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Nick O'Brien Profile picture
@NickLovesSpain
Jul 24, 2023 • 26 tweets • 9 min read • Read on X
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More than 10,000 castles have marked Spain throughout history.

With 2,500 still standing today.

Here are the 25 most enchanting castles to explore during your next visit to Spain:

(a 🧵)


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1. Alcázar de Segovia

- Segovia Castle
- Located in Segovia (Castile and León)
- One of the most-visited landmarks in Spain
- Inspired Disney's Cinderella Castle & Sleeping Beauty Castle

📸: El Mundo Image
2. Alhambra

- Located in Granada (Andalusia)
- Translates from Arabic to "The Red Fortress"
- UNESCO World Heritage Site

📸: The Tour Guy Image
3. Alcazaba de Málaga

- Málaga Alcazaba
- Located in Málaga (Andalusia)
- Has remnants of a Roman Theatre, dating to 1st century AD

📸: The Discoveries Of Image
4. Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos

- The Castle of the Christian Monarchs
- Located in Córdoba (Andalusia)
- UNESCO World Heritage Site

📸: Wikipedia Image
5. Castillo de Coca

- Coca Castle
- Located in Coca (Castile and León)
- One of the best examples of Spanish-Mudéjar brickwork

📸: Tripadvisor Image
6. Castillo de Loarre

- Castle of Loarre
- Located in Loarre (Aragon)
- Built during the 11th and 13th centuries

📸: Turismo de Aragón Image
7. Palacio Real de Olite

- Royal Palace of Olite
- Also known as the Palace of the Kings of Navarre of Olite
- Located in Olite (Navarra)

📸: Sitios de España Image
8. Castell de Bellver

- Bellver Castle
- Located in Palma de Mallorca (Balearic Islands)
- One of the few circular castles in Europe

📸: Visiting Mallorca Image
9. Castillo de Peñafiel

- Castle of Peñafiel
- Located in Peñafiel (Castile and León)
- Construction began in the year 947

📸: Guías Viajar Image
10. Castillo de La Mota

- Castle of La Mota
- Located in Medina del Campo (Castile and León)
- Named for its location on a "mota", an elevated hill

📸: Wikipedia Image
11. Castillo de Peñíscola

- Peniscola Castle
- Located in Peñíscola (Valencian Community)
- Overlooks the Mediterranean Sea at an altitude of 64 meters

📸: Comunitat Valenciana Image
12. Castillo Nuevo de Manzanares el Real

- New Castle of Manzanares el Real
- Located in Manzanares el Real (Community of Madrid)
- One of the best-preserved castles in the region

📸: Comunidad de Madrid Image
13. Castilo de Burgalimar

- Burgalimar Castel
- Located in Baños de la Encina (Andalusia)
- One of the best-preserved Muslim castles in all of Spain

📸: España Fascinante Image
14. Castillo de Lorca - Fortaleza Del Sol

- Lorca Castle - Fortress of the Sun
- Located in Lorca (Region of Murcia)
- A key stronghold in the contentions between Christians and Muslims

📸: Pets Travel Image
15. Alcazaba y Murallas del Cerro de San Cristóbal

- Alcazaba and Walls of San Cristóbal Hill
- Located in Almería (Andalusia)
- One of the most important monumental and archaeological sites on the Iberian Peninsula

📸: Raizes Turismo Personal Image
16. Castillo de los Templarios - Castillo de Ponferrada

- Castle of the Templars - Castle of Ponferrada
- Located in El Bierzo (Castie and León)
- Began construction in the year 1178

📸: Ayuntamiento de Ponferrada Image
17. Castillo de Tossa de Mar

- Tossa de Mar Castle
- Located in Tossa de Mar (Catalonia)
- Declared a National Historic-Artistic Monument

📸: Prensa Ibérica Image
18. Castillo de Butrón

- Butrón Castle
- Located in Gatica (Basque Country)
- Located in the center of a wooded estate in an isolated area near Bilbao

📸: Diario de Navarra Image
19. Castillo de Colomares

- Colomares Castle
- Located in Benalmádena (Andalusia)
- Erected to honor Christopher Columbus and the Discovery of America

📸: Blog de la Costa del Sol Image
20. Palacio de la Aljafería

- Aljafería Palace
- Located in Zaragoza (Aragon)
- UNESCO World Heritage Site

📸: Patrimonio Cultural de Aragón Image
21. Castillo de la Atalaya - Castillo de Villena

