Europe is peppered with incredible castles, spanning a variety of eras and architectural styles. From Sleeping Beauty's castle come to life in Germany to a spooky Dracula castle in Romania, these structures are filled with mystery and myth, and have captured people's attention for centuries. Perched on inaccessible mountains, hidden on hillsides and standing proud on lake shores, here are the best castles in Europe. Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, check travel advice for individual countries and opening hours for each attraction.
A beguiling fairy-tale castle, Burg Eltz in Western Germany dates from the 12th century and has remained in the Eltz family for an impressive 33 generations. The wonderfully romantic castle, which sits above the Elzbach River, is iconic in Germany and was featured on the 500 Deutsche Mark note from 1965 to 1992. The castle reopens after the winter break on 31 March 2022.
The castle has its fair share of ghost stories, the most famous of which is the phantom of Countess Agnes. The countess was promised in marriage to the Knight of Braunsberg but during a feast to celebrate the match, she rebuffed her suitor, publicly humiliating him. Enraged by the rejection, the spurned knight organised an attack on the castle. After a valiant fight, she was struck by a crossbow and fatally injured, and her ghost is said to still haunt the castle.
As castles go, Bran Castle is probably one of the spookiest. The medieval fortress in Transylvania became known as Dracula castle, despite Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, never having visited Romania. Today, the castle, with its eerie turrets and stunning hilltop location, remains synonymous with the legendary vampire.
King Ludwig II of Bavaria built Neuschwanstein Castle in the 19th century to use as a private retreat from public life. The castle's stunning architecture, complemented by its hilltop location, isn't rivalled by many others and is arguably one of the continent's most famous. Not many know that its dreamy towers and turrets, which could have been plucked straight from a fairy tale, served as inspiration for Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Castle.
The picturesque Peleș Castle was constructed in the 19th century for Romanian King Carol I, who fell in love with the Carpathian Mountains and decided to build a summer retreat here. It's not a modest affair, either. The building in Sinaia, central Romania, is a striking mix of Neo-Renaissance and Gothic Revival architecture.
Once the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, King Henry VIII’s second wife and mother of Elizabeth I, the magnificent Hever Castle is tucked away in a quiet village in Kent. It has a long history, dating back as early as the 13th century. After it was owned by the Boleyns, it later came under the ownership of another of Henry VIII's wives, Anne of Cleves, when their marriage ended in divorce.
The staircase gallery is one of the castle's most stunning features. Built in 1506, it contains a rare portrait by French Renaissance painter and miniaturist François Clouet, depicting Mary Queen of Scots in mourning over the death of three close family members. It is believed that during Henry VIII’s courtship of Anne Boleyn, he stayed at the castle several times. The lavish bedroom reportedly has the oldest ceiling in the castle, dating from 1462.
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Nestled on the edge of the Thuringian Forest, Wartburg Castle rises out of a high bluff, overlooking the town of Eisenach. First built in 1067, the oldest surviving section is the 12th-century Great Hall, but nearly every century has left its mark with a new addition or restoration. It was the first German fortress to be designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Aside from its stunning location, the castle has a significant history as the seat of the Landgraves of Thuringia and as the place where Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German. Today, part of the castle houses the Romantik Hotel at Wartburg and a restaurant with breathtaking views across the forest to the Rhön Mountains.
Immortalised by Shakespeare as the setting for Hamlet, Kronborg Castle is Denmark's most famous and also one of the finest Renaissance castles in northern Europe. Built, burned to the ground and rebuilt several times since 1420, the castle occupies a vital strategical position at the head of the Øresund Sound, overlooking the Baltic Sea.
Although Wales has plenty of landmark castles, Caernarfon Castle, in the historic town of Caernarfon, stirs the imagination like no other. Often cited as one of the country's most impressive fortresses, it has UNESCO World Heritage Site status and is also notable for its royal connection – it was used for the investiture of the Prince of Wales in 1911 and again in 1969.
Built under the orders of Edward I in the 1200s, the mighty medieval fortress perches at the end of the Menai Strait and is particularly renowned for its hefty walls and unusual polygonal towers. Today, it's open to visitors year-round and houses The Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum.
