Spain's Most Impressive Castles

Beside the Guadalquivir, the Alcázar of the Christian Monarchs sums up centuries of Córdoba's history: Romans, Umayyads, Almohads, Castilian kings, the Inquisition and a prison.

Jutting out like a ship's prow over the Eresma valley, the Alcázar of Segovia was a royal residence for centuries and is one of the most famous medieval castles in the world.

Crowning the highest point of Toledo, the Alcázar sums up centuries of history, from Roman palace to imperial residence, and today houses the Army Museum and the Library of Castile-La Mancha.

A Nasrid palatine city overlooking Granada, with palaces whose decoration ranks among the high points of Andalusi art, along with gardens and an alcazaba woven into the landscape.

Almansa Castle, in the province of Albacete, is a Bien de Interés Cultural listed as a monument and an essential stop for anyone exploring the heritage of Castilla-La Mancha.

An Andalusi fortress dating from 760, perched on the hill of El Redondo, with imposing towers and a careful early 20th-century restoration that keeps it standing.

A medieval fortress perched on a hillock in Campoo de Suso, in southern Cantabria, visible from afar and protected as a site of cultural interest since 1983.

A French-style Neo-Gothic castle in the heart of the Urdaibai estuary, built at the behest of Eugénie de Montijo for an imperial family that never came to live in it.

A Gothic castle with a circular floor plan, the oldest of its kind in Europe, overlooking Palma from a wooded hill with views of the bay and the Tramuntana.

A fortress rising above the hill of San Cristóbal on the outskirts of Belmonte, protected as a monument since 1931 and now a Site of Cultural Interest.

Rising above Berlanga de Duero, this castle sums up centuries of history: Muslim fortress, Castilian stronghold, seigneurial residence and artillery bastion.

A Neo-Gothic fortress of medieval origin rising at the heart of a wooded estate in Gatica, a secluded spot that is nonetheless close to Bilbao.