Where should we travel to see castles?

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Well, there's going to be some castle tour overloads but here are some which I have visited and loved, and some from recommendations that I've got from people I know and who have been there :)

Ireland

1) Kilkenny Castle - my favourite in Ireland by far, and the guided tour is well run with lots of informations about the castle. The Long Gallery is just awesome.

2) Dublin Castle - the chapel with its plaster imitation fan vault is quite spectacular really, and the state apartments are very elegantly decorated

3) Waterford Castle - this could actually be great for your anniversary celebration as the castle is located on an island and it's now a hotel so you can say you've live in a castle (even if just for a bit). I've only been there once for dinner with my relatives so I didn't really get to see the whole place.

4) Bunratty Castle - visit the folk park and while it's a bit kitschy to see people dressed in medieval costume and to participate in the banquet, for visitors it's really quite a lot of fun

5) Blarney Castle - this castle is famous for its stone at the top of the castle aka the Blarney Stone. Kiss this and you're supposed to have the gift of gab. The turning upside down bit to get to the stone may seem scary but it's fine really. The garden is lovely in the summer but I'm not sure what it's like in the winter.

6) Abbeyglen Castle - this is in Connemara and it's also now a hotel. While I've never been there, my friend said it's gorgeous. Then again, it's Connemara, which is a beautiful place to be in any case.


Scotland

1) The Edinburgh Castle - this is a must-go in my opinion, and it has a great view of Edinburgh all around!

2) Blair Castle - a bit of the way but it's stately and the landscape in Perthshire is also magnificent

3) Eilean Donan Castle - this is a Hollywood darling, having been featured in Highlander, Made of Honour and Elizabeth the Golden Age. Now, this one is really out of the way and rather unfortunately they're only open between March and November.

Happy 20th Anniversary!...Show more

Bunratty Castle
Drumonland Castle
Kilkenny Castle
Blarney Castle...Show more

I would recommend the Rock of Cashel Co. Tipperary and Bunratty Castle Co. Clare in southern Ireland...there are some others (I also liked Cahir castle). My horseback riding trainer - who led our Ireland vacation - would stop us at pretty much every castle we happened upon, and they're all very interesting, so southern Ireland is very good for that. My favorites are the Rock of Cashel (which is actually an ancient Abbey) and Bunratty, however.

Oh, and I did get a chance to see Abbeyglen castle Co. Connemara. It was very pretty, and there are the occasional, abandoned, smaller castles in the area on old paths....Show more

Bunratty castle in county clare and dromoland castle also in clare are fantastic and also have medieval banquets to boast....Show more