Millions of tourists flock to famous castles around the world every year to take a peek into the lives of royalty. Whether you’re visiting the picturesque Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany or Bangkok’s gold-spired Grand Palace, there’s something about wandering through manicured gardens, temples, and ornate rooms that makes visitors return year after year. We’ve rounded up 20 famous castles around the world that are worth visiting at least once — some are museums now, while others still house royalty on occasion.
The Forbidden City, Beijing, China
Each day, tens of thousands of visitors pour through the Forbidden City to see the 180-acre walled compound that once shielded the Imperial Palace from public view — while housing Chinese emperors and their extensive entourages. Bright red buildings topped with golden pagodas exemplify traditional Chinese architecture, while the Palace Museum showcases art, furniture, and more.
The Louvre Museum, Paris, France
The largest and most famous museum in the world — displaying masterpieces like La Gioconda (the Mona Lisa) and the Winged Victory of Samothrace — began its journey as a palace. The U-shaped Louvre housed generations of French kings and emperors beginning in the 12th century. The remnants of the original fortress that occupied the site (built for King Philippe II in 1190) can be seen in the basement of the museum. Furthermore, the building underwent numerous extensions and renovations. Head to the decorative arts wing for a glimpse of Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie’s opulent state apartments, constructed between 1854 and 1861.
Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand
Royal offices are still utilized within the Grand Palace, where state visits and royal ceremonies occur annually. This site also served as the official residence of Thai kings from 1782 to 1925. Numerous buildings, halls, and pavilions are set around open lawns and manicured gardens. Notably, the palace’s Temple of the Emerald Buddha is deemed one of the most sacred sites in Thailand. The Buddha was carved from a single block of stone, and its garments, made of pure gold, are changed in a royal ceremony three times a year to reflect the Thai seasons.
Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, Turkey
Topkapi Palace served as a royal residence for about 400 years until the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the 1920s. Look for the Privy Chamber with its gilded fireplace and walls decorated with blue, white, and coral Iznik tiles from the 16th century. The complex also includes courtyards, gazebos, gardens, and the Imperial Treasury.
Palace of Versailles, Versailles, France
When Louis XIV constructed Versailles in the late 1600s, it became the envy of other European monarchs and retains an unmistakable allure. Versailles attracts significantly more visitors than any other château in France (apart from the Louvre); its accessibility from Paris enhances its appeal. No other palace in the world can match the grandeur of Versailles’s Hall of Mirrors, adorned with chandeliers and Marie Antoinette’s bedroom, decorated with hand-stitched flowers. The vast grounds are free on most days and an attraction in their own right, featuring 50 water fountains, a parterre (formal garden), a grand canal, and sites like the Grand Trianon, built for Louis XIV as a refuge from court life, and Marie Antoinette’s Petit Trianon.
The Winter Palace, St. Petersburg, Russia
Catherine the Great and Nicholas I are among the Russian royals who inhabited this green-and-white baroque palace along the Neva River from 1762 to 1917. Today, the palace serves as a museum with one of the finest collections in Europe, including works by Titian, Raphael, and Leonardo da Vinci. Although much of the palace was destroyed by fire in 1837, the beautifully restored interiors reflect the opulent tastes of the Russian elite. St. George Hall (a grand throne room) features two tiers of windows, double Corinthian pink marble columns, patterned parquet floors, and gilt bronze details.
Tower of London, London, England
This medieval fortress on the north bank of the River Thames was constructed to intimidate Londoners and keep out foreign invaders. The oldest part of the structure, the White Tower, dates back to the 12th century. While it originally served as a royal residence, it has gained notoriety for its use as a prison and the site of executions that included Henry VI and Lady Jane Grey. Consequently, millions flock to the tower to witness historical reenactments and the British Crown Jewels, which include the Sovereign’s Sceptre containing the Great Star of Africa, the largest colorless cut diamond in the world.
Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria
Austria’s most-visited site is this Rococo palace, a summer retreat for Hapsburg emperors from the 1700s until 1918. Of its 1,441 rooms, the most notable is the Mirror Room, decorated in white and gold Rococo style featuring crystal mirrors, where Mozart is reputed to have performed his first concert at age six. The Grand Tour provides access to all 40 rooms open to the public, including the Gobelin Salon with tapestries from Brussels and the Millions Room, an office paneled in rare rosewood.
Shuri Castle, Naha, Japan
Shuri Castle was the seat of the kings of Ryukyu for over 400 years. The castle was entirely destroyed during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, and reconstruction was only finalized in the early 1990s. Unfortunately, it was partially destroyed again in 2019 due to a fire, but restoration efforts are in progress, thus making it currently closed to visitors.
Alhambra, Granada, Spain
Refined and expanded over centuries, this hilltop palace and fortress complex combines fortifications, gardens, churches, and several palaces, notably the Alhambra, and the Generalife, the country estate of the kings of Grenada and Andalusia. Both are remarkable examples of Islamic architecture from Spain’s medieval period. Expect intricate arabesques, honeycomb vaulted ceilings, and courtyards with pools and fountains. Generalife’s Moorish gardens feature large boxwood trees, rosebushes, willows, and cypresses. Additionally, numbers swell in the spring and summer; to beat the crowds, consider a January visit.
