CalmBeach Greece
Maistros options
Beaches in Zakynthos usually better when the maistros blows
14 sheltered beaches in Zakynthos, oriented away from the maistros. Check live wind & waves on CalmBeach before you go.
- 14beaches
- 8organized
- 7with photos
The maistros blows from NW/W, and the split shows up clearly in the data. Of the 39 beaches we have modelled, 14 take no open water toward NW/W; they cluster on the east coast, facing an arc of NE–S. The most reliable of them are listed below. The other 15 sit wide open to it.
The reason is the shape of the coast itself: these beaches have land behind them on the side the wind comes from. They are not necessarily enclosed bays — they simply sit in the wind shadow of the shore opposite.
The trade-off, plainly: the same east coast is open to the opposite wind. On days the wind swings from the east, the shelter reverses and the far side is the better call. So this list narrows the choice — it does not replace the forecast; check live wind and waves on the beach page before you go.
The beaches
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Paralia KeriouThe little harbor below the ancient pitch springs — Keri Beach, also known as Limni Keri, sits at the southwestern corner of Laganas Bay on Zakynthos, where the coastline begins to climb toward the…
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Agios Nikolaos Vasilikou
The saint's sandy beach beneath the pines of Vasilikos — Agios Nikolaos lies at the northeastern tip of the Vasilikos peninsula in southeastern Zakynthos, a broad sandy beach near the cape that closes off…
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Xygkia
The beach with sulphur springs — A small cove beneath white cliffs and pines on the north coast, where natural sulphur springs well up into the sea, giving a milky-turquoise colour…
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Laganas
The long sands at the heart of the National Marine Park — Laganas stretches along the southern coast of Zakynthos, one of the island's longest sandy beaches, its fine sand running the length of the bay that…
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Agios Nikolaos Volimon
The northern cove, gateway to the Blue Caves — Agios Nikolaos Volimes lies at the northeastern tip of Zakynthos, a small harbour cove below the mountain village of Volimes, with pebbles, coarse…
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Kalamaki
The nesting sands at the edge of the bay — Kalamaki lies on the southern coast of Zakynthos, at the eastern edge of Laganas Bay, a long sandy beach that forms part of the National Marine Park…
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Paralia MarathiaThe remote pebbled shore by the cape — Marathias beach lies at the southern tip of Zakynthos, in the area of Keri, a pebbled shore with rocks beneath the cape that shares its name. It is a…
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MavratzisThe small cove at the tip of Vasilikos — Mavratzis lies on the Vasilikos peninsula in southeastern Zakynthos, a small sandy cove set between Agios Nikolaos and Porto Roma. The shore faces…
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Porto RomaThe little harbour with the noble name — Porto Roma sits on the Vasilikos peninsula, about 16 kilometres southeast of Zakynthos town, a small bay of sand and pebble with a fishing harbour at…
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Photo credits
- Paralia Keriou: v.king014, CC BY 3.0
- Paralia Marathia: maczopikczu, CC BY 3.0
- Mavratzis: Andreas Alexandris, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Porto Roma: www.odovolenke, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Madrakia: Kell Kell, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Vathy Lagkadi: Kell Kell, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Kamaroti: ARKADIUSZ MARKIEWICZ, CC BY-SA 3.0
Good to know
Which beaches in Zakynthos may be better when the maistros blows?
The bays listed here are shielded from the maistros in the exposure model, so they may be more comfortable when it blows. Local conditions still vary, so confirm wind and waves before you go.
Does this guarantee low waves?
No. Shelter shows which coasts are shielded from a wind direction, not guaranteed calm or low waves. On strong-wind days follow local flags and check live wind and waves in the app.
When is the sea calmest here?
Across 14 of the beaches on this page, the open water in front of them is typically 0.42 m in June, 0.50 m in July and 0.47 m in August when the maistros is at its strongest, and 0.46 m in September. June is the calmest month of the season. We calculate these figures ourselves from European Copernicus wave-model data at 4.2 km resolution. They describe the sea offshore, not the shelter of an individual cove — a bay protected by a headland will usually be calmer than this.
How warm is the water, month by month?
Off 14 of the beaches on this page the sea is typically 19.1 °C in May, 22.8 °C in June, 25.0 °C in July, 26.4 °C in August and 25.4 °C in September — ideal at the height of summer, mild in June. By October it is 23.2 °C. August is the warmest month. Satellite measurements, 1995–2024, from a sea cell about 5 km offshore; shallow bays usually run warmer than this.
Wind and waves change every day. See live conditions for any of these beaches before you drive out.
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