Favorite Castles

What were your favorite castles in Europe? Where were they? And what made them your favorite?

I want to see lots of castles on my RTW, but I'd like to widdle down the list a little. So I wanted to see what everyones favorites were. Which castles are not to be missed!?

Thanks for your help and opinions.

I can't help you personally, but Craze_b0i seems to have a healthy obsession with them.
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Well, I'm no castle freak, but I've seen my share.

The one on the Buda Side is pretty darn cool, in Budapest of course.

Bavaria is said to have the wildest ones, made by 'mad' King Ludvig. I've never seen those.

Still, for my money, there are some good ones in Romania, I love the fortress town of Mostar, in Bosnia, and I suppose you'd like the castles in Wales. Some of them are really impressive from the television shows.

Your best bet is to get a book called "The castles of Europe", and take a gander at them yourself. I'm sure its been written about 10 times under different names.

You can never go wrong with Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau in Bavaria. Everyone knows about Newschwanstein especially since Disney took King Ludwig's idea of this spectacular castle to be used as Sleeping Beauty's castle at Disneyland. Its not really my favorite but it is still a must see.
I actually prefer Linderhof Castle about a 30 minute drive from Neuschwanstein. Talk about going all out in decor, and the gardens are amazing. This is also one of King Ludwigs creations and the Moroccan Kiosk is really special. In fact he used to dress up as a sultan and throw parties in this decorative little place. He also has a fancy grotto with a pond inside a cave that has a boat in the middle where he would watch his favorite musician, Wagner. Its funny to think of him as one of the first groupie's for a musical star.

If you travel the Romantic Road you will find a few off the beaten track Castle's and Church's that are worth a look.

Oh yes, Prague Castle is one of the best around, and the town of Prague is a blast to stay in. Great restaurants, medieval architecture at its best, cobbled streets, jazz clubs all over the place, and plenty of sights to visit.

Neuschwanstein was pretty awesome- the man built a friggin cave in his castle, just because he wanted a cave! Easy to get to train ride from Munich, about 2 hours.

Windsor Castle is cool if you make it to the UK, and if you get to Ireland I'd recommend finding a moment to wander into one of the many, many ruined castles you can find all along the roadside in the middle of pastures. Quite fun to have a place to yourself and explore it.

There are a lot of wonderful castle in Europe but I think Prague Castle is great.

I forgot about Prague Castle. It is pretty impressive.

There is a pretty good in Portugal, in the city of Sintra. It sits high on a mountain and fits all the requirements.

Then there is a pretty spectacular castle near Stuttgart, with the worlds largest Wine Casket inside.
It sits, once more, high on a mountain, and looks nigh impenetrable.

Not specific to a castle, but the train ride from Koblenz to Frankfurt is absolutely stunning in terms of castle viewing.

You must see 15 castles on a 2 hours train ride. There is the one that is IN the river, (surrounded on both sides by river), and a bunch of smaller less notable ones.

I just thought it was a fascinating view along the river there.

My family LOVED spending time at Ashford Castle! We've stayed at others, but this was our favorite. The service is outstanding and the foods also well. The grounds are fantastic, I went for an early morning walk one morning and I have never heard such a magnificent dawn chorus from the birds.

Best Regards,

There are several nice castles in Slovakia. Spisske Hrad is the largest, but Trencin Castle and Devin Castle (near Bratislava) are certainly very nice too.

I really like the castle in Bouillon in Belgium too.

There are loads of great castles in Europe. Southern Germany has Ludwig's great castles along with Wartburg Castle, the Rhine is littered with castles in various states of ruin, the Loire Valley in France has wonderful chateaux, the Czech Republic has a wide variety of great castles, Leeds Castle and Windsor Castle in the UK are striking along with Chillon Castle in Switzerland. Wherever you travel, you are likely to find some pretty attractive castles to your taste.

I loved seeing Ludwig's castles.

Spectacular castle where I have been so far is the Schloss Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, Germany. Castle has built by King Ludwig II in 1869. Castle is located high in the Bavarian Alps and the it looks stunning!