There are so many great castles in Europe to visit that it can be hard to choose which ones to go to, but these are 30 of the best that you can see.
They aren’t just chosen for their grandeur but also some are included for their scenic setting and all are famous castles in Europe in one way or another.
Although many parts of the world have great castles, especially Japan, it is in Europe where the ultimate castles that you see in movies and stories can be seen.
Note: There are links under each castle section linking to the official website of the castle so you can get more information before visiting for opening times, etc.
Neuschwanstein Castle
Let’s start with one of the most famous castles in Europe, Neuschwanstein Castle. If you are in Germany and want a true fairytale castle to visit then this is the one to go to.
Technically it was built as a palace for King Ludwig II but it is classified as a castle, so it’s on this list. It’s located in Bavaria and is one of the more recent castles to be built compared with other castles in Europe mentioned here having been completed in the 19th-century
It’s open for visitors.
Hohenzollern Castle
Hohenzollern Castle is one of the most epic castles in Germany located on a hilltop in central Baden-Württemberg. It is built in the gothic revival architectural design and really is a joy to look at.
Its importance was as the seat of power for the imperial House of Hohenzollern. An original castle on the site dated back to the 11th-century but what you see today comes largely from the 15th-century, although there have been additions added to it and renovations done in the centuries past that.
Germany really does have some of the best castles in Europe to visit.
It’s open for visitors.
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is the classic medieval castle to see in Scotland and, as the name suggests, is located in Edinburgh on top of Castle Rock making it a must-see attraction in the city.
It has a vast history dating back to the early 12th-century and has been the seat of royalty and a military base during its time. Edinburgh itself is one of the best medieval cities in Europe and Edinburgh Castle makes it all the more impressive.
It’s a very popular castle in Scotland to visit so don’t expect to have it all to yourself!
It’s open for visitors.
Read: 30 best castles in Scotland to visit.
Caernarfon Castle
Caernarfon Castle is easily one of the best castles in Wales, or as a matter of fact, all of Britain, to visit.
It’s an epic medieval castle dating to the 13th-century and was built by King Edward I as part of his plan to reign in the rebellious Welsh in the region.
It’s open for visitors.
Bran Castle
Bran Castle is the ultimate “vampire castle” as it is known as Dracula’s castle and looms up in the hills of the Transylvanian Alps in Romania. It can be a spooky place to see, especially if it’s a misty day.
It was built in the 14th-century and is only 25km from the historic medieval city of Brasov so makes for an easy day trip from there.
It’s open for visitors.
Hohenwerfen Castle
Hohenwerfen Castle is a huge fortress in the mountains of Austria and is around 900 years old. It sits on a 623-metre cliff face looking out at the town of Werfen.
Be sure to take a look at Hohensalzburg Castle in nearby Salzburg when in the area.
It’s open for visitors.
Bamburgh Castle
Bamburgh Castle was built by William The Conqueror after his invasion of England in the 11th-century.
It’s set in a stunning location by the sea in the north of England in Northumberland. Along with other castles in the north of Britain, like Edinburgh Castle, it makes for one of the best medieval castles in Europe.
It’s open for visitors.
Read: 15 best castles in Northumberland.
Carcassonne Castle (Fortified City)
Carcassonne Castle is more than just a castle, it is a massive fortified city and has been an important fortress for centuries due to its strategic location on a hill on the border region between the Crown of Aragon and France back in the 13th-century.
It’s one of the most impressive medieval sites in Europe.
It’s open for visitors and you should plan an entire day for the area.
Chillon Castle
Chillon Castle is not the grandest or largest of castles in Switzerland but it’s certainly one of the most scenically located. It lies on the shores of Lake Geneva on a small rocky island and is in excellent condition.
It dates back to the 11th-century and guarded the strategic pass into the Rhone Valley.
One additional incentive to visit is if you like wine, as they make their own.
It’s open for visitors.
Eilean Donan Castle
Eilean Donan Castle is an iconic castle in Scotland and although the actual castle may be small it’s one of the most scenic castles in Europe you can visit.
It dates to the 13th-century although much of what you see today is a restoration from the 18th-century.
It’s open for visitors.
Read: 15 best castles in the Scottish Highlands.
Pena Palace
The National Palace of Pena is an epic looking building in Sintra, Portugal. Technically it’s a palace but is often referred to as a castle and that’s why it’s on this list, especially as it’s one of the most architecturally interesting castles in Portugal.
It dates to the 19th-century and is a more modern castle.
It’s open for visitors.
Alcázar de Segovia
Alcázar de Segovia is a fairytale castle and one of the best castles in Europe to see and is located in the city of the same name, Segovia, in Spain.
It was initially a Moorish Fortress dating to the 12th-century and was later expanded upon to what you see today.
It’s open for visitors.
Mont Saint-Michel
Mont Saint-Michel is like a sister castle to St Michael’s Mount in the U.K. (see further down the post) and is easily one of the most epically scenic castles in Europe to see. It dates to the early 11th-century but much of what you see now was built over the centuries after and the architecture is done in stunning Gothic style.
It’s situated on a small tidal island of the French coast in the Normandy/Brittany area and can be reached by foot when it’s low tide.
It’s open for visitors.
Eltz Castle
Eltz Castle is not only one of the most beautiful castles in Europe, but it is also one of the oldest with a history going back 900 years.
