Chateau de Mirambeau
France, Mirambeau. Chateau de Mirambeau, today a five star hotel.
Photograph by Bjorn Grotting, Alamy Stock Photo

25 castles you can sleep in

Live like royalty, if only for a night.

ByCaitlin Etherton
September 14, 2018

There is something undeniably transformative about stepping into a castle. Perhaps it’s the thick fortress walls blocking out the world, or the moat, or the secret passageways. Perhaps it’s the glimpse into a more lavish, pampered life, the bird’s-eye perspective from a tall tower, or maybe the soul-boosting treat of an ayurvedic massage. Either way, a stay in a castle is guaranteed to make any trip more interesting. Here are 25 castle hotels you will want to call home for the night.

(Go inside Frankenstein's castle)

Marques de Villena Castle
Marques de Villena Castle (now Parador Nacional, a state run hotel), Alarcon. Cuenca province, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain
Photograph by JAM WORLD IMAGES, Alamy Stock Photo
Blue Cave Castle
The Blue Cave Castle hotel perched on the cliffs of Negril, Jamaica. Image shot 06/2009. Exact date unknown.
Photograph by NBoyd, Alamy Stock Photo
Glenapp Castle Hotel
Glenapp Castle Hotel, Ayrshire, Scotland
Photograph by DavidCC, Alamy Stock Photo
Schloss Wartegg
Rorschach, St. Gallen, Switzerland Schloss Wartegg.
Photograph by Dukas, UIG/Getty Images
Hotel Fortaleza do Guincho
Photograph by Dagmar Schwelle, laif/Redux
La Mamounia
The restaurant of the legendary Marrakesh hotel La Mamounia is seen on September 19, 2009 before its reopening on September 27 following a three-year renovation led by French interior designer Jacques Garcia.
Photograph by ABDELHAK SENNA, AFP/Getty Images
Fairmont Banff Springs
The historic Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel rises above the forest in this 2008 Banff Springs, Canada, summer sunrise landscape photo.
Photograph by George Rose, Getty Images
Star Castle
Star Castle Hotel on St Mary's, Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, England.
Photograph by Andrew Roland, Alamy Stock Photo
Itaipava Castle
Front view of the Itaipava Castle, Petropolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Photograph by AlessandraRC, Alamy Stock Photo
Schloss Leopoldskron
Oesterreich, Salzburg: Schloss Leopoldskron.
Photograph by Guenter Standl, laif/Redux
Taj Palace Hotel
India, Rajasthan, Udaipur, Taj Lake Palace Hotel.
Photograph by Bernd Jonkmanns, laif/Redux
Czocha castle
Czocha castle in Sucha, Lower Silesia Province, Poland.
Photograph by Mieczyslaw Wieliczko, Alamy Stock Photo
Castle Otocec
Castle Otocec, Slovenia
Photograph by Matic Štojs, Alamy Stock Photo
Estancia La Candelaria
During the touristic boom that lives Argentina, many traditional estancias of the pampas opened their doors to receive foreign visitors, who marvels with the architecture and luxuries of Argentina's country side of the XIX Century.
Photograph by Fernando Dvoskin, Redux
Schonburg Castle
Schonburg Castle at Rhine Valley near Oberwesel, Germany. Image shot 01/2016. Exact date unknown.
Photograph by Zoonar GmbH, Alamy Stock Photo
Ashford Castle
Ashford Castle, Cong, County Mayo.
Photograph by LOLA AKINMADE AKERSTROM, Nat Geo Image Collection
Oheka Castle
Oheka Castle in Huntington, New York. One of many among the Gold Coast Mansions of Long Island.
Photograph by Felix Lipov, Alamy Stock Photo
Amberley Castle
Amberley Castle Hotel West Sussex as viewed from the battlements.
Photograph by PSL Images, Alamy Stock Photo
Castle Hotel
Beijing, China. 11th June, 2017. Aerial photo taken on June 11, 2017 shows a castle hotel in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province.
Photograph by Pan Yulong, Xinhua/Alamy Stock Photo
Kronovalls
Kronovalls Vinslott, Wine Castle, Skane, Sweden, Europe.
Photograph by imageBROKER, Alamy Stock Photo
Umaid Bhawan Palace
The Umaid Bhawan Palace, now a luxury hotel, in Jodhpur, India. October 2008.
Photograph by Kevin J. Miyazaki, Redux
Ca'Sagredo
Hôtel de luxe du palais Ca'Sagredo sur le Grand Canal, Venise.
Photograph by Sylvain GRANDADAM, Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images
Castello Orsini
Italy, Lazio, Castello Orsini.
Photograph by Vito Arcomano, Alamy Stock Photo
Ciragan Palace, now a Kempinski Hotel, beside the Bosphorus, Istanbul, Turkey.
Photograph by Melvyn Longhurst, Alamy Stock Photo
Cait Etherton is a Virginia-based writer and frequent contributor to National Geographic Travel. Follow her journey on Twitter @caitweeting.