Prague Castle, Prague, Czech Republic
The Czech president resides in Prague Castle nowadays, yet most areas remain open to tourists. Visitors can stroll through the palace, buildings, and museums such as the Prague Castle Picture Gallery. The castle, with historical roots dating back to the 800s, continues to guard the Bohemian Crown Jewels, notably, the St. Wenceslas Crown, made of pure gold and adorned with pearls and precious stones. With an area of 753,474 square feet, Prague Castle is recognized as the largest ancient castle in the world.
Kumamoto Castle, Kumamoto, Japan
A 17th-century feudal lord outfitted this castle with 44-foot-high outward curving stone walls intended to repel invaders. Many structures within the castle complex were destroyed by fire during the Seinan War of 1877. The Main Tower was rebuilt in 1960 utilizing original materials and methods. Today, it features a museum with exhibitions on the castle’s history and construction alongside a collection of weapons, armor, and furniture. Time your visit during spring to catch the surrounding cherry trees in their full bloom.
Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria, Germany
This picturesque castle resembles the ultimate fairy-tale fortress, despite its intriguing backstory. Reclusive King Ludwig II was declared insane and deposed before its completion and died shortly thereafter under mysterious circumstances. Neuschwanstein Castle stands as a testament to his vision, featuring a two-story throne room inspired by Byzantine churches and a bedroom adorned with murals illustrating the legend of Tristan and Isolde, furnished with an ornately-carved oak bed draped in blue silk.
Osaka Castle, Osaka, Japan
The encroachment of skyscrapers has not diminished the charm of this 16th-century castle, which offers a 15-acre parkland oasis complete with cherry trees and waterways. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, renowned as one of Japan’s great unifiers, commissioned the construction of Osaka Castle, which served as a political seat until the mid-1800s. Throughout its history, the castle has endured ravages of war and fire, undergoing several reconstructions, the latest being completed in the 1990s. The five-story donjon is built on a stone foundation designed for protection against attackers, and currently showcases art and armor reflective of the 16th century.
Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland
This historic stronghold sheltered Scottish monarchs like Queen Margaret and Mary, Queen of Scots during turbulent times. The castle became a military base in the 1600s, also serving as a prison for war captives. The imposing fortress on Castle Rock dominates the Edinburgh skyline. Likewise, like the Tower of London, Edinburgh Castle’s history is tumultuous and bloody, with hundreds of supposed witches burned at the stake where the esplanade now stands. Visitors entering will discover the Great Hall, characterized by its medieval wooden roof, the alleged biblical relic, the Stone of Destiny, and the Scottish Crown Jewels.
Nagoya Castle, Nagoya, Japan
Golden dolphins, believed to possess the ability to summon water, adorn the roof of Nagoya Castle, built in 1612 on the orders of General Ieyasu Tokugawa to ward off attacks from Osaka. The castle flourished until the late 1800s, even briefly serving as a residence for the Emperor of Japan. During World War II, many of its buildings were destroyed in air raids. The iconic main tower was reconstructed in 1959 but is currently closed because of structural issues. Meanwhile, Hommaru Palace’s entrance hall, decorated with black lacquer and intricate metal fixtures, along with the main hall showcasing tiger screen paintings, reopened to the public in 2013, and restoration work is ongoing across the estate.
Catherine Palace, Tsarskoye Selo, Russia
This summer residence for Russian tsars, located southeast of St. Petersburg, is named after the wife of Peter the Great, Catherine I, who reigned for two years following his death. However, credit for its lavish Rococo style is largely attributed to her daughter, Empress Elizabeth, who summoned her imperial architect to renovate it on a scale to rival Versailles. The palace stretches over half a mile in circumference and is richly decorated with a blue and white façade featuring gilded reliefs. Iconic for its Amber Room, a chamber constructed entirely of amber panels backed with gold leaf and mirrors, it stands as a testament to opulence.
Windsor Castle, Windsor, England
Thirty-nine British kings and queens have stayed in Windsor Castle, the longest-occupied palace in Europe. In the 1600s, Charles II set out to rival the accomplishments of his cousin, Louis XIV, at Versailles by modernizing the 11th-century castle’s interiors, showcasing painted ceilings and intricate wood carvings. The monumental Waterloo Chamber commemorates the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815, while the State Apartments display some of the finest art from the Royal Collection, including masterpieces by Rembrandt, Rubens, and Canaletto.
Nijo Castle, Kyoto, Japan
Constructed during Japan’s era of warring city-states, Nijo Castle was ordered by Ieyasu Tokugawa in 1603, featuring two rings of fortifications, with two palaces added over time. Ninomaru Palace’s five buildings house 33 rooms, including a waiting room with intricate wall paintings of tigers and leopards, along with a hall where the 15th Shogun (military governor) proclaimed the restoration of imperial rule in 1867.
Doge’s Palace, Venice, Italy
Once a powerful city-state, Venice was ruled by a doge who resided in this pink-and-white marble palace, an exquisite example of Gothic architecture adjacent to St. Mark’s Basilica. The current structure has undergone renovation and expansion over the years, with the oldest section dating back to 1340. The doge’s apartments are as ornate as any sovereign’s, showcasing marble fireplaces, vibrant painted friezes, and elaborate stucco work. Additionally, this palace served as the seat of government, featuring council chambers and two prisons connected by the famous Bridge of Sighs.
