Tokarevsky Lighthouse

The lighthouse stands at the tip of a long shingle spit running out from the Egersheld peninsula at the southern end of Vladivostok, marking the entrance to the Eastern Bosphorus. It was lit in 1876, making it one of the oldest on this coast, and it is a small white tower with a red top on a stone base. At low water the spit is walkable and people go out to the base; at high water it is covered and the lighthouse stands alone in the sea, which is the view that made it the most photographed object in the city. Spotted seals are sometimes in the water near it in the colder months. In winter the strait ices and the spit becomes a walk over frozen sea. It is not open to the public - the interest is entirely the position, the walk out and the water on both sides.

What you actually see

• The spit - a shingle bar that is walkable at low water and covered at high.
• The 1876 tower - a small white lighthouse with a red top, one of the oldest here.
• The seals - spotted seals sometimes in the water in the cold months.
• The winter ice - the strait freezing, making the approach a walk on the sea.

When to go

June to September for the walk; winter for the ice. Check the tide before going out. One to two hours.

Honest expectations

The tower is closed - you can only reach the outside. The spit is submerged at high tide and slippery when wet; people are cut off there regularly. It is very crowded at sunset in summer. Wind on the spit is strong most days.

Nearby

Vladivostok centre is a short bus ride; the Russky Bridge is visible along the coast.