Medieval castles abound in Scotland, especially in the countryside. Even near large cities like Edinburgh and Glasgow you can find very old castles and palaces, which makes them very easy to visit. In our four days in Scotland, we tried visiting all the castles close to Edinburgh. Here is my list of castles in the South East of Scotland.
England is filled with castles! And most of them are very well preserved and amazing to visit. We visited a few English castles and even our kids loved them. They have beautiful museums with lots of old military gear as well as gowns and party dresses from the old times. There is lots to learn in these places as they give you a snapshot in time of British high society. Read on about four of these beautiful fairy tale castles in Britain.
Bavaria, Germany has many majestic medieval castles. Unfortunately we have only been able to visit five of them. I love old castles. The older they are the more interesting they are for me. I love learning their history because a castle has the entire history of a town or even an entire region concentrated in one place. Behind a castle’s wall lots of people found refuge and shelter during times of war and found joy and entertainment during times of peace. All this tumultuous life is many times captured inside a castle’s museum. Read on about five beautiful castles in Bavaria, Germany.
If you are driving from Salzburg to Vienna you will be passing by the small village of Melk, Austria. You must stop and visit the Melk Abbey and village! The village of Melk is very close to the freeway (A1) and the parking lot is also very easy to find. After a short, steep walk you get to the Abbey area entrance where you can purchase tickets to visit. I really like the fact that the Melk Abbey complex is being used as a high school so the local kids get great exposure to history every single day. How cool is that!
Salzburg Fortress, also known as Hohensalzburg, is very impressive. The Salzburg Fortress is a fully preserved monument of over 900 years old and is one of the largest existing 11th century fortress complexes in Europe. Situated at over 500 m altitude and measuring 250 m (820 ft) in long and 150 m (490 ft) wide, Salzburg Fortress is an impressive site. Read on about my visit at Salzburg Fortress.
Sirmione, Italy is a stunning place to visit in Northern Italy. It is situated on the southern tip of beautiful lake Garda and it has amazing history. Sirmione, Italy is the quintessential Italian tourist destination. We arrived in Sirmione a bit tired, coming from Padua, but taking a swim in the warm waters of Lake Garda, completely refreshed us and made us ready to head into town.
Soave, Italy was a small village that we knew nothing about when we visited Italy. We simply saw it from the freeway and decided to stop…and we were glad we did it. It is definitely a very old small village with an impressive castle and beautiful views of the surrounding country side. Soave, Italy is a delightful day trip from Verona or Lake Garda. The stairs leading to the castle provide beautiful views all around the area and the surrounding hills are simply beautiful with grape vines stretching in all directions. Read more about visiting Soave.
We arrived in Verona, Italy after a few hours drive from Milan. We were ready to stretch our legs, but most of all we were eager to experience this symbol of Italian charm and romance. We kept using the promise of Italian ice cream as a bribe for our kids as we started exploring this beautiful medieval city. Read on to experience my charming walking tour of Verona, Italy.
Perouges, France is one of those beautiful places that make you come to Europe and to France in particular. A small medieval village perched up on top of a hill, Perouges is a perfectly preserved medieval jewel. Perouges is one of the places that make you stop and say: “This is why I love coming to Europe and visit. You would never find anything like this in America.” Read on to see what I loved about Perouges.
Cinque Terre is part of the Italian Riviera and it is also a national park. The National Park Cinque Terre, Italy consists of five small villages located on a steep mountain side in the Italian province of Liguria. Beacause of its popularity and difficult access, Cinque Terre is somewhat difficult to visit and enjoy. Cinque Terre can be visited by car, by train or by boat. Read on about the best way to visit Cinque Terre.
