Castles & Palaces
Europe's most beautiful castles and palaces

Europe's Most Beautiful
Castles & Palaces

Visitor guides, tours and itineraries for 500+ historic sites across Europe.

Explore All Castles

Editor's Picks

Featured Castles

The Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles, with gilded arches and chandeliers reflected in 357 mirrors
UNESCO

france · Île-de-France

Palace of Versailles

The palace that defined royal ambition for three centuries

From €21Explore →
The Tower of London with Tower Bridge visible behind it at dusk, reflected in the Thames
UNESCO

england · Greater London

Tower of London

A thousand years of royal history — palace, prison, treasury and fortress on the Thames

From €34Explore →
Mont-Saint-Michel rising from the tidal bay of Normandy at high tide, surrounded by sea at dawn
UNESCO

france · Normandy

Mont-Saint-Michel

The tidal island-fortress rising from the sea that has defined French Gothic architecture for a thousand years

From €13Explore →
The Court of the Lions in the Nasrid Palaces of the Alhambra, Granada, with its famous 12-lion marble fountain
UNESCO

spain · Andalusia

Alhambra

The finest Islamic palace in the world, carved in light and water

From €19Explore →
Carcassonne's double ring of towers and ramparts rising above the Languedoc plain at sunset
UNESCO

france · Occitanie

Carcassonne

The largest medieval walled city in Europe — two kilometres of ramparts rising from the plains of Languedoc

From €10Explore →
Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral rising above the Vltava river and red rooftops of Malá Strana
UNESCO

czech republic · Bohemia

Prague Castle

The world's largest ancient castle complex, rising above a thousand years of Czech history

From €14Explore →
Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna from the Gloriette, with formal gardens stretching toward the ochre Baroque facade
UNESCO

austria · Vienna

Schönbrunn Palace

Vienna's imperial summer palace, where Mozart played and Sisi reigned

From €22Explore →
Pena Palace in vivid yellow and red above the misty forests of Sintra at dawn
UNESCO

portugal · Sintra

Pena Palace

Europe's most colourful castle — a Romantic fantasy perched above the Atlantic mists

From €20Explore →
Windsor Castle's round tower and battlements viewed across the Thames on a clear day

england · Berkshire

Windsor Castle

The world's oldest and largest inhabited castle — the official weekend home of the British monarch

From €28Explore →
View all castles →

Explore by Destination

Browse by Country

Château de Chambord reflected in the Loire River at dawn

France

Georgia's Ananuri Fortress on the Aragvi River

Georgia

Neuschwanstein Castle in the Bavarian Alps in autumn

Germany

Malbork Castle's brick towers reflected in the Nogat River

Poland

The Alhambra palace complex overlooking Granada at golden hour

Spain

Eilean Donan Castle on Loch Duich in the Scottish Highlands

Scotland

Schönbrunn Palace gardens with Vienna skyline in the background

Austria

Prague Castle overlooking the Vltava River and Charles Bridge

Czech Republic

Bran Castle in Transylvania at dusk, Romania

Romania

Belgium castles thumbnail

Belgium

Denmark castles thumbnail

Denmark

England castles thumbnail

England

Hungary castles thumbnail

Hungary

Ireland castles thumbnail

Ireland

Italy castles thumbnail

Italy

Netherlands castles thumbnail

Netherlands

Norway castles thumbnail

Norway

Portugal castles thumbnail

Portugal

Slovenia castles thumbnail

Slovenia

Switzerland castles thumbnail

Switzerland

Wales castles thumbnail

Wales

Dubrovnik city walls and Adriatic Sea at sunset

Croatia

Kolossi Castle in the Cypriot countryside

Cyprus

Drottningholm Palace reflected on Lake Mälaren

Sweden

Rhodes medieval city walls overlooking the Aegean

Greece

Turaida Castle towers rising above the Gauja valley

Latvia

Trakai Island Castle reflected in Lake Galvė

Lithuania

Bojnice Castle fairy-tale towers in central Slovakia

Slovakia

Tsarevets Fortress hilltop at sunset in Veliko Tarnovo

Bulgaria

Narva Castle on the banks of the Narva River

Estonia

Vianden Castle perched above the Our river valley

Luxembourg

Stari Bar fortress ruins in coastal Montenegro

Montenegro

Berat Castle's Ottoman-era towers above the Osum River

Albania

Dunluce Castle cliffs on the Antrim coast

Northern Ireland

Turku Castle medieval towers on the Aura River

Finland

Golubac Fortress towers on the Danube

Serbia

Počitelj citadel rising above the Neretva River

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Yedikule Fortress walls in Istanbul at dusk

Turkey

Samuel's Fortress on the hills above Ohrid Lake

North Macedonia

Top Rated on GetYourGuide

Featured Castle Tours

The Alhambra palace complex rising above Granada with the Sierra Nevada behind
Half Day · 3 hours

Granada: Alhambra & Nasrid Palaces Skip-the-Line Guided Tour

Spain's most visited monument — and the most perfect palace complex ever built

4.7
(21,506)

From €47

View Tour
Eilean Donan Castle reflected in the still waters of Loch Duich at dawn
Full Day · 13 hours

Loch Ness, Glencoe & Scottish Highlands Day Trip from Edinburgh

Eilean Donan Castle, the mysterious Loch Ness, and the wild Glencoe valley in one epic day

4.7
(18,856)

From £45

View Tour
The Palace of Versailles garden facade reflected in the ornamental canal at golden hour
Half Day · 4–5 hours

Palace of Versailles Skip-the-Line Half-Day Trip from Paris

The Sun King's masterpiece — the grandest palace ever built, one hour from Paris

4.5
(28,400)

From €45

View Tour
Bran Castle rising above the Transylvanian forest at dusk
Full Day · 13–14 hours

Bran Castle, Peleș Castle & Brașov Day Trip from Bucharest

Dracula's castle, Romania's grandest palace, and a medieval Saxon city — all in one day

4.6
(20,410)

From $11

View Tour
Windsor Castle Round Tower reflected in the Thames on a clear morning
Full Day · 12 hours

Windsor Castle, Stonehenge & Bath Day Trip from London

Britain's oldest royal residence, the world's most famous prehistoric monument, and a Georgian spa city — all in one day

4.5
(22,100)

From £85

View Tour
Edinburgh Castle perched on its volcanic rock above the city at dusk
Half Day · 1.5 hours

Edinburgh Castle: Guided History Tour with Entry Ticket

Scotland's most visited attraction — a thousand years of royal history on an extinct volcano above the city

4.8
(10,369)

From £42

View Tour
Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral rising above the Vltava river at dusk
Half Day · 2.5 hours

Prague Castle Small Group Tour with Local Guide & Entry Tickets

The largest ancient castle complex in the world — 1,000 years of Bohemian history on a hill above the Vltava

4.7
(11,049)

From €52

View Tour
Château de Chenonceau spanning the Cher river in the Loire Valley at dawn
Full Day · 12–13 hours

Loire Valley Castles Day Trip from Paris — Chambord, Chenonceau & More

The greatest concentration of Renaissance châteaux in the world — just 90 minutes from Paris

4.5
(14,200)

From €79

View Tour
Pena Palace rising above the forest of Sintra in vivid yellow and red
Full Day · 8–9 hours

Sintra, Pena Palace & Quinta da Regaleira Day Trip from Lisbon

Portugal's most magical palaces — a fairy-tale hilltop village just 40 minutes from Lisbon

4.6
(9,400)

From €39

View Tour
View all tours →

Castle Photography Every Day

Follow @castlespalacesfor daily inspiration from Europe's most spectacular historic sites.

Follow on Instagram