Sailors lookouts, irreplaceable guides on stormy nights, the lighthouses are beautiful solitary giants that outline beautiful landscapes facing the sea. Converted into a source of inspiration for stories and great journeys, its privileged locations offer unique views over the waters. The almost eight thousand kilometers of Spanish coastline offer the possibility of designing a thousand and one routes to get to know them, from the most emblematic lighthouses on the north coast, to the most beautiful in the south of the Peninsula.
The planet is dotted with these emblematic constructions that treasure countless stories. Choosing the best ones is not easy, however, Civitatis, the portal for guided tours, excursions and activities, has drawn up a list detailing, according to its point of view, the most beautiful lighthouses in the world. Do you want to meet them?
Island of Jersey (UK)
The Corbiere
The Corbiere Lighthouse.
Perched atop a crag at the southwestern tip of Jersey, a British Channel Island, La Corbiere Lighthouse is an iconic white building that marked the end of the hardest part of the journey between England and France (or vice versa) performed by ancient sailors, which is why Victor Hugo described it in his day as “the shepherd of the waves”. The rock, linked to the mainland by a path that submerges at high tide – a siren warns visitors that the causeway will soon be covered by water – is an ideal place to watch the sun set on the horizon.
California (USA)
Trinity
Trinity Lighthouse.
The lighthouse of Trinidad, a town in southern California with just 350 inhabitants, is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful maritime watchtowers in the world and the main icon of this tiny town. Located in the homonymous bay and surrounded by a magnificent rugged coastline, its origins date back to 1871, although it has subsequently undergone various modifications. Currently there is an exact replica of the original construction, damaged by storms, which houses a memorial for those who lost their lives in the area.
Maine (USA)
Pemaquid Point
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse.
In operation since 1827, the Pemaquid Lighthouse has become a must-see for those traveling to Maine. It is built on a cliff facing the Atlantic, about 15 kilometers from Monhegan Island, and is especially popular as it is featured on the state’s quarter. Its image was perfectly captured by the American artist Edward Hopper in one of his watercolors painted in 1929. It is worth climbing the spiral staircase that leads to the top of the lighthouse to contemplate splendid views over the sea.
Snaefellsnes Peninsula (Iceland)
Malariff Lighthouse
Malarif Lighthouse at sunset.
Located on the southern coast of the Snaefellsnes peninsula in the Vesturland region, the rocket-shaped Malariff Lighthouse stands majestically surrounded by lava from the Snaefellsjökull volcano, used as a gateway by Jules Verne in his Journey to the Center of the Earth. And the truth is that the entire landscape of the homonymous national park, in which it is located, is impressive. The lighthouse is also known as Karlstaoatangi and was built in 1946. Ivory in color and 24 meters high, it is an ideal place in Iceland for observing the northern lights.
Cascais (Portugal)
Santa Marta Lighthouse
Santa Marta Lighthouse, in the town of Cascais.
The Santa Marta lighthouse is a true icon in Cascais, an old fishing village located 30 kilometers from Lisbon that has become a delightful tourist town. Painted in blue and white stripes, it rises 30 meters above its base and 150 years later continues to perform its coastal signaling function. It is currently part of a museum complex that shows a general overview of the lighthouses in which the life of the old lighthouse keepers is portrayed, the technology is revealed and the history of these constructions on the Portuguese coast is revealed throughout the ages.
Ushant Island (France)
Creac’h Lighthouse
Creac’h Lighthouse, on the island of Ouessant.
It is located in French territory, specifically in the extreme west of the country, in the archipelago of the Poniente Islands, about twenty kilometers from the coast of Brittany, and can boast of being one of the most powerful lighthouses in the world. Inaugurated in 1863 and declared a historical monument a century and a half later, it marks the entrance to the English Channel. Its cylindrical tower measures 55 meters and rises 70 meters above sea level. Since 1988 it has housed the Museum of Lighthouses and Beacons. Michel Patrix immortalized him in The Lighthouse of Créac’h, a canvas preserved in the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro.
A Coruna (Galicia)
Tower of Hercules
The Tower of Hercules from Lapas beach.
The most universal monument in A Coruña can boast of being the oldest working Roman lighthouse in the world, which has earned it recognition by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Built by Gaio Sevio Lupo in the 1st century on a hill located 60 meters above sea level, the Tower of Hercules measures 55 meters. It is located in a protected environment of high landscape and ethnographic value and it is worth climbing the 34 steps that lead to the viewpoint, since the views from the top are spectacular.
Sintra (Portugal)
Cabo da Roca
Cape da Roca Lighthouse.
The poet Luís de Camões described Cabo da Roca, an imposing cliff overlooking the Atlantic, as the place “where the land ends and the sea begins”; the point in Portugal where the Old Continent pokes its nose into the Atlantic. About 40 kilometers from Lisbon and about twenty from Sintra, in the middle of a natural park, the lighthouse illuminates the westernmost point of Europe. Built in 1772 and still inhabited today, it is the third oldest in the country. Its uniqueness has become a popular tourist attraction.
