Castles of Europe
180 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.
Meersburg Castle
The oldest inhabited castle in Germany, above Lake Constance
Castle of the Moors
Snaking Moorish ramparts that ride the crags above Sintra
Château de Chinon
France's long ridge fortress on the Loire, linked to Joan of Arc and the Plantagenets
Linhares Castle
Granite eyrie on the flank of the Serra da Estrela
Rocca Calascio
Italy's highest fortress, a mountaintop ruin in the Apennines of Abruzzo
Trancoso Castle
Walled frontier town where King Dinis married Isabel of Aragon
Guimarães Castle
The 'cradle of Portugal', birthplace of the kingdom's first king
Alcácer do Sal Castle
Ancient salt-town citadel above the river Sado
Castle of Santa Maria da Feira
Fairytale castle bristling with conical-roofed turrets and battlements
Château de Foix
Three-towered castle of the counts of Foix on a rock in the Pyrenees
Château de Saumur
Gleaming white hilltop château above the Loire, painted in a medieval masterpiece
Château des Baux-de-Provence
Ruined clifftop castle carved into the white rock of the Alpilles
Mont-Saint-Michel
An abbey-fortress crowning a tidal island, never taken by the English
Montemor-o-Velho Castle
Long-walled hilltop fortress above the rice fields of the Mondego
Nuremberg Castle
Great imperial castle where the Holy Roman Emperors held court
Reichsburg Cochem
A towered hill castle above the Moselle, rebuilt as a romantic dream
Silves Castle
Great red-walled Moorish castle, capital of the Algarve
São Jorge Castle
Moorish hilltop citadel crowning Lisbon, long a royal palace
Loarre Castle
Spain's great Romanesque fortress, among the oldest castles in Europe
Château de Peyrepertuse
A 'citadel of vertigo' riding a knife-edge ridge in the Corbières
Veste Coburg
A vast hilltop fortress where Martin Luther once took refuge
Château de Caen
One of the largest medieval fortress enclosures in Europe, built by the Conqueror
Wartburg
Hilltop castle where Martin Luther translated the Bible into German
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
Château de Falaise
Birthplace of William the Conqueror, with a great square Norman keep
Château de Fougères
One of Europe's largest medieval fortresses, ringed by towers and water
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
Lamego Castle
Medieval keep and cistern above the wine country of the Douro
Marburg Castle
Hilltop seat of the landgraves of Hesse, scene of a famous religious debate
Marksburg Castle
The only Rhine hilltop castle never destroyed, rising in stacked terraces
Mértola Castle
River-port castle above a town layered with Islamic history
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
Sortelha Castle
Storybook stone village ringed by walls among giant boulders
Spiš Castle
One of Europe's largest castle complexes, sprawling over a Slovak ridge
Tavira Castle
Garden-filled castle walls above an elegant Algarve town
Trifels Castle
Imperial fortress that guarded the crown jewels and held Richard the Lionheart
Óbidos Castle & Walls
Portugal's fairytale walled hill town crowned by a medieval castle
Wernigerode Castle
A romantic turreted castle crowning a town at the edge of the Harz mountains
Château de Beynac
Sheer-cliff Dordogne fortress, the French rival of Castelnaud across the river
Leiria Castle
Hilltop royal castle with an elegant loggia overlooking the town
Cahir Castle
One of Ireland's largest and best-preserved castles, on a rocky island in the river Suir
Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg
Pink-sandstone mountain castle reborn above the Alsace plain
Palmela Castle
Hill castle of the Knights of Santiago, over vineyards and the sea
Kalmar Castle
Sweden's Renaissance castle with round corner towers, guarding the Baltic coast
Rock of Dunamase
Ruined fortress crowning a dramatic rock on the plains of Laois
Pombal Castle
Templar hilltop castle founded by Gualdim Pais
Eltz Castle
A perfectly preserved medieval castle hidden in a forested valley, never destroyed
Castle of Chaves
Frontier keep guarding a Roman river crossing in the far north
Castle of Tomar
Headquarters of the Knights Templar in Portugal, with its round Charola church
Monsaraz Castle
Walled hill village with sweeping views over the Alqueva lake
Almourol Castle
A Templar castle marooned on a rocky island in the river Tagus
Trim Castle
The largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland, a star of the film Braveheart
Carrickfergus Castle
The best-preserved Norman castle in Ireland, guarding Belfast Lough
Ourém Castle
Three-towered medieval castle crowning a walled hill town
Castle of Castelo de Vide
Hilltop keep above a whitewashed town and its old Jewish quarter
Gravensteen
Belgium's moated 'Castle of the Counts' in the heart of Ghent
Lismore Castle
Clifftop castle of the Dukes of Devonshire above the Blackwater
Malahide Castle
