19 Lighthouses to Explore in France

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France

France, including its overseas territories, has the most number of time zones with a total of 12 time zones. France has long been a global center of art, science, and philosophy. It hosts the world's fourth-largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is the leading tourist destination, receiving around 83 million foreign visitors annually.

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Lighthouses to Explore in France

Archipel des Sanguinaires

The Sanguinaires archipelago consists of four islets of dark red porphyry at the entrance to the Gulf of Ajaccio. They are called Mezu Mare, Cormoran , Cala d'Alga and Porri. To this must be added the bare rock U Sbiru located between the island of Porri and the island of Cormorants, and 13 m high. The Sanguinaires Islands lighthouse, dating from 1870, is built on the highest point of the Grande Sanguinaire. One of the nice location where you can spend some nice time in the middle of natural b

Bravone

The Bravona is a small French coastal river that flows in Haute-Corse and empties into the Tyrrhenian Sea. The lighthouse is still active and is fully automated and controlled by the Marine Nationale in Bastia. It was one of a series of coastal defenses constructed by the Republic of Genoa between 1530 and 1620 to protect against attacks by Barbary pirates.

Calais Lighthouse

A huge majestic lighthouse which was located in the residential streets near the Port of Calais and is a significant landmark as well as a navigational aid to ships and ferries using the Straits of Dover. It was around 523 metres high and it has octagonal shape outside and round inside. This beautiful lighthouse has been started in the year of 1848 and was electrified in 1883. It has faced several wars and after the second world war, it has been fully automated. It was now classified as a histo

Cordouan Lighthouse

The famous Cordouan Lighthouse, built between 1584 and 1611, is the oldest working lighthouse in France. It was located in the middle of the sea, at the mouth of the Gironde estuary. It stands 67.5 metres tall and has six storeys in the Renaissance style. It is the only lighthouse at the sea on the coast of France still guarded, the oldest still in activity and the only one in the world open to the visit.

Île Vierge

A beautiful islet which was located in the commune of Plouguerneau. It is home to the tallest traditional stone lighthouse in Europe. This lighthouse offers a panoramic view of this area and also the vast sea. There is a beautiful coastal path to reach this islet. There is also an Abbey in the island also you can spend a nice time on the beach here.

Île Vierge lighthouse

One of the highest lighthouses which as built-in France with 365 steps. It asbuilt in the early 20th century and It belongs to the small village Plouguerneau in the Département Finistère. The inside of the lighthouse is covered in white opal glass tiles, as protection from humidity and dust. the view from the top of this mountain is truly wonderful and the lighthouse is easily accessible from every side. It was one of the main attractions in this area.

Le Phare du Petit Minou

A beautiful lighthouse which was located at Plouzané, a Breton municipality of Finistère. Built-in the mid-nineteenth century, it was fully automated in the late 1980s. It was located on a rock advanced to sea on the northern coast of the Brest gully. One of the nice places to spend some beautiful time. This beautiful lighthouse was built in the early year of the nineteenth-century and later it was automated in the year 1980.

Lighthouse Pertusato

A famous majestic lighthouse with a size of 16.5 m, masonry stone walls, overlooking a rectangular-shaped building overlooking the sea to a height of 99.50 m. Phare de Pertusato is automated, not guarded, and not open to visitors. Walk along the cliffs of Bonifacio to the Pertusato lighthouse offers really stunning views back towards the town and out over the Straits towards Sardinia.

Phare d'Eckmühl

A majestic lighthouse that was inaugurated in the year 1897 located at the tip of Penmarc'h. This beautiful lighthouse offers a breathtaking view of the entire Audierne Bay. Reaching the top takes climbing 307 steps, 227 stone steps followed by an iron staircase. It was open to the public all time.

Phare de Biarritz

The Biarritz lighthouse is located in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, on the territory of the city of Biarritz, more precisely at the Pointe Saint-Martin, a rocky escarpment overlooking the city. This maritime signaling establishment, designed by the lighthouse and beacon service commission in 1825, was built in 1830.

Phare de Chassiron

The Chassiron lighthouse, perched on a rocky cliff, is located at the northern end of the island of Oléron, near the town of Saint-Denis-d'Oléron . The lighthouse allows sailors to enter the waters of the Antioch sluice, a place strewn with reefs and famous for its many shipwrecks. It is the oldest lighthouse in France still inactivity after that of Cordouan.

Phare de Men Ruz

A beautiful lighthouse which was located in Côtes-d'Armor, France which is still active and it is not open for the public. The structure is made up of Pink granite and is located in a prime location. It has a lot of history to say and is one of the most visited locations by tourists.

Phare des Baleines

Phare des Baleines is the name of a lighthouse built between 1849 and 1854 on the Atlantic island of Île de Ré. It belongs to the municipality of Saint-Clément-des-Baleines and replaces an existing lighthouse of the same name that Vauban had built. It owes its name to the fact that in the past whales were often stranded at this point. It was classified as a historical monument since 1904.

Phare Le Touquet

A huge and beautiful historic lighthouse located, Avenue des Phares, at Touquet-Paris-Plage. Its pink brick octagonal shaft has curved sides, like a Doric column. This lighthouse offers the best way to discover Le Touquet-Paris-Plage and its region. The buildings including the former pavilion of the chief guardian and the old service building, with its garden, the entrance pillars, and the benches are listed in the historical monument.

Pointe Saint-Mathieu

A beautiful coast which was famous for its lighthouse and a beautiful abbey. This is a place which is very nice to see with its cliffs and the coast is very calm and also you can explore the beauty of the sea and the historic lighthouse stands as a majestic building which increases the beauty of this area. Nice place for a walk and you can get away from the busy daily lives.

Revellata lighthouse

The Revellata lighthouse also called the Gulf of Calvi lighthouse, marks the northwest coast of Corsica, from the Gulf of Galéria to the coasts of Agriates. The current lighthouse is a square tower, centered on a rectangular base. It is in masonry stone, with smooth plaster and exposed stone angles. an architectural wonder which was located at the tip of a cliff. it offers a panoramic view of this area and also a nice location to hangout.

Rue du Phare de la Jument

A beautiful lighthouse that was located in the northwestern part of France, Brittany which was built on a massive rock of the island of Ushant. It is one of the very diffrent lighthouses in this area. The lighthouse became well known in 1989, through a series of photographs taken by Jean Guichard. It is quite risky to reach the lighthouse. But the view of the lighthouse is truly astonishing.

Saint-Mathieu lighthouse

The Saint-Mathieu lighthouse is located at the end of the tip of the same name at the Plougonvelin, in Brittany, north of the harbor of Brest. It was built in 1835 on the site of an old abbey, and it is one of the most important French coast lighthouses. It was later electrified in 1932 and automated in 1996. One of the prime attractions in this locality which paves light to history.

The Watchtower

A beautiful and majestic 13th-century watchtower which was located at Place d'Armes behind the Hotel de Ville in Calais, Northern France. It was been used as a lighthouse till 1848, then it becomes a watchtower. it also served as a military post in the first world war. One of the good locations to visit in this place which gives an idea about the history of France and its architectural intelligence.

Map of Lighthouses to explore in France