A short drive west from Stockholm lies the idyllic Lake Mälaren and the small town of Mariefred, home to the impressive Gripsholm Castle. Built in 1537 by Gustav Vasa, the king of Sweden at the time, it was used as an official residence by the Swedish royals until the 18th century and has since become a museum. Today, as well as an extensive collection of furniture and interior decorations, it houses the Swedish National Portrait collection, featuring prominent Swedes, from Gustav Vasa himself to Benny Anderson of ABBA fame.
Also home to the royal deer at the Hjorthagen nature reserve, Gripsholm has another, slightly stranger claim to fame. It houses the Lion of Gripsholm Castle – a historical taxidermy gone horribly wrong – whose comically unrealistic face has become somewhat of an internet celebrity. The story goes that King Frederick I was gifted a lion in 1731 by the Bey of Algiers. When the lion died, the taxidermist was tasked with stuffing and mounting it, but he hadn't actually seen a live lion before.
The biggest and most luxurious in the Netherlands, De Haar Castle in Utrecht is mentioned in historical records as early as 1391, but the castle that stands today was rebuilt in 1892. Etienne Gustave Frédéric Baron van Zuylen van Nyevelt van de Haar (1860-1934) inherited the crumbling castle and spent 20 years restoring it with the backing of his wife’s family, the Rothschilds, and the help from famous architect Pierre Cuypers.
Downton Abbey might be set in a fictional Yorkshire country estate of the same name, but the Jacobean Revival-style building really does exist in real life. Highclere Castle, used for the exterior shots in the TV series and film, was built in the 19th century by architect Charles Barry. The 5,000-acre estate is actually located in Hampshire, close to the town of Newbury in Berkshire.
Many scenes were also filmed inside, so fans might recognise the rather grand entrance hallway with its sweeping staircase and intricate internal balconies. The country estate actually belongs to Earl and Countess Carnarvon. The castle’s 200-plus rooms are filled with antiques and enchanting details, such as the frescoed ceiling in the Music Room. The incredibly detailed scenes, painted by Francis Hayman in 1740, depict Athena, goddess of war, wisdom and the arts.
One of Switzerland's most popular historic sites, the picture-perfect Chillon Castle is nestled on an island on the edge of Lake Geneva. The castle dates back to the 11th century and it served as the summer residence for the Counts of Savoy from the 13th to the 16th century, when it was converted into a prison, though a jail existed in the castle from the 13th century onwards.
The prison was particularly notorious, and François de Bonivard is its best-known prisoner. Immortalised in Lord Byron's poem, The Prisoner of Chillon, the devout scholar was imprisoned for his heretical Protestant beliefs. As the poem goes, he remained there for six years chained to a pillar. However, in reality, it was only six months.
The first historical record of this imposing fort's existence dates to the 12th century, but the majority of the construction was probably completed by King Philip II in the 1500s. Rising high above the city of Segovia, it's best known for its unusual design – the Alcázar fortress is shaped like the bow of a ship.
The largest and oldest occupied castle in the world, Windsor Castle has been home to English and British monarchs for nearly a thousand years. Today, Queen Elizabeth II spends much of her time here where she also carries out certain formal duties. Originally developed by William the Conqueror after his Norman conquest of 1066, it’s also the final resting place of many monarchs including Henry VIII, Charles I and George V.
Dramatic Predjama Castle is tucked within the mouth of a cave in Slovenia, and it's almost difficult to see where the rock ends and the weather-worn fortress begins. This dramatic 13th-century structure, jutting out from a 404-foot-high (123m) cliff, is rumoured to have influenced George R.R. Martin, the author whose novels inspired hit TV series Game of Thrones.
