Penmarc'h Lighthouse

Penmarch, France

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

Find out more

The Penmarc'h Lighthouse, also known as the Phare d'Eckmühl or Point Penmarc'h Light, stands on the southwestern tip of Finistère in Brittany, marking the northwestern entrance to the Bay of Biscay. Designed by Gabriel-Marie-Paul Marbeau and Léon Bourdelles, this stone tower was built in 1897 to replace an earlier lighthouse constructed in 1835, which proved structurally unable to support the required increase in focal height. The project was unexpectedly funded by Adélaïde-Louise Davout, Marquise de Blocqueville, whose will stipulated that the tower commemorate her father, Marshal Louis Nicolas Davout, prince of Eckmühl. At 64.7 metres (213 feet) tall, it ranks among the world's tallest lighthouses and remains active today. A classified historical monument, the tower is open to visitors who climb 307 steps—227 of stone followed by an iron staircase—to reach the top.