Estonia’s capital city may be compact, but its Old Town – with striking turrets, spires and ancient walls – is replete with medieval sights and architecture. Once a major outpost of the Hanseatic League, Tallinn is a beautiful time capsule of cobbled stone streets, old merchant houses, ancient churches and a rare Gothic town hall. Today this fortified town is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and, many believe, one of northern Europe’s best-preserved medieval cities.
The world was in mourning after a fire broke out at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in 2019. Built from the 12th century on the site of two former churches, this iconic medieval landmark had been hailed one of the most beautiful Gothic basilicas on Earth. Although the church’s 19th-century spire didn’t survive the blaze, many of its original features – including its mammoth Gothic towers – are still standing. It’s hoped that this beautiful relic will be ready to reopen in 2024.
Located on the Neckar River in southwestern Germany, this picturesque town was first built in the 12th century and the Heidelberg University, founded in 1386, is the oldest in the country. Although the town suffered extensive damage during the 17th-century War of the Palatinate Succession, it has retained its medieval layout and many buildings – such as Heiliggeistkirche church which towers over the Marktplatz – were rebuilt in the original Gothic style. The restored Heidelberg Schloss (castle), thought to date back to the early 1200s, overlooks the town.
After escaping destruction in the Second World War, Prague’s historic centre is filled to the brim with wonders, with many originating in the 14th century when the Holy Roman emperor Charles IV ruled. Its 12th-century Old Town Square is home to the Gothic Church Of Our Lady Before Tyn (built between the 14th and 16th centuries) and the Old Town Hall (built in 1338), whose famed astronomical clock is an amazing example of medieval craftmanship. Other architectural treasures include its 14th-century university and Prague Castle, dubbed the largest ancient castle in the world.
Showing off great architectural mastery for the era, the 15th-century Duomo di Firenze has become one of Tuscany's most well-known landmarks. Designed by several architects, including Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi, it took over 100 years to complete the cathedral and it could house 30,000 worshippers when it was consecrated in 1436. Its frescoes, sculptures, stained-glass windows and marble façade, not to mention its colossal dome, have inspired artists and architects Europe-wide over the centuries.
Situated northwest of Bucharest and spanning three square miles (8sq km), Sighişoara has a history that dates back to the Romans, and later the 12th-century Saxon Germans, who are behind a plethora of medieval treasures found in the hilltop citadel that overlooks the town. Enclosed by a ring of walls and nine towers – which include a striking clock tower – this UNESCO site also plays home to the aptly-named Church on the Hill, whose medieval wall paintings are considered some of the most valuable in Transylvania.
Piazza San Marco, or St Mark’s Square as it’s commonly known, is among the world’s most famous public squares, with an equally famous domed Byzantine cathedral sitting along its edge. Work began on Basilica di San Marco, named after the saint who is apparently buried here, in the 9th century and it was the private chapel of the Venetian doges, or dukes, who resided in the adjacent Doges’ Palace. Today, more than 43,000 square feet (around 4,000sq m) of golden mosaics adorn the cathedral’s internal walls, many from the 13th century.
With colourful timbered houses and cobblestone streets, Ribe in southwest Jutland is not only Denmark’s oldest town, it’s also one of the most beautiful, with medieval-era architecture at every turn. Founded around AD 710 next to the Wadden Sea (now an UNESCO Site), it was an important Viking trading town and its top medieval sights include the striking Ribe Cathedral, which dates back to AD 1200 and welcomes visitors to climb its 170-foot (52m) tall Commoner’s Tower. It plays host to the oldest sepulchral monument in Scandinavia and is the oldest cathedral in Denmark.
Home to the medieval York Minster and some of England’s most enchanting 14th-century streets, the fortified city of York appears almost to have been frozen in time. It's dubbed the Viking Capital of England, and archaeologists found a wealth of intriguing artefacts here during the Coppergate dig in the late 1970s, which are now available to view at the JORVIK Viking Centre. The city retains its historical charm with its 2.1-mile (3.4km) long city walls and the famed Shambles, a street many Harry Potter fans have likened to Diagon Alley.
Situated on an island named after the 6th-century Irish saint Bishop Donan, this stunning Scottish Highlands castle is a sight to behold. Constructed in the 13th century as a way of protecting the lands of Kintail from the Vikings, this loch-side fort has acted as a defence point through Scotland’s layered feudal history. Although it has undergone various rebuilds, it is one of the most recognised medieval castles in Britain, featuring in various films, like Highlander and James Bond flick The World Is Not Enough.
