Long before Zakynthos rose to fame because of the hit Korean TV series Descendants of the Sun, this Greek Island in the Ionian sea has already piqued my interest.  How often do you find a beach having a breathtaking cliff as its backdrop (not to mention there’s also a shripwreck at the beach which made tourists to draw more attention to this spot)?

While most people first think of Santorini as the top destination in Greece, some travellers prefer to see Zakynthos instead — if you’re one of those who would rather go to a relatively off-the-beaten track (this isn’t as touristy nor as pricey as Santorini), and yes, if you like white beaches too!  The thing is, these two spots aren’t really comparable — you need to experience both.  However, they’re kind from separate ends of the country, and that is why we decided to visit Zakynthos on another trip instead.

Entry Point

The same as how we got to Santorini, we entered Greece via Athens.  We bought a one-way ticket Singapore to Athens via Scoot for only S$364 including meal and luggage.  In case you don’t know, Scoot is the budget airline of Singapore Air, so don’t expect anything grand.  Nevertheless, I like this as I’m not into layovers and I was glad to know that Scoot finally have a long-haul flight directly to Greece, its first in Europe.

From Athens to Zakynthos, you can either take a ferry or plane.  We opted for the latter to save time.

Airline	Route	Flight Duration	Cost
Sky Express	Athens-Zakynthos	55 minutes	EUR 76.50 / S$122
Sky Express	Zakynthos-Athens	55 minutes	EUR 70 / S$112

 

Where to Stay

If you’re travelling in a big group and an odd number, then it’s very practical and cost-saving to opt for AirBnB.  Greece is that country in Europe where you’d enjoy cheap yet awesome accommodation.  We stayed at Blue Horizon Family Apartment in Vassilikos and though we weren’t able to meet the main host, they attended to all our requests and needs.

Number of Nights	4
Price/person for the whole trip (less travel credit)	S$ 93
Location	Vassilikos
What’s nearby?	bus stop, taverna, supermarket

 

Day 1 – Zante Town, Laganas Beach & Cameo Island

Our first day was pretty random and yet, surprisingly, we ended up being productive — been to awesome places and booked the tour for the following day.

Transportation

It’s quite convenient to rent a car and there are a lot of tour agencies offering affordable rates.  On the other hand, we tried to take public transport as our house is almost in front of the bus stop and it wasn’t so bad.  From Vassilikos, we took a bus going to Zante Town and that’s where we explored the place for our tours and awesome restaurants.

 

Zante town has a central bus station which could take you in other amazing parts of Zakynthos.  We decided to go to Laganas Beach and from there, walk going to Cameo Island.

Cameo Island, for me, is one of our best random finds in Zakynthos.  There is an entrance fee of 5 Euros which gives you a drink of your choice.  Find a good seat and you can enjoy an amazing view while sipping beer and enjoying the music.

 

Day 2 – Navagio Tour

This half day tour takes you to the well known Navagio Shipwreck beach and Blue Caves.  We’ve booked the tour via Voutirakos which costs 22 Euros per person (by far the cheapest we’ve found).  This was on a weekday so fortunately, the yacht wasn’t crowded and we have chosen the tour that starts at 9am to accommodate other activities in the afternoon.

According to the locals, the best season to go on a beach tour is around June to July.  After these months, it would sometimes be windy and there will be chances when the tour may not proceed to certain beaches if the wind is too harsh.

After the tour, we had lunch at Zante town and chanced upon a TridAdvisor recommended local restaurant called Spartakos, and well, this, I would say was the peak of my Greek food indulgence.

 

Day 3 – the Shripwreck viewpoint

You will always have that place you so wanted to see, otherwise, the trip would not be complete.  It’s this viewpoint, the sole reason why we came to Zakynthos.  Unlike other spots in this island, you need to exert more effort if you really like to pursue on seeing this.  To clarify, the Shripwreck/Navagio beach tour takes you the beach, whereas this viewpoint is by the cliff.

 

There is no public transport that will take you directly to the lookout.  You may rent a car or bike.  As for our group, we decided to book a tour at GP Travel which is also at Zante town (see photo above) and it was the best decision (it costs 45 Euros per person).  We had the best tour guide (Nik) who looked after us, making sure we stay away from spots that are prone to accidents.  There are cases of people falling off the cliff so be very careful, there is more to life than taking selfies.  Also, there are occurrences of vehicular accidents while going to the lookout due to winding roads so it’s good that we had someone who is very familiar on going there.