Trying to plan a trip to Athens, Zakinthos, Mykonos, and Santorini for September. Will be there for 14 days not including travel days to and from the states. What is the best way to get from Zakinthos to one of the other islands? I’ve heard the flights take you back to Athens for a layover. Would like to avoid that if possible. Was thinking 4 nights on each of the islands and 2 nights in Athens. Does this sound like enough/too much time in each place?
Thanks in advance!
There's no way to avoid returning to Athens to continue on to either Mykonos or Santorini by either ferry or plane. The best way to do this would be to fly to save valuable time. Save all your time in Athens for the end of your trip so you aren't backtracking. That way you'll be building in a 2-day cushion for returning to the mainland from the islands in case of a breakdown, cancellation or strike. 4 nights is the least amount of time I would ever suggest someone spend on one of the islands. I would actually recommend that if you fly, stick to Zakynthos and Santorini and forget about Mykonos altogether.
It gets complicated quick when you try to combine island groups. The one way you might be able to avoid the back and forth from Athens is to see if you could come in from a European city, then fly to Athens after. This may be a pointless exercise, but to be sure I had exhausted all options, I would look on a website like Skyscanner and see if you could cobble together an itinerary. The Zakynthos airport page lists arrivals from various cities and the airlines (some of these might be seasonal routes):
https://www.zth-airport.gr/en/flight-list
Or, you could instead pick an island that is on the ferry route with Santorini--Zakynthos looks gorgeous, but was there a specific reason you selected it otherwise? If you want to island hop, it helps to stick to one group.
Some will say give more time to Athens, but we all travel with different goals. I gave it a day because I wanted to spend time in nature and I know I'll be back--I'll likely give Athens some time each time I visit just because of the flight logistics. Others might want to make sure they saw everything the first time.
Some newcomers to Greece compile their "must-see list" based on photographs online or on calendars -- and one such famous photo is of "Shipwreck Beach" in Zakynthos ... a weathered wreck all alone on apparently pure-white sand beach, seen from above, A stunning photo -- but deceptive. The "pure-white sand, according to reliable guidebooks & personal reports, is actually sharp pointy rocks, painful to walk on. And the beach is NEVER deserted except at night... invaded by scores of excursion boats, from which one must jump & wade ashore. It's certainly photogenic ,.. but if it's the sole reason for choosing, not worth the hassle of trying to combine complicated itinerary which could involve plane, bus & ferry journeys to link with others on the list. It's also worth asking, were other choices based mainly on photographs rather than researching some highlights (and possiible drawbacks)?
