Castles are usually from the medieval period. They have thick walls and their main purpose was defense. Palaces are more impressive and decorated buildings that served or still serve as a residence of kings, princes and other royalties. These buildings are one of the most important part of the architectural heritage of European history. Not only the artwork, but the technology used in constructing them also reflect the progress of our civilization.
In spite of the wars we suffered there are still so many of them around Europe that “the top castle” lists you find are so different from person to person. Our list is not an objective top 25 – it simply includes our favorite ones we visited and took great pictures of. Please enjoy this trip through history where we explore Europe through some of its magnificient castles and palaces. Are you ready? Enjoy the tour!
25. The Belvedere, Vienna, Austria
A precious baroque castle built by the Habsburg dynasty.
24. Buckingham Palace, London, UK
The well-known official residence of the Royal family of the United Kingdom.
23. Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, close to Madrid, Spain
A historical Royal residence, where the pantheon of Spanish Kings is found.
22. The Castle of Tamarit, Altafulla, Catalonia, Spain
A wonderfully situated medieval castle in the province of Tarragona.
21. The Castle of Eger, Eger, Hungary
A charming medieval castle, famous for its heroic defense against the Turkish in the 16th century.
20. The Royal Palace of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
The official residence of the Spanish king and his family.
19. Castle and Old Town, Tossa de Mar, Catalonia, Spain
A medieval hilltop castle in the Costa Brava.
18. The Castle of Cardona, Cardona, Catalonia, Spain
The most important medieval fortress in Catalonia, situated on top of a hill.
17. The Pena National Palace, Sintra, Portugal
One of the most impressive example of Romanticist architecture.
16. The Nymphenburg Palace, Munich, Germany
A baroque masterpiece, the summer residence of Bavarian rulers.
15. Loarre Castle, Loarre, Spain
A beautiful hilltop castle built in Romanesque style, mostly famous for its appearance in the Kingdom of Heaven movie.
14. The Royal Palace of Aranjuez, Aranjuez, Spain
Residence of the Spanish Royal family, open to the public.
13. Castel Sant’Angelo, Rome, Italy
The cylindrical mausoleum of Emperor Hadrian, later used as a fortress.
12. The Wavel Castle, Kraków, Poland
Gothic style castle, once residence of the Polish kings.
11. Buda Castle, Budapest, Hungary
A medieval baroque style royal residence with tumultuous history.
10. The New Palace, Potsdam, Germany
A great representative of the Prussian baroque architecture close to Berlin.
9. Schwetzingen Palace, Schwetzingen, Germany
Summer residence of the House of Wittelsbach with beautiful gardens.
8. Heidelberg Castle, Heidelberg, Germany
A wonderful castle built in Renaissance style on top of hill.
7. The Palace of Versailles, Paris, France
Once residence of French kings and symbol of European absolutism.
6. The Cité de Carcassone, France
A medieval fortress in the South of France.
5. The Château de Saumur, Saumur, France
A fortress transformed into a beautiful château on the banks of the Loire.
4. The Papal Palace, Avignon, France
The residence of the Catholic popes in the 14th century.
3. Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria
The baroque style summer residence of Habsburg emperors.
2. The Château de Chambord, Chambord, France
A masterpiece of the French Renaissance architecture in the Loire Valley.
1. The Alhambra, Granada, Spain
The most amazing palace built by the Moorish Kingdom in European land.
Great photos! Castles and palaces are always something I try to see when I travel and are a big reason why I love Europe so much!
Thanks Rhonda! We also love castles, they have such a character!
Love that photo of Castel Sant’Angelo. Some new ones for the list thanks to this! 🙂
Great to hear Charlie that we were able to give you some tips!
Nice to see Portugal in there, but the “castelo de S. Jorge” is missing from the list 🙂
I would love to include “Castelo de S. Jorge” (amongst many others) after visiting it one day:) This list is only a Top 25 of castles we already visited and have nice photos of.
Awesome pictures! Wow the castle in Vienna look gigantic! I can’t imagine having to be the one to clean it haha
Thanks Samantha! I wouldn’t want to be the cleaning lady there either:)
I didn’t realize that Spain had so many Castles to visit. We have been to a few in France. Thanks for sharing.
In France probably there are more beautiful palaces than in Spain, in Spain there are more of these simple castles. Thanks for your comment!
What a great list! I particularly love the Pena National Palace, in Sintra, Portugal!! There is something about the architecture and design which is unique and beautiful! I love the colors of it as well!
I agree with you Constance, the castle in Sintra is just magical!
These are stunning and very grand locations. I’d hate to imagine the cost of the heating bills for these places! I particularly like the style of no. 17.
Yeah, probably they heated just a small part of these enormous buildings. Nr. 17, the palace in Sintra is the favorite of many people, a wonderful palace!
What a great list – you are potentially help us to plan our trip to Germany in a few weeks with this list here! 🙂
Yeah, there are some really cool ones in Germany, and of course you shouldn’t miss out on the Neuschwantsein Castle in Bavaria that we haven’t visited yet, but seems amazing!
Stunning photos I have added the castles to my list to visit thanks for sharing
I am happy that we could give you some tips for further travels!
I am SO envious that you have seen all of these amazing places! I hope to make it over to Europe one day – its just so far away!!! I really want to see Neuschwanstein Castle
Yeah, the Neuschwantsein Castle is on my list too. I hope you can make it to Europe and visit some of these places one day!
Love all the beautiful architecture! Great photos guys! 🙂
Thanks Ashley!
Awesome collection of castles here guys! I actually thought I had commented on this previously but it was probably on one of your social media networks. Exploring castles around the world is one of our interests so as soon as I opened this article I was really keen to find out more. It must have been difficult to just limit to these particular locations but this certainly adds a whole bunch to our growing bucket list.
Thanks Chris! There are so many amazing castles, and we haven’t been to only a tiny part of them. I have been to many great castles in the UK, but it was in 2001 and I don’t have any decent photos from that the trip.
Have got to agree with number one. The Alhambra is just fantastic!
Quite like number 15 too actually. We’ve got some nice one in the North East of France but not very pretty just very… medieval, I quite like that style.
I don’t know too much about the castles in the North East of France, but I would love to visit them. I went only to the other side, visiting the castles of the Loire Valley. I also like the medieval style castles! Thanks for your comment!
Nice selection. Of these, I like the look, feel and setting of the Loarre Castle best.
Yes, the Loarre Castle is in a really precious environment! Thanks for your comment!
Ohhhh damn, none from Croatia? Can we tempt you to make it top 26? You did get some fabulous ones though, I must say!
I know you have some really great castles in Croatia, unfortunately I have never been to any of them! I mean I went to the fortress in Zadar, but that’s it. Thanks for your comment!
Great list! I would probably have added the Chateau de Chantilly next to Paris in France 🙂
Thanks, you are right! In France there are so many amazing chateaux that should be on this list:)
Awesome collection…I like Warwick castle too, and some in Ireland or Scotland although I don’t know their names. I really like number 15 and 14 from this list…
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks so much for your comment! I also visited some really awesome castles in Ireland and Scotland, unfortunately at that time I didn’t have a decent camera to take pictures of them!
Thanks for your post. Its given me some awesome ideas about where my next trip should be. The The Papal Palace in Avignon, France looks breath-taking. Do you have any tips on how to get there? If you don’t mind me saying, I would also add Malbork Castle to your list. It is the largest castle in the world. I wrote about it and highty recommend you to go if you enjoy exploring castles as much as I do. http://planestrainsandautobahns.com/malbork-castle/
Happy Travels!
Do you know lisbon Castle?! Nice place to stay inside.