County guide · The Castle Rolls
Best castles in North Wales
20 castles across North Wales, including three of Edward I's Welsh castles - Conwy, Caernarfon and Beaumaris - built after 1283 to hold a newly conquered region.
Map
Every castle on this list - 20 in total, 7 free to enter, 4 you can stay overnight in
Conwy Castle
Conwy
World Heritage Site; eight-towered Edwardian castle with town walls
Caernarfon Castle
Gwynedd
World Heritage Site; Edward I's fortress-palace, walls and towers largely complete
Beaumaris Castle
Isle of Anglesey
World Heritage Site; unfinished concentric castle with moat
Harlech Castle
Gwynedd
World Heritage Site; clifftop Edwardian castle with floating bridge entrance
Chirk Castle
Wrexham
Edwardian-era marcher fortress, inhabited 700 years
Penrhyn Castle
Gwynedd
19th-century neo-Norman castle
Gwrych Castle
Conwy
19th-century Gothic Revival mansion under active restoration since 2018; filming location for I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
Criccieth Castle
Gwynedd
Welsh princes' castle on headland over Cardigan Bay
Ruthin Castle
Denbighshire
Hotel and spa amid genuine medieval ruins
Bodelwyddan Castle
Denbighshire
Museum closed 2019; Warner bought castle 2021, adults-only hotel
Rhuddlan Castle
Denbighshire
Edward I diamond-plan castle beside canalised River Clwyd; seasonal opening
Castell Dinas Bran
Denbighshire
Hilltop ruin above Llangollen; free, steep walk
Flint Castle
Flintshire
First of Edward I's Welsh castles; detached great tower; free
Dolbadarn Castle
Gwynedd
Welsh princes' round tower overlooking Llyn Padarn, Llanberis; free
Denbigh Castle
Denbighshire
Hilltop castle with triple-towered gatehouse and town walls
Ewloe Castle
Flintshire
Hidden Welsh castle in woodland; 500m walk across farmland; free
Castell y Bere
Gwynedd
Remote native Welsh castle below Cadair Idris; free
Dolwyddelan Castle
Conwy
Llywelyn the Great's keep; free; interior open seasonally Fri-Sun
Gwydir Castle
Conwy
Self-guided visits Wed/Fri/Sun in season; two B&B rooms
Caergwrle Castle
Flintshire
Hilltop castle of Dafydd ap Gruffudd; recent Cadw guardianship; free