20 Famous Castles Everyone Should Visit at Least Once

Balmoral Castle: Ballater, Scotland

If you’ve watched The Crown on Netflix, you’ll likely be familiar with Balmoral Castle, the Scottish retreat late Queen Elizabeth II was so fond of. “Built by Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert, Balmoral is a memorial to the way in which the British Royal Family bought into the fashionable 19th-century cult of the Scottish Highlands,” says William Whyte, professor of social and architectural history at St. John’s College, Oxford. “More than that, it is a reminder of just how attractive the idea of the castle remained long after the Middle Ages.” The grounds are open to visitors on select days, and, as of 2024, the public can also book guided tours inside the castle.

Castel del Monte: Andria, Italy

Nicola Camerlenghi, a professor at Dartmouth College specializing in medieval architecture, calls Castel del Monte the “castle to rule them all.” It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one he says is “iconic, historic, and geometrically pure.” Built in the 1240s by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, it was first used as a hunting lodge. “Don’t expect furnishings or the like, but you can imagine what it must have been like with banqueting guests, chimney smoke, jesters, and tapestries,” Camerlenghi adds.

Matsumoto Castle: Matsumoto, Japan

Europe may be famous for its castles, but these architectural feats can also be found in other countries—including Japan. “A relic of Japan’s civil wars, Matsumoto was slated for demolition in the 19th century when the country modernized and the warlord caste of shoguns was overthrown,” says Whyte. Local residents successfully fought to save the castle, which was built in the late 16th century; today, it’s one of Japan’s National Treasures. And, in Whyte’s words, it “brilliantly illustrates the way in which each generation reinvents the castle for itself.”

Château de Chambord: Chambord, France

With 426 rooms (around 60 of which are accessible to visitors), 282 fireplaces, and 83 staircases, Château de Chambord is colossal. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981, the Loire Valley attraction was first built by François I—although there are no records of its architect—and construction was completed during Louis XIV’s reign in the 17th century. However, it’s said that much of the design and engineering was inspired by Leonardo da Vinci; the double helix staircase and the center-plan design of the keep are signs of his influence.

Dover Castle: Dover, England

“Perched on the famous White Cliffs, Dover Castle is sometimes known as the ‘Key to England.’ With its medieval keep and its Second World War tunnels, it helps tell the story of England, too,” says Whyte. The fortress, built by King Henry II in the 12th century, is also one of the largest castles in the British Isles; the outer defenses border around 10 acres. Plus, he adds, the views are “spectacular.”

Gradara Castle: Gradara, Italy

Camerlenghi says Gradara Castle has interested him since his childhood. “I think it was the crystalline volumes and how they rise above the rolling landscape,” he says, referencing the castle’s corner towers. Known as one of the best-preserved Italian medieval structures, the castle was built around 1150, though its fortification walls were built later, between the 13th and 14th centuries. He warns that “mass tourism has made it all but impassible,” but you might be able to better experience it on a slower day in the middle of a winter week.

Neuschwanstein Castle: Schwangau, Germany

Neuschwanstein Castle is not particularly old—it was commissioned in 1868 and was famously never finished—but its history is fascinating. Built at the behest of King Ludwig II of Bavaria, who lost his power after Prussia conquered Bavaria and Austria during the Austro-Prussian War, the castle was a place where he could live out a fantasy as a reigning monarch. Upon his mysterious death in 1886, Neuschwanstein Castle was opened to the public. Thousands of travelers visit the castle each day for the history, views, and photo ops; it also supposedly influenced Walt Disney.

Conwy Castle: Conwy, Wales

“Castles were built for many reasons: for status, for effect, and, of course, for war. Conwy was constructed as part of Edward I’s conquest of Wales and played an active role in England’s attempts to subdue the principality,” explains Whyte. “Awe-inspiring and oddly beautiful, it also illustrates the impact of these places on their location. Here, the whole town was effectively part of the castle complex.” To get the full Conwy experience, you’ll make your way up restored spiral staircases to the castle’s great towers; from there, you can walk a circuit around the battlements.

Castello Sforzesco: Milan, Italy

Even if you only have a day in Milan, make sure to stop by Castello Sforzeso, a 15th-century fortification that Camerlenghi says was “the hub of cultural life in Milan for several centuries.” In its present era, it’s part museum, archive, urban park, and architectural wonder. “Look for the rusticated turrets,” he says; the stone walls have holes in them that, according to him, “suggest a mighty defensive structure, and, to modern eyes, they might suggest a climbing wall.”

The castle also houses several famous artworks. “A visit to the museum will allow you to see Michelangelo’s last sculpture, his final Pietà, which he was sculpting with the last bits of energy he could muster as an 89-year-old. It is a lovely complement to and no less compelling than Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece nearby,” Camerlenghi explains, referencing the Sala delle Asse.

Edinburgh Castle: Edinburgh, Scotland

The phrase “if walls could talk” is particularly relevant for Edinburgh Castle, a fortress that claims the title of the most besieged place in Britain. It served as a significant military stronghold in the 1600s, though it’s said that its elevated position atop Castle Rock was first used as a hill fort in the Iron Ages. The castle is visible nearly anywhere you go in Edinburgh, but some of the best views of its stone walls can be found from Calton Hill or Princes Street.