Rising above the trees at the foot of the majestic Cangshan Mountains, the intricately layered Three Pagodas have become treasured relics in China’s Yunnan province. Located on the shores of Lake Erhai, they're positioned in an equilateral triangle and the oldest, a 16-storied edifice known as Qianxun, dates back some 1,000-plus years to the time of the Tang Dynasty, when King Quan Fengyou reigned. Beside this 227-foot (69m) structure, the remaining two were built around a century later, during the rule of the Dali Kingdom.
Known for its French colonial architecture, the ancient streets of Vietnam’s northern capital have a time-worn but intriguing beauty. The Old Quarter is where you’ll stumble upon medieval shop fronts – where merchants traditionally lived above their premises – sandwiched between modern commercial buildings. The picturesque Temple of Literature, a 30-minute walk from Hoan Kiem Lake, dates back to 1070, when it was built as a university in honour of Chinese philosopher Confucius.
Founded in AD 789 by Idriss I, the enchanting city of Fez is Morocco’s oldest imperial city. It’s also one of the best-preserved, with many streets unchanged in its labyrinthine UNESCO-listed medina, where traditional leather tanning still takes place. Notable landmarks include intricately-tiled madrasas (theological schools) and mosques dating back to the medieval era. The University of Al Quaraouiyine, founded in the mid-9th century, is dubbed the oldest university in the world.
First mentioned in 862, Rostov is considered one of Russia’s best-preserved early medieval cities, with its kremlin tipped as the finest outside of Moscow. Often called The Great, to distinguish it from the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, it lies on Lake Nero, around 130 miles (200km) northeast of Moscow, and became a key religious centre in the 13th and 14th centuries. Many of its medieval churches and monasteries – and their district cupolas – remain intact.
The UNESCO-listed town of Visby has an undeniable fairy-tale charm with intriguing 12th-century church ruins, a 2.2-mile (3.5km) long ancient city wall and a plethora of medieval sites. This former Hanseatic town on Sweden’s southeast coast was one of the key trading cities of northern Europe and many of the 13th-century towers, originally built for protection from foreign enemies, still remain today. Visby holds a Medieval Week celebration every summer and the hilltop cathedral, Visby Domkyrka, is particularly beautiful.
Aside from its prestigious technology university and unique pottery, Delft is famed for its bounty of medieval landmarks and 14th-century canal constructed from the Schie waterway, between Rotterdam and The Hague. The city was founded in 1075 and given its charter in 1246, and various medieval-era buildings – such as the Old Church and prison found inside the city hall’s Gothic count’s tower – add to its beauty. Several artists have depicted the enchanting East Gate, or Oostpoort – the only surviving of four medieval gates that once housed mills in the city walls.
Resting on a hill overlooking the Our Valley, the majestic Vianden Castle was built by the Hohenstaufen dynasty on the foundations of a Roman fortress, between the 11th and 14th centuries. It was once the home of the 13th-century ‘Sun Count’, Henry I of Vianden, who had strong links with the French royal family. Now it's a museum, which visitors can access via a chairlift from the village below. Although it was restored in the 20th century, it has been hailed as one of Europe’s most beautifully-preserved castles from the era.
Perched on a hill outside the Spanish town of Granada, the spectacularly ornate Alhambra is one of the most beautiful Islamic citadels in the world. Built around an existing fort (or alcazaba) in the mid-13th century, this Moorish monument marked the reign of Mohammed ibn Yusuf Ben Nasr (known as Alhamar) who reigned under the Nasrid dynasty. Today, you can visit the fortress and palatial buildings, which sit alongside a series of perfectly manicured gardens, fountains and orchards.
Once the stomping ground of grand dukes, Lithuania’s old capital has an intriguing heritage, seen through its traditional amber (or ‘Lithuanian gold’) trade and colourful wooden houses derived from the Turkic Karaim community. Among its fortifications is the photogenic 14th-century Trakai Castle, a medieval gem on Lake Galvė. The serene ruins of Trakai Peninsula Castle can also be found on the lake’s southern shores.
First mentioned in 902, this UNESCO-listed town is a jewel in Bavaria’s crown, with maze-like cobbled streets, medieval taverns and seven hills each topped by a church. Bamberg was a former centre of the Roman Empire, with Duke Henry II wanting to make the settlement a ‘second Rome’ when he became King of Germany in 1007. The town went on to prosper through the 12th century onwards and notable medieval sights include the Romanesque-Gothic cathedral, half-timbered houses of ‘Little Venice’ and the muraled Altes Rathaus (town hall), which rests on an island on the Regnitz River.
