Castle tours

There’s nothing grander than standing inside an ancient castle. On the following tours, you’ll find so many destinations to explore world-famous castles.

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Tours featuring top-rated castles

20 tours with dates available through 2023

A Week in Ireland: Dublin, Cork & Galway

8 days | 11 days with London extension

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Highlights of England, Scotland & Ireland

12 days | 14 days with London extension

Germany, Switzerland & Austria

14 days | 16 days with Budapest extension

Ireland: Traditions of the Emerald Isle

11 days | 13 days with Belfast extension

Landscapes of Scotland & Ireland

15 days | 18 days with London extension

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Grand Tour of Ireland

14 days | 17 days with Glasgow & Edinburgh extension

A Week in Switzerland, Germany & Austria

9 days | 11 days with Prague extension

Portugal: Porto, the Algarve & Lisbon

9 days | 11 days with Lisbon extension

Edinburgh & the Castles of Scotland

10 days | 12 days with Edinburgh extension

Portugal, Spain & Morocco

16 days | 19 days with Madrid & Barcelona extension

Croatia & Slovenia: The Old-World Adriatic

12 days | 15 days with Ljubljana & Lake Bled extension

Highlights of Scotland & Ireland: Edinburgh to Dublin

10 days | 12 days with Edinburgh extension

Barcelona, Madrid & Seville

10 days | 13 days with Granada & Costa del Sol extension

Highlights of Morocco: Marrakech, the Sahara & Fes

Highlights of Japan: Tokyo to Kyoto

10 days | 13 days with Osaka & Hiroshima extension

Grand Tour of Portugal & Spain: Porto to Barcelona

15 days | 18 days with Basque Country extension

Highlights of Scotland & England: Edinburgh to London

10 days | 12 days with London extension

Grand Tour of France

15 days | 17 days with Paris extension

Paris, Normandy, Brittany Coast & the Loire Valley

11 days | 13 days with Paris extension

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Japan Adventure: Kyoto, the Japanese Alps & Tokyo

14 days | 18 days with Okinawa & Tokyo extension

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How it works

Our team of experts makes planning your castle and chateau tours easy.

Work with our in-house travel experts

Choose from 175+ tours all around the world. Need help narrowing down? Call our regional experts at 1-855-935-4674 to talk through how you like to travel.

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Sit back and get ready for your trip

Your tour includes hotels, breakfast daily and other select meals, comfortable transportation, an expert Tour Director, guided sightseeing, and more.

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Take off on an adventure, stress-free

Your local Tour Director will meet you and your group on the first day, and be your go-to for the best sites, flavors, and stories of the region.

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What our travelers say about their castle trips

This feeling of "Wow!" happened every day!

By first-time traveler Connie on 7/9/19

The tour kept us very busy. We saw so many castles, churches, palaces, statues, paintings, mountains, small village towns, large European cities, and much more! We were able to go on top of a couple of the Alps and then underground in Salzburg for a tour of a salt mine. It was outstanding!

Germany, Switzerland & Austria

Rainbows, Castles, & Guinness - the best tour ever!

By 1st-time traveler Greta on 10/3/19

I had such a wonderful time on my tour through Ireland! The hotels that we stayed in were beautiful, and we visited a number of adorable small towns along the way. My favorite part of the tour was the optional trip to the Aran Islands, and of course the Cliffs of Moher were even more stunning.

Ireland: Traditions of the Emerald Isle

Outstanding Tour of Edinburgh and Scottish Castles!

By 4th-time traveler John on 9/26/19

Six castles were programmed into the tour. After visiting Edinburgh Castle, we spent some time walking the Royal Mile toward a castle, Holyrood, not programmed into the tour, and visited it. The non-castle elements of the tour were excellent. We strongly, emphatically recommend this tour.

Edinburgh & the Castles of Scotland

Cornelius and Castles of Scotland

By 2nd-time traveler Ruth on 10/3/19

Despite unusual amounts of rain, the tour was awesome. We went in October. I strongly recommend this tour to anyone who would like to see the Scottish highlands and understand the history of the area. The castles were awesome and the scenery breathtaking.

Edinburgh & the Castles of Scotland

3 reasons why you should take a guided castle tour

You’ll feel like royalty
When you go on one of our tours, our team will escort you to every destination. We do all the planning, too. All you have to do is show up and enjoy your castle trips like the kings and queens you are.

You’ll learn about history
There is history within the walls of every ancient building, but castles contain even more. As you take in the vast chambers and grounds, you’ll learn all about the people who once lived inside. These people—royals and workers alike—were a huge part of local history, and there’s no better way to learn about it all than by walking through the halls on a castle tour.

You’ll experience another side of travel
A lot of modern travel includes big cities and museums. When you go on castle trips, you’ll see a whole new side to any country. Most castles are built on expansive landscapes along the countryside, so you’ll have a chance to take in the beautiful views along the way. Many castles are also preserved, so you’ll experience what life was once like, too.

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Frequently asked questions about our castle tours

Which country has the most castles?

Germany has the most castles in the world—around 25,000! Here are a few of our European tours that visit German castles:

How many castles are there in Europe?

There are so many, the exact number remains unknown. While it’s not exactly easy to visit them all, we’ve chosen some of the best castles to visit, including Pena Palace in Portugal, the Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, La Alhambra in Spain, and more. You can take many European castle tours on Highlights of Scotland & England: Edinburgh to London, as well.

Which tours visit the most castles?

While many of our vacation packages visit castles, here are the tours that visit the most:

Which country has the oldest castles?

The oldest castle in the world is the Citadel of Aleppo in Syria—construction began in the 3rd millennium B.C. The second-oldest is the Reichsburg Cochem (1100) in Germany, the third-oldest is the Warwick Castle (1068) in England, and the fourth-oldest is Windsor Castle (1070), which you can visit on an excursion on our London & Paris tour. On our tours, you can also visit Pena palace in Portugal, the Neuschwanstein castle in Germany, La Alhambra in Spain, and other castles.

Do your tours visit any haunted castles?

They do! If you’re into the spookier sites, here are 8 scary cities and creepy castles you may want to check out. And if you’re interested in an entire trip dedicated to all-things haunted, you’ll want to check out Haunted Halloween Tour: Dublin, Edinburgh & London.

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