Castles and fortresses · All year round
The most beautiful castles in Spain
Spain has thousands of castles, the legacy of centuries of borders between kingdoms. These are some of the most beautiful and easiest to visit: fairy-tale alcázars, fortresses above the sea, Templar castles and towers above white villages.
Updated 20 October 2026 · How we make our guides
Fairy-tale castles
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SpainSegovia
The Alcázar, above the meeting of two rivers, with its slate-roofed towers: one of the most photographed castles in Europe.
What to see in Segovia -
SpainOlite
The Royal Palace of the kings of Navarre, a Gothic maze of towers, courtyards and battlements.
What to see in Olite -
SpainManzanares el Real
The Mendoza castle, from the 15th century, beside the Santillana reservoir and at the foot of La Pedriza.
What to see in Manzanares el Real -
SpainPeñafiel
A long castle shaped like a ship on a hilltop, with a wine museum inside, in the heart of the Ribera del Duero.
What to see in Peñafiel -
SpainPalma de Mallorca
Bellver Castle, circular in plan, on top of a wooded hill with views over the whole bay.
What to see in Palma de Mallorca
Fortresses with history
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SpainPonferrada
The Templar castle, with its walls and towers beside the Sil river, on the Camino de Santiago.
What to see in Ponferrada -
SpainHuesca
Very close to the city, Loarre Castle, one of the best-preserved Romanesque castles in Europe.
What to see in Huesca -
SpainCalatayud
A complex of Moorish castles and walls that gave the town its name, Qal’at Ayyub.
What to see in Calatayud -
SpainTrujillo
A castle of Arab origin above the town of the conquistadors and its Plaza Mayor.
What to see in Trujillo -
SpainSigüenza
The bishops’ castle overlooks a medieval town of reddish stone and its cathedral.
What to see in Sigüenza
Above the sea and above white villages
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SpainPeñíscola
Pope Luna’s castle at the top of a walled peninsula jutting into the sea.
What to see in Peñíscola -
SpainConsuegra
The Castillo de la Muela on a hilltop, next to the most famous row of windmills in La Mancha.
What to see in Consuegra -
SpainGuadalest
A castle perched on the rock above a turquoise reservoir, in inland Alicante.
What to see in Guadalest -
SpainZahara de la Sierra
The castle tower crowns a white village and a reservoir in the Sierra de Grazalema.
What to see in Zahara de la Sierra -
SpainXàtiva
A castle with two summits stretching along the whole ridge above the city.
What to see in Xàtiva -
SpainFrías
A castle on a rock and houses hanging on the edge, with a medieval bridge over the Ebro.
What to see in Frías
Frequently asked questions
What is the most beautiful castle in Spain?
The Alcázar of Segovia is the most famous, but the Royal Palace of Olite, Peñíscola castle, Manzanares el Real and Loarre all rival it.
Which castles can you visit near Madrid?
Manzanares el Real, the Alcázar of Segovia, Sigüenza castle and, a little further away, Peñafiel, all about two hours or less away.
Can you sleep in a castle in Spain?
Yes, several castles and palaces have been turned into places to stay, such as those in Sigüenza and Olite. Book well in advance.
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Reviewed 20 October 2026. Dates and seasonal warnings: the same data the Bagintravel app uses. Sources and method.
Cover photo: Rafa Esteve (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons.