Castles and Gardens of Europe

Castle of the Dukes of Bourbon in Montluçon

Montluçon’s Château des Ducs de Bourbon opens after restoration

The Château des Ducs de Bourbon in Montluçon, France, has fully opened to the public as a museum after 18 months of restoration, allowing visitors to explore its upper floors for the first time. The project, which began on January 15, 2024, and completed on July 1, 2025, culminated in the castle's reopening on November 11, 2025. / READ MORE /

Château de Cheverny (photo- APX via Pexels

News

Half-million tulip bulbs planted at Château de Cheverny

At the Château de Cheverny in Loir-et-Cher, France, gardeners have completed planting half a million tulip bulbs, setting the stage for a vibrant spring display despite growing climate uncertainties. / READ MORE /

The magnificent Prague Castle from where you have a wonderful view of the old city (image: Pexels)

News

Prague Castle Europe’s most beautiful castle according to TUI

Travel giant TUI has published a striking new ranking in November 2025: the 1,000 most popular and highest-rated castles, palaces and fortresses in Europe. The list is based entirely on public Google data and was compiled in collaboration with German marketing agency Peak Ace. / READ MORE /

Mozart's Magic Flute in the QuarrySt.Margarethen (photo: ©Andreas Tischler)

Events & Programs, News

Puccini’s Tosca in a monumental setting

From 15 July to 22 August 2026, the St. Margarethen Quarry in Austria will once again become the stage for a world-class opera experience. Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca — a masterpiece of verismo — will return in a spectacular new production, marking the 30th anniversary of 'Oper im Steinbruch'. / READ MORE /

Chambord Castle (Photo by Susanne Jutzeler, via Pexels)

News

Iconic Château Chambord in danger of collapse: “Extremely concerning”

One of the world’s most iconic castles, Château Chambord in France’s Loire Valley, is facing a serious threat of collapse. Dutch newspaper AD reports that the castle’s management is calling on visitors and heritage lovers worldwide to donate toward saving this European treasure. / READ MORE /

Loch Finlaggan with the island where the castle was built (photo: Gunther Tschuch, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons)

News

Forgotten royal castle uncovered on Scottish island

The BBC reports that archaeologists have unearthed evidence of a "forgotten" royal castle at Finlaggan on the Hebridean island of Islay, Scotland, revealing a fortress that once may have served as home to kings ruling western Scotland over 700 years ago. / READ MORE /

Schwering Castle (Photo: Michael Reichelt via Pixabay)

News, Places

Schwerin castle ranked third most beautiful in Germany by Google

Schwerin Castle has been crowned the third most beautiful castle in Germany by the Google community, according to a recent ranking of Europe's top 1,000 castles and palaces. The analysis, conducted by an agency in collaboration with travel provider TUI, evaluated over 20,000 structures based on Google reviews and social media engagement on platforms like Instagram and Flickr. / READ MORE /

Exhibitions, News

Visitor record for exhibition at Gottorf Castle

Schloss Gottorf, Germany, located in the Kreis Schleswig-Flensburg, has achieved a new visitor record with its special exhibition about Vikings which concluded over the weekend. Exhibition details The exhibition Wikingerdämmerung. Zeitenwende im Norden drew a total of 53,322 visitors, marking the most successful special exhibition in the 26-year history of the Stiftung Schleswig-Holsteinische Landesmuseen Schloss... / READ MORE /