A Pylos sailing cruise takes you out on Navarino Bay, past battle sites and castles to quiet islands and beaches. Browse more boat trips around the Peloponnese on Greece Tours.
This page covers the cruises you can book, the bay, Sphacteria, the islands, Methoni, food on board, why this coast stays quiet, other boat trips and common questions.
What is a Pylos sailing cruise?
A Pylos sailing cruise is a private trip on a sailing yacht from the harbour of Pylos, on Navarino Bay in Messenia. It visits the bay’s battle sites and castles, swim stops at beaches such as Voidokilia and the small islands off the south-west Peloponnese.
Pylos is a town in Messenia, in the south-west Peloponnese. Its historic name is Navarino, and its port is the chief harbour of Navarino Bay. The town also serves as the seat of Pylos-Nestoras municipality. Its people have lived here since Neolithic times, and the Mycenaean “Palace of Nestor” stands nearby.
The bay gives sailors a base on the open Ionian. Local skippers take small private groups out from the town. A Pylos sailing cruise mixes history, swimming and quiet sailing in one day, with the route shaped by the wind and the group.
The coast here sees few yachts. Sailing Issues, a guide to sailing in Greece, calls this stretch beyond Zakynthos an off-the-beaten-track part of the Ionian that is rarely visited, even in July and August. Our Pylos tours page covers the town, its castles and the sights on land.
Which Pylos sailing cruise can you book?
Viator lists a private sailing cruise from Pylos. Local operators Ioniansail and Messinia Sailing run private sailing cruises, sunset and moonrise trips, fishing trips and charters by the day or for a whole holiday.
Ioniansail runs private cruises from three Messenian towns: Pylos, Marathopoli and Kyparissia. From Pylos, its boats explore the Navarino gulf and Voidokilia bay, and the island of Sapientza lies a few miles south. Its cruises include snorkelling, trekking and fishing on the empty islands nearby.
The same company charters sailing boats for a single day or for a whole holiday. Charter guests plan their own routes, visit a new place each day or follow the wind. The company sells this freedom as the point of a Pylos sailing cruise.
Messinia Sailing offers a menu of trips around Pylos and Methoni:
- a sunset trip at sea with a remote beach stop and night swimming
- a moonrise trip with an astronomy experience
- a 7-hour sailing trip to fish the grounds around Messinia
- a private cruise for the length of your choice
- private parties and wedding events on board
Messinia Sailing states that destinations depend on the departure point and the weather. Plan your Pylos sailing cruise with the skipper before the day, so the route fits the wind and your interests.
What does a Pylos sailing cruise show in Navarino Bay?
A Pylos sailing cruise passes the monuments to the sailors and philhellenes of the Battle of Navarino, the two castles of Pylos and, in clear water, the wrecks from the battle. Swim stops include Divari beach under the Old Castle, Gialova and Voidokilia.
Messinia Sailing makes history the core of its bay trips. The crew explains the Battle of Navarino of 20 October 1827: the forces involved, the tactics used and the battle’s weight in the Greek War of Independence. Guests pay their respects at the monuments to the philhellenes and the sailors who fought there.
The castles come next on a Pylos sailing cruise. The crew tells their story from the 4th century BC through the rule of the Franks, Venetians, Ottomans and French. On land, guests walk the walls of the New Castle and visit the Frankish church of the Transfiguration, which the Ottomans once used as a mosque.
The wrecks depend on the water. Messinia Sailing takes guests over the shipwrecks of the battle when the water is clear enough to see them. The Pylos sailing cruise then turns to the beaches, with a swim under the Old Castle at Divari, or at Gialova or Voidokilia.
Gialova lagoon lies behind these beaches. Messinia Sailing describes it as one of the 10 major lagoons of Greece and a key stopover for birds flying from the Balkans to Africa. It shelters 225 bird species, and it is home to the rare African chameleon.
What is the story of Sphacteria on a Pylos sailing cruise?
