🇬🇷 Greece｜Athens ✈️ Zakynthos Day Trip

Although a day trip from Athens to Zakynthos is quite intense, it’s very solo-traveler-friendly because: 1️⃣ Accommodation in Zakynthos is expensive (Maybe? I haven’t actually checked, but I heard from travel buddies in Athens that a highly-rated hotel on Booking with a score of 7-something had terrible conditions—blankets covered in hair and skin flakes. So, keep your eyes open and choose carefully!) 2️⃣ Zakynthos has no public transportation, so you’ll need to take taxis everywhere. 3️⃣ You can leave your luggage at your Athens hotel, avoiding extra flight baggage fees and the hassle of dragging a big suitcase to Zakynthos. Also, you won’t have to wait long for check-in at the airport. Day tours may not have space for your suitcase, so make sure to ask in advance! However: 🙅🏼‍♀️ If you don’t want to sleep at the airport in Athens, you’ll need to take a night bus or a €50 Uber to the airport. 🙅🏼‍♀️ You might not be able to swim, as there may not be shower facilities available. 🕑 Itinerary: 💡 6:50 - 7:45 Athens ✈️ Zakynthos As someone who often sleeps at airports, I originally planned to take the metro at 11 PM, but I was too tired. Eventually, I booked a 4 AM Uber (€57) and arrived at the airport by 4:40 AM. I recommend grabbing breakfast at the lounge. 💡 8:00 Day tour guide picks you up at the airport ‼️ Make sure to eat breakfast and bring snacks. Otherwise, you might get low blood sugar after hours in the sun before lunch! ⛰️ View Shipwreck Beach from the cliff top 🌊 Boat tour: visited two beaches (one for swimming), three Blue Caves, and two spots for cliff jumping (though the water is super cold, according to others). 🥣 Lunch around 14:00, costing about €10-15. Try the rabbit dish, a local specialty of Zakynthos. 🏖️ Last stop: Sulfur Beach . It was so hot that I didn’t even feel like going down to the beach. I hid at a juice bar near the drop-off point and had a drink. 💡 16:30 - 17:00 Tour ends, drop-off at the airport 💡 21:30 - 22:40 Zakynthos ✈️ Athens Zakynthos Airport is very small, with a tiny duty-free shop that takes about 10 minutes to explore. There are one or two salad places. Seating is very limited, so if you find a spot, stay put—it’ll be gone in seconds! By the time you return to Athens, the metro is still running, but I was exhausted from the motion sickness medication I took earlier. I booked a ride with the popular Athens local driver from Xiaohongshu to get back to my Airbnb. The sea in Zakynthos is stunningly blue—the most beautiful I’ve ever seen! The local tour guide was very enthusiastic, providing motion sickness medication and water. They also kept everyone entertained by taking drone photos, playing music, and blasting Mamma Mia and APT. 😹 The speedboat ride was thrilling and so much fun—the Italian大叔 on board was so happy he burst into song occasionally. If I get the chance, I’ll definitely do it again! #IslandHopping #ThisIsHowYouDoIslandLife #Zakynthos #ZakynthosIsland #Athens #Greece