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The ten best castles in Europe
Castles originated in Europe over a thousand years ago. These fortresses were one of the original defense systems, and erecting the structures on hills or just beyond moats was a functional choice. Castles were built to house rulers, impose power, and above all, spurn would be attackers. Conforming to these basic principles of utilitarian design, the strongholds now appear solitary, majestic, and frozen in time. The attackers are long gone, and now a steady stream of camera clutching invaders breach the castles daily, ready to inspect the epic grandeur of the past.
While Europe has hundreds of excellent castles, these ten all have design, character, and history that sets them apart. Some occupy the center of bustling cities, while others lurk in forgotten countrysides. Spanning eight countries across Europe, each of these castles has a story to tell.
Prague Castle (above)
Location: Prague, Czech Republic
Nearest airport: Prague Airport
Year originally built: 870
Inhabitants: Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors, and presidents of the Czech Republic
Interesting fact: According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Prague castle is the largest castle complex in the world.
Bran "Dracula's" Castle
Location: Bran, Romania
Nearest airport: Henri Coandă International Airport in Otopeni, Romania near Bucharest
Year originally built: 1212
Inhabitants: Teutonic Knights, Mircea the Elder, Vlad III, and Romanian royalty
Interesting fact: In 2007, the castle was put up for sale for $78 million. It has since been taken off the market.
Neuschwanstein
Location: Schwangau, Germany
Nearest airport: Munich International Airport
Year originally built: construction began in 1869
Inhabitants: King Ludwig II
Interesting fact: This castle has been visited by over 60 million people and is the template for Disney's Sleeping Beauty castle.
Leeds Castle
Location: Maidstone, Kent, England
Nearest airport: Kent International Airport
Year originally built: 1119
Inhabitants: King Edward I, Henry VIII, and other notable British royalty
Interesting fact: Leeds Castle hosts a large garden maze and a dog collar museum.
Windsor Castle
Location: Windsor, Berkshire, England
Nearest airport: Heathrow Airport
Year originally built: 11th century
Inhabitants: William the Conqueror, Henry I, Edward III, and many other British rulers
Interesting fact: Windsor Castle is the longest-occupied palace in Europe.
Mont Saint-Michel
Location: Mont Saint-Michel, Normandy, France
Nearest airport: Rennes Britanny Airport
Year originally built: 10th century, though the earliest abbeys in the fort date to the 6th century
Inhabitants: Currently 41 people call the Mont Saint-Michel home, and the structure has been home to monks to over a thousand years.
Interesting fact: The tides around Mont Saint-Michel vary by almost 50 feet, and many people have drowned approaching across the sands.
Château de Chambord
Location: Chambord, Loir-et-Cher, France
Nearest airport: Paris Charles de Gaulle
Year originally built: 1526
Inhabitants: King François I, Louis XIV, and the Ducal family
Interesting fact: Though the original designer of the châteaux is widely disputed, some insist it was Leonardo Da Vinci.
Hohenwerfen
Location: South of Salzburg, Austria
Nearest airport: Salzburg Airport
Year originally built: 1078
Inhabitants: Salzburg rulers and prisoners
Interesting fact: The misty castle served as a prison for hundreds of years.
Buda Castle
Location: Budapest, Hungary
Nearest airport: Budapest Airport
Year originally built: 1265
Inhabitants: Hungarian Kings
Interesting fact: You can visit a portion of the 6 mile subterranean labyrinth under Buda Castle.
The Alhambra
Location: Granada, Spain
Nearest airport: Federico García Lorca Granada-Jaén Airport
Year originally built: 14th century
Inhabitants: Muslim Emirs from the Nasrid Dynasty and Charles V
Interesting fact: It was in the Alhambra's Hall of Ambassadors that Columbus made his pitch to sail to the orient by heading west from Spain.
Filed under: Arts and Culture, History, Photos, Europe, Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Spain, United Kingdom, Luxury Travel
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Wandering Heather Mar 16th 2011 11:21AM
Great list! I've been to Neuschwanstein, Mont Saint-Michel & Chambord - all fantastic, but I really loved Mont Saint-Michel. Beyond the great architecture, there's just something interesting about castles.
