Best Ruin

Heidelberg Castle is a ruined Gothic and Renaissance palace in Germany, damaged by French troops in 1689 and lightning in 1764.

Spiš Castle is a large ruined fortress in eastern Slovakia, built from the 12th century and included in a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993.

Kenilworth Castle is a ruined fortress in Warwickshire, England, expanded by John of Gaunt and transformed for Elizabeth I's visit in 1575.

Château de Peyrepertuse is a cliff-top fortress in Aude, France, strengthened as a royal border castle after the 1258 Treaty of Corbeil.

Château Gaillard is a Norman fortress above the Seine in France, built by Richard the Lionheart in 1196-1198 and captured by Philip II in 1204.

Castle of the Moors is a hilltop fortress in Sintra, Portugal, built by the Moors in the 8th and 9th centuries and taken after Lisbon fell in 1147.

Dunluce Castle is a ruined medieval fortress in Northern Ireland, perched on a basalt cliff and associated with the MacDonnell earls of Antrim.

Urquhart Castle is a ruined fortress on Loch Ness in Scotland, notable for its role in medieval conflicts and its prominent Grant Tower.

Bodiam Castle is a moated 14th-century castle in East Sussex, England, built in 1385 by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge during the Hundred Years' War.

Raglan Castle is a late medieval fortress in Monmouthshire, Wales, notable for its Great Tower and 15th-century rebuilding by William ap Thomas.

Caerlaverock Castle is a triangular moated castle in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, notable for its distinctive plan and 13th-century origins.

Tintagel Castle is a ruined medieval stronghold in Cornwall, England, linked to the Arthurian legend and built by Richard, Earl of Cornwall, in the 1230s.

Château de Quéribus is a ruined fortress in southern France, known as one of the last Cathar strongholds before its surrender in 1255.

Corfe Castle is a ruined Dorset fortress begun by William the Conqueror and destroyed by Parliamentarian forces after a Civil War siege in 1646.

Chepstow Castle is a Norman fortress above the River Wye in Wales, notable for its Great Tower begun soon after the Norman Conquest.

Kerak Castle is a 12th-century Crusader fortress in al-Karak, Jordan, begun in the 1140s and central to the Lordship of Oultrejordain.

Tantallon Castle is a ruined 14th-century fortress in East Lothian, Scotland, notable as a Douglas stronghold facing the Bass Rock.

Rochester Castle is a Norman fortress in Kent, England, whose 12th-century stone keep is among the tallest surviving castle keeps in the country.

Château de Bonaguil is a fortified castle in southwest France, enlarged around 1480-1510 and often cited as a late medieval military design.

Ludlow Castle is a medieval fortress in Shropshire, England, founded after the Norman Conquest and later seat of the Council of the Marches.

Framlingham Castle is a 12th-century fortress in Suffolk, England, where Mary Tudor was proclaimed queen in 1553 after Edward VI's death.

Ogrodzieniec Castle is a ruined Gothic stronghold in southern Poland, built on limestone rocks along the Trail of the Eagles' Nests.

Craigmillar Castle is a medieval castle near Edinburgh, notable for its links to Mary, Queen of Scots, who stayed there in 1566.

Goodrich Castle is a medieval fortress in Herefordshire, England, known for its well-preserved 12th-century keep and Civil War siege damage.

Warkworth Castle is a medieval fortress in Northumberland, England, and was a major stronghold of the Percy family from the 14th century.

St Andrews Castle is a ruined episcopal castle in Fife, Scotland, notable for its Reformation-era siege mine and countermine tunnels.

Richmond Castle is a Norman fortress in North Yorkshire, England, begun by Alan Rufus after 1071 and noted for its unusually complete curtain wall.

Pevensey Castle is a medieval castle in East Sussex set within a Roman fort, notable as the landing place tied to William the Conqueror in 1066.

Scarborough Castle is a medieval royal fortress in North Yorkshire, England, built on a headland and besieged several times during the Civil War.