5 Best Medieval Cities in Europe: A Guide for History Lovers and Families

By Chris Livemore

I was explaining to my daughter that Disneyland Paris' castle - you know Sleeping Beauty's picturesque castle - doesn't really count in terms of actual real life castles. Admitedly it does have towers and she did advise me that there was the possibilty of a working drawbridge (need to fact check that), but something that was built in 1992 can't be included in the list.

The good news is that Europe, as it turns out, is absolutely full of them. Infact, there are tens of thousands of castles in Europe, with estimates often ranging between 100,000 and over a million depending on whether ruins, fortified manor houses, and small, private, or partially destroyed structures are included. France alone has up to 45,000 - obviously this would have been 45,001 if the Disneyland Paris one counted. I am sticking to my guns though.

Simply put, the Middle Ages left behind an extraordinary number of cities that have survived wars, modernisation, and the entire twentieth century looking almost exactly as they did seven hundred years ago. Some of them are so well preserved it is genuinely difficult to believe you haven't accidentally stepped through a gap in time.

Here is The Good Knight's list of the five of the best European medieval cities you can visit with your own little knights. Which ones have you been to or would like to visit?

Carcassonne, South of France (the one that looks like a drawing)

Stunning. Carcassonne looks exactly like the medieval castle every child draws. This mighty fortress city boasts 52 (or 53 depending upon who you ask) towers and impossibly perfect crenellated walls, a double ring of ramparts creating a fortress within a fortress.

As you approach Carcassonne it looks like you are coming up on a giant fairy tale castle, until you realise it is actually an entire village surrounded by a massive city wall. The fortifications go back 2,500 years in various forms, the Romans got involved, the Visigoths built it higher and then the medieval French made it extraordinary during the 13th and 14th centuries.

After the day-trippers leave, the evening light bathes the ancient stones in golden hues. Visitors should venture beyond the main tourist streets to find quiet corners where cats nap in sun-dappled spots and grapevines grow against weathered stone walls unchanged for centuries.

If you are of similar age to me, you may even recognise some of the sites from the 1991 blockbuster Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. Now try to get through the rest of day without singing the Bryan Adams song!

Carcassonne is a 11/10 score. It is just mind blowing. It is one of the most incredible places to visit.

Bruges, Belgium (the one with the canals and chocolate)

Often referred to as the Venice of the North, Bruges is considered one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Europe. The city was a major centre of trade and culture during its golden age from the 12th to 15th centuries. It is one of my favourite European city by a distance, the buildings, the history, the beer (sorry I meant chocolate) and the questionable ghost tours - it really does have the most haunted of histories,

Cobbled lanes lined with centuries-old whitewashed houses lead to flower-filled squares, while a web of beautiful canals crisscrosses the city. A cruise on one of these is an amazing way to take it all in and get a proper, proper feel for the city and put your feet up and relax. Kids would absolutely love this part of the trip.

Don't miss the 15th-century Belfort, which is Bruges' distinctive bell tower in the Town Square. It's 366 steps to the top, but the views are worth the effort. The tower overlooks the Market square, which has held a produce market since the 10th century. Tip - you can view all of the chocolate shops from this vantage point! The whole place is so accessible and easy to walk around.

Your feet will have blisters by the end of this trip!

What makes Bruges particularly extraordinary is the reason it survived at all. Its harbour silted up, leaving it stranded, and without a money steam to tear it down to build anything more modern. Today it enjoys renewed prosperity as a tourist destination. Medieval neglect, it turns out, is the best preservation strategy available.

Tallinn, Estonia (the hidden gem)

Most people don't think of Estonia when they think of medieval Europe. This is a pretty big mistake. Tallinn, historically known as Reval, is one of the most immaculately preserved medieval cities in Europe and is Estonia's capital city.

