Castle Howard, Yorkshire

1

One of the grandest private residences in Britain, this beautiful estate has been home to the Howard family for over 300 years.

Castle Hohenschwangau, Germany

2

Schloss Hohenschwangau is a 19th-century palace in Germany, which receives more than 300,000 visitors per year.

Corfe Castle, Dorset

3

Corfe Castle is a fortification that dates back to the 11th century, designed by William the Conquerer.

Malbork Castle, Poland

4

Malbork is the largest castle in the world (surface area), and the largest brick building in Europe.

Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany

5

Ludwig II of Bavaria paid for this palace out of his own fortune, serving as a personal refuge. After he died in 1886, Neuschwanstein opened to the paying public and has since had over 60 million visitors.

Château de Chambord, France

6

This palace was built to serve as a hunting lodge for François I, and has very distinct French Renaissance architecture. It opened to the public in 2007 and has drawn in more than 700,000 visitors.

Osaka Castle, Japan

7

One of Japan’s most famous castles, Osaka has a five-story exterior and an eight-story interior. It was built atop a tall stone foundation to protect its occupants from attackers during the 16th century.

Hohenwerfen Castle, Austria

8

This 11th-century castle is surrounded by the Berchtesgaden Alps and the Tennengebirge mountain range. Exterior shots of the castle were used as a French hotel in the movie Just Married.

Kilkenny Castle, Ireland

9

Kilkenny was built in 1195 by William Marshal and now serves as a conference and graduation venue.

Peleș Castle, Romania

10

This Neo-Renaissance castle is located in the Carpathian Mountains, built between 1873 and 1914.

Schloss Moritzburg, Germany

11

Named after Duke Mortiz of Saxony, this palace lies on artificial land and is surrounded by woodlands used for hunting.

Castillo de Coca, Spain

12

This castle was built on the site of ancient Cauca, the birthplace of the Roman emperor Theodosius. The castle now serves as a training school for foresters.

Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland, California

13

The Sleeping Beauty castle was inspired by Neuschwanstein (#5 on the list) and stands as a landmark in Disneyland.

Kronborg Castle, Denmark

14

Built in the 1420s, Kronborg is one of the most important fortifications in Northern Europe. It has been immortalized as Elsinore in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

Alnwick Castle, Northumberland

15

Alnwick’s interior and exterior was used to film Hogwarts scenes in the Harry Potter films and has roughly 800,000 visitors per year.

Edinburgh Castle, Scotland

16

This 12th-century palace is positioned upon the volcanic Castle Rock and has become a recognizable symbol of Edinburgh.

Highclere Castle, United Kingdom

17

Highclere is a 19th-century castle that serves as the main filming location for the hit-TV show Downton Abbey.

Château de Versailles, France

18

This royal château in France has a whopping 2,300 rooms, 67 staircases, and 5,210 pieces of furniture.

Prague Castle, Czech Republic

19

Prague Castle was named the largest ancient castle in the world by the Guinness Book of Records, occupying 70,000 square meters.

Kylemore Abbey, Ireland

20

Kylemore was built as a private residence for wealthy London doctor, Mitchell Henry. The estate was sold to the Duke and Dutchess of Manchester in 1909, but they were forced to sell due to gambling debts.

Bodiam Castle, United Kingdom

21

This 14th-century moated castle was built by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge to defend the area against French invasion during the Hundred Years’ War.

Burg Hochosterwitz, Austria

22

One of Austria’s most impressive medieval castles, Hochosterwitz sits 520 feet high and can be seen 19 miles away on a clear day.

Chateau de Chillon, Switzerland

23

This island castle consists of 100 individual buildings, merged into the palace it is today.

Catherine Palace, Russia

24

This residence began construction in 1717 and was built for Catherine I of Russia to provide a summer palace for her pleasure. In 1752, it was redesigned in Rococo style.

Windsor Castle, England

25

This 11th-century royal residence is the longest-occupied palace in Europe.

Hogwarts at Universal Studios, Orlando

26

Based off the wildly successful Harry Potter films, Hogwarts was brought to life at Universal in Orlando, Florida.

Balmoral Castle, United Kingdom

27

Balmoral has been a residence of the British Royal Family since 1852, when it was purchased by Queen Victoria and her consort, Prince Albert.

Conwy Castle, North Wales

28

This medieval fortification was built by Edward I in 1283 and cost roughly £15,000.

Schwerin Castle, Germany

29

First reports of the castle were made in 973, and currently serves as the seat of the state parliament.