Welcome to The Complete Castle Pilgrim, a guide to the 100 Greatest Castles, Fortresses and Walled Cities around the world. These places, chosen for their historic, military and architectural importance, encompass over two thousand years of defensive fortifications from around the world. Come explore ancient walled cities, medieval castles, colonial fortresses and other amazing military sites, from the historic structures of the Middle East to the mountaintop citadels of medieval Europe to the massive, awe-inspiring megaforts of India and everything in between. Discover what military architectural treasures may be found in your own neighborhood.
Ancient Castles & Fortifications
- Masada Fortress || Masada, Israel
- Aleppo Citadel || Aleppo, Syria
- Falak-Ol-Aflak Fortress || Khorramabad, Iran
- Babylon Fortress || Cairo, Egypt
- Sant’Angelo Castle || Rome, Italy
- Hadrian’s Wall || Northern England
- Great Zimbabwe Enclosure || Masvingo, Zimbabwe
- Sacsayhuaman Fortress || Cuzco, Peru
Norman & Gaelic Castles
- Caen Castle || Caen, France
- Dover Castle || Dover, England
- Tower of London || London, England
- Windsor Castle || Windsor, England
- Warwick Castle || Warwick, England
- Iron Ring Castles of Snowdonia || Northwest Wales
- Trim Castle || Trim, Ireland
- Blarney Castle || Blarney, Ireland
- Edinburgh Castle || Edinburgh, Scotland
- Inverness Castle || Inverness, Scotland
Medieval European Castles (Hilltop)
- Convent of the Order of Christ || Tomar, Portugal
- Segovia Castle || Segovia, Spain
- High King’s Castle || Orschwiller, France
- Castles of the Italian Tyrol || Northern Italy
- Wartburg Castle || Eisenach, Germany
- Hohenzollern Castle || Hechingen, Germany
- Swan Castles || Fussen, Germany
- Karlstejn Castle || Karlstejn, Czech Republic
- Bran Castle || Brasov, Romania
Medieval European Castles (Waterside)
- Loire Valley Castles || Northern France
- Chillon Castle || Montreaux, Switzerland
- Rhineland Castles || Northwest Germany
- Malbork Castle || Malbork, Poland
- Trakai Island Castle || Trakai, Lithuania
- Castles of the Serbian Danube || Central Serbia
- Baba Vida Fortress || Vidin, Bulgaria
- Bourtzi Castle || Nafplio, Greece
- Castles of the Ukraine || Western Ukraine
Medieval European Castles (Urban)
- St. George Castle || Lisbon, Portugal
- Gravensteen Castle || Ghent, Belgium
- Salzburg High Fortress || Salzburg, Austria
- Prague Castle || Prague, Czech Republic
- Wawel Castle || Krakow, Poland
- Akershus Castle || Oslo, Norway
- Kremlins of Western Russia || Western Russia
Middle Eastern Castles & Fortresses
- Rumelihisari Fortress || Istanbul, Turkey
- Mamure Castle || Anamur, Turkey
- Damascus Fortifications || Damascus, Syria
- Krak des Chevaliers || Homs, Syria
- Alamut Castle || Qazvin, Iran
- Bam Citadel || Bam, Iran
- Castles of Eastern Arabia || Arabian Peninsula
- Cairo Citadel || Cairo, Egypt
- Qait Bay Citadel || Alexandria, Egypt
- Fasilidas Castle || Gondar, Ethiopia
- Old Fort || Stone Town, Tanzania
- Casbahs of Morocco || Morocco
Far Eastern Castles & Fortresses
- Derawar Fort || Derawar, Pakistan
- Red Forts || Northern India
- Chittorgarh Fortress || Chittorgarh, India
- Coastal Forts of Maharastra || Central India
- Forts of Rajasthan || Northwest India
- Great Wall of China || Northern China
- Hwaseong Fortress || Suwon, South Korea
- Himeji Castle || Himeji, Japan
- Matsumoto Castle || Matsumoto, Japan
- Feudal Castles of Kyushu || Southern Japan
Gunpowder Fortresses
- Star Fort || Bourtange, Netherlands
- Kronborg Castle || Elsinore, Denmark
- Gripsholm Castle || Mariefred, Sweden
- Suomenlinna Fortress || Helsinki, Finland
- Peter and Paul Fortress || St. Petersburg, Russia
- American Coastal Forts || Eastern Seaboard of America
- Sydney Fortifications || Sydney, Australia
- Western Front Fortifications || Eastern France & Benelux
Colonial Empire Fortresses
- Fortaleza de Hacho || Ceuta, Morocco
- Colonial Forts of Africa || African Coast
- Portuguese Atlantic Trade Forts || Atlantic Islands
- Bermuda Fortifications || St. Georges, Bermuda
- Spanish Forts of the Caribbean || Caribbean Islands
- British Forts of the Caribbean || Caribbean Islands
- Campeche Fortifications || Campeche, Mexico
- Fort San Juan de Ulua || Veracruz, Mexico
- San Marcos Castle || St. Augustine, Florida
- Cartagena Fortifications || Cartagena, Colombia
- Real Felipe Fortress || Lima, Peru
- Fort Ticonderoga || Ticonderoga, New York
Walled Cities
- Arbil || Arbil, Iraq
- Jerusalem || Jerusalem, Israel
- Akko || Akko, Israel
- Walled Cities of the Mediterranean || Mediterranean Islands
- Carcassonne || Carcassonne, France
- Rothenburg || Rothenburg, Germany
- York || York, England
- Avila || Avila, Spain
- Walled Cities of Northern Italy || Northern Italy
- Dubrovnik || Dubrovnik, Croatia
- Kairouan || Kairouan, Tunisia
- Harar || Harar, Ethiopia
- Baku || Baku, Azerbaijan
- Itchan Kala || Khiva, Uzbekistan
- Pingyao || Pingyao, China
- Quebec || Quebec City, Canada
