Vardø Light Station is situated on the northern side of the island Hornøya just across the harbour from Vardø. The 20m tall square pyramidal lighthouse has a circular red lantern room on top. The tower is constructed using angle iron profiles and clad with fibre cement sheets and wood. The country has only two other lighthouses of the same type. The light station's other buildings are gathered to form an open courtyard next to the lighthouse and they are: the engine room, the keeper's cottage, the barn and the outbuilding. There are two boathouses 450m away from the main station. Just north of the existing buildings are the remains of the old light station and there are also remains of German fortifications on the island.

In 1998 Vardø Light Station was given protected status in accordance with the Norwegian Cultural Heritage Act.