castles Archives

Visiting Hedingham Castle, Essex: practical guide for first-time visitors

Hedingham Castle is a privately owned Norman keep and estate located at Bayley Street, Castle Hedingham, Halstead, Essex, CO9 3DJ, approximately 90 minutes from London by car. This guide covers opening dates, ticket prices, parking, transport, accessibility, and practical visitor tips to help you plan…

Visiting Blair Castle and Gardens, Blair Atholl: practical guide for first-timers

Blair Castle and Gardens is a white-harled Scottish baronial castle and 9-acre garden on the Atholl Estates, located at Blair Atholl near Pitlochry in Perthshire, and home to the Dukes and Earls of Atholl and the only private army in Europe legally permitted to bear…

Carcassonne Castle in Carcassonne, France.

Visiting Carcassonne Castle and Ramparts, France: practical guide for first-time visitors

Carcassonne Castle — officially the Château Comtal and its double ring of ramparts — is a UNESCO World Heritage-listed medieval fortress. It's managed by the Centre des Monuments Nationaux within the walled city of Carcassonne in southern France. This guide was updated in May 2026.…

Visiting the Rocca dei Papi, Montefiascone: practical guide for first-timers

The Rocca dei Papi is a medieval papal fortress and museum complex located at Piazza Urbano V in Montefiascone, in the province of Viterbo, northern Lazio, standing 633 metres above sea level on the summit of a hill overlooking Lake Bolsena. This guide covers opening…

Copenhagen day trip to Sweden: The Hamlet and Kronborg Castle tour

If you have one free day in Copenhagen, this is a strong contender for how to spend it. A single guided tour takes you to Kronborg Castle — Shakespeare's Elsinore — then across the Øresund Strait by ferry to Sweden, visiting the medieval university city…

Fort McHenry National Monument in Baltimore, Maryland.

Visiting Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, Baltimore: practical guide for first-timers

Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine is a 43-acre National Park Service site in the Locust Point neighbourhood of Baltimore, Maryland. It's where the 1814 Battle of Baltimore inspired the writing of the US national anthem. This guide covers opening hours, ticket prices, transport…

Conisbrough Castle, Yorkshire: A complete guide to visiting with the family

Conisbrough Castle near Doncaster offers 12th century history, a photo-friendly keep and ruins that children love exploring. Why visit Conisbrough Castle? Conisbrough Castle is a mostly-ruined 12th century Norman castle in the South Yorkshire town of Conisbrough. The centrepiece of this English Heritage property, which…

Visiting Castillo San Cristóbal, San Juan: practical guide for first-time visitors

Castillo San Cristóbal is a Spanish colonial fortress managed by the National Park Service as part of San Juan National Historic Site. It's located on Calle Norzagaray in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. Considered the largest fortress built in the Americas, it covers 27 acres…

Visiting Castle Rising, Norfolk: practical guide for first-time visitors

Castle Rising is a 12th-century Norman keep and scheduled monument located in the village of Castle Rising, near King's Lynn, Norfolk. This guide covers opening hours, ticket prices, parking, transport, accessibility, and practical visitor tips to help you plan your visit. Updated May 2026. Adult…

Colchester Castle, Colchester: ticket prices, hours and tips – plan your visit

Colchester Castle is a Norman keep museum operated by Colchester Museums. It is the largest Norman keep in Europe, built on the foundations of the Roman Temple of Claudius, and houses collections spanning the Iron Age, Roman, medieval, and Civil War periods. This guide covers…