{"id":94849,"date":"2019-11-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-11-20T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelstartblg.wpenginepowered.com\/5-must-visit-european-castles\/"},"modified":"2025-11-04T13:56:06","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T13:56:06","slug":"5-must-visit-european-castles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/5-must-visit-european-castles\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Must-Visit European Castles"},"content":{"rendered":"

A proper visit to Europe should be filled with decadent pastries, priceless works of art and enough history for you to write your own rendition. For a complete immersion into the glamour of old-world Europe, a visit to a castle dripping in heavy damask fabrics and gold filigreed is a must. Stroll through the quarters that once housed the world\u2019s wealthiest and most powerful aristocrats, twirl around ballrooms that hosted lavish parties and magnificent feasts, and uncover centuries\u2019 old secrets buried deep between the stones of dungeon walls.<\/p>\n

While Europe\u2019s landscape is peppered with hundreds of magnificent castles \u2013 from the Gothic to the romantic \u2013 these five are among the most opulent and are unquestionably worth incorporating into your travel plans.<\/p>\n

1. Neuschwanstein Castle \u2013 Bavaria, Germany<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The construction of Neuschwanstein began in 1868 under the commission of King Ludwig II. It is widely believed that the castle was built for personal and political reasons \u2013 as a retreat for a young king who was a bit of a recluse, but also as a place where Ludwig II could continue to feel as though he had power, despite being conquered by the Prussians just two years into his reign.<\/span><\/p>\n

Book cheap flights to Germany<\/a><\/h3>\n

Visit Neuschwanstein<\/a><\/h3>\n

2. Sch\u00f6nbrunn Palace \u2013 Vienna, Austria<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Around 1742, Sch\u00f6nbrunn Palace was transformed from a hunting lodge into the summer palace for the Habsburgs. From 1745 onward, the imperial family inhabited the castle seasonally. It was under constant construction until 1760 due to the demands of Maria Theresa, who also famously chose the yellow hue for the palace\u2019s exterior facade.<\/p>\n

Book cheap flights to Austria<\/a><\/h3>\n

Visit Sch\u00f6nbrunn<\/a><\/h3>\n

3. Ch\u00e2teau de Chenonceau \u2013 Loire Valley, France<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ch\u00e2teau de Chenonceau, built in 1513, was originally the home of Thomas Bohier, though over time became known as the \u201cLadies Ch\u00e2teau\u201d, for much of its construction and enhancements, including the arched bridge and gardens, were designed and overseen by notable French women.<\/p>\n

Book cheap flights to France<\/a><\/h3>\n

Visit Chenonceau<\/a><\/h3>\n

4. Windsor Castle \u2013 Windsor, England<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Windsor Castle has been home to British royalty for more than 1,000 years and remains the largest occupied castle in the world, serving as Queen Elizabeth II\u2019s private home. Throughout its existence, the castle served several unique purposes, including serving as a bomb shelter to protect the royals from German warfare in World War II, and most recently, as the site of the royal wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.<\/p>\n

Book cheap flights to England<\/a><\/h3>\n

Visit Windsor Castle<\/a><\/h3>\n

5. Palace of Versailles \u2013 Versailles, France<\/h2>\n
\"\"
Photo credit: Clark Van Der Beken via Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Originally Louis XIII\u2019s hunting lodge, the palace was expanded when his son, King Louis XIV, decided to move the royal court from Paris to Versailles in 1682. The castle quickly became a symbol of King Louis XIV\u2019s absolute power \u2013 providing him with the opportunity to keep a watchful eye on the members of his court and to display his wealth through opulent decoration and artistic demonstrations.<\/p>\n

