runs a speedboat from Porto Vromi for its water leg — see the coast warning below.
Zakynthos: Shipwreck & Blue Caves Max 10 guests — $47, a perfect 5.0 from 417 reviews — costs the same as the most-reviewed tour and caps the minibus at ten. The viewpoint and Xigia by road, then a speedboat from Porto Vromi Maries to the wreck, the west-coast caves, Maravelia, Sfogio, White Beach and Poseidon’s Face, with a Polaroid and drone footage thrown in. A speedboat is quicker and gets further into the caves; it is also bumpier and unshaded. Our breakdown →
If you have a car and would rather not spend the day in a minibus, Zakynthos: Blue Caves and Navagio Bay Swim Cruise — $41, 4.7 from 604 reviews — does the water-level half in about two and a half hours from the north-east port. The wreck from the bay, then swim stops at Agios Andreas Bay and inside the Blue Caves, on a boat small enough to sail through the arches. No viewpoint, no pickup, no lunch. Our breakdown → The other boat-only combos are compared on the Blue Caves tours page.
Zakynthos: Glass-Bottom Boat to Navagio, Caves & White Beach — $29, 4.6 from 278 reviews — is the lowest price we list for the combo, and it still includes hotel pickup and the viewpoint. The steady hull is the real reason to choose it for young children or anyone who dislikes speedboats. Our breakdown →
Porto Vromi, on the west coast, is the harbour nearest the wreck — and its cruises are honest, good trips. But their “blue caves” are the west-coast caves near Maravelia, the Heart Cave and Hidden Treasure Cave, not the northern Blue Caves at Skinari. Porto Vromi: Shipwreck, Caves, & White Beach Swimming Cruise at $35 (4.5, 2,309 reviews) is the archetype: three hours, three swim stops, Poseidon’s Profile at the end, and no visit to Kianoun. Our breakdown → The Maravelia Cave and Poseidon Cave guides cover what that route actually shows you.
Navagio is closed to landings and to swimming inside the bay through 31 October 2026, and boats hold roughly 50 metres offshore. Some listings still describe stopping on the sand — copy written before the closure. The wreck is still extraordinary from the water, but the swim stops are elsewhere on every trip above: the caves, Agios Andreas Bay, White Beach, Sfogio. The photograph from above still needs the viewpoint, which only the land-and-sea tours reach.
For couples who want the bay before the fleet arrives, the private boat tours page lists the charters, and the which cave tour is right for you guide compares formats across both coasts. Otherwise, check availability for the value day tour above.
Guest Reviews
Ratings and review counts are the tour operators' live figures on GetYourGuide and may shift slightly day to day.
"From start to finish this trip was fantastic. I’m a 35year old mother travelling with an 11 & 7 year old. We all love exploring and adventuring. Tour guide was lovely and the mini bus had air con inside which was great because the trip we booked on before (different company) didn’t and we absolutely fried!"
"The activity was complete and beautiful. There were 7 of us. Our guide Theo picked us up almost at the hotel, and we weren't in the pickup circle. We visited the viewpoints and had a beautiful boat trip, visiting the highlights (Blue Grotto, wreck, etc.). Our captain Mario was great... There was only one small hitch that wasn't the tour's fault, but I didn't like it. When we were waiting for the boat, there were some boats that were emptying a dinghy, and I was taking a picture of the "angry Greeks." They yelled at me, "Fuck... Put your phone away. Go fuck yourself..." and other not very nice words. Fortunately, the person who was taking us on the boat was not on our tour, but there are tourists who pay and would have gotten on with one of them. Above all, it was a good-natured photo with no particular purpose... They can tell their relatives about it, not us. That said, the rest was fantastic. Thank you, Theo and Mario."
"We had a great day! Kristos our guide was also amazing!"
"Christos was our guide and he was absolutely amazing !! He made this trip so much fun and answered all our questions about the day. The bus stops were great in the morning part of the tour. Following this we enjoyed the boat tour with about 40 people which was 25 euros on the day - amazing scenes here and we were even invited onto the fly bridge of the boat for special views and played some tunes. After a couple of beautiful swimming spots (recommend a snorkel for ease , not many fish however). We stopped at a local restaurant for an amazing lunch, we recommended the rabbit !! Last pit stop at an olive tree that was 2,000 years old and lots of lovely olive oil base items to purchase. Overall an amazing day however be warned it’s very long and I would recommend bringing a few snacks if you want to save some money."