Palace of Versailles: Versailles, France

There’s no denying that the Palace of Versailles is magnificent. In 1662, King Louis XIV ordered construction that would transform a simple hunting lodge into what eventually became a testament to the lavishness of French royalty. It was here that French royalty hosted balls, concerts, fireworks, light shows, and operas—up until the monarchy was abolished in 1792. Now a World Heritage Site, the palace is home to the famed Hall of Mirrors, a restored collection of carriages, and André Le Nôtre-designed gardens, which took 40 years to complete.

Bran Castle: Bran, Romania

It’s debated that Romania’s Bran Castle was the inspiration for Dracula’s Castle in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel, but its origins go all the way back to 1377. Louis I of Anjou had the Saxons of Transylvania build the fortress on a cliff between Măgura and Dealul Cetăţii in an attempt to halt the expansion of the Ottoman Empire. Guided tours introduce visitors to the castle’s storied history, and travelers are also attracted to the “Time Tunnel,” a passage dug in stone that dates to the 1370s.

Alcázar of Segovia: Segovia, Spain

“Often claimed as the inspiration for Disney’s Cinderella Castle, Segovia is one of the many castles that gave the Spanish kingdom of Castile its name,” says Whyte. “It is an assertion of power: a solid, imposing statement of wealth and political control. But its gorgeous rooms are a reminder that it was also a place of comfort and even luxurious living.” The fortress’s final architectural phase was completed in 1587, but there are documents dating it back to the 12th century, when it was used by Alfonso VIII as a residence.

Castelllo di Potentino: Seggiano, Italy

Camerlenghi describes the Castello di Potentino as an “all-encompassing experience” that can only be reached if you’re willing to go “off the beaten track.” The castle’s original foundations are said to be Etruscan (between the 8th and 3rd centuries B.C.E.), and it has lived many lives over the centuries. Its current chapter as a travel venue is helmed by the Greene family, who bought the property in 2000 and began to restore it from a dilapidated state. “Go there to learn about cheese, food, wine, and oil. Go there to experience nature, beauty, and art… It is a place that envelops you on many facets, but you have to be willing to go there (physically and spiritually),” Camerlenghi says.

Chillon Castle: Veytaux, Switzerland

It’s thought that construction on Chillon Castle began in the 11th century; the first written records of the castle date back to 1150. However, excavations have found that the site itself has been occupied since the Bronze Age (around 3300 to 700 B.C.E.). Located on Lake Geneva and surrounded by a natural moat, the Swiss castle fits its island’s oval shape. In its modern chapter, it serves as a heritage monument and showcases armor, furniture, and weapons as well as the items found during the archaeological digs executed between 1896 and 1903.

Blarney Castle: Cork, Ireland

Blarney Castle is, of course, home to the legendary Blarney Stone—a block of limestone built into the castle that’s said to gift eloquence and persuasiveness to whoever kisses it. Built between the 15th and 17th centuries, the castle is a tower house fortification with walls that are 18 feet thick at the base and designed to slope inward as they rise. The inside of the castle is bare and in partial ruin, but you can still see a bedroom, the kitchen, the dungeon, and the room that likely housed a banqueting hall.

Gyeongbokgung Palace: Seoul, South Korea

The first official palace of the Joseon dynasty, the Gyeongbokgung Palace was built in 1395. In 1592, however, it was destroyed during the Japanese invasion and remained in ruins until its restoration in 1867, when several new buildings were added to the site. After being destroyed again in the early 1900s, it was restored once more in the 1990s. When visiting, be sure to make time for the Gyeonghoeru Pavilion, also on the property. The largest elevated pavilion in Korea, it’s an amazing example of Joseon architecture.

Castle Drogo: Drewsteignton, England

Most castles have some sort of tie to royalty or military efforts. Not Castle Drogo, a family home commonly referred to as the “the last castle” built in England. “Castle Drogo shows how that search for castle life continued into the modern age,” says Whyte. “Designed by the eminent architect Edwin Lutyens and constructed out of solid blocks of local stone, it was a rich man’s folly that took nearly two decades to build. The result is a distinctively 20th-century reimagining of an ancient tradition.” Today, visitors can venture to this part of Devon to see the castle and its garden and walk along the Teign Gorge.

Castel Sant’Angelo: Rome, Italy

Built between 123 and 135, Castel Sant’Angelo has a fascinating history. Roman Emperor Hadrian commissioned the building as a mausoleum for himself and his family—hence its other name, the Mausoleum of Hadrian—but it’s also been a fortress and a prison. Currently, it’s a museum, where Camerlenghi says you’ll find everything “from stacked cannon balls and ghastly medieval military machines to floral frescoed bedrooms and prison cells for unrepentant enemies of the papacy, and, at times, for the popes themselves.” Art aficionados will also find a major reason to visit the castle. “Look for what is believed to be one of Michelangelo’s first works in Rome, the humble exterior of a chapel built for Pope Leo X, which, despite its simplicity, manages to exude and foretell much of the raw tension that made Michelangelo famous,” he adds.

Alhambra: Granada, Spain

Your first stop in Granada should be the Alhambra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The “crown jewel” of the city, the complex is one of the most well-known (and best-preserved) architectural examples from the historic Islamic world. Most of the structure dates back to the 13th and 14th centuries, but the palace is referred to in written records from the 9th century. Once the royal court of Ferdinand and Isabella, it’s also the site where Christopher Columbus received the endorsement for his first voyage across the Atlantic.