Before you set out
Nearly every lighthouse you can visit is still a working aid to navigation, or stands beside one. Opening is therefore governed by the operator, which may be a lighthouse authority, a heritage charity, a local council or a friends' group. Check the operator's own website for opening days, which are often seasonal, and for limits on children's height or age in the lantern. Expect steep spiral stairs, frequently a hundred steps or more, and narrow galleries. Some stations are reached by causeway or boat, so tides and weather decide whether you can go at all.
A short shelf of open towers
The list below is a starting point rather than a census. Each place is real and has received visitors in recent years, but arrangements change, so confirm before travelling.
- Smeaton's Tower, Plymouth Hoe, England
The upper part of the 1759 Eddystone tower, rebuilt on land; climb to the lantern for views of the Sound. - Souter Lighthouse, Whitburn, England
Run by the National Trust; an early electric station of 1871 with engine room and keepers' quarters. - Museum of Scottish Lighthouses, Fraserburgh
Beside Kinnaird Head, the Northern Lighthouse Board's first light; a fine lens collection. - Hook Head, County Wexford, Ireland
Guided tours of a medieval tower with walls several metres thick. - Tower of Hercules, A Coruña, Spain
The Roman lighthouse, with an interpretation centre at its base. - Cordouan, Gironde estuary, France
Seasonal boat trips from Royan and Le Verdon-sur-Mer, timed to the tide. - Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, USA
Moved inland in 1999; climbing seasons vary and restoration has closed it in some years. - Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
Seen from the granite shore rather than inside; one of the most photographed lights in Canada.
Open days and lighthouse weekends
Several recurring events make otherwise closed stations accessible. In England, Heritage Open Days in September open many buildings that are normally private, and European Heritage Days run in the same month across much of Europe. Local lighthouses frequently take part, so watch the regional listings in summer.
International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend takes place on the third full weekend of August. Amateur radio operators set up temporary stations at lighthouses and lightships around the world and contact one another; visitors are generally welcome to watch, ask questions and, where licences allow, take part. It is one of the easiest ways to meet people who share the interest.
Societies and gatherings
Much of the mingling happens through societies. The Association of Lighthouse Keepers in the United Kingdom brings together former keepers and enthusiasts, publishes a journal and organises visits. The United States Lighthouse Society runs tours and supports preservation, and the World Lighthouse Society connects members internationally. Many individual lighthouses have friends' groups that run talks and volunteer days; joining one is a practical way to learn the history of a single station in depth.
Station etiquette
- Stay outside fences and locked compounds; automated equipment and helipads are not part of the visit.
- Do not fly drones near a station without the operator's permission, especially where helicopters land.
- Keep voices low near former keepers' cottages, which are often private homes or holiday lets.
- Watch the tide on causeways and keep to marked paths on cliff-top sites.
- Take nothing from the site and leave nothing behind.
Staying overnight
Former keepers' cottages are let as holiday accommodation at many stations in Britain, Ireland and beyond. A night beside a working light, watching the beam turn above you, is the closest most of us will come to a keeper's watch.