The Tourlitis Lighthouse in Greece appears to be balanced on a rock.
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Lighthouses have been built in epic locations around the world, from volcanoes to sand dunes.
The Tower of Hercules in Spain is the oldest operating lighthouse in the world.
Some of these lighthouses, like Neist Point Lighthouse in Scotland, are accessible via footpaths.
While technological advancements in navigation aids, such as GPS and radar beacons, have rendered most lighthouses unnecessary, they remain as symbols of security and steadfastness along nations’ shores.
Around the world, lighthouses were built on volcanoes, tiny islands, and cliff edges, while today, others appear precariously perched on crumbling rocks.
In the US, approximately 670 lighthouses remain, according to Guinness World Records, and the government is known to give them away for free. Each year, the US General Services Administration offers a handful of structures to the public under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act. In 2023, a record number — 10 — were given away or sent to auction, including historic lighthouses in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Maine.
Others are open to visitors or can be admired from afar.
These photos show iconic lighthouses around the world, from India to Scotland.
The Tower of Hercules in Spain is the oldest operating lighthouse in the world. It dates back to the late 1st century AD.
Lindau Lighthouse is the southernmost lighthouse in Germany.
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Lindau Lighthouse is the southernmost lighthouse in Germany. The tower was built in 1856.
Kermorvan Lighthouse is an active lighthouse on the easternmost point of France.
Diamond Head Lighthouse is located on the side of a volcano.
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The lighthouse was built in order to warn vessels to stay away from the reefs at Waikiki, per Hawaii Guide.
Fanad Lighthouse in Ireland was built in 1817 following a deadly ship wreckage five years earlier.
This lighthouse was destroyed and rebuilt.
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The Egyptian style lighthouse was destroyed during the Turkish occupation and rebuilt between 1824 and 1832. It sits on its original base.
Neist Point Lighthouse, which can be found on the westerly tip of the Isle of Skye, is one of Scotland’s most famous lighthouses.
Eldred Rock Lighthouse has an octagonal frame.
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It was built in 1905 and is the only surviving octagonal-frame lighthouse from those built at the time, according to its website.
Low Lighthouse, a small wooden lighthouse in England, is a popular photo-op thanks to its nine “legs.”
Bodie Island Lighthouse has black and white stripes.
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Located in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, the lighthouse measures 156 feet tall.
Bass Harbor Head Light in Maine was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
Kovalam Beach Lighthouse is located in the Thiruvananthapuram district.
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Kovalam Beach Lighthouse is so pretty that the beach it sits on — Lighthouse Beach — was named after it. Visitors can climb 142 steps to the top to see expansive views of Poovar Island and the famous Beemapalli mosque.
Cape Byron Light is Australia’s most easterly lighthouse.
Tourlitis Lighthouse is actually a replica of the original.
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Perched on top of a stone spire, this lighthouse looks like something straight out of “The Little Mermaid.” Destroyed in World War II, it was rebuilt in the early 1990s, and is said to look just as magical as before.
Cape Reinga Lighthouse on New Zealand’s North Island is a place of spiritual significance for Maori.
Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse is on the southern tip of Argentina.
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Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse sits on the southern tip of Argentina.
Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse is a prime attraction in Nova Scotia, Canada.
Mouro Island Lighthouse is in the Bay of Biscay.
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The 19th-century lighthouse located on the north coast of Spain.
Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse in Denmark is surrounded by sand dunes.
Heceta Head Lighthouse’s light reaches 21 miles.
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This lighthouse is the brightest light on the Oregon coast. It is even home to a charming bed and breakfast.
The Lighthouse of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, Italy, is centuries old.
The lighthouse stands on Lake Michigan.
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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, Lighthouse Digest reported.
St. Mary’s Lighthouse is on an island off the north east coast of England.
Tours are held at Split Rock Lighthouse.
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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.
Yaquina Head Light is believed to be the oldest structure in Newport, Oregon.
Jose Ignacio Lighthouse was named after a Spanish settler.
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Named after the first Spanish settler dwelling on the shores of southern Uruguay, this lighthouse was built in 1877.
Portland Head Lighthouse in Maine first shone its lights in 1791.
Hook Lighthouse was built 800 years ago.
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Hook Lighthouse is the oldest operating lighthouse in Ireland and the second oldest in the world, after the Tower of Hercules in Spain.
Boston Light in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, is the location of North America’s oldest lighthouse, dating back to 1716.
South Stack Lighthouse is in Wales.
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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.
