The Greatest Fictional Castles, Palaces & Fortresses

Voting Rules
Fictional castles, palaces and fortresses appearing in books, movies, tv, and comics.

While castles are primarily built for defense and usually have thicker walls, palaces typically follow the convention of demonstrating wealth and beauty. Fortresses by definition are large military strongholds that are heavily protected from attack.That's not to say that these often massive structures can't fit into more than one category.

Fictional worlds in books, movies, comics, and television can achieve a sense of verisimilitude by making up descriptive names for these imaginary architectural wonders. In fact, some of the iconic castles on this list are basically characters in their own right who gain instant recognition. Giant battles, sieges, weddings, balls, coronations, or escapes would not be the same without these memorable places of refuge. Vote for the greatest.

  • 1
    641 VOTES
    Minas Tirith
    Photo: user uploaded image
    Featured in The Lord of the Rings
    641 votes
  • 2
    471 VOTES

    The Hornburg

    The Hornburg
    Photo: user uploaded image
    Featured in The Lord of the Rings
    471 votes
  • 3
    419 VOTES

    Dragonstone

    Dragonstone
    Photo: user uploaded image
    Featured in Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice & Fire)
    419 votes
  • 4
    437 VOTES

    Cair Paravel

    Cair Paravel
    Photo: user uploaded image
    Featured in The Chronicles of Narnia
    437 votes
  • 5
    599 VOTES

    Hogwarts

    Hogwarts
    Photo: user uploaded image
    Featured in Harry Potter
    599 votes
  • 6
    488 VOTES

    Barad-dûr

    Barad-dûr
    Photo: user uploaded image
    Featured in The Lord of the Rings
    488 votes