Worth a Journey

Read by 254k monthly readers

The World’s 100 Best Castles & Fortresses

Bunratty Castle

Bunratty, Ireland

  1. THE WORLD’S BEST CASTLES WORTH A JOURNEY · 2026 ✦ ✦ N° 94 2026
Bunratty Castle

Fifteenth-century fortress in Bunratty village, County Clare, near Shannon. Visitors climb narrow spiral stairs through furnished rooms and halls, then walk a reconstructed folk village of period houses.

Highlights

  • Furnished castle rooms and halls
  • Battlements and tower views
  • Reconstructed folk village

Good to know

  • Adult entry around €18 to €20
  • Castle last entry about 4pm, park open later
  • Narrow spiral stairs, hard with mobility issues

Also in Europe

  1. Acrocorinth N° 89 Acrocorinth Corinth, Greece Fortress
  2. Mir Castle N° 90 Mir Castle Mir, Belarus Castle
  3. Heidelberg Castle N° 93 Heidelberg Castle Heidelberg, Germany Castle ruin
  4. Lipnice Castle N° 95 Lipnice Castle Lipnice nad Sázavou, Czechia Castle
  5. Château de Pierrefonds N° 97 Château de Pierrefonds Pierrefonds, France Castle
  6. Reifenstein Castle N° 98 Reifenstein Castle Campo di Trens, Italy Castle