The 5 Most Visited Lighthouses In The World

Navigators guides, historical monuments, romantic lights outlined in the horizon of the dark sea … the most visited lighthouses in the world are that and much more. Next, we invite you to review the most representative ones.

Built to avoid calamities and make the arrival of ships a safe maneuver, today the lighthouses are tourist spots that attract thousands of people each year. Get to know some of them and keep them in mind to explore them on your next trip!

1. Cape Hatteras: the island’s lighthouse

On Hatteras Island, in the Buxton area off the North Carolina coast, is the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the final version of which was completed in 1870. The conical brick structure is atop an iron and glass lantern, a where you arrive after climbing 269 steps. It measures in total more than 60 meters in height.

The lighthouse on the tower was dismantled in 1935 and the site became part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore National Park, with beach activities, camping and fishing. Today, it is one of the most visited lighthouses in the world and exceeds one million tourists each year.

2. Kiz Kulezi lighthouse: a tragic legend

Off the coast of Istanbul, on an islet at the entrance to the Bosphorus Strait, is the Kiz Kulezi lighthouse, also known as the Maiden’s Tower.

Legend has it that a soothsayer warned a sultan that his daughter would be bitten by a snake on her 18th birthday. Desperate, the father built the tower away from the earth and locked her there; only he visited her. On the day predicted by the seer, the sultan brought a basket of fruit to his daughter, unaware that a snake was hiding in the background, which finally killed the young woman.

Regardless of the fantastic history, the truth is that signaling structures were built on the site since 1100. However, it was not until 1721 that it began to be used as a lighthouse and, until today, its red and white light illuminates the sea.

The place was restored in 1998 for the filming of the James Bond saga The world is never enough , a question that contributed to its fame. This attracts thousands of tourists each year to see the legendary building and taste caviar in its restaurant or relax in the cafeteria, at the top of the tower.

3. Genoa Lighthouse: symbol of the city

In the land of famous sailors, there has been a lighthouse since 1128, built in the area that today is known as Capo di Faro . The structure had its first flashlight in 1316. In 1543, he was installed Lanterna  final and the tower reached 77 meters with the way we know it today.

The building is open to tourism and you have to visit the Lantern Museum and the complex of famous walls. It is one of the most visited lighthouses in the world, but yes, if you are going to climb, get ready for its 172 steps.

4. Cape Point: between two oceans

Where the African continent ends and the waters of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans mix, is the Cape of Good Hope, where the first Cape Point lighthouse was built in 1859 , on the coast of South Africa, 238 meters above sea level. height.

At present, this is a tourist site where there is a restaurant and shops; It is accessed by funicular, and this makes it a very attractive ride for thousands of visitors each year. The new lighthouse was built in 1914, at an altitude of 87 meters, and it is the one that works as such today.

5. Lighthouse Cordouan: «Versailles of the sea»

With elegant Renaissance architecture, this lighthouse is located on the French Atlantic coast of Aquitaine, on an island in the Gironde estuary. The structure marks the entrance to the port of Bordeaux.

The lighthouse was built on an old tower between 1584 and 1611, and is still in operation. In addition, it was the first lighthouse where Agustín Fresnel installed the lenses that bear his name and are used today in all lighthouses in the world.

With 67.50 meters and 301 steps, the interior houses a chapel with exquisite multi- colored stained glass windows , royal bedrooms and rooms with lighthouse keepers . Only groups of 30 to 49 people can arrive at the place and in limited hours, depending on the weather conditions and the tides, which sometimes require an extensive walk along the sandbanks to get there.

Despite being a site with restricted and somewhat complicated access, it is one of the most visited lighthouses in the world, admired for its aesthetic beauty for centuries.

The most visited lighthouses in the world are reinvented

Navigation in the seas required these structures for the guidance and safety of ships, but today, with satellite systems, the functionality of many is obsolete and lighthouses have been reinvented by those who want to preserve this heritage.

Many have been incorporated into national parks managed by the states, and others are maintained by institutions charged with their conservation. Examples of the latter are Phares de France , Trinity House in England, and the US Lighthouse Society in the United States.

Converted into hotels, restaurants or museums, their stories and their privileged geographical locations make them attractive places for tourism. Going up to a lighthouse gives you a different perspective of the landscape, a privileged view of an infinite sea that is undoubtedly worth enjoying.