"We had a wonderful experience from start to finish. The transportation was excellent, comfortable, and always on time. Our guide was very friendly, professional, and knowledgeable, making the whole experience even more enjoyable. Everything was well organised, and we felt very well looked after throughout the trip. We would definitely recommend this service to anyone looking for a smooth and enjoyable experience! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"
"We had a very enjoyable day seeing more of Zakynthos than we thought we would. There were many stops en route to the boat trip which offered a variety of experiences. Knowledge of the full itinerary beforehand would have been useful just so we knew what to expect especially as we thought we would be going to the main Blue Caves landmark, which we didn't, although we did experience blue caves. Spiros, our guide, was really friendly and knowledgeable. The lunch stop at the traditional Greek taverna was an added bonus. All in all a really great day."
"A wonderful experience driving around the island and seeing beautiful beaches. The boat trip was great, and I recommend it to everyone!"
"The description says pictures and video with a souvenir picture, which was not provided, plus a single 500 ml bottle of water is not enough in such heat. Otherwise, the guide was excellent, attentive, and communicative."
Read all 3729 verified reviews
See All ReviewsHotel pickup, the viewpoint, the wreck from the water and the Blue Caves — the day tour most people book on Zakynthos. Check dates for the value version, then compare the small-group and boat-only alternatives above. Starting from $37 per person.
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What the combo tours include, what the 2026 closure changes, and how to pick between land-and-sea days and boat-only cruises.
Land-and-sea day tours with hotel pickup run from $29 for the glass-bottom boat version to $37 for the value day tour and $47 for the most-reviewed one. Boat-only cruises from Agios Nikolaos that see the wreck and enter the caves start around $35 to $41. Private charters are priced per boat from about $233 for up to six people. All prices are the operators' live GetYourGuide figures.
You can see it, but you cannot land. Navagio is closed to landings and to swimming inside the bay through 31 October 2026, and boats hold roughly 50 metres offshore. Every tour on this page still takes you into the bay to photograph the wreck from the water, and the land-and-sea tours also stop at the clifftop viewpoint. See our Shipwreck Beach guide for the current rules.
A land-and-sea tour collects you from your hotel in a minibus, drives to the Navagio viewpoint and other stops such as Bochali and Xigia, then puts you on a boat for the wreck and the caves — eight to nine hours in total. A boat-only trip leaves from a harbour, takes two to three hours, and gives you the water-level view only. You need a car for the boat-only option.
Any of the land-and-sea day tours — they include hotel pickup from most resort areas. The value day tour at $37 and the most-reviewed tour at $47 both do. Boat-only cruises from Agios Nikolaos and Porto Vromi do not include transport, and neither port is served by a convenient bus.
No, and this is the most common mix-up on the island. The famous Blue Caves are on the north coast between Agios Nikolaos and Cape Skinari. Tours whose boat leaves from Porto Vromi on the west coast visit a different, smaller set of caves near Maravelia and the Heart Cave. Land-and-sea tours that run the north coast by road reach the northern caves. Our Blue Caves guide explains how to tell.
Only on a land-and-sea tour. The famous overhead photograph is taken from a cliff-top platform reached by road, and no boat can get there. The day tours drive you to the viewpoint and then board a boat, which is the main reason they take eight to nine hours and why they are the most-booked format on Zakynthos.
Typically around one and a half to two hours on the water, with the rest of the day spent on the road between the pickup, the viewpoints, the harbour and the lunch stop. The boat leg covers the wreck from offshore, the caves and one or two swim stops.
At the caves and the coves along the same coast — inside the Blue Caves and at Agios Andreas Bay from Agios Nikolaos, and at White Beach, Sfogio and the west-coast caves from Porto Vromi. Nobody swims inside Navagio bay itself while the closure is in force.
If you dislike full minibuses and want a speedboat rather than an excursion boat, yes — it is $47 either way and the smaller group is the difference. Bear in mind its boat leg runs from Porto Vromi, so it visits the west-coast caves rather than the northern Blue Caves. Our which tour guide weighs the formats.
Most day tours arrive at the bay late morning to midday, when the light is hardest and the most boats are in the water. Navagio faces west-north-west under 200-metre cliffs, so an early boat-only departure or a private charter gives better photographs. The best time to visit guide covers the daily rhythm.
Yes, more often than visitors expect. The north-west coast is exposed and operators reroute or cancel when the swell builds, especially in the afternoon when the sea breeze picks up. Most tours offer free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead — book early in your stay so a weather day can be rebooked.
Still have questions? Email us at info@zakynthoscaves.com
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