Built atop windswept cliffs or rising from the misty waters of tidal seas, coastal castles have long had a heady sense of drama. Constructed as formidable front-line defenders, they keep watch over vital shipping lanes, harbors, coastal towns, and kingdoms. From the tidal island castle of Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy to the Caribbean fortress of El […]
Arrive in Carcassonne in the late afternoon, and you’ll soon understand why this place makes travelers fall silent. The sky turns the color of deep lavender, and as the sun sinks, the two-and-a-quarter miles of the city’s great stone walls turn gold. Far away, the towers look like a children’s storybook come to life. Close […]
I’ll never forget the first time I saw Castel Sant’Angelo—not because it’s the most beautiful building in Rome (it isn’t), but because it stopped me dead on my tracks while I was hurrying to catch the sunset from the Vatican steps. Rome is full of old stones and “must-sees,” but nothing prepares you for this […]
I didn’t come to Segovia for a castle. In fact, the Alcázar was an afterthought—something I’d scribbled on my travel list in the margins, just in case I had time between coffee breaks and wandering the old Jewish quarter. But there’s a moment, halfway through a lazy afternoon, when you round a corner and suddenly […]
If you’ve ever wondered whether castles in Spain live up to the stories—well, let me tell you, they don’t just live up to them. They knock them sideways. My first real Spanish castle wasn’t planned. I was somewhere in Castilla y León, running late and nearly out of gas, when I crested a hill at […]
I didn’t set out to become a castle person. My first trips to Italy were about food, art, and ticking off the big sights—Rome, Florence, the usual stops. But then I visited a castle by accident. One moment I was following a faded sign on a quiet road in Puglia, the next I was standing […]
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s really like to visit a castle in France, I can tell you this: it’s nothing like the movies, and yet somehow, it’s better. My first castle wasn’t part of a big plan. I was driving through the Loire Valley—following GPS directions that kept trying to reroute me—when I rounded […]
I remember the first time I saw a German castle up close. My family and I had just driven through a sleepy Bavarian village when Neuschwanstein’s white towers suddenly appeared above the trees. For a second, I thought I was looking at a movie set. But this was real—just standing there, looking as dramatic as […]
The first time I spotted Neuschwanstein Castle, I wasn’t standing at a famous lookout or scrolling Instagram. I was behind the wheel, somewhere near Füssen, windows cracked, music low, when it appeared above the trees like a mirage. I actually muttered, “Whoa,” out loud and pulled over without thinking. That first glimpse? I’ll never forget […]
The first time I saw the Loire Valley, I was chasing fog. It was early—too early for most tourists—but I couldn’t sleep. I’d rolled out of bed in a little village near Blois, wrapped a scarf around my neck, and set off toward the river with coffee still warming my hands. The sky was that […]