Sphacteria is the uninhabited island at the mouth of Navarino Bay. Three battles were fought there, in 425 BC, in 1825 and in 1827. A tanker wreck from 1980 lies off its shore, said to rest on a flagship sunk in 1827.
The island sits at the entrance to the bay, so every Pylos sailing cruise passes it. Its other name is Sphagia. In 425 BC, it saw the Battle of Sphacteria in the Peloponnesian War. Two more battles followed in the Greek War of Independence: the Battle of Sphacteria in 1825 and the Battle of Navarino in 1827.
The sea floor holds a modern wreck too. In 1980, the tanker Irene’s Serenade sank near the island, carrying 102,000 tons of oil from Turkey to Italy. Dennis Boat, a Pylos boat firm, says the wreck sank on top of the remains of the Turkish-Egyptian flagship from the Battle of Navarino.
Myth reaches back further. Dennis Boat links the island’s maritime story with King Nestor, who was held to be a grandson of Poseidon, and with the sacrifice of bulls to the god of the sea. Navarino Bay has been a declared archaeological site since 1962.
Messinia Sailing adds the story of Telemachus. In the Odyssey, the son of Odysseus sails to Pylos and travels on to Sparta in search of news of his father. The crew of a Pylos sailing cruise tells it as the boat crosses the bay.
Which islands can a Pylos sailing cruise reach?
From Pylos, a sailing cruise reaches Sapientza, a few miles south off Methoni. From Marathopoli to the north, Ioniansail sails to the island of Proti, and its private cruises also visit the remote Strofades.
Sapientza is the main island target of a Pylos sailing cruise heading south. It belongs to the Messenian Oinousses, a group of three small islands: Schiza, Sapientza and Agia Marina. Its name is Italian and means wisdom. The 2011 census counted two people living there, and the island is part of the Natura 2000 network.
The island has a forest found nowhere else. On Sapientza, the arbutus, or strawberry tree, grows into full trees and forms a whole forest, the Kumarodasos, over 240 acres. Cretan wild goats, the kri-kri, live and breed on the island. A lighthouse built in 1885 stands in its south.
The sea around it is deep and full of history. The Calypso Deep, the deepest point of the Mediterranean at 5,267 metres, lies to the south-west of Sapientza. The island sits on the old sea route between Italy and the Middle East, and its waters hold shipwrecks. Messinia Sailing names the lonely beach of Ammos on Sapientza as a stop.
Proti lies off the coast further north. Ioniansail sails to it from Marathopoli and can add a visit to Voidokilia bay on the way. The same company lists the uninhabited Strofades among the destinations of its private cruises, for snorkelling, trekking and fishing on a Pylos sailing cruise.
What does a Pylos sailing cruise show at Methoni?
Methoni lies 11 km south of Pylos, with a sea castle that once guarded the sea routes to the East. Messinia Sailing calls sunset the best time to see it, with the light of the setting sun on the walls.
Methoni is a village in the municipality of Pylos-Nestor. Its Venetian name was Modon. Homer names it as Pedasus “ampeloessa”, the city of vines, one of the seven cities Agamemnon offered Achilles. Three islets, Sapientza, Schiza and Santa Marina, shelter its harbour from the open sea.
The castle is the main sight from the water on a Pylos sailing cruise. Messinia Sailing describes it as an important middle station on the sea routes to the East. Its crew tells the story of the town from Homer’s time, through its freedom from Sparta in 369 BC, to the Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman eras.
Evening is the time to arrive. Messinia Sailing recommends a sunset approach, when the sinking sun lights the long walls. Local lore says the winter winds carry the cries of prisoners once held in the Bourtzi. Our Methoni and Koroni tour page covers the castle on land.
What do you eat and drink on a Pylos sailing cruise?
Messinia Sailing serves a refreshing drink and a barbecue on board on the way back, with a glass of wine from the vineyards of Pylia. It also points guests to the small seafood tavernas of Pylos, Gialova or Methoni.
