Since ancient times, humans have built walls to safeguard their homes and communities from attack. While many famous fortified cities such as Jericho and Troy have crumbled over time, plenty of characterful towns and cities with their age-old walls intact remain. From hilltop citadels to fortified coastal enclaves, we scour the world to find some of the most beautiful.

This handsome hilltop city on the banks of the River Aude in France’s Languedoc region is the largest walled medieval city in Europe. Built on Roman remains, the Cité de Carcassonne (old town) is encircled by two outer walls that loom over the narrow alleyways and hidden corners within. With 52 towers and barbicans, the walls were highly innovative at the time and designed to prevent attack by siege engines. They were restored in the 19th century by architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc so look remarkably pristine. A circuit walk now loops around the battlements.

Heaving with historic nooks and crannies, York has the longest medieval town walls in England at 2.1 miles (3.4km) long. They mainly date from the 13th century but were built on far older defences. The Romans first built walls here, which the Vikings later covered in earth and topped with a palisade (fence of pointed wooden stakes). It's possible to walk all around the walls, passing fascinating details such as arrow slits, musket loops, sculptures and masons' marks. Four main ‘bars’ (or fortified gateways) allowed entry into the old city, as well as two lesser bars and a postern (a small gateway defended by a tower). The wall walk is currently one-way only due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Built across three rolling hills, the scenic walled city of Siena in southern Tuscany was a centre of medieval banking and a great rival to Florence in the Middle Ages. The 4.4-mile-long (7km) fortified walls, punctuated with bastions, towers and gates, still follow the contours of the hill and entomb its historic core. Inside the defensive strongholds lie Siena's many architectural treasures: the Piazza del Campo (venue for the twice-yearly horse race Palio di Siena), the striking striped Duomo and Torre del Magia among them.

Pingyao in Shanxi province is one of China’s most remarkable ancient cities and now an UNESCO World Heritage site. The wealthy trading centre and once powerful financial centre (as the home to China's first banks), is famed for its commanding and intact walls, old courtyard houses and temples. The walls were first built during the reign of King Xuan (827–782 BC) of the Western Zhou Dynasty and later rebuilt in the 14th century. There are 72 observation towers and more than 300 battlements, although only one of the four original corner grand watchtowers, the Great Scholar Tower, remains. 

Hugged by castellated medieval walls, hilltop Óbidos is one of Portugal’s prettiest towns. Given as a wedding present by King Dinis to Isabel of Aragon in 1282, the citadel is filled with little churches, white-washed homes (adorned with flower-filled window boxes) and a maze of narrow cobbled alleys. Dating from the 14th century, much of the original walls remain and can be walked along via a narrow walkway. The town is dominated by the 12th-century castle, which is the setting for a delightful pousada (inn). Discover the world's stunning clifftop towns.

Londonderry is the only completely walled city on the island of Ireland. Its defensive walls were constructed between 1613 and 1618 as defences to protect settlers from England and Scotland. At around a mile (1.5km) in circumference, the circuit around the 400-year-old walls is now one of the city’s chief attractions. An impressive collection of cannons line the walls, that can be up to 35-foot-wide (11m) at points. They include four original gates into the city – Bishop’s Gate, Ferryquay Gate, Butcher Gate and Shipquay Gate – along with three later additions. 

Constructed to ward off incessant pirate attacks, the walls and fortresses of Cartagena are among the best-preserved fortifications in South America. The ambitious defensive system was first implemented in 1614 when the prosperous Caribbean port, known as Cartagena de Indias, was under Spanish rule. King Philip III famously ordered them after an attack by British privateer and explorer Sir Francis Drake, but the defence project went on until 1796. At around seven miles (11km) in length, the historical centre’s walls have since served as a defence against coastal storms and flooding.

The awe-inspiring walls that protect San Juan’s Old Town were constructed mostly by enslaved people. Work began on the formidable fortifications in 1630 when Spanish colonialists wanted to protect the port from pirates and enemy forces. The gruelling construction continued for some 150 years. While San Juan has sprawled well beyond the walls, the defences remain in good condition as do the old town’s mighty forts. El Morro and Castillo de San Cristobal, overlooking San Juan Bay, were also key to the port's protection and are characterised by bastions and circular sentry posts called garitas (pictured).

After the Great Siege of 1565, Malta’s diminutive capital needed formidable defences to ward off attacks from the Ottoman Turks.  The magnificent walls that rise up from its harbour were constructed in the 16th and 17th century, and still impress with their scale and ambition. Today Valletta, with its fortified harbour, honey-coloured 16th-century buildings and cobblestone streets, enjoys the protection of UNESCO World Heritage status. Discover more about Valletta here.

