I’m currently visiting Catania,in Sicily…I have a room which is right in front of the ‘Castello Ursino’,so I have a very nice close-up view of it!

Castle lovers,which is your favourite one in Europe? Why did you like it so much?

40 comments

  1. I’ve only been to castles in Poland so I may be biased but the Malbork castle is my all-time favorite.

    A: It’s huge, I think one of the biggest or something.

    B: It has fascinating history and walking around it while listening to the e-guide is an experience to say the least.

    C: They sell delicious lard and pickle sandwiches nearby

  2. Mine is in Luxembourg. Castle Vianden in the same village. It’s pretty high up and you can take a lift up there, take a beautiful hike in the woods it stands in and it has a fascinating templat history.

  3. Definitely the Predjama castle in Slovenia ❤️ wonderful architecture within a natural cave and amazing history

  6. Haha, this is finally a chance to defeat Wales! So, here are some of my favourites from Slovakia: [Bojnice Castle](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bojnice_Castle), [Spiš Castle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spi%C5%A1_Castle), [Orava Castle](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orava_Castle)

    I also love Czech castles:

    [Prague Castle ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Castle), [Karlštejn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl%C5%A1tejn), [Hluboká](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hlubok%C3%A1_Castle) and [Český Krumlov](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%8Cesk%C3%BD_Krumlov_Castle)

  7. The Castle of Breda. Why, you ask? Because of the story of the peat barge of Breda.

    In the 80 year’s war, the Dutch war of independence, the castle of Breda was in the hands of the Spanish, and the Dutch wanted to reconquer it. A local man regularly delivered peat to the castle, peat was used back in that time as fuel. He came and went so often that at one point they stopped checking his ship, and just let him through. And thus he went to the Dutch general in charge, and smuggled in 75 soldiers, who took back the castle and city from the surprised Spanish soldiers.

  11. In Europe i really have to go with malbork. It really gets across the strength of the teutonic order.

    Spain is a country chokefull of castles so i’ll at least mention a few. Afterall, i doubt Many have visited them.

    [Coca](https://images.app.goo.gl/eUWY8AYEbjEeNVGXA), [Olite](https://images.app.goo.gl/wXSHQj4N8ZgGk9EJ7), [Loarre](https://images.app.goo.gl/bevMqiTy5BZgUDQW7) and [Burgalimar](https://images.app.goo.gl/AHEVuSGjdZXuNDEk9) are about the most impressive castles in Spain, but with thousands upon thousands to choose from there’s one for every one.

  12. I’m sorry I can’t choose:

    * Bouillon: Legendary castle of Godfried himself, absolutely massive.
    * Gravensteen: Well preserved castle in the middle of one of Belgium’s biggest cities.
    * Foix: Just a neat castle on a rock overlooking a city, what more could you want?
    * Vianden: It has been amazingly rebuilt, great history, view is spectacular.
    * Carcassone: No explanation needed.
    * Fougères and Vitré: Just all around beautiful, well preserved. I have a soft spot for Brittany as well.
    * Literally **all** of the Cathar fortresses. Apart from Carcassone they’re all built on mountains and rocks which I love.
    * Cochem: Even though it’s a bit commercialised it’s still a damn beautiful castle overlooking the Moezel.

  13. Sort of cheating since it originally was a mausoleum, but Castel Sant’Angelo has something unique and magical about it.

  18. from the ones i’ve seen so far, its Schloss Schwerin in Schwerin. Such a beautiful piece of architecture

  19. Mine are close to each other in Baden-Württemberg. Schloss Lichtenstein and Burg Hohenzollern. Both are in perfect condition and you can visit both on the same day.

  21. I might sound basic but Versailles ! I visited it so many times (even at night during the Eaux Nocturnes and Eaux Musicales) and it’s always been a fabulous experience. It’s sublime and regal in every way.

    Also, Chenonceau. I mean it’s a castle on a river… (also i’m lowkey jealous of François 1 huge 2 by 2 meters bed)…
    I really enjoyed Chambord (the staircase really is marvelous) and Amboise too in the Loire region.

    Outside of France, maybe Edinburgh’s castle (but I much prefered the Holyrood Palace).

  23. I like Carcassonne in France, if that counts. It’s actually a whole city and there is even a board game named after it.

    In Germany there are many castles, small and big ones, so it’s really hard to choose a favourite. Even my tiny hometown has a little castle which is simply called “Die Burg” by everyone and it’s in a quite good shape. It might even have a real name.

  24. Maybe I’m biased but I actually really like the castles where I live: Chateau de Valère and Chateau de Tourbillon, in Sion. The first one is essentially a big church and has the world’s oldest playable organ and the other is there exclusively for defense.

