The European Castle Bucket List: 14 Castles You Must Hit

Because you ca n’t expend your entire European holiday visiting –or sleeping in– every unmarried castle or castle , we narrowed your medieval bucket list down to the continent ’s ( and UK ’s ) coolest 14 .

Mont Saint-Michel

Normandy , FranceFrance is home to all sorts of magnificent strongholds , but Mont Saint - Michel is one you do n’t desire to miss . It fill up up an full island off the glide and is live for a arresting yet treacherous high tide ( although that was helpful against assailants back in the day ) . During the Middle Ages , Mont Saint - Michel was a monastery and pilgrimage site but became a prison during the French Revolution . Today , it ’s one of France ’s most placeable landmarks .

Bran Castle

Bran , RomaniaYou might know this Transylvanian castle as Dracula ’s pad , but that ’s not totally on-key . Bran Castle inspired the stage setting of Bram Stoker ’s novel , but Vlad the Impaler only spent a myopic sentence remand here . Beyond the pop - culture horror , it ’s a chivalric fort with its own interesting story , told through tours of dark vestibule and orphic tunnels .

Pena National Palace

Sintra , PortugalPerched on a Alfred Hawthorne , this romantic Portuguese palace can usually be seen from Lisbon on a clear day . It ’s still deserving taking the 19 - mile drive from the Das Kapital though , to explore its luxuriant gardens and vivacious stonewalls .

Hohenzollern Castle

Berg Hohenzollern , GermanyLiterally a palace in the cloud , Hohenzollern is site on a mountain 2,805 ft above sea level in the Swabian Alps . build in the 11th century , its majestic towers and turrets have been remodel double , first after being destroy in a 10 - calendar month military blockade and then later from disrepair . Once the home of emperor , Hohenzollern is now a major tourist attraction in Southern Germany .

Hohenwerfen Castle

Werfen , AustriaSituated on a craggy column and pushing 950 years old , you ’d mean Hohenwerfen should be about to crumble – but this mighty fortress , one of Europe ’s well preserved , is as sturdy as ever . Over the centuries , it ’s survived countless attacks , and even once swear out as a prison house for Lord .

Carreg Cennen Castle

Trapp , WalesIn Welsh , Castell Carreg Cennen means , " castle on the rock , " which is appropriate considering its roost on a limestone cliff . The surrounding countryside is abode to more castle per substantial mile than anywhere else in the world , but – despite being the only one in ruins – Carreg Cennen is considered the ok for its view of the rolling green fields and moorland .

Neuschwanstein Castle

Schwangau , GermanyThe crown jewel of European palace has to be Neuschwanstein , which boasts over a million visitors a class and is the most photographed palace in the world . Despite its enchanting and whimsical design that exhort Walt Disney , Neuschwanstein ’s cock-and-bull story is dismal . The castle was construct in 1869 as a retreat for the " Mad King Ludwig , " whose death is still hide in whodunit .

Guedelon Castle

Burgundy , FranceGuedelon is the only castle on this list that ’s not ancient – in fact , it ’s not even amply built yet . begin in 1997 , it ’s a project with one childlike premise : utilise thirteenth - century technique and applied science to build a castling from moolah . Considering the workers wear period costume , and bear by a medieval diet and " horses - only " policy , the whole matter ’s a coin toss between neat and bizarre .

Predjama Castle

Predjama , SloveniaSlovenia ’s Predjama Castle is build into a cave , so expect lots of creepy dungeons andspooky underground burrow . Predjama ’s also get quite the bloody past – a robber top executive once spent a year under siege here before dying from betrayal and a single cannon ball . Now , every year the place holds a famed medieval tourney .

Palace of Versailles

Palace of Versailles , FranceVersailles is known as the populace ’s largest regal demesne , measuring in at an insane 87 MILLION solid feet ( that ’s not including the 230 Akka of gardens outside , too ) . It ’s easy to see why an tempestuous mob came and captured King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette . From the larger-than-life Hall of Mirrors to the Royal Chapel , and even an on - site opera house , Versailles definitely takes the cake ( that Marie Antoinette definitelydidnotsay you should eat ) when it come to luxury . By the fashion , be aware : selfie peg arebanned here .

Castle of Coca

Segovia , SpainJust a 90 - bit ride north of Madrid lie down a fantastical flushed - brick titan known as the Castle of Coca . Despite its fosse running dry these days , the fortress looks much the same as it did one C of age ago , when the great Roman emperor Theodosius was bear inside .

Windsor Castle

Windsor , EnglandWindsor Castle ’s the oldest and largest castling in the world that ’s still dwell . When the queen ’s at home , you ’ll know by a royal standard flag flying from a tower . That ’s what makes Windsor Castle a pop tourer attraction , but also an chancy one – when majestic duty calls , it ’s prone to be keep out down on short notice .

Prague Castle

Prague , Czech RepublicAbout the size of seven football fields , Prague Castle is considered the human race ’s largest castle from ancient times . Getting around here can be perplexing , turn over its winding labyrinth of churches , gardens , and alleys . adopt you ’re not lose , do n’t miss the St. Vitus Cathedral and the tomb of St. John of Nepomuk , a monolithic crypt made of firm silver .

Ksiaz Castle

Walbrzych , PolandThis picturesque Polish castle has been make headlines recently with rumors about the discovery of a Nazi Au train hide here . The Third Reich seize Ksiaz in 1944 , allegedly with the plan to make it a home for Hitler . That ’s why gem hunter are manifestly lurking around , looking for plunder . Ksiaz is also a pop tourist attraction , known for its eclectic architectural mode and environ greenery .

Mont Saint Michel during high tide