Visit Versailles<\/a><\/h3>\n

These dreamy, historical fortresses are stunning symbols of Europe\u2019s grandeur and elegance, offering travellers an opportunity to watch their fairytale fantasies come alive. Experience the magic of Europe firsthand by booking flights to Germany, France, and so much more. Which castles are on your Europe bucket list?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A proper visit to Europe should be filled with decadent pastries, priceless works of art and enough history for you to write your own rendition. For a complete immersion into the glamour of old-world Europe, a visit to a castle dripping in heavy damask fabrics and gold filigreed is a must. Stroll through the quarters that once housed the world\u2019s wealthiest and most powerful aristocrats, … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":94855,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_destination_ratings":[],"_destination_review_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[72,16,445],"tags":[423,39,44],"class_list":["post-94849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-travel","category-destinations-travel","tag-france","tag-travel","tag-travelstart","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"yoast_head":"\n5 Dreamy Castles to Visit in Europe - Travelstart.co.za<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"These five picturesque castles are among the most opulent and are unquestionably worth incorporating into your travel plans to Europe.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/5-must-visit-european-castles\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 Must-Visit European Castles\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\".\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/5-must-visit-european-castles\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Travelstart Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-11-20T00:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-04T13:56:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/10\/Castle-7.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Brandon Mlilo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Brandon Mlilo\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/5-must-visit-european-castles\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/5-must-visit-european-castles\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Brandon Mlilo\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0c92c48c805c2d5ebd15bafa2395fa16\"},\"headline\":\"5 Must-Visit European Castles\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-11-20T00:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-04T13:56:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/5-must-visit-european-castles\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":549,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/5-must-visit-european-castles\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/Castle-7.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"france\",\"travel\",\"travelstart\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Blog\",\"Travel\",\"Travel Destinations\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/5-must-visit-european-castles\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/5-must-visit-european-castles\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/5-must-visit-european-castles\\\/\",\"name\":\"5 Dreamy Castles to Visit in Europe - Travelstart.co.za\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/5-must-visit-european-castles\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/5-must-visit-european-castles\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/Castle-7.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-11-20T00:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-04T13:56:06+00:00\",\"description\":\"These five picturesque castles are among the most opulent and are unquestionably worth incorporating into your travel plans to Europe.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/5-must-visit-european-castles\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/5-must-visit-european-castles\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/5-must-visit-european-castles\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/Castle-7.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/Castle-7.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":600},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/5-must-visit-european-castles\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"5 Must-Visit European Castles\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Travelstart Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Travelstart Blog\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/logo.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/logo.svg\",\"width\":147,\"height\":35,\"caption\":\"Travelstart Blog\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0c92c48c805c2d5ebd15bafa2395fa16\",\"name\":\"Brandon Mlilo\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/85747dfa7c29be6c5eab5afe41b9a4d31b3db20961febcb45650400a9bc94a62?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/85747dfa7c29be6c5eab5afe41b9a4d31b3db20961febcb45650400a9bc94a62?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/85747dfa7c29be6c5eab5afe41b9a4d31b3db20961febcb45650400a9bc94a62?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Brandon Mlilo\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/brandonm\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"5 Dreamy Castles to Visit in Europe - Travelstart.co.za","description":"These five picturesque castles are among the most opulent and are unquestionably worth incorporating into your travel plans to Europe.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/5-must-visit-european-castles\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"5 Must-Visit European Castles","og_description":".","og_url":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/5-must-visit-european-castles\/","og_site_name":"Travelstart Blog","article_published_time":"2019-11-20T00:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-11-04T13:56:06+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":600,"url":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/10\/Castle-7.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Brandon Mlilo","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Brandon Mlilo","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/5-must-visit-european-castles\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/5-must-visit-european-castles\/"},"author":{"name":"Brandon Mlilo","@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0c92c48c805c2d5ebd15bafa2395fa16"},"headline":"5 Must-Visit European Castles","datePublished":"2019-11-20T00:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-04T13:56:06+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/5-must-visit-european-castles\/"},"wordCount":549,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/5-must-visit-european-castles\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/10\/Castle-7.jpg","keywords":["france","travel","travelstart"],"articleSection":["Blog","Travel","Travel Destinations"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/5-must-visit-european-castles\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/5-must-visit-european-castles\/","url":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/5-must-visit-european-castles\/","name":"5 Dreamy Castles to Visit in Europe - Travelstart.co.za","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/5-must-visit-european-castles\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/5-must-visit-european-castles\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/10\/Castle-7.jpg","datePublished":"2019-11-20T00:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-04T13:56:06+00:00","description":"These five picturesque castles are among the most opulent and are unquestionably worth incorporating into your travel plans to Europe.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/5-must-visit-european-castles\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/5-must-visit-european-castles\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/5-must-visit-european-castles\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/10\/Castle-7.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/10\/Castle-7.jpg","width":800,"height":600},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/5-must-visit-european-castles\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"5 Must-Visit European Castles"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/","name":"Travelstart Blog","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/#organization","name":"Travelstart Blog","url":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/08\/logo.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/08\/logo.svg","width":147,"height":35,"caption":"Travelstart Blog"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0c92c48c805c2d5ebd15bafa2395fa16","name":"Brandon Mlilo","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/85747dfa7c29be6c5eab5afe41b9a4d31b3db20961febcb45650400a9bc94a62?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/85747dfa7c29be6c5eab5afe41b9a4d31b3db20961febcb45650400a9bc94a62?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/85747dfa7c29be6c5eab5afe41b9a4d31b3db20961febcb45650400a9bc94a62?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Brandon Mlilo"},"url":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/author\/brandonm\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94849","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94849"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94849\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}