A Zakynthos sunset cruise leaves Limni Keriou, Agios Sostis or Zakynthos Town in the late afternoon, runs the south-west coast to the Mizithres rocks, anchors for a swim, and turns back as the sun drops into the Ionian behind the stacks. Plan the rest of the island with Greece Tours.
This guide covers the evening: which harbours the boats leave from, the boarding times through the season, what the short trips and the dinner cruises cost, what the route shows, the swim stop, what is served, the boats that run it, the weather, and when to book.
What is a Zakynthos sunset cruise?
An evening sailing from Keri, Limni Keriou, Agios Sostis or Zakynthos Town that runs the south-west coast to the Mizithres rocks, anchors for a swim, and turns back as the sun drops into the Ionian behind them.
A Zakynthos sunset cruise runs the south-west coast to the Mizithres. The island’s west coast faces open sea, which puts the sunset over water rather than behind a hill. The boats aim for the same point: the two limestone stacks called the Mizithres that stand off the cliffs south of Keri, with the light going down between them. Booking two to four days ahead holds the seat in August. September gives the calmest evenings of the season. The west coast is exposed to the afternoon breeze. Hotel transfer covers Laganas, Kalamaki, Tsilivi and Argassi. Dinner cruises serve a plated meal at anchor. Wooden day boats and glass-bottom cruisers work the same water.
Speedboats reach the rocks in fifteen minutes from Keri. Formats run from a two-hour speedboat trip to a four-hour cruise with dinner, prosecco and a DJ. All of them time the turn to sit off the rocks in the last half hour of light. Late June puts the sun down around a quarter to nine. Marathonisi island sits in the middle of Laganas bay. The Mizithres are two limestone stacks below a 300-metre cliff. Agios Sostis and Laganas send boats up the bay side. Limni Keriou is the closest harbour to the stacks.
Where do the boats leave from?
Limni Keriou and Keri on the south-west corner, Agios Sostis and Laganas in the south bay, Porto Vromi on the west coast, and Zakynthos Town for the larger evening boats.
Limni Keriou is the closest harbour to the stacks. Limni Keriou is the closest harbour to the Mizithres and the base most sunset boats use. The run out takes twenty minutes and the same water holds the Keri caves, which the longer cruises take in on the way. The caves sit at Keri caves. Cancellation for weather is decided in the afternoon and refunded. A private boat on a Zakynthos sunset cruise takes four to eight. The south bay stays sheltered when the west is rough. Children pay roughly half on a Zakynthos sunset cruise. Prosecco is poured on boarding on part of the fleet. Dinner cruises serve a plated meal at anchor.
Wooden day boats and glass-bottom cruisers work the same water. Agios Sostis and Laganas run the bay side, where the boats pass Marathonisi and Cameo before turning west. That route trades the caves for turtle water and passes Marathonisi, which works better for a family evening. October brings a Zakynthos sunset cruise forward to about seven. A Zakynthos sunset cruise anchors for a swim under the cliffs. The Keri caves line the cliffs west of the harbour. Porto Vromi lies on the west coast above the shipwreck cove. Agios Sostis and Laganas send boats up the bay side.
What time does the cruise leave?
Boarding runs from about half past five in June and July, six in August and five in September, timed so the boat is off the Mizithres forty minutes before the sun goes down.
Agios Sostis and Laganas send boats up the bay side. Sunset falls around a quarter to nine in late June, ten past eight in August, half past seven in September and a quarter to seven in October. Operators move the departure week by week rather than holding one printed hour. A Zakynthos sunset cruise runs the south-west coast to the Mizithres. Booking two to four days ahead holds the seat in August. September gives the calmest evenings of the season. The west coast is exposed to the afternoon breeze. Hotel transfer covers Laganas, Kalamaki, Tsilivi and Argassi. Prosecco is poured on boarding on part of the fleet.
Dinner cruises serve a plated meal at anchor. Return is between half past nine and eleven depending on the format. The dinner cruises run latest and the speedboat trips are back before dark on the shoulder-season dates. Speedboats reach the rocks in fifteen minutes from Keri. Late June puts the sun down around a quarter to nine. Marathonisi island sits in the middle of Laganas bay. The Mizithres are two limestone stacks below a 300-metre cliff. Porto Vromi lies on the west coast above the shipwreck cove.
What does a Zakynthos sunset cruise cost?
From about 25 to 45 euros for a two-hour trip, 45 to 75 euros with drinks and a swim stop, and 90 to 140 euros for a dinner cruise. A private boat runs from about 300 euros for the evening.
