Aix island lighthouses, Twin lighthouses at Île-d'Aix, France.

The Aix island lighthouses are two structures about 25 meters tall standing on this island off the French Atlantic coast. They serve as navigation points for ships moving through the waters between the Oléron and Ré islands.

These two lighthouses were built to guide ships through a difficult passage between nearby islands. They received official protection as historical monuments in 2011.

Locals call the two towers "Les géants de l'île". The last keeper was a woman, Jacqueline Cochard, who watched over the light from 1983 until automation in 1994; her father-in-law Edmond Cochard had kept the lighthouses of Ar-Men, Chassiron and Aix from 1931 to 1953. The island now has a lighting plan that highlights its heritage at night.

Reaching the island requires taking a boat from the mainland coast, and the lighthouses are easy to spot from the water. You can view the structures from different angles depending on the tides and boat routes in the area.

The red sector is not produced inside the lantern alone: a red screen on the lantern balustrade works with a second screen on a small turret built 15 m away, creating a 15° red sector that marks the Boyard shoal and the Antioche rocks. This arrangement dates from 1888, when it replaced the first light of 1840.