Castles

With so many great castles to choose from you may need help deciding which ones to visit. Click on the map to browse our complete list.

Or take our word for it and view our top picks below.

One of Britain’s largest medieval fortresses, Caerphilly Castle has a big events programme to match. The annual Big Cheese Festival is a favourite - a free weekend of entertainment for all the family that’s staged in the castle grounds.

Strange things happen at Bodelwyddan Castle. Recent sightings include an apparition in one gallery, a ghostly soldier in another and shadowy figures drifting down the corridors. Even the tea room has a ghost.

In his day the 3rd Marquess of Bute was the richest man in the world, so he could afford to indulge himself. One result is Castell Coch. A late 19th Century fancy built on the remains of a 13th Century castle, it is one of Wales’ most romantic and unexpected places. Don’t miss Lady Bute’s Bedroom, its painted double dome features 28 frolicking monkeys (rather risqué at the time).

Forget Dan Brown, the Holy Grail is in Wales. Possibly. Ruined Castell Dinas Bran (or Crow Castle) stands on the site of a 2,600-year-old hill-fort. No surprise then that the location is at the heart of many legends, including one that says the grail is in a cave below the castle.

You can’t miss Carreg Cennen Castle - it sits on a limestone crag 300ft (91m) above the little River Cennen, so be prepared for a climb. It’s well worth the effort.

Powis Castle is a mecca for garden lovers. The impressive castle was built 800 years ago and the gardens have matured over time too. There are formal Italianate terraces with original lead statues, lush herbaceous borders and exotic plants cascading from the walls as well as an informal woodland “wilderness” that was added in the 1700s.

Beaumaris Castle looks quiet and picturesque, but don’t be fooled because it is (or was in the late 13th Century) castle technology at its most deadly. It has some wicked touches, like the murder holes through which defenders could drop boiling oil onto anyone they didn’t like.