Porto Vromi lies on the west coast above the shipwreck cove. The mid-range fare covers the sailing, a swim stop and drinks aboard. Hotel transfer from Laganas, Kalamaki, Tsilivi and Argassi is bundled into part of the fleet and charged at five to ten euros on the rest. Limni Keriou is the closest harbour to the stacks. Cancellation for weather is decided in the afternoon and refunded. A private boat on a Zakynthos sunset cruise takes four to eight. The south bay stays sheltered when the west is rough. Children pay roughly half on a Zakynthos sunset cruise. Hotel transfer covers Laganas, Kalamaki, Tsilivi and Argassi.
Prosecco is poured on boarding on part of the fleet. Children pay roughly half on every format. The private boats take four to eight and set their own anchorage, which is what a proposal or a birthday is booked on. Wooden day boats and glass-bottom cruisers work the same water. October brings a Zakynthos sunset cruise forward to about seven. A Zakynthos sunset cruise anchors for a swim under the cliffs. The Keri caves line the cliffs west of the harbour. The Mizithres are two limestone stacks below a 300-metre cliff.
What do you see on the way?
The Mizithres stacks, the cliffs under Keri with the lighthouse above them, the sea caves along the same shore, and on the bay routes Marathonisi island and the turtles of Laganas bay.
The Mizithres are two limestone stacks below a 300-metre cliff. The Mizithres are the point of the evening, and the coast west of them runs on to Porto Limnionas. Two white stacks rise from deep water below a 300-metre cliff, and the sun sets between and behind them through the late-summer weeks, which is the photograph the whole fleet is selling. Agios Sostis and Laganas send boats up the bay side. A Zakynthos sunset cruise runs the south-west coast to the Mizithres. Booking two to four days ahead holds the seat in August. September gives the calmest evenings of the season. The west coast is exposed to the afternoon breeze. Children pay roughly half on a Zakynthos sunset cruise.
Hotel transfer covers Laganas, Kalamaki, Tsilivi and Argassi. The caves either side of Keri are lit from below at that hour. The boats that carry a searchlight enter them on the way out and let the light do the work on the way back. Dinner cruises serve a plated meal at anchor. Speedboats reach the rocks in fifteen minutes from Keri. Late June puts the sun down around a quarter to nine. Marathonisi island sits in the middle of Laganas bay. The Keri caves line the cliffs west of the harbour.
Is there a swim stop?
Yes on the three-hour and longer cruises: twenty-five to forty minutes at anchor in a cove under the cliffs, with a ladder over the side and the water at its warmest of the day.
The Keri caves line the cliffs west of the harbour. The anchorages are deep and clear rather than shallow and sandy. Snorkelling gear is carried on part of the fleet and worth having, because the walls drop straight down and the fish hold along them. Porto Vromi lies on the west coast above the shipwreck cove. Limni Keriou is the closest harbour to the stacks. Cancellation for weather is decided in the afternoon and refunded. A private boat on a Zakynthos sunset cruise takes four to eight. The south bay stays sheltered when the west is rough. The west coast is exposed to the afternoon breeze.
Children pay roughly half on a Zakynthos sunset cruise. The short speedboat trips skip the stop and run the coast instead. Anyone booking for the water reads the duration before the price. Prosecco is poured on boarding on part of the fleet. Wooden day boats and glass-bottom cruisers work the same water. October brings a Zakynthos sunset cruise forward to about seven. A Zakynthos sunset cruise anchors for a swim under the cliffs. Marathonisi island sits in the middle of Laganas bay.
What is served on board?
Water and soft drinks on the short trips; wine, beer, cocktails and a mezze platter on the three-hour cruises; a plated Greek dinner with local wine on the four-hour boats.
Marathonisi island sits in the middle of Laganas bay. The platters lean on the island’s own produce: cheese, olives, bread and the thyme honey that Zakynthos sells at every roadside. The dinner boats cook ashore and serve at anchor rather than under way. The Mizithres are two limestone stacks below a 300-metre cliff. Agios Sostis and Laganas send boats up the bay side. A Zakynthos sunset cruise runs the south-west coast to the Mizithres. Booking two to four days ahead holds the seat in August. September gives the calmest evenings of the season. The south bay stays sheltered when the west is rough.