With an urban layout that dates back to the Han people of the 14th century, Pingyao, an UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the best-preserved cities of its era. Distinguished by ancient temples, houses and religious monuments, many of its treasures – including 2,000 painted sculptures – unveil the architectural and artistic styles used during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It's also nicknamed Turtle City, due to the shape formed by its city walls and gates.
Once a key trading port of the Hanseatic League, this historical town on Norway’s western coast was founded in 1070 and is rich in medieval history. Often dubbed ‘Norway’s second city’, the town was the country’s official capital during the 12th and 13th centuries and its colourful wharf area known as Bryggen (an UNESCO World Heritage Site) is a key attraction, home to colourful Hanseatic-era warehouses. Other notable monuments include the Bergenhus Fortress, Rosenkrantz Tower and 12th-century St Mary’s Church.
Located on a limestone outcrop alongside Wawel Cathedral, this legendary fort was the site of numerous political, educational and religious buildings for over five centuries. Originally constructed in the 11th century, when Kraków was a prosperous trading centre, the castle was then rebuilt in the 13th century following Tatar invasions. Dubbed the ‘Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey of Poland’, the monuments of Wawel Hill join a plethora of historical landmarks, from the medieval Jagiellonian University to the Rynek Glówny (main square) and St Mary’s Basilica.
Dubbed the ‘Queen of the Hanseatic League’, the Gothic red-brick city of Lübeck harks back to the Hansa epoch of the 13th–15th centuries, when it was one of the most important commercial centres of northern Europe. Although parts of this Baltic city suffered extensive damage during the Second World War, many important landmarks remain beautifully intact. These include its twin-towered Holsten Gate, which Andy Warhol re-imagined in his famous fluorescent style in the Eighties – his works are on show in the city’s St Anne’s Art Gallery.
Although some of the Forbidden City's buildings were remodelled following the war with Japan, this moated city, in the heart of Beijing, is considered one of the most important palace complexes in the East. With walls stretching for 2.25 miles (3.6km), it was constructed in the 15th century during the Ming dynasty, in adherence to the traditional Chinese practice of feng shui: the buildings all face south to honour the sun. The Wu Gate, Palace of Heavenly Purity and Hall of Supreme Harmony are some of its most notable features.
Dubbed the 'Pearl of the Adriatic', the Croatian town of Dubrovnik, on the glittering Dalmatian coast, has a cinematic quality, mostly thanks to its historical architecture and a city layout that's remained unchanged for centuries. Parts of this UNESCO-listed city rise straight out of the Adriatic Sea and its 6,365-foot (1,940m) long walls – built between the 12th and 17th centuries – are made up of impressive towers that provided vital protection through the years.
Although Siena has strong Roman roots, much of this Tuscan city was rebuilt in the medieval era and its cathedral is one of its best-preserved landmarks. Originally fashioned in the Romanesque style in the 12th century, the cathedral underwent further construction a century on – this transformed it into an Italian-Gothic masterpiece with decorative marble floors, frescoes and other treasures designed by the likes of Pisano, Donatello and Michelangelo.
With its winding streets, medieval façades and network of canals (earning it the nickname ‘Venice of the North’), Bruges is synonymous with picture-postcard views. Flemish counts first settled in this fortified city in the 9th century, and it had become a powerful trading hub by the 1300s, thanks to its proximity to Belgium’s north coast. Today, the old Town Hall, Market Hall and Church of Our Lady (home to Michelangelo’s marble Madonna of Bruges sculpture) are just some of the medieval treasures you’ll find here.
Interestingly, Nara is famed for its deer population – which have roamed the city since medieval times – but in the 8th century, it was also Japan’s first capital and seat of the Emperor. Inspired by the Chinese Tang dynasty, it was a hub of provincial Buddhist temples (or kokubunjis) each home to a statue of the Shakyamuni Buddha. At 187-feet (57m) wide and 157-feet (48m) tall, the Tōdai Temple, the most famous, is one of the largest wooden buildings on Earth. It also houses original historical relics and the famed Great Buddha of Nara statue, which measures an incredible 49 feet (15m).
Situated on a rocky outcrop (originally known as Mont-Tombe), this medieval sanctuary has been a sacred site ever since St Aubert, bishop of Avranches, built a chapel here in the 700s. Two hundred years on, the Benedictine abbey was constructed (and later rebuilt in the 13th century) and it still lures visitors with its Gothic and Romanesque features. Encased in original medieval walls and commanding glorious panoramic views – especially at high tide – it’s one of the most beautiful places in Normandy.