Another fine example of a walled city lies to the north of Malta. Former capital Mdina sits perched on a plateau and is hidden behind thick fortifications. Known as the Silent City, it was founded by the Phoenicians and there's evidence that walls circled the settlement as far back as 1,000 BC. Today it's a place of great beauty and culture with a mix of medieval and baroque architecture, tangle of narrow alleys and grand palaces that remain home to wealthy Maltese families.

The tiny old town of Tallinn, protected for centuries by its practical yet pretty fortifications with fairy-tale towers, remains almost perfectly preserved. Inside the walls (much of which are still standing) lies a labyrinthine network of narrow cobbled passages, squares and timbered merchant houses dating back to the 13th century. Set on the Baltic coast, Estonia’s capital was a thriving Hanseatic trading centre during the Middle Ages.

The mighty walls of Ávila were built as part of a large-scale defence system against the Moors in central Spain. All turrets and towers, these impressively preserved medieval walls run 8,202 feet (2,516m) around the city's old centre – designed to enclose and protect the Christian population. The walls have 87 turrets and nine main gates, plus two smaller ones. As the birthplace of St Teresa and burial place of the Grand Inquisitor, Torquemada, the city in Castile and León still has great religious significance.

The marvels inside the old city of Jerusalem are one thing, but the walls that encircle its many historic and spiritual treasures are also magnificent. Fittingly, they were built by the Ottoman ruler known as Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th century to defend their position in the fiercely contested city. The fortifications have seven gates, the best known being the Jaffa Gate. It’s now possible to see the old city from above by taking the narrow ramparts walk – there’s one on the south and north side.

Walking the walls that wrap around Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber is a top attraction of this picture-perfect town in Bavaria, with its half-timbered houses and grand medieval town hall. Situated on the scenic ‘Romantic Road’, the town developed around its fortress and became a powerful city – it had the coveted status of being an autonomous imperial city, or Reichsstadt, from 1274 until 1803. The town’s intact walls with their many towers and fortified gates are among the finest in Germany. Check out Germany's most beautiful towns and villages.

Tumbling down a steep mountain to Kotor Bay, the old city of Kotor is one of the Adriatic’s most captivating sights. Its ancient stone churches, Venetian villas, piazzas and monasteries remain encircled by protective medieval walls. These 2.7-mile (4.5km) fortifications, which rise from the sea and go up high to the fortress of San Giovanni, have certainly seen some action. Originally built by the Byzantines and later added to by the Venetians in the 17th and 18th century, they’ve withstood invasions, pirate attacks and earthquakes.

The walls that wrap around the old centre of Provence’s historic capital date back to the 14th century, but they were just the last of many ramparts built to protect the powerful city since Roman times. Characterised by machicolated battlements, Avignon's remarkable ramparts were first started by Pope Innocent VI to protect the papal city and its treasures as it grew. There was a moat too, which would have made them even more off-putting for marauding mercenaries. Measuring 2.6 miles (4.3km), the walls are part of the city’s UNESCO-protected architecture.

Dangling at the end of a peninsula on Slovenia’s tiny stretch of Adriatic Coast, pretty Piran is a medieval gem. But the seaside town has a far older history than that. It dates back to the times of the ancient Greeks, building wealth from its salt pans. The 15th-century town walls are a remnant of Piran's Venetian past. The republic of Venice ruled Piran from the late 13th century for centuries and their influence can be seen elsewhere in the town, from the ornate baroque buildings, piazzas and belltower to its cuisine.

Still enclosed within its solid city walls and their once impenetrable gates, the old city of Toledo is stuffed with grand monuments and religious buildings. First built by the Romans in the 2nd century, the city's name comes from the Latin word 'toletum' meaning ‘fortified population". Another landmark in this UNESCO-protected city is the San Martin bridge, the 13th-century entrance to the city which crosses over the River Tagus, complete with original defence towers.

The largest standing fortifications in North America can be found in Québec City. One of Canada’s oldest cities, it was founded by the French explorer Samuel de Champlain in the early 17th century and walls were built to protect the strategic colony on the banks of St Lawrence River. The city has sprawled over the centuries but its old centre, complete with walls, citadel and Porte St. Louis, remain. Split into a Lower and Upper Town, this district oozes character with its historic homes, stone churches and quaint cobbled streets. A walkway runs along the ramparts.

The old fortress city of Rhodes was largely built by the Knights of St John, after they arrived here from Jerusalem in 1309 and occupied the island for 200 years before the Ottomans outed them. The mighty walls of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed old town, which is Europe’s oldest continuously inhabited medieval town, can be entered through seven gates. Inside is an atmospheric tangle of tiny alleyways amid a delightful jumble of architecture, thanks to the citadel's many occupiers. Now virtually tour Europe's most stunