Keri Lighthouse — Where Zakynthos Ends and the Sun Goes Down

The argument about the best sunset on Zakynthos is ongoing and possibly unresolvable. Navagio partisans claim the cliff light in the evening. Bochali Castle people cite the panoramic view over the town. The Keri lighthouse position wins more often than it loses, and for reasons that go beyond the sunset itself: you’re standing at the edge of the island, on cliffs that drop 200 metres into the Ionian, at the southwestern tip of Zakynthos where the land simply stops and there’s nothing between you and the horizon except open sea.

On the clearest days, Kefalonia is visible to the north. In summer, the sun sets somewhere in the water between the two islands. In winter, it sets further south, over open water, with no land in the frame at all.

Getting There

Cape Keri is at the southwestern corner of Zakynthos, roughly 35 km from Zakynthos Town. The route goes south through Laganas, then southwest through Keri village, and finally down a narrow road that descends through a small pine forest before reaching the lighthouse complex.

The drive takes about 45 minutes from Zakynthos Town; from Laganas, about 25 minutes. The road is tarmac throughout but narrow — pass places are available and local drivers use them without stress.

There’s a small car park above the lighthouse. From the car park, a path descends 100 metres to the lighthouse building.

The Lighthouse

Keri lighthouse has operated since 1829 — one of the oldest lighthouses in Greek waters. The current tower dates from a reconstruction after the 1953 earthquake. It remains operational, flashing every 10 seconds, visible 18 nautical miles out to sea.

The lighthouse is not open for public tours of the tower interior (it’s a working navigational installation). The area around it — the keeper’s cottage, the small café that opens in summer, the terraced cliff garden — is accessible. The cliff edge path that runs south and north from the lighthouse gives the best views.

The Insider Position

The path that runs north from the lighthouse along the cliff edge is where serious photographers position themselves for the Keri sunset. After about 300 metres, a second promontory juts westward — slightly lower than the lighthouse headland, with a different angle.

From here, looking north-northwest, you can frame:

• The full face of the Zakynthos western cliffs stretching north
• The lighthouse in the midground
• The open Ionian beyond
• The sunset occurring somewhere in that water-sky boundary

This composition — where the lighthouse and the cliffs are in the same frame as the setting sun — is the photograph that Keri is worth visiting for. It’s not visible from the lighthouse car park or the café terrace. It requires the 300-metre walk.

Timing

Summer (June–August): Sunset 20:00–21:00. Arrive by 19:00 for the full golden-hour sequence.
Spring/Autumn (April–May, September–October): Sunset 18:30–19:30. Arrive by 17:30.
Winter (November–March): Sunset 16:30–17:30. Arrive by 16:00.

The winter timing sounds inconveniently early, but the winter sunsets at Keri are often the most dramatic — lower sun angle, longer golden hour, occasional cloud formations that become spectacular when lit from below. The lighthouse café is closed in winter; bring your own.

The Taverna Before the Sunset

The village of Keri, 2 km back from the lighthouse, has a traditional taverna on the main square that makes excellent fried anchovies and the local sausage. Timing: eat at Keri village at 17:00 (winter) or 18:30 (summer), then drive to the lighthouse for the sunset. Return to Keri for wine afterward if you like — the taverna stays open late and welcomes people who arrive smelling of sea air and pine resin.