Tricia Mar 16th 2011 1:11PM
I can't believe Castelo Dos Mouros in Sintra, Portugal did not make this list!
hattie54 Mar 16th 2011 1:29PM
I've seen Prague,Buda and Hohenwerfen from a distance and been inside Windsor and Neuschwanstein.I really want to tour Bran( Dracula's castle ).
abby Mar 16th 2011 1:55PM
Just took a trip to England and started out near Cotswolds at Thornbury Castle. Stayed there two nights, as did Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn for 10 days back in the 1500's. Amazing time. Beautiful, great food, great service....sort of surreal, being a part of history. Highly recommend as at least a once in a lifetime experience! Booked it through a discount site online, so wasn't that expensive, at least not in February.
Webster Mar 16th 2011 3:28PM
missed "Heielberg Castle. It is in Germany, town of Heidelberg. About 40 miles south of Frankfurt-Germany.
RIW in PA Mar 19th 2011 2:34PM
I agree Schloss Heidelburg should have made the top 10.
ajschrod Mar 18th 2011 10:57AM
Problem with Heidelberg is its ruined facade, which can't be hidden from the front.
Webster Mar 16th 2011 3:30PM
correction.Itshould be "Heidelberg Castle".
Sharon Mar 18th 2011 7:05AM
how about Die Festung/ Marienburg in my hometown of Würzburg, Germany? She sits majestically high on a hill surrounded by vineyards watching over the town and surrounding area. Beautiful to see and a welcoming sight when you go back home for a visit after having been away for several years.
Michael Burke USA Mar 18th 2011 1:24PM
I have lived in Wurzburg and seen some castles there...I was 3rd div on the army base then sent to Kitzingen we saw the Munich castle. Used to go down town to the movies and have to read them in english it was fun... there was a couple of guesthouses there we used to regularly visit when not in the field... I stayed at Harvey, larson, Graf, hoensfeld, wildflecken, Garmish, Nurnberg, Frankfurt, Munich, and we used to go for rides in the paddle boats up and down the Rhine River..
Gloria Mar 18th 2011 10:33AM
I have been to 6 out the 10 you list here, and they are all magnificent. However, my favorite castle is Warwick, in England. It is so atmospheric!
Kitty Mar 18th 2011 10:50AM
I can't believe Ludwig's other castles werent mentioned....I have been to three of them ....the Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, and the Hohenschwangau (spelling unsure)....The Linderhof was my favorite, not the biggest, but was his "summer" castle. Wish we had more history in America as such....closest I've been to is Biltmore in North Carolina.
PanhandleWilly Mar 18th 2011 11:00AM
Agree that other castles should have been on the list. Where's the Alcazar in Segovia, Spain?
ajschrod Mar 18th 2011 11:02AM
It's true--if the ONLY castles a person EVER saw were Ludwigs, that would be enough to make them true "castle watchers"!
Webster Mar 18th 2011 12:42PM
@ajschrod-It is true it has a ruined facade but go inside part of the castle completly intact, with furniture and a floor you can walk on without falling through .It is under protection of the "world heritage". People come from all over the world to visit the castle. It also has a beautiful Garden. A Bridge over an old moald leads you directly inside the castle were you can see several not ruined parts of the castle. They have a very big and famous old wine cellar with quite a story. You can even dance on top of one were they had wine for future use. If you just saw the outside you missed alot. The ruined facade by itself is something very special to look at.
john f schubert Mar 19th 2011 4:56AM
Castles begin at home
jfssfo
Kristine Mar 18th 2011 1:14PM
I visited the Howenwerfen Castle in Austria and we got to sit on a terrace and drink wine and beer. It was magical!!!!!!! Thanks for the list and photos.
Michael Burke USA Mar 18th 2011 7:36PM
well there were a lot of them I also saw the heidelberg castle. I would say that there were more of them in the eastern sector on the other side of the IRON curtain if you know what I mean but we were not about to go over there... The Salzburg castle you could see it was on the way to Vienna, Austria... There was a couple more they missed along the Rhine going toward France....
alan roberts Mar 18th 2011 1:28PM
Neuschwanstein was NOT built in 1837. King Ludwig didn't even start it until the 1860s and it wasn't finished until the 1880s. What p**s-poor scholarship and research went into this disappointing article!
warren Mar 29th 2011 8:32AM
This is amazing...thanks for sharing.