Ferries to Zante
Most ferries to Zante depart from the town of Killini on the mainland Peloponnese coast just to the south-west of Patras.
Zante Ferries run ferry services from Zante to both Killini and to Poros on Kefalonia. There are six sailings a day, from 5.30 am in the summer, with a journey time of around 60 minutes. Sailings drop to four times daily in the winter.
There is no need to book in advance but it is best to buy a ticket from a local agent to ensure a place. Ferries also link up well with bus services, so passengers can buy tickets on Zante to get to Patras and/or Athens.
Other ferries as well run daily services from Killini to Zante with connections from there to Poros on Kefalonia and to Ithaka.
Levante Ferries also runs daily services to Killini, usually three-a-day in the summer from 5.45am Monday to Saturday and from 7.30am on Sundays.
The Ionio Pelagos ferry sails for the port of Pessada on Kefalonia from the Zante port of Agios Nikolaos in the north of the island, with two ferries a day in the summer. The trip lasts about 60 minutes.
European Sealines runs the ferry boats Apollon and Bridge between Brindisi, in Italy, and the islands of Paxos and Zante. The service only operates once a week in the winter but sailing are daily in the summer. The company does not appear to have a working website.
There are scores of boat trip excursion on offer from most Zante resorts. Most head for the ‘Blue Caves’ and to ‘Shipwreck Beach’. Those boats offering turtle spotting trips should be avoided as they cause unecessary stress to the shy creatures that are an endangered and protected species.