Castles of Europe
30 real castles, fortresses and walled cities — the “Stone Giants of Europe”. Browse by country, century or type, then open any castle for its story and map.
Château de Chinon
France's long ridge fortress on the Loire, linked to Joan of Arc and the Plantagenets
Rocca Calascio
Italy's highest fortress, a mountaintop ruin in the Apennines of Abruzzo
Loarre Castle
Spain's great Romanesque fortress, among the oldest castles in Europe
Hohensalzburg Fortress
One of Europe's largest hilltop fortresses, towering over Salzburg since 1077
Walls of Ávila
Spain's perfectly preserved medieval city walls, with 88 towers and nine gates
Castel Beseno
Trentino's largest fortified complex, sweeping along an Alpine ridge
Castle of Diósgyőr
Hungary's four-towered Gothic queens' castle, rebuilt by Louis the Great
Château de Castelnaud
France's Dordogne hilltop fortress, a rival stronghold in the Hundred Years' War
Château de Chillon
Switzerland's island castle on Lake Geneva, with round towers and lakeside halls
Cité de Carcassonne
France's double-walled medieval city, ringed by more than fifty towers
Dubrovnik City Walls
Croatia's mighty sea walls guarding the old port of Dubrovnik on the Adriatic
Edinburgh Castle
Scotland's clifftop royal fortress, grown on a volcanic crag since the 1100s
Marksburg Castle
The only Rhine hilltop castle never destroyed, rising in stacked terraces
Ramparts of Provins
France's medieval fair town, ringed by tall ramparts and towers
Rock of Cashel
Ireland's medieval hilltop of kings, with a round tower, chapel and cathedral
Spiš Castle
One of Europe's largest castle complexes, sprawling over a Slovak ridge
Óbidos Castle & Walls
Portugal's fairytale walled hill town crowned by a medieval castle
Kalmar Castle
Sweden's Renaissance castle with round corner towers, guarding the Baltic coast
Gravensteen
Belgium's moated 'Castle of the Counts' in the heart of Ghent
Rothenburg ob der Tauber Walls
Germany's best-preserved medieval town walls, with a covered wall-walk and towers
Visegrád Citadel
Hungary's hilltop citadel above the Danube Bend, once a royal seat
York City Walls
England's most complete medieval city walls, walkable above the streets of York
Malbork Castle
The world's largest brick castle, built by the Teutonic Knights in Poland
Conwy Castle
13th-century Welsh river fortress with eight towers, built in just four years
Muiderslot
The Netherlands' classic moated brick castle near Amsterdam
Pfalzgrafenstein Castle
Germany's 'stone ship' toll castle set on a Rhine island
Karlštejn
Bohemia's Gothic crown-jewel castle, founded by Emperor Charles IV in 1348
Corvin Castle
Transylvania's grand Gothic castle, reached by a long bridge on stone pillars
Walls of Lucca
Italy's intact Renaissance ramparts, now a famous tree-lined walkway around Lucca
Elvas Fortifications
Portugal's vast star-shaped border fortress, a UNESCO bastion stronghold