The west coast is exposed to the afternoon breeze. Vegetarian and gluten-free plates are prepared when the booking states it, and the prosecco boats pour on boarding rather than after the swim. Hotel transfer covers Laganas, Kalamaki, Tsilivi and Argassi. Dinner cruises serve a plated meal at anchor. Speedboats reach the rocks in fifteen minutes from Keri. Late June puts the sun down around a quarter to nine. A Zakynthos sunset cruise anchors for a swim under the cliffs.
Which boats run the evening?
Speedboats for six to twelve, wooden day boats for forty, glass-bottom cruisers for sixty, and sailing yachts and catamarans for the dinner sailings out of Zakynthos Town and Limni Keriou.
A Zakynthos sunset cruise anchors for a swim under the cliffs. The speedboats reach the Mizithres in fifteen minutes and give the most time at the rocks. The larger boats take longer, carry a bar and a deck, and suit a group rather than a couple. The Keri caves line the cliffs west of the harbour. Porto Vromi lies on the west coast above the shipwreck cove. Limni Keriou is the closest harbour to the stacks. Cancellation for weather is decided in the afternoon and refunded. A private boat on a Zakynthos sunset cruise takes four to eight. September gives the calmest evenings of the season.
The south bay stays sheltered when the west is rough. Sailing yachts raise canvas on the passage when the wind allows and cost most per head. They are the quiet end of a market that otherwise runs on music. Children pay roughly half on a Zakynthos sunset cruise. Prosecco is poured on boarding on part of the fleet. Wooden day boats and glass-bottom cruisers work the same water. October brings a Zakynthos sunset cruise forward to about seven. Late June puts the sun down around a quarter to nine.
How does the weather affect the evening?
The west coast is exposed and the afternoon breeze builds through summer. On a blowing evening the boats work the sheltered bay side instead, shorten the swim stop, or cancel and refund at the quay.
Late June puts the sun down around a quarter to nine. The south bay stays calm when the west is rough, which is why the Laganas and Agios Sostis departures run more consistently through August than the Porto Vromi ones. Marathonisi island sits in the middle of Laganas bay. The Mizithres are two limestone stacks below a 300-metre cliff. Agios Sostis and Laganas send boats up the bay side. A Zakynthos sunset cruise runs the south-west coast to the Mizithres. Booking two to four days ahead holds the seat in August. A private boat on a Zakynthos sunset cruise takes four to eight.
September gives the calmest evenings of the season. Operators decide in the afternoon and message the booking. Passengers prone to seasickness take the larger boats and sit aft rather than forward. The west coast is exposed to the afternoon breeze. Hotel transfer covers Laganas, Kalamaki, Tsilivi and Argassi. Dinner cruises serve a plated meal at anchor. Speedboats reach the rocks in fifteen minutes from Keri. October brings a Zakynthos sunset cruise forward to about seven.
Who does it suit, and when do you book?
Couples on the sailing and dinner boats, families on the three-hour cruises with a swim stop, groups on the party sailings. Book two to four days ahead in July and August and on the day outside them.
October brings a Zakynthos sunset cruise forward to about seven. September is the best month: warm water, calm evenings and space on the boats. October is cheaper, cooler on deck and the sun is down before eight, which leaves the evening free ashore. A Zakynthos sunset cruise anchors for a swim under the cliffs. The Keri caves line the cliffs west of the harbour. Porto Vromi lies on the west coast above the shipwreck cove. Limni Keriou is the closest harbour to the stacks. Cancellation for weather is decided in the afternoon and refunded.
A private boat on a Zakynthos sunset cruise takes four to eight. Booking online holds the seat, the transfer and the price. The rest of the island’s boat days sit at Zakynthos boat tours, and the island as a whole at Zakynthos. The south bay stays sheltered when the west is rough. Children pay roughly half on a Zakynthos sunset cruise. Prosecco is poured on boarding on part of the fleet. Wooden day boats and glass-bottom cruisers work the same water. Speedboats reach the rocks in fifteen minutes from Keri.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Zakynthos sunset cruise cost?
From about 25 to 45 euros for a two-hour trip, 45 to 75 euros for a cruise with drinks and a swim stop, and 90 to 140 euros for a dinner cruise. A private boat runs from about 300 euros for the evening.
Where does a Zakynthos sunset cruise leave from?
Limni Keriou and Keri on the south-west corner, Agios Sostis and Laganas in the south bay, Porto Vromi on the west coast, and Zakynthos Town for the larger evening boats.
What do you see on a Zakynthos sunset cruise?
The Mizithres stacks below the Keri cliffs, the sea caves along the same shore, and on the bay routes Marathonisi island and the turtle water of Laganas bay.