Castles to Visit — every castle in Europe on one map

Chapter 01 · the real thing

Medieval castles — keeps, moats and border strongholds

The fortified residences that gave the continent its skyline: hilltop keeps, river crossings, royal seats. We hold 42,529 of them — each with what it is, when it rose, and whether the gate actually opens for you.

All medieval castles →

Chapter 02 · the legend

We check the gate, not just the coordinates

Google Maps will show you a castle. It won't tell you it's a private residence behind a wall, or that the courtyard is free but the tower is ticketed — and by then you've already driven the hour. So every place in the database carries a visiting status, and where we can't confirm one, it says so instead of guessing.

The same badges on every castle:

UNESCO free entry ticketed private check locally

A record from the database

Spiš Castle Žehra · castle ruin

UNESCO: World Heritage Site
Built: 12th century
Style: Romanesque
Directions: Google Maps ↗

See the castle page →

486 castles on this map are UNESCO World Heritage Sites — we record what the data confirms, not what would look good on the page. Spotted a mistake? alex.uznanski@gmail.com

Chapter 03 · city index

Which castle is near you?

31,273 towns and cities keep a castle within reach — from capital citadels to a ruin above a village of two hundred people. Every city page lays out the castles, palaces and ruins around it, with a map and the visiting details.

Full index: 31,273 towns and cities →

Chapter 04 · coverage

43 countries. Where is it densest?

Germany leads with 13,752 castles, France has 12,260, and Italy 12,086. Click a country to see all of it on the map.

Chapter 05 · the map

All of Europe: 67,103 castles on one map

One map instead of ten open tabs. Filter by type, check the visiting status, pick the one worth the detour.

Open the map →

Saturday comes around again. This time you know which gate is open.

Sources: Wikidata (CC0) · OpenStreetMap (ODbL) · updated 27.07.2026 · 67,103 records