The return leg is the time to eat. On the way back to port, guests on a Messinia Sailing Pylos sailing cruise can have a barbecue of their choice on board. A full-bodied wine from the vineyards of Pylia comes with it. The company notes that the area’s vines have roots that date back to Homer’s era.
Some guests prefer to eat ashore. Messinia Sailing points guests to small seafood tavernas in Pylos, Gialova or Methoni that serve fresh fish. Ask about food when you plan the trip, since each private cruise is set up for its own group.
Why choose a Pylos sailing cruise over the busier Ionian?
The coast south of Zakynthos is quiet water. Sailing Issues describes it as an overlooked part of the Ionian, rarely visited even in high season, with ancient ports, castles and three mountainous peninsulas instead of crowded islands.
The main charter bases lie far from Pylos. Sailing Issues lists Lefkas, Nidri and Preveza as the main Ionian bases, and Poros, Lavrion and Athens for the Saronic Gulf. Those bases lie about two weeks of sailing away from Pylos, so few charter boats reach these waters.
The sailing here is coastal rather than island hopping. The guide points to the lack of islands, but praises the ancient ports, castles and historic sites along the shore. It calls the south of the Peloponnese a cruising area in its own right, with coasts that stay pristine compared with the busier grounds.
A Pylos sailing cruise brings these waters within reach without a long passage. Local skippers start from the town itself, so a day trip covers the bay, the castles and an island or two. Sailing Issues suggests starting longer trips from Pylos or Kalamata.
Wind decides the direction for longer voyages. The guide advises sailing one-way trips around the Peloponnese from west to east, because of the prevailing winds. In the days before the Corinth Canal, this route round the peninsula was the only sea road from the Ionian to Athens.
Which other boat trips compare with a Pylos sailing cruise?
Dennis Boat runs glass-bottom boat trips and yacht charters from Pylos. GetYourGuide lists a sea kayak tour in Navarino Bay, a snorkelling boat tour to Proti island and a guided snorkel at Marathopoli.
Dennis Boat suits families who prefer an engine to sails. Its glass-bottom boat shows the sea bed and its fish through a clear hull, with no need to dive. The firm also charters boats with or without a crew. It recommends its sea excursion for families with children.
Paddling is the slow way round the bay. A GetYourGuide sea kayak tour explores Navarino Bay under paddle power. Our Pylos Navarino Bay page covers the bay’s monuments, its wrecks and the kayak and motorboat trips in detail.
Snorkellers look north. GetYourGuide lists a snorkelling boat tour to Proti island and a guided snorkelling tour at Marathopoli, the harbour that faces Proti. Both suit guests who want more time in the water than a Pylos sailing cruise gives.
What do travellers ask about a Pylos sailing cruise?
Is a Pylos sailing cruise private?
Yes. Ioniansail and Messinia Sailing both run private cruises, and Viator lists the Pylos cruise as a private sailing trip.
Can you swim on a Pylos sailing cruise?
Yes. Swim stops include Divari beach under the Old Castle, Gialova and Voidokilia, and the beach of Ammos on Sapientza.
Can you see the Navarino shipwrecks from the boat?
Only when the sea is clear. Messinia Sailing takes guests over the wrecks of the 1827 battle when the water allows it.
How long does a Pylos sailing cruise last?
It depends on the format. Messinia Sailing runs a private cruise for the length of your choice and a 7-hour sailing and fishing trip. Ioniansail charters a sailing boat for a single day or a whole holiday. A sunset Pylos sailing cruise with Messinia Sailing includes a night swim.
Where does a Pylos sailing cruise start?
Trips from Pylos start at its harbour on Navarino Bay. Ioniansail also sails from Marathopoli and Kyparissia, further north on the Messenian coast, for the islands of Proti and the Strofades.
Can you fish on a Pylos sailing cruise?
Yes. Messinia Sailing runs a 7-hour sailing and fishing trip, and Ioniansail includes fishing on its island cruises.