Home of the Talbot family for nearly 800 years, near Dublin
Bragança Castle
Walled citadel of the dukes who became Portugal's last royal house
Kilkenny Castle
Great riverside castle of the powerful Butler family for almost 600 years
Château Gaillard
Richard the Lionheart's mighty cliff castle above the Seine
Belmonte Castle
Castle of the Cabral family, home of the discoverer of Brazil
Château de Blois
Royal château of four styles, scene of the dramatic murder of the Duke of Guise
King John's Castle
Mighty riverside fortress on King's Island in the city of Limerick
Rothenburg ob der Tauber Walls
Germany's best-preserved medieval town walls, with a covered wall-walk and towers
St Andrews Castle
Coastal bishops' castle with a notorious bottle dungeon and siege mine
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
Maynooth Castle
Seat of the powerful FitzGerald earls, besieged in the 'Pardon of Maynooth'
Dublin Castle
The seat of English and British power in Ireland for over 700 years
Athlone Castle
Riverside fortress guarding the great crossing of the Shannon
Dunstaffnage Castle
One of Scotland's oldest stone castles, a MacDougall stronghold
Marvão Castle
Eagle's-nest border castle on a sheer crag over the Alentejo
Ashford Castle
Fairytale lakeside castle, once a Guinness estate and now a luxury hotel
Château d'Angers
Mighty striped fortress of seventeen towers, home of the Apocalypse Tapestry
Eilean Donan
Scotland's most photographed castle, on a tidal island where three lochs meet
Urquhart Castle
Ruined lochside stronghold on the banks of Loch Ness
Athenry Castle
Well-preserved early Norman keep in one of Ireland's best walled towns
Dirleton Castle
13th-century cluster-tower castle with celebrated gardens
Kildrummy Castle
Ruined 13th-century stronghold of the Earls of Mar
Königstein Fortress
A vast clifftop fortress above the Elbe, considered impregnable
Stolzenfels Castle
A Prussian king's romantic Gothic-Revival castle above the Rhine
Rheinfels Castle
The mightiest ruined fortress on the Rhine, above St. Goar
Frankenstein Castle
Hilltop ruin near Darmstadt wrapped in legend and a famous name
Leap Castle
Often called the most haunted castle in Ireland
Beja Castle
Towering Gothic keep over the wheat plains of the Alentejo
Burghausen Castle
The longest castle complex in the world, stretching over a kilometre along a ridge
Estremoz Castle
Marble-white royal castle where Queen Isabel died
Blair Castle
White-walled Highland castle, home of the only legal private army in Europe
Roscommon Castle
Great quadrangular royal castle with mighty corner towers
Bothwell Castle
Scotland's largest 13th-century stone castle, in red sandstone above the Clyde
Caerlaverock Castle
Britain's only triangular castle, a famous siege target in 1300
Dunvegan Castle
Skye's Clan MacLeod seat, the oldest continuously inhabited castle in Scotland
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
Drum Castle
One of Scotland's oldest tower houses, granted by Robert the Bruce
Dunnottar Castle
Dramatic clifftop fortress that hid the Honours of Scotland from Cromwell
Dunrobin Castle
Fairytale French-château castle of the Dukes of Sutherland, by the sea
Heidelberg Castle
Romantic red-sandstone ruin above the old city of Heidelberg
Lochleven Castle
Island castle where Mary, Queen of Scots was imprisoned and escaped
Muiderslot
The Netherlands' classic moated brick castle near Amsterdam
Évoramonte Castle
Cube-shaped castle wrapped in carved stone 'ropes'
Pfalzgrafenstein Castle
Germany's 'stone ship' toll castle set on a Rhine island
Palais des Papes
The largest Gothic palace in the world, home of the popes of Avignon
Château de Vincennes
Home of the tallest medieval keep in Europe, a royal fortress beside Paris
Fort la Latte
Dramatic clifftop castle on the wild Atlantic coast of Brittany
Karlštejn
Bohemia's Gothic crown-jewel castle, founded by Emperor Charles IV in 1348
Tantallon Castle
Mighty red curtain-wall fortress on a cliff facing the Bass Rock
Hermitage Castle
Grim border fortress, the 'guardhouse of the bloodiest valley in Britain'
Glamis Castle
Turreted fairytale castle, childhood home of the Queen Mother and the setting of Macbeth
Craigmillar Castle
Well-preserved tower castle near Edinburgh tied to Mary, Queen of Scots
Celle Castle
Residence of the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg, with the oldest baroque theatre in Germany
Cawdor Castle
Turreted Highland castle linked by legend to Shakespeare's Macbeth
Doune Castle
Well-preserved medieval castle famous from Monty Python, Outlander and Game of Thrones
Fyvie Castle
Grand baronial castle rich in ghost legends and a famous curse
Château de Pierrefonds
A medieval castle reborn as a 19th-century romantic dream
Corvin Castle
Transylvania's grand Gothic castle, reached by a long bridge on stone pillars
Ross Castle
Lakeside tower house in Killarney, among the last to fall to Cromwell
