Zakynthos

Few Greek images are as instantly recognisable as Navagio, the rusting freighter marooned on a crescent of white sand beneath towering cliffs. It has made Zakynthos, known to many by its Italian name Zante, one of the most photographed islands in the country. Yet there is far more to this southern Ionian island than a single beach, from glowing sea caves to protected turtle-nesting bays and a green, mountainous interior.

The island's northwest coast is its most dramatic. Navagio, or Shipwreck Beach, can be admired from a vertiginous clifftop viewpoint or reached by boat from the fishing village of Porto Vromi. Nearby, the Blue Caves near Cape Skinari glow an unearthly turquoise as sunlight reflects off the seabed, best explored on a small boat tour. In the south, the shallow waters of Laganas Bay form one of the Mediterranean's most important nesting grounds for the endangered loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta, protected within the National Marine Park.

Zakynthos Town, rebuilt in Venetian style after a 1953 earthquake, curves around the eastern harbour beneath a hilltop castle. Elsewhere the island rewards exploration: the Keri caves and lighthouse in the south, the quieter beaches of the Vasilikos peninsula, and inland villages surrounded by olive groves and vineyards producing the local wine. Resort life concentrates around Laganas and Tsilivi, while the north and west stay wilder.

Late spring and early autumn are the sweet spots. May and June bring warm seas, blooming countryside and the start of turtle-nesting season, while September offers hot, calm days after the August rush. July and August are busy and lively, particularly around Laganas, but the beaches and boat tours are at their fullest. Winter is green, wet and very quiet.

Getting there is straightforward, with a national airport receiving summer charters from across Europe and frequent ferries from Kyllini on the Peloponnese taking around an hour and a quarter. Whether you come to photograph Navagio, snorkel the Blue Caves or watch turtles glide through Laganas Bay, Zakynthos delivers natural drama in abundance.