Castle Hunting in Spain
At this point most of you already know most of the unique qualities Spain has to offer to its tourist, but one of the coolest things about Spain is the magic it has.
Sometimes you visit places that you did not even think could be real. The History of Spain is enormous and many cultures have occupied this precious land. Seeing vestiges of that today is quite amazing, but no doubt the castles are something special and surreal.
The monarchy was the most common form of government until 19th century. Spain has a lot of history that comes from those times and everywhere you go you can see in the landscape the amazing structure of those ages.
Yes! The landscapes of Spain have tons of castles that were built centuries ago to protect not only the Kings but also the kingdoms itself.
Just the community of Catalonia has around 600 Castles. For that reason we want to make a selection of the best castles around Spain to go explore them, feel in love with them and dream in them, because everything is possible in this beautiful land.
Here is our selection for the most Beautiful Castles of Spain:
Belmonte Castle, Cuenca:
This castle was built in the 15th century by the first Marquis de Villena and has had several uses along the years.
It was conceived not only as a luxury home for him and his family but also as a military fort because those were difficult times.
The castle has a peculiar and unique design that made of it the perfect place to film some movies and has multiple apparitions on the big screen. Besides, since 2014 the castle has been home to the World Championship of Medieval Combat, and every spring the grounds reverberate to the crack of sword against shield, halberd against helmet.
Manzanares el Real Castle, Madrid:
This castle was the home of the Mendoza, a well known family for its power and influence to the kings.
It was built in the 15th Century with gothic and Mudejar details that make this palace very unique.
Today this castle holds a museum that you cannot skip to visit, when you go to Madrid.
You would not find scenery like this with this type of construction because it is located on the top of a hill and the surroundings are mountains by one side, and a beautiful lake from the other side.
Olite Castle, Navarra:
The elegance and good taste was all over the palace of the kings of Navarre.
Today we can only appreciate the building shape and the beauty of the towers, sadly most of the ornaments that made this castle the most beautiful and elegant in Europe were lost.
It suffered irreparable damage in the war that Spain fought with Napoleon.
It has being rebuilt, and even though this process is not finished yet, you can visit today the castle and have a tour in this beautiful palace, where high class events were celebrated in the middle-age.
Visit Olite Castle, could be an excellent choice for a day tour if you are having fun at The Running of the Bulls Festival and you want to scape from crowds and enjoy a cultural tour followed by wonderful meal in a winery, because Olite is well know for its wine too. If you need more information for day tours, contact us.
Sant Ferran Castle, Catalonia:
Considered one of the biggest forts in Europe the fort of Sant Ferran is the biggest monument in Catalonia.
It was built after the Treaty of the Pyrenees to protect the north of Catalonia because the border with France had changed and it was unprotected due to these changes.
It has an extension of 320.000 m2 and can hold 6.000 men.
No doubt why this incredible construction, with magnificent dimensions is protected as cultural heritage in Spain by UNESCO.
Today you can have tour visits to this complex fort where you can experience how good this place has preserved along the years and learn more about the sophisticated construction style and military power for what it was built.
Segovia’s Alcazar, Segovia:
As we mentioned in other articles, this castle was the inspiration for Walt Disney to create the Snow White’s castle.
Is the most recognized monument of Segovia and one of the most important Castles in Spain.
It was the castle of the famous catholic Monarchs (Isabel and Fernando) who unified the kingdoms of castilla and Aragon and gave the start for what we know today as Spain.
Siguenza Castle:
Spain has a lot of local tourists who like to discover their country rather to travel abroad.
They love to go to little towns with history and magic, and that is the perfect description for Sigüenza. Because even though this is not a well known town for the outsider tourist, is a must if you want to live a truly medieval experience.
This is little town with a lot of personality. In the upper side you will find the castle.
The shape is nothing surreal, but you can spend some nights in this castle and feel like a real King/Queen with the view of the towers from your window´s room. An indescribable feeling you must experience in your own.
Those are just a selection, but if you want to discover the most beautiful castles routes of Spain, contact us and we will be glad to help you to design a legendary journey to Spain.