Famous Lighthouses

 

The Tower of Hercules in Spain is the oldest operating lighthouse in the world. It dates back to the late 1st century AD. This ancient Roman lighthouse has gained recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It can be found towering over the entrance of La Coruña harbor in northwestern Spain.

The Tower of Hercules. 

Perched on Lake Constance in Germany, Lindau Lighthouse even has a clock. Lindau Lighthouse is the southernmost lighthouse in Germany. The tower was built in 1856.

Lindau Lighthouse is the southernmost lighthouse in Germany.

Kermorvan Lighthouse is an active lighthouse on the easternmost point of France. Kermorvan Lighthouse was built in 1849.

Kermorvan Lighthouse

Diamond Head Lighthouse is located on the side of the famous Diamond Head crater in Honolulu, Hawaii. The lighthouse was built in order to warn vessels to stay away from the reefs at Waikiki.

Diamond Head Lighthouse 

Fanad Lighthouse in Ireland was built in 1817 following a deadly ship wreckage five years earlier. Almost 100 years later, in 1917, the stunning lighthouse in County Donegal survived being struck by lightning.

This lighthouse is located in Donegal, Ireland. 

Chania Lighthouse in Greece was built in the late 16th century. The Egyptian style lighthouse was destroyed during the Turkish occupation and rebuilt between 1824 and 1832. It sits on its original base. 

Chania Lighthouse in Greece was rebuilt between 1824 and 1832

Neist Point Lighthouse, which can be found on the westerly tip of the Isle of Skye, is one of Scotland's most famous lighthouses. Built in 1900, it now uses an automated system and is unmanned. It can be reached via a footpath, which gives stunning views of the surrounding cliffs.

Neist Point Lighthouse

Eldred Rock Lighthouse is the oldest original lighthouse in Alaska. It was built in 1905 and is the only surviving octagonal-frame lighthouse from those built at the time.

Eldred Rock Lighthouse

Low Lighthouse, a small wooden lighthouse in England, is a popular photo-op thanks to its nine "legs." Low Lighthouse is the only active lighthouse in Burnham-on-Sea, England.

Low Lighthouse in England

Bodie Island Lighthouse in North Carolina has a beam so bright it reaches 19 miles offshore. Located in North Carolina's Outer Banks, the lighthouse measures 156 feet tall.

Bodie Island Lighthouse

Bass Harbor Head Light in Maine was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. Located in Acadia National Park, this lighthouse was built in 1858 and stands 56 feet high.

Bass Harbor Head Light

Kovalam Beach Lighthouse in India overlooks long stretches of sandy beaches. Kovalam Beach Lighthouse is so pretty that the beach it sits on - Lighthouse Beach - was named after it. Vistors can climb 142 steps to the top to see expansive views of Poovar Island and the famous Beemapalli mosque.

Kovalam Beach Lighthouse in India

Cape Byron Light is Australia's most easterly lighthouse. The colonial style lighthouse, constructed in 1899, stands ‎74 feet tall.

Cape Byron Light is Australia

A winding stone staircase leads up to the Tourlitis Lighthouse in Greece. Perched on top of a stone spire, this lighthouse looks like something straight out of "The Little Mermaid." Destroyed in WWII, it was rebuilt in the early 1990s, and is said to look just as magical as before. 

Tourlitis Lighthouse in Greece

Cape Reinga Lighthouse on New Zealand's North Island is a place of spiritual significance for Maori. While the lighthouse is not open to the public, it's nevertheless a popular tourist destination. Cape Reinga is also a significant place for Māori : When a person dies, their spirit reaches the area, where an ancient pohutukawa tree is located. Spirits leap from the tree to start their journey to their ancestors in the spiritual homeland.

Cape Reinga Lighthouse on New Zealand

Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse in Argentina is known for having penguins and walruses lazing nearby. Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse sits on the southern tip of Argentina.

Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse in Argentina

Peggy's Cove Lighthouse is a prime attraction in Nova Scotia, Canada. This still-active lighthouse is one of the most popular tourist attractions the area.

Peggy's Cove Lighthouse

Mouro Island Lighthouse in Spain sits on its own uninhabited island. It's located on the north coast of Spain.

Mouro Island Lighthouse in Spain

Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse in Denmark is surrounded by sand dunes. However, when it was built in the 1900s, there were no sand dunes nearby, and it was much further inland than it is now. Over the years, the sea encroached and wind blew so much sand on it that at times its light was barely visible.

Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse in Denmark is surrounded by sand dunes

Heceta Head Lighthouse in Oregon is said to be the most photographed lighthouse in the entire US. This lighthouse is the brightest light on the Oregon coast. It is even home to a charming bed and breakfast.

Heceta Head Lighthouse

The Lighthouse of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, Italy, is centuries old. The lighthouse, which is at the end of a pontoon in Venice, was built in 1813.

The Lighthouse of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice

Big Sable Point Light in Michigan was the last lighthouse in the Great Lakes to get plumbing and electricity. Big Sable Point Light is 112 feet tall, and stands on the stunning shores of Lake Michigan, near the town of Ludington. It got indoor plumbing in the 1940s.

Big Sable Point Light in Michigan

St. Mary's Lighthouse is on an island off the north east coast of England. Located on Bait Island, St. Mary's Lighthouse and its cottage were built in the late 19th century. The cottage went on sale 10 years ago for around $553,000, complete with 19th-century graffiti and gunshots in some doors. 

St. Mary's Lighthouse

Split Rock Lighthouse sits on top of a 130-foot cliff in Minnesota. Located on the north shore of Lake Superior, it is coupled with Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, which has more than 2,000 acres of trails, waterways, and campgrounds to explore.

Split Rock Lighthouse

Yaquina Head Light is believed to be the oldest structure in Newport, Oregon. This lighthouse is located in Yaquina Bay State Park.

Yaquina Head Light

The sandy color of the Jose Ignacio Lighthouse in Uruguay blends in with the surrounding rocks and dunes. Named after the first Spanish settler dwelling on the shores of southern Uruguay, this lighthouse was built in 1877.

Jose Ignacio Lighthouse

Portland Head Lighthouse in Maine first shone its lights in 1791. Not only did John Hancock sign the Declaration of Independence, he also signed the contract that authorized the construction of this lighthouse's Keeper's Quarters.

Portland Head Lighthouse

Hook Lighthouse in Ireland was built 800 years ago. Hook Lighthouse is the oldest operating lighthouse in Ireland and the second oldest in the world, after the Tower of Hercules in Spain.

Hook Lighthouse in Ireland

Boston Light in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, is the location of North America's oldest lighthouse, dating back to 1716. The original tower was destroyed during the Revolutionary War in 1776, and it was rebuilt in 1783 - now the lighthouse is recognized as the America's second oldest, according to the National Park Service. It is often dubbed "the ideal American lighthouse."

Boston Light in Plymouth County, Massachusetts

South Stack Lighthouse in the UK is the perfect destinations for bird lovers. Visitors can climb to the top and observe thousands of seabirds, including guillemots, razorbills, and puffins. Just be wary - the lighthouse, which was built in 1809, is supposedly haunted. 

South Stack Lighthouse