Its winding cobbled lanes, crooked half-timbered houses, and ancient squares make it an absolutely beautiful place to visit and witness first hand the history of a city founded by Danish Crusaders in 1219. The whole of the centre is protected by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

The Town Hall Pharmacy, dating back to 1422, is another step back in time. Dusty wooden shelves are lined with flasks of potions, while a cabinet displays alarming-looking medical instruments from the Middle Ages. It is the oldest operational pharmacy anywhere in Europe, which is a pretty cool claim to fame (for a pharmacy).

This is the one to visit if you want to feel genuinely transported back in time. Bruges and Carcassonne are amazing places, but they know they're tourist destinations. Tallinn feels like it simply never noticed that the Middle Ages ended and life kept on going.

Rhodes, Greece (the knights one)

Rhodes' Old Town was built by the Knights of St. John in the 14th century, who occupied the city between 1309 and 1522 after Again the city is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is easily one of the best-preserved medieval cities found anywhere on our planet. I may have said each of the cities on the list so far is the 'best-preserved' but that's because they all are immaculately preserved and Rhodes Old Town is no different.

If you talk to people about Rhodes then very few mention the rich medieval history, instead focusing upon the Ancient Greek history. After all, it was home to the Colossus of Rhodes, a huge bronze statue of the Greek sun god Helios that was built around 280BC. And being famous for hosting one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (until an earthquake struck and destroyed it) is more of a claim to fame than its medieval history.

But you can walk the Street of the Knights - the same stone-paved lane lined with Gothic buildings that the Knights of St. John would have seen - and straight to the Palace of the Grand Master, a fortified stronghold that feels more like a small castle than a palace.

I should probably give you a little more information on the Knights of St. John who were actually one of the great military orders of the medieval period, crusading knights who held Rhodes for over two centuries before finally being driven out by the Ottoman Empire in 1522. Around the Old Town, you'll find Byzantine churches (who got evicted by the knights), hidden courtyards and ancient inns. All of it behind walls that actual knights once defended.

Immense wow factor and a reminder that I should put together a blog about the great military orders of the Middle Ages.

Prague, Czech Republic (the best preserved large medieval city in Europe)

Thanks to the fact that it was left virtually undamaged by the events of World War Two, Prague is generally considered to be the best-preserved large medieval city in Europe (yep all five cities have been described as the best-preserved, I have struggled for an alternative word there, besides if you get to any of the cities you would agree with me!). If you haven't been yet then book a plane, train or any other mode of transport ticket that will get you to Prague. Before you go, purchase a very, very, very good pair of walking shoes. You will need them.

This was one of the best weekend trips I have ever been on. The history is just on another level.

Some medieval background...the city’s medieval history spans from its 9th-century foundation to the Hussite wars of the early 15th century, peaking in the 14th century when Charles IV made it the Holy Roman Empire's capital. Prague Castle was the centre point of the city and its claim to fame is being the largest ancient castle complex in the world - it covers over 70,000 square meters.

Prague's historic centre stands as "a supreme manifestation of medieval urbanism," according to UNESCO. It is also home to the oldest medieval astronomical clock in the world that is still functioning (I even have a magnet of this clock on my fridge, but when I went the clock face was having some restoration work so I missed it!). But let's say that again. A clock. Still working. Installed in 1410.

This is the kind of fact that children find properly astonishing, and rightly so. And yes I am aware that adults find it properly astonishing too. That's one of the things I love most about medieval history, it has the power to astonish all ages and captivate your imagination of what it was like to be there hundreds and hundreds of years ago.

Prague is big enough to be impressive, yet cosy enough to feel warm and inviting, with rich architecture, a thriving culture, and a huge urban castle. It is also, for families, genuinely manageable - walkable, well-connected, and full of the kind of medieval detail that rewards curiosity at any age.

What do they have in common?

Every one of these cities survived because something went wrong. A harbour silted up. A war passed them by. A modernisation project ran out of money. History preserved them not through deliberate effort but through fortunate accident. Thousands and thousands of castles and medieval cities across Europe didn't have the same luck and that is something that makes these five awe inspiring cities so special.

Have I missed anything?

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