30 lighthouses you have to visit in your lifetime

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.

Lindau Lighthouse is the southernmost lighthouse in Germany. The tower was built in 1856.

Kermorvan Lighthouse was built in 1849.

The lighthouse was built in order to warn vessels to stay away from the reefs at Waikiki, per Hawaii Guide.

Almost 100 years later, in 1917, the stunning lighthouse in County Donegal survived being struck by lightning.

The Egyptian style lighthouse was destroyed during the Turkish occupation and rebuilt between 1824 and 1832. It sits on its original base. 

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.

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 is the only active lighthouse in Burnham-on-Sea, England.

Located in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, the lighthouse measures 156 feet tall.

Located in Acadia National Park, this lighthouse was built in 1858 and stands 56 feet high.

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.

The colonial style lighthouse, constructed in 1899, stands ‎74 feet tall.

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 is a popular tourist destination and a significant place for Māori, according to the New Zealand Department of Conversation: 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.

Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse sits on the southern tip of Argentina.

This still-active lighthouse is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the area.

The 19th-century lighthouse located on the north coast of Spain.

However, when it was built in the 1900s, there were no sand dunes nearby, according to the Vendsyssel Historical Museum, 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.

This lighthouse is the brightest light on the Oregon coast. It is even home to a charming bed and breakfast.

The lighthouse, which is at the end of a pontoon in Venice, was built in 1813.

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.

Located on Bait Island, St. Mary’s Lighthouse and its cottage were built in the late 19th century. The cottage went on sale in 2011 for around $553,000, complete with 19th-century graffiti and gunshots in some doors, the BBC reported at the time.

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.

This lighthouse is located in Yaquina Bay State Park.

Named after the first Spanish settler dwelling on the shores of southern Uruguay, this lighthouse was built in 1877.

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.

Hook Lighthouse is the oldest operating lighthouse in Ireland and the second oldest in the world, after the Tower of Hercules in Spain.

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.”

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.