- Castle of the Watchtower - Villena Castle
- Located in Villena (Valencian Community)
- Declared a Historic-Artistic Monument

📸: Comunitat Valenciana Image
22. Castillo de Belmonte

- Belmonte Castle
- Located in Belmonte (Castilla-La Mancha)
- Declared a Historic-Artistic Monument

📸: El Mundo Image
23. Castillo de Alarcón

- Alarcón Castle
- Located in Alarcón (Castilla-La Mancha)
- Part of a set of fortifications

📸: Paradores Image
24. Castillo de Almansa

- Almansa Castle
- Located in Almansa (Castilla-La Mancha)
- Construction began in the 13th or 14th century

📸: Wikipedia Image
25. Castillo de Cardona

- Cardona Castle
- Located in Cardona (Catalonia)
- The most important medieval fortress in the region

📸: Caminoon Image

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More from @NickLovesSpain

Nick O'Brien Profile picture
Jun 17
Spain is home to over 8,000 towns and villages.

And in 2011, a national association set out to crown the most beautiful.

Here are the first 15 they chose — and it's no surprise why... 🧵 Image
1. Albarracín (Teruel, Aragón)

A pink-hued medieval village wrapped in walls and perched above a gorge.

Declared a National Monument in 1961 and often called the most beautiful village in Spain. Image
2. Peñíscola (Castellón, Valencian Community)

A walled seaside town on a rocky peninsula, crowned by a 13th-century Templar castle.

Home to Antipope Benedict XIII and filming site for Game of Thrones. Image
Read 17 tweets
Nick O'Brien Profile picture
Jun 16
There are 3,000 abandoned towns scattered across Spain.

Along with leper colonies, haunted mansions, and hotels from the past.

Here are 20 of the most fascinating places the country left behind… 🧵 Image
1. Canfranc (Aragón)

One of Europe's grandest abandoned stations, tied to WWII espionage and Nazi gold shipments.

Restored and reopened in 2023 as a luxury hotel. Image
2. Belchite (Aragón)

A Civil War battlefield left in ruins and never rebuilt.

Franco ordered it preserved as a haunting “monument to war.” Image
Read 22 tweets
Nick O'Brien Profile picture
Jun 15
The year was 1808.

Napoleon’s forces surrounded Zaragoza, expecting a swift and easy victory.

What followed was one of the deadliest urban battles in European history. And it began 217 years ago today... 🧵 Image
Napoleon’s armies swept across Spain. Madrid had fallen. Most cities gave in.

But in Zaragoza — a fiercely religious city in Aragón — the people chose to resist. Image
Their leader? José de Palafox — a young nobleman with little military experience.

To prepare for war, the city’s churches rang their bells, and civilians fortified the streets.

Zaragoza wasn't a military outpost. It was their home. Image
Read 15 tweets
Nick O'Brien Profile picture
Jun 14
Spain’s coastline isn’t just beaches and bars.

It’s home to some of the most enchanting seaside towns in Europe.

Here are 20 of the very best — scattered along the most diverse coast on the continent... 🧵 Image
1. Cadaqués (Catalonia)

A whitewashed coastal gem surrounded by rocky hills —

And once the muse of Salvador Dalí, who kept a house in nearby Portlligat. Image
2. Cala Figuera (Mallorca, Balearic Islands)

A quiet Mallorcan fishing village where boats float in emerald-green waters lined with boathouses carved into the cliffs. Image
Read 22 tweets
Nick O'Brien Profile picture
Jun 13
Spain produces over half of the world’s olive oil.

More than Italy, Greece, and Turkey COMBINED.

But the real magic? The quality. And how it helps Spaniards live longer than anyone else in the EU… 🧵 Image
Olive oil has been part of Spanish life for over 3,000 years.

Brought by Phoenicians, expanded by the Romans, and perfected over centuries.

The Spanish word for olive oil — aceite — comes from the Arabic "az-zayt", meaning “the olive juice.” Image
The heart of it all is Jaén, in Andalusia.

The southern province holds the largest olive groves on Earth: with 66 million trees covering the landscape. Image
Read 17 tweets
Nick O'Brien Profile picture
Jun 11
The most beautiful monasteries in Spain... 🧵

1. Monastery of San Juan de la Peña (Aragón) Image
2. Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (Community of Madrid) Image
3. Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey (Catalonia) Image
Read 16 tweets

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