Linlithgow Palace
Ruined Stewart royal palace, birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots
Bunratty Castle
The most complete medieval castle in Ireland, beside a lively folk park
Enniskillen Castle
Island stronghold of the Maguire chiefs, with a famous twin-turreted Watergate
Castle Stalker
Four-storey tower house on a tiny tidal islet, seen in Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Château d'Ussé
A fairy-tale château said to have inspired Sleeping Beauty
Blarney Castle
Home of the famous Blarney Stone, said to give the gift of eloquence to those who kiss it
Kilchurn Castle
Picturesque ruined tower castle on the misty waters of Loch Awe
Ormond Castle
The finest Elizabethan manor house in Ireland, built by 'Black Tom' Butler
Stirling Castle
Great hilltop royal fortress of the Stewart kings, above the River Forth
Knappogue Castle
Well-restored MacNamara tower house famous for its medieval banquets
Albrechtsburg
One of Germany's first true castle-palaces, later home of the first European porcelain
Donegal Castle
Stronghold of the O'Donnell chiefs, with a fine Jacobean wing
Château de Bonaguil
One of the last great medieval fortresses, built for the age of cannon
Château d'Amboise
Clifftop royal château where Leonardo da Vinci is buried
Aughnanure Castle
Six-storey O'Flaherty tower house near the shore of Lough Corrib
Dunluce Castle
Dramatic clifftop ruin on the Antrim coast, seen in Game of Thrones
Walls of Lucca
Italy's intact Renaissance ramparts, now a famous tree-lined walkway around Lucca
Château de Chenonceau
The elegant 'Castle of the Ladies', arching gracefully across the river Cher
Château d'Azay-le-Rideau
A Renaissance jewel built on an island, mirrored in the river Indre
Château de Chambord
The largest château of the Loire, crowned with a forest of towers and a double-helix stair
Dunguaire Castle
Picture-perfect tower house on the shore of Galway Bay
Château d'If
Island prison-fortress off Marseille, made famous by The Count of Monte Cristo
Château de Fontainebleau
A royal palace lived in by French monarchs for some seven hundred years
Château de Villandry
Renaissance château famed for its spectacular geometric gardens
Moritzburg Castle
A baroque hunting palace set on an island in its own lake
Crathes Castle
Fairytale tower house famous for painted ceilings and ancient yew hedges
Château de Chantilly
Lakeside château holding one of France's greatest art collections
Glücksburg Castle
A white Renaissance water castle, cradle of European royal dynasties
Elvas Fortifications
Portugal's vast star-shaped border fortress, a UNESCO bastion stronghold
Parke's Castle
Restored 17th-century fortified manor on the shore of Lough Gill
Birr Castle
Castle of the Earls of Rosse, home to a giant 19th-century telescope
Château de Cheverny
Elegant classical château that inspired Tintin's Marlinspike Hall
Fortress of Almeida
Twelve-pointed star fortress guarding the Spanish frontier
Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte
The breathtaking château whose splendour led to its owner's downfall
Palace of Versailles
The dazzling palace of the Sun King, with its Hall of Mirrors and vast gardens
Charlottenburg Palace
The largest royal palace in Berlin, seat of the Prussian kings
Würzburg Residence
A baroque palace with the world's largest ceiling fresco, by Tiepolo
Floors Castle
Largest inhabited castle in Scotland, seat of the Dukes of Roxburghe
Sanssouci
Frederick the Great's rococo summer palace, his 'place without cares'
Inveraray Castle
Gothic Revival fairytale seat of the Dukes of Argyll, featured in Downton Abbey
Culzean Castle
Clifftop Robert Adam mansion above the Firth of Clyde
Slane Castle
Gothic Revival castle above the Boyne, famous for its rock concerts
Hohenschwangau Castle
The yellow childhood castle of King Ludwig II, facing Neuschwanstein
Lichtenstein Castle
A storybook 'fairytale castle of Württemberg' perched on a cliff
Pena Palace
A riot of coloured towers crowning the hills of Sintra, a Romantic fairy-tale palace
Schwerin Castle
A fairytale palace on an island lake, home of the state parliament
Hohenzollern Castle
Dramatic hilltop seat of the Hohenzollerns, who became kings of Prussia and German emperors
Balmoral Castle
Royal Highland retreat of the British monarchy, built for Queen Victoria
Kylemore Abbey
A romantic lakeside castle in Connemara, now a Benedictine abbey
Neuschwanstein Castle
The fairytale castle of 'Mad King' Ludwig II that inspired Disney's Sleeping Beauty Castle
Glenveagh Castle
Romantic 19th-century castle at the heart of a wild Donegal national park
Linderhof Palace
The small, jewel-like palace of Ludwig II, with a famous grotto and gardens
Herrenchiemsee
Ludwig II's island palace, built as a German answer to Versailles
Schloss Drachenburg
A fantastical 19th-century palace on the Dragon's Rock above the Rhine