Prague Castle is quite the feat. Covering an area of around 750,000 square feet (69,677sqm), the complex is one of the largest of its kind in the world, home to Gothic-style St Vitus Cathedral, as well as several other churches. Dating from the 9th century, the site acts like an architectural textbook for the last millennium and, unsurprisingly, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Stunning halls and staterooms fill the castle, brimming with Rococo details, vast fireplaces and priceless paintings. The Rudolph Gallery (pictured) is one of the most striking of them all, with its great arches, chandeliers and mirrors. It was first built in the 16th century, but the stuccos you can see here were only added in the 19th.
The formidable Malbork Castle was built in the 13th century by the Teutonic Knights, a group of German Catholic crusaders, and at the time of its completion was the largest brick castle in the world. Malbork served as a residence for the Polish royal family until it was occupied by the Swedes in the 17th century and then by the Germans during the Second World War.
Built between 1238 and 1358, Granada's sprawling Alhambra is an impressive Moorish masterpiece. The name Alhambra comes from an Arabic phrase meaning red castle and was given due to the reddish hue of its towers and walls. It was described as "a pearl set in emeralds" by Moorish poets, referring to its location within the woods.
Edinburgh Castle is arguably one of the city's most famous sights, with its imposing battlements overlooking the city’s Old Town. The castle dates back to the 12th century and has been attacked so many times, it earned the dubious accolade of being the most besieged place in Great Britain. Today, the castle and its grounds are normally open to visitors year-round.
It might be called a palace, but it is in fact a castle, and few are so heart-flutteringly pretty as Pena Palace. Its butter-yellow turrets and brick-red towers rise above the treetops in hilly Sintra, just outside Lisbon. The multicoloured beauty, an example of 19th-century Romanticism, was commissioned by King Ferdinand II and completed in 1854, and has been home to Portuguese royals through the years.
Nestled behind the pretty northeastern market town of Alnwick, this majestic medieval castle is the second largest inhabited castle in England. Alnwick Castle has been home to the Percy family for over 700 years and is the current seat of the 12th Duke of Northumberland, Ralph Percy.
Inspired by the lavish buildings of Italy, the Renaissance-style state rooms feature richly decorated ceilings, carved doors and marble fireplaces. The castle also has one of the country’s most impressive private furniture and art collections with works by J. M. W. Turner, William Dobson and Canaletto.
Moszna Castle has 99 turrets and 365 rooms – it would be possible to spend every day in a different room over the course of a year, if you wished. Constructed in the 17th century, the castle is situated within a park dotted with canals, meadows and even a forest.
Constructed on the site of a Roman castle between the 11th and 14th centuries, the mighty fortified Vianden Castle has a string of impressive rooms, including a dinky chapel dating to the 12th century. It has had an extremely diverse mix of owners too, ranging from the Counts of Vianden to a spice merchant.
Lithuania’s Trakai Island Castle occupies a stunning location in the centre of Lake Galvė. The castle was built in the 14th century and is the only Gothic island castle in Europe. It has served many purposes in its lifetime, going from fortress to residence to a prison. Sadly, in the 17th century, the castle was damaged in conflict and fell into disrepair.
The turreted Glamis Castle in Scotland and the site where it sits are teeming with more than a thousand years of history. A castle with royal roots, Glamis was the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, whose parents were Lord and Lady Glamis. It was also the birthplace of her second daughter Princess Margaret, the first royal baby born in Scotland since 1600. Shakespeare fans may recognise the castle's name – it was the home of the titular character in the play Macbeth.
There are some mysterious legends surrounding the property too. The best-known tale about the castle is the Monster of Glamis, a cruel name given to a disfigured child who was born into the Lyon family and was supposedly locked away in a secret chamber. The ghost of the Monster of Glamis is believed to still haunt the castle to this day.
Surrounded by over 500 acres of parkland, five miles (8km) southeast of Maidstone, lies the beautiful Leeds Castle. From a Norman stronghold during the 11th and 12th century to a Tudor palace, the castle has a history that spans centuries. In 1665, the property was leased to the government to keep Dutch prisoners of war who then set it on fire. The castle remained in a state of disrepair for around a century until 1748 when Robert Fairfax renovated it. Eventually, in 1823 new owner Wykeham Martin demolished the original main house and replaced it with a Tudor-style structure.
