Getting from Spetses to Zakynthos

If you are heading to Zakynthos from Spetses you are making your way from a car-free island in the Saronic Gulf to one of the most beautiful of the Ionian islands, on the opposite side of Greece. It has Navagio Beach, the shipwreck cove with towering white cliffs and turquoise water that is one of the most photographed places in the Mediterranean.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Spetses to Zakynthos. No Saronic island is connected by sea to any Ionian island. Getting there means taking the Saronic ferry from Spetses to Piraeus, which runs up to 10 times daily and takes around 2 to 3.5 hours, and then either flying from Athens to Zakynthos or driving to Kyllini on the northwestern Peloponnese coast for the ferry to Zakynthos, which takes around 1 hour 15 minutes and runs frequently. The drive from Athens to Kyllini takes around 3 to 3.5 hours via Corinth and Patras.

Getting there by air

Zakynthos has an international airport with connections from Athens. Spetses has no airport. The nearest airport is Athens. Taking the Saronic ferry from Spetses to Piraeus and flying from Athens to Zakynthos takes around 50 to 55 minutes on the second leg. Total journey time is around 4 to 5 hours. In Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights.

Your best option

Take the Saronic ferry from Spetses to Piraeus and fly from Athens to Zakynthos. It is the fastest and most practical approach. Note that Spetses is car-free so if you are traveling with a car it would be at the mainland port of Kosta, from where you can drive west to Kyllini for the ferry across to Zakynthos, which avoids Piraeus entirely and takes around 3 to 3.5 hours.