  25. For the Netherlands, probably [Kasteel “De Haar”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Haar_Castle), originally built in the late 13th or early 14th century.

    It’s the biggest castle and also a pretty damn beautiful at that — restored to be close to its original looks, although it does have central heating etc. now. I actually used to sleep in a castle as part of my school trip, pretty fun.

    Elsewhere, I personally love [Le Mont Saint-Michel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont-Saint-Michel) (that tidal castle), and [Alcázar of Segovia.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alc%C3%A1zar_of_Segovia) [Here’s a better photo.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Panor%C3%A1mica_Oto%C3%B1o_Alc%C3%A1zar_de_Segovia.jpg)

  26. I pick [Edinburgh Castle](https://www.planetware.com/edinburgh/edinburgh-castle-sco-loth-castle.htm). It’s not the most impressive looking castle indoors, or even from the outside, but it’s location within the city and position atop Castle Rock make it an incredible landmark. There’s a mountain with a castle on it right in the city centre and I think that’s amazing.

    Also [Kilchurn Castle](https://cdn2.wanderlust.co.uk/media/1015/cropped-shutterstock_757179496.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=1200&height=0&rnd=132084462110000000) and [Eilean Donan Castle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/Eilean_Donan_Castle%2C_Scotland_-_Jan_2011.jpg/2560px-Eilean_Donan_Castle%2C_Scotland_-_Jan_2011.jpg).

  29. [Burg Kreuzenstein](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burg_Kreuzenstein), simply because i have the most childhood memories from it. It’s the closest castle to Vienna that is accessible to the public.

    It’s not even a real medieval castle, it was rebuilt on the ruins of one in the 19th century from materials of other demolished castles. But the owner at the time was rich so they were able to build it fairly realistic and they have a great collection of weapons and whatnot from all over Europe.

  32. I, for some reason, love castles on Iberian peninsula. Lisbon, Antequera, Málaga, city gates of Valencia. The combination of unusual for me — a central European — architecture, location on high hill, palm trees and bright skies always touches something in my soul.

    But I am a big fan of all castles.

  37. In the UK Northumberland is great for castles – Dunstanburgh is my absolute favourite, but looking up at Bamburgh Castle from the beach is hard to beat.

    In terms of other countries, I really liked Jajce Fortress in Bosnia – the walk up from the town is lovely, and the views up there are great, and we had it all to ourselves in the gorgeous afternoon sunlight.

  38. Stirling Castle is my pick. It stands on a dormant volcano, dominating the Forth Valley and guarding the crossing over the River Forth. It was the former Scottish capital and home of the Royal House of Stewart. As a result the castle is a perfect balance between defensive capability and royal comforts.

    The castle has: a Royal Palace in the French style (1542), Presbyterian Chapel (1594), Great Hall – largest in Scotland (1503) Great Kitchens (1503) Former Royal apartments, now a military museum (1494) 3-layer defensive walls with 7-gun battery, half moon battery, and overport fortifications (1704) as well as an earlier 2-level gun placement called the French Spur (1490s). 2 sets of Gardens (mixed periods) and a courtyard area that would have contained workshops and hunting dogs (1381).

    It has a long and bloody history, and was the centrepiece for many battles throughout Scottish history including Stirling Bridge (1297) Bannockburn (1314) Sauchieburn (1488) Field of Moss (1532) Stirling (1648) Sherrifmuir (1715).

    As a royal residence too the Palace and Great Hall are incredibly beautiful, and have been sympathetically restored by Historic Scotland so people can see how a functional Palace would have looked in the 16th century.

    The views from the castle are spectacular too, looking down the Valley to the south you can see Edinburgh on a clear day, to the north Ben Ledi and Ben Lomond, to the west the Campsie Fells, and the Ochil Hills to the east.

  39. Bamburgh and Walkworth castles I’m Northumberland, UK. Bamburgh is such an awesome looking castle, towering over the beach. No wonder it’s been used as a backdrop in so many commercials. My family are from the village of Bamburgh and when my dad was a little boy he used to deliver bread to the castle (my uncle was a baker).

    Walkworth is for me just the perfect ruined castle, lying in a loop of river it is lovely to look at and grestfun for kids to explore.

  40. The Hunyadi/Corvin Castle in Hunedoara, Romania. I like it for its history because it was named for the region’s biggest hero Janos/Ion Hunyadi who lead many successful campaigns against the Ottoman empire’s expansion into Eastern Europe. His son King Matthias Corvinus is often viewed as Hungary’s best king and also was the founder of the renowned Black Army of Hungary.

    And I think it looks great too, I’d objectively put it in the top 10 best looking castles in the world and maybe even top 5 if we’re only considering pre 1600’s castles and thereby excluding castles such as Neuschwanstein in Bayern.

Leave a Reply
You May Also Like