Castles & fortresses

Stone fortresses on hilltops, Renaissance castles in the hills and old forts on the coast. Each one comes with its history, curiosities, a map and tours nearby.

Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors

31 places

The ruined Čačvina fortress on its hilltop above the village of Čačvina

Castle & fortress

Čačvina Castle

Čačvina · ruined hilltop fort on an ancient route

Čakovec Castle, the Zrinski stronghold in the centre of Čakovec

Castle & fortress

Čakovec Castle

Čakovec · Zrinski stronghold, museum and summer theatre

Cetin Castle seen from the back, above the village of Podcetin

Castle & fortress

Cetin Castle

Cetingrad · Frankopan fortress where a king was elected

Dubovac Castle on its hill above Karlovac

Castle & fortress

Dubovac Castle

Karlovac · hilltop castle older than the city below

Fort Punta Christo, an Austro-Hungarian coastal fortress near Pula

Castle & fortress

Fort Punta Christo

Pula · vast Austro-Hungarian fort guarding the bay

Frankopan Castle in Krk town on the island of Krk, seen from the outside

Castle & fortress

Frankopan Castle

Krk · seaside castle of the Frankopan counts, from 1191

Ruins of Gvozdansko Castle, a Zrinski fortress in Sisak-Moslavina County

Castle & fortress

Gvozdansko Castle

Gvozdansko · Zrinski fortress and mint, known for the siege of 1577

Kamerlengo Castle in Trogir seen from the sea, with its polygonal tower facing the water

Castle & fortress

Kamerlengo Castle

Trogir · Venetian sea fortress on the old town's edge

Klis Fortress seen from the south-west, perched on its rocky ridge above the village of Klis

Castle & fortressFilmed here

Klis Fortress

Klis · royal seat and frontier fortress above Split

Knin, Croatia: the town with its fortress on the hill above

Castle & fortress

Knin Fortress

Knin · Croatia's second-largest fortress, a royal seat

Lotrščak Tower in Zagreb's Upper Town during the Festival of Lights, March 2019

Castle & fortress

Lotrščak Tower

Zagreb · medieval tower, thieves' bell and daily noon cannon

Fort Lovrijenac on its rock outside the western walls of Dubrovnik

Castle & fortressFilmed here

Lovrijenac

Dubrovnik · rock fort with a famous freedom motto

Medvedgrad, the old fortress on the slopes of Medvednica above Zagreb

Castle & fortress

Medvedgrad

Medvedgrad · 13th-century castle with a view over Zagreb

The Cetina gorge just beyond Omiš, below the Mirabella fortress

Castle & fortress

Mirabella Fortress (Peovica)

Omiš · Romanesque tower above the Cetina gorge

Nehaj Fortress, the square stone tower on its hill above the town of Senj

Castle & fortress

Nehaj Fortress

Senj · the square Uskok fortress with a name that means “don't care”

Fort Nutjak on its cliff above the canyon of the Cetina River near Trilj

Castle & fortress

Nutjak Fort

Trilj · ruined round-tower fortress above the Cetina canyon

The ruins of Okić Castle, the old medieval town, on their hill in the Samobor Hills

Castle & fortress

Okić Castle

Okić · medieval hilltop ruin above Samobor

Ostrovica Fortress and its rocky crag seen from the south

Castle & fortress

Ostrovica Fortress

Ostrovica · ruined crag fortress, once the Key to Zadar

Pazin Castle, also known as Castello di Montecuccoli, standing on its rock above the gorge in Pazin

Castle & fortress

Pazin Castle

Pazin · Istria's largest castle above a vanishing river

The ruined castle of Pietrapelosa, also called Kostel, on its crag above the Bračana valley

Castle & fortress

Pietrapelosa

Pietrapelosa · the 'hairy stone' castle near Buzet

Samobor Castle, the ruined fortress on Tepec hill above the town of Samobor

Castle & fortress

Samobor Castle

Samobor · medieval castle ruin on Tepec hill, a short walk from town

Sokolac castle on its rocky rise in the town of Brinje

Castle & fortress

Sokolac Castle

Brinje · Frankopan Gothic fortress named after the falcon

Aerial view of St. Nicholas Fortress on its islet at the entrance to St. Anthony Channel

Castle & fortress

St. Nicholas Fortress

Šibenik · UNESCO-listed Venetian fort on a sea islet

The Stone Gate (Kamenita vrata) in Zagreb's Upper Town with its carriageway and shrine

Castle & fortress

Stone Gate

Zagreb · last medieval gate and a candlelit shrine to Mary

Ruins of Susedgrad Castle on its wooded hill at the western edge of Zagreb

Castle & fortress

Susedgrad Castle

Podsused · ruined hilltop castle on the edge of Zagreb

Trakošćan Castle in northern Croatia, the Neo-Gothic manor beside its lake

Castle & fortressFilmed here

Trakošćan Castle

Trakošćan · Neo-Gothic castle, museum and park in Zagorje

Trsat Castle on its hill above the city of Rijeka

Castle & fortress

Trsat Castle

Trsat · Frankopan hilltop castle above Rijeka

Rear side of Tvrdalj Castle, the fortified Renaissance house of Petar Hektorović in Stari Grad on Hvar

Castle & fortress

Tvrdalj Castle

Stari Grad, Hvar · Renaissance poet's house with a fishpond

Veliki Tabor Castle on its hilltop at Hum Košnički in Hrvatsko Zagorje

Castle & fortressFilmed here

Veliki Tabor Castle

Desinić · Late Gothic fortress with a tragic legend

Aerial view of Ston and its walls from the south-west, on the Pelješac peninsula

Castle & fortress

Walls of Ston

Ston · Europe's “Great Wall”, built to guard salt

Ruins of Zrin Castle among the woods of Zrinska Gora

Castle & fortress

Zrin Castle

Zrin · ruined cradle of the Zrinski family