Not much has changed of the castle's exterior since then. During the 1920s, Leeds Castle underwent another makeover, this time by Anglo-American heiress Lady Baillie, who would be the property's last private owner. A 16th-century-style carved oak staircase from France was added to the castle as well as a cinema and swimming pool, while zebras and llamas were brought to graze on the grounds. In the 1930s, the castle played host to European royalty, celebrities and statesmen, famed for its luxurious interior and Lady Baillie's lavish hospitality.
As if Slovenia's Lake Bled needed anything else to make it more beautiful, there also happens to be a castle here, overlooking the glistening water and dense forests. Medieval Bled Castle, built on a precipice above the city of Bled, is often touted as Slovenia's oldest castle and is also one of the country's most-visited attractions. First mentioned in writing in 1011, the castle's oldest surviving part is the Romanesque tower. Throughout the Middle Ages and during the Renaissance period, many improvements were made, making the castle a unique amalgamation of styles.
Built by the English monarch Edward I in the late 13th century, the UNESCO World Heritage Site that is Conwy Castle is certainly a breathtaking construction. Its seemingly endless circuit of walls add up to nearly a mile (1.6km) and are guarded by 22 towers. It has amazing views of the mountains and the sea, and typically plenty of family-friendly events are put on for visitors, such as medieval-themed weekends and spooky Halloween parties.
The castle is part of what's known as The Ring of Iron (or Iron Ring of Castles). It was a series of fortifications and castles built to help Edward I with his conquest of Wales. He spent over £80,000 ($101,864) on all the castles, which is about £56 million ($72m) in today's money. All of these castles were tactically positioned either by the coast or rivers, and provided access to provisions of food and weapons.
Built in the 19th century, this dreamy castle overlooks the Gulf of Trieste in northeastern Italy. Its grounds include an extensive cliff and seashore park that were designed by the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian of the House of Habsburg. Miramare Castle was built for him and his family and the garden was landscaped to include tropical trees and plants.
The largest Renaissance residence in Scandinavia, Frederiksborg Castle is situated to the north of Copenhagen. It was built in the early 17th century by King Christian IV and today it’s home to the Museum of National History. The castle’s old wine cellar has been converted into an area geared towards kids, with child-friendly displays and a picture trail.
The ancestral seat of the imperial House of Hohenzollern, this imposing castle is located atop Mount Hohenzollern in southwestern Germany. The third castle to be built on top of the mountain, Hohenzollern Castle was finished in 1867 as a family memorial. Later, in 1945 it briefly became the home of the former prince Wilhelm of Germany, son of the last Hohenzollern monarch Kaiser Wilhelm II.
Today, the castle is one of Germany's most important sights. It holds many significant historical artefacts relating to Prussian history, like the crown of Wilhelm II, some personal effects of King Frederick the Great and a letter from US President George Washington, thanking Baron von Steuben (a Hohenzollern descendant) for his service in the American Revolutionary War. Pictured here is the interior of St Michael's chapel, also part of the sprawling palace complex. Currently closed for renovations, the castle reopens in April 2022.
A major Budapest landmark, the jaw-dropping Buda Castle was originally constructed in the 13th century, but the work didn’t stop there. Extensions and renovations were carried out over the next two centuries, and various refurbishments and repairs are still continuing today. It's now home to several galleries, including the Budapest History Museum and the Hungarian National Gallery.
You might well recognise the 900-year-old Hohenwerfen Fortress: it featured in the background of the famous musical The Sound of Music. First constructed around 1077, the castle has gone through many renovations over the years, from its birth as a simple wooden structure to the fortified building it is today. It has been used as everything from a stately home to a military training centre and even a police school.
Standing 2,044 feet (623m) above sea level, it's a serious sight to behold. The discovery trail leads visitors through a kitchen courtyard, residential quarters and arsenal, among others, explaining what life was like in the castle when it was inhabited. For an even more thrilling experience, the castle is home to a historic regional falconry centre and usually there are birds of prey shows with falcons, vultures and eagles, several times a day (April-November).
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