castles Archives

Visiting Bouillon Castle, Belgian Ardennes: Practical guide for first-timers

Bouillon Castle is a thousand-year-old fortress perched on rocky outcrops above the Semois River, in the town of Bouillon in the Belgian Ardennes. This guide covers opening hours, ticket prices, transport and parking, accessibility, and other practical visitor tips. This guide was checked and updated…

Visiting Château d’Angers: practical guide for first-time visitors

The Château d'Angers is a 13th-century fortress in the centre of Angers, France, built around the famous Apocalypse Tapestry. The guide was updated in June 2026. The official site now carries a standing heatwave warning: during periods of high heat, the ramparts path can close…

Castello di Vezio, Lake Como: practical guide for first-time visitors

Castello di Vezio stands on the promontory above Varenna on Lake Como, a thousand-year-old medieval military watchtower surrounded by one of the northernmost olive groves in the world, botanical garden terraces, and panoramic views across the central lake basin. This guide was updated in June…

Visiting Fort Bard, Aosta Valley: practical guide for first-time visitors

Forte di Bard sits on a sheer rocky spur above the village of Bard in the lower Aosta Valley — a 19th-century military fortress now housing four museums, major photography and nature exhibitions, a hotel, and restaurants, with Napoleonic history embedded in every stone. This…

Visiting Miramare Castle, Trieste: practical guide for first-time visitors

Miramare Castle (Castello di Miramare) stands on the Promontory of Grignano, 8 km north-west of Trieste, directly above the Adriatic. Built for Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg between 1856 and 1860, it remains fully furnished as his family home and houses a permanent collection alongside the…

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…