Bird's Nest Castle
Coming to the small, sunny town of Gaspra, you will see the Swallow's Nest Castle, a tourist symbol of Crimea, a peninsula in southern Ukraine, built on a narrow rock in the Aurore cliff, 40 meters above the Black Sea.
Seen from the sea, the Gothic castle with its distinctive domes and pointed tops, built in the early 20th century, looks like a swallow's nest nestled on the cliff. From the corridors outside the castle, there is a beautiful image of the waves of the Black Sea, the Yalta Bay and the undulating mountains in the distance.
Romantic Bird's Nest Castle in the sunset
Having gone through many historical events, today the castle is considered one of the most remarkable works of architecture and history in this area.
Aragonese Castle
Aragonese Castle is an ancient fortress built on a volcanic rock surrounded by water on the island of Ischia, in the Campania region of Italy. Aragonese, which rises from the sea, fascinates visitors with its mysterious and well-preserved features.
This castle is isolated and only connected to the rest of the island by the Ischia Bridge. Most of the events, battles and the elegant life of Ischia took place here. So, just by coming to Aragonese, you can travel back in time to a medieval Europe.
The walls, churches and fortresses of the Aragonese castles were mostly built between the 14th and 17th centuries. They are perfectly camouflaged with the dark and jagged rocks of the island, and form a closed garden with charming winding alleys…
Alcazar Fortress
The Alcazar is a bow-shaped fortress palace located at the end of the old city of Segovia, built on a rocky promontory overlooking the confluence of the Eresma and Clamores rivers, making the Alcazar an impregnable place for a long time.
In the 12th century, the Alcazar was built as a fortress, but was used as a royal castle, then a prison and a military academy. The Alcazar was also one of the buildings that inspired Walt Disney to build the fairy tale castle in Cinderella.
Today, the Alcazar is one of Spain’s most popular historical sites and one of Segovia’s three main tourist attractions. You can walk through its ornate rooms, climb the 153 steps to the tower, and enjoy panoramic views of the area.
Gyantse Fortress
Despite repeated attacks, the Gyantse fortress on Dongri Mountain with its 3 km long wall south of Gyantse city, built in 1365, is the best preserved ruin in Tibet.
Buddhist murals, a small temple and a room turned into a museum can give you a glimpse into the glorious past of Gyantse fort centuries ago.
From the fort, one can see the valley and especially the Kumbum Palcho monastery. The ideal time to visit Gyantse fort is from May to October.
William Gillette Castle
The stone William Gillette Castle located on a hill beside the Connecticut River (USA) was built by actor William Hooker Gillette in 1919, inspired by the architecture of castles in the Rhine River Valley.
On the outside, the castle looks dilapidated, but inside it's all modern conveniences combined with the… eccentric!
Visitors also have the opportunity to enjoy the fresh air while walking along the trails around the castle, capturing the magnificent natural images of the Connecticut Valley.
Fort Peñafiel
Peñafiel Fortress in Valladolid province, built on a hill in the 10th century, is one of the most beautiful examples of castle-fortress architecture in Spain and is a well-preserved national heritage site.
The 210-meter-long ship-like fortress with double ramparts. Eight soaring watchtowers combined with stone arches create a majestic image.
Like other high-rise structures, from any position in the fortress you can easily admire the panoramic view of the area, all the way down to the city of Peñafiel, where it had the duty to protect its inhabitants in the past…
Dhar Al-Hajar Rock Castle
Dhar Al-Hajar (also known as the Rock Castle) is located on top of a 50 m high hill, 15 km northeast of Sanaa city, and is one of the most famous structures in Yemen.
The castle was built in 1786 and was expanded in 1930 to serve as a summer retreat for the Muslim leader of Yemen. At the foot of the Rock Castle is lush vegetation with fruit gardens and fields stretching out. Therefore, visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy the scent and color of fruits before reaching their main attraction!
The five-story castle is architecturally remarkable. The first floors have small windows with little decoration, but the upper floors are large and lavishly decorated with imitation marble. The roof is designed as a large, pure white terrace, surrounded by artistically arched railings…
Kumbhalgarh Fort
Coming to the Indian state of Rajasthan, from the city of Udaipur, you can easily see the Kumbhalgarh fort built in the 16th century among the barren mountains.
Kumbhalgarh is considered an impregnable fortress with 13 high peaks of the Aravali mountain range surrounding it and built on the highest peak at an altitude of 1,914 m. The fort stretches for 36 km, making it the second longest wall in the world.
Kumbhalgarh Fort is a complex of numerous palaces, temples, and magnificent gardens. The castle is at the highest point. The rooms are in a combination of green, turquoise, and white tones, creating a contrasting color scheme that resembles drifting clouds, hence the name “cloud palace.”
From this position, visitors can enjoy the lush green forests, majestic gorges and the pristine natural beauty below. October to December is the ideal time to visit Kumbhalgarh.