It’s located near the Mosel River in Germany and is a must-see castle in that region.
It’s open for visitors.
Vianden Castle
Vianden Castle has been called “one of the most beautiful castles in the world” and it’s easy to see why. The initial building was started in the 11th-century and then expanded on in the 14th-century.
Later addition of a Renaissance architecture mansion was added later which you can see when there. It’s one of the biggest castles in the west of the Rhine River.
It’s open for visitors.
Castelul Corvinilor (Corvin’s Castle)
Castelul Corvinilor (also known as Corvin’s Castle) is what could be described as the best castle to visit in Romania, along with Bran Castle.
It’s done in the Gothic-Renaissance style and is also one of the biggest castles in Europe to see along with being one of the most important medieval places in south-east Europe.
It’s been known as “The living legend of Transilvania.”
It’s open for visitors.
Conwy Castle
Conwy Castle was also built by King Edward I in the 13th century, like Caernarfon Castle, to control the Welsh.
You could combine both castles on the same day for an incredible day out for castles.
It’s open for visitors.
Rock of Cashel
The Rock of Cashel is one of the most important and impressive historic sites in Ireland located in the Golden Vale. The site has served as the seat of power for the kings of Munster Millenia ago.
The area has changed much over the centuries and was always an impressive fortress and today has the remains of numerous buildings including a 15th-century tower house, an abbey, and a Gothic cathedral, amongst others.
A must-see site for lovers of history.
It’s open for visitors.
Frederiksborg Castle
Frederiksborg Castle is the best castle you can visit in Denmark and dates to the early 17th-century having been built by King Christian IV.
It is the biggest Renaissance building in all of the Nordic region.
It’s open for visitors.
Karlstejn Castle
Karlstejn Castle is a 14th-century castle in the Czech Republic and is the ultimate Gothic castle to see there. It was built by Charles IV, the king of Bohemia. Many of his treasures were safeguarded at the castle.
It’s an easy day trip from Prague to reach the castle.
It’s open for visitors.
Chateau de Chenonceau
Chateau de Chenonceau is probably the most beautiful chateau in France and expands over the Cher River in the Loire Valley It’s done in stunning Gothic and Renaissance style architecture and initially dates to the 11th-century although much had been added to it over the centuries, like many castles in Europe.
It’s open for visitors.
Caerphilly Castle
Caerphilly Castle is one of the most impressive castles in Wales due to its location as a water castle on a small lake and was one of the largest castles in Wales dating to the late 13th-century.
It was built by the lord of Glamorgan to control the area for Henry III.
It’s open for visitors.
Predjama Castle
Predjama Castle is located in Slovenia and is the best castle to see in the country. It’s so good that it’s been used as a filming location for many films and series, and was an inspiration for Game of Thrones writer George R.R. Martin.
It’s situated on a cliff wall and there are caves connected to the castle in the back that go into the cliff itself. It’s done in the Renaissance style and dates back over 800 years.
It’s open for visitors.
Gravensteen Castle
Gravensteen Castle, also known as Ghent Castle, dates to the late 12th-century and is located in the city of Ghent in Belgium. It’s one of the best medieval castles in Europe to visit in that area.
It was once the home to the count of Flanders.
It’s open for visitors.
Cochem Castle (Reichsburg Cochem)
Cochem Castle is officially known as Reichsburg Cochem and was an imperial castle built in the 11th-century and additions were added to it over the years.
It stands in a prominent position on a hill overlooking the Mosel River and is one of the best castles in that part of Germany to visit.
It’s not far from Eltz Castle and you could visit both on the same day.
It’s open for visitors.
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is an iconic English castle on one of the residences of the Queen of England. It dates to the 11th-century and was built by William The Conqueror.
If you are in London then Windsor Castle makes for an easy day trip from London.
It’s open for visitors.
St. Michael’s Mount
St. Michael’s Mount history starts in the 11th-century and started out life as a monastery and in later centuries was converted into a castle for defensive purposes of the area against possible French invasion.
It’s the best castle in the county of Cornwall in England to visit.
It’s open for visitors and is one of my personal favourites.
Read: 15 best castles in Cornwall.
Warwick Castle
Warwick Castle is another of William The Conqueror’s castles in England. It dates to the late 11th-century and was an important castle in English history, having played a major role in the Wars of the Roses.
For bird lovers, it also has the largest bird of prey show in the UK.
It’s open for visitors.
Culzean Castle
Culzean Castle looks out over the Firth of Clyde in Scotland and is one of the more modern castles on the list dating to the 18th-century.
It has great views across the Ayrshire coast and also has a hotel you can stay at.
It’s open for visitors.
De Haar Castle
De Haar Castle is the largest castle in The Netherlands and also one of its most striking. It dates back to the 14th-century although much of today’s castle is from a 19th-century restoration.
It’s only a 20-minute drive away from Amsterdam so makes an easy day trip from the city. If there is only one castle to visit in The Netherlands then make it this one.
It’s open for visitors.
Read: 25 best castles in The Netherlands.
The Best Castles in Europe
And those are 30 of the best castles in Europe for you to visit.
Naturally, with so many castles in Europe, this list is just a very small portion of what is out there to see in the castle world, but if you’re looking for some of the best ones to go to then this will help in that decision.
For more historical buildings in Europe take a look at the best palaces in Europe to visit.
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