Getting from Zakynthos to Antikythera

If you are heading to Antikythera from Zakynthos you are making your way from one of the most beautiful of the Ionian islands to one of the most remote islands in Greece, sitting in the strait between Kythira and Crete with around 30 to 40 permanent residents. It is known to the world for the Antikythera Mechanism, a 2,000-year-old bronze analog computer recovered from a shipwreck in 1900 and now considered the most sophisticated device to survive from antiquity.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Zakynthos to Antikythera. Antikythera is served by a ferry running from Piraeus through Kythira to Antikythera, continuing to Kissamos in Crete. Getting there means taking the ferry from Zakynthos to Kyllini and then driving southeast through the Peloponnese to Neapoli, which takes around 4 to 4.5 hours from Kyllini, and then taking the ferry from Neapoli to Kythira and the short crossing from Kythira to Antikythera, which takes around 1 hour 30 minutes. This avoids Athens entirely and is the most natural approach given the geographic proximity of all three on the southern tip of Greece.

Getting there by air

Antikythera has no airport, only a helipad. The nearest airport is Kythira, with connections from Athens. Zakynthos has an international airport with connections from Athens. Flying from Zakynthos to Athens and then Athens to Kythira, followed by the short ferry from Kythira to Antikythera, gives a total journey time of around 5 to 6 hours. In Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights.

Your best option

Take the ferry from Zakynthos to Kyllini and drive southeast through the Peloponnese to Neapoli for the ferry to Kythira, then take the short ferry across to Antikythera. It avoids Athens entirely and is the most natural approach. Check the ferry schedule before traveling as the Kythira to Antikythera service runs only a few times per week. Bring everything you need as the island has almost no facilities and that is rather the point of going.