Four castles in the United Kingdom and one in Ireland have been included in Condé Nast Traveler’s list of the most beautiful castles in Europe.

Culzean Castle and Eilean Donan Castle in Scotland, Conwy Castle in Wales, Bamburgh Castle in England and Kylemore Abbey in Ireland made the list of 26 incredible castles – and we would recommend a visit to them all on a tour of the UK and Ireland!

Culzean Castle

Culzean Castle © VisitScotland/Kenny Lam

Opulent Culzean Castle sits on the banks of the Firth of Clyde, on the west coast of Scotland, and was constructed in the 18th century by eminent Scottish architect Robert Adam for the 10th Earl of Cassilis. A top tip from Condé Nast Traveler is to ‘check out the flamboyant landscaping, extensive collection of paintings, and dramatic central staircase’. In 1945, the castle and its grounds were given to the National Trust for Scotland but the apartment at the top of the castle was gifted to Dwight D Eisenhower as a thank you from Scotland for his efforts during World War II. The six-bedroom apartment can be rented out to this day.

Eilean Donan Castle

Eilean Donan Castle © VisitScotland/Kenny Lam

Iconic Eilean Donan Castle, which sits at the confluence of three lochs in the western Highlands, is perhaps the most photographed castle in Scotland. The medieval castle was a stronghold for the Clan Mackenzie but was destroyed in the 18th century after the Jacobite Rebellion. According to Condé Nast Traveler, ‘there’s something extra special about Eilean Donan Castle. Perhaps it’s the castle’s charming bridge and moss-covered walls, or its spectacular location among the lochs of the Highlands’.

Conwy Castle

Conwy Castle © Hawlfraint y Goron / © Crown copyright (2023) Cymru Wales

Conwy Castle, on the North Wales coast, was built in the 13th century by King Edward I and today forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The incredibly well-preserved castle contains the most intact set of medieval royal apartments in Wales, and the high curtain wall and eight huge towers stand almost as impressively as they did when first built, more than 700 years ago. Visitors can complete a full circuit of the battlements and are invited to climb the spiral staircases in the towers for some sensational views.

Bamburgh Castle

Bamburgh Castle / © VisitBritain /Lee Beal

One of England’s finest fortresses, Bamburgh Castle looms large over the coast of Northumberland. Dating back to the 5th century, the castle was once home to the Anglo Saxon kings of Northumbria, and is today one of the most important Anglo Saxon archaeological sites anywhere in the world. With continual occupation for over a thousand years, Bamburgh Castle enjoys its fair share of ghost stories, legends and myths and is believed to be the inspiration for Sir Lancelot’s fictitious castle, Joyous Garde. More recently, it has appeared in films such as Elizabeth (1998) and Macbeth (2015).

Kylemore Abbey

Kylemore Abbey, Connemara, courtesy Chaosheng Zhang

Nestled in the heart of Connemara, on the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland, Kylemore Abbey is an enchanting Gothic-style castle with an elaborate, fully-restored Victorian garden. Dating back to the late 1800s, the abbey was built by a wealthy businessman for his wife, and according to Condé Nast Traveler, is ‘one of the great neo-Gothic castles of the period’. It is now a Benedictine abbey run by nuns and one of Ireland’s most popular visitor attractions.

Janet Redler, Managing Director of Janet Redler Travel, said: “The UK and Ireland are home to some of the most majestic, romantic and breath-taking castles in Europe and our travellers enjoy visiting many of them each year. Each one of the castles chosen by Condé Nast Traveler is unforgettable, but there are many more wonderful castles to visit too, so it makes sense to see at least one or two on your tour.”

If you or your group would like to enjoy a tailor-made heritage tour of the UK and Ireland, or perhaps you would just like to visit a castle or two as part of a wider itinerary, then please do contact our friendly team. Wherever you are on your tour, there is sure to be a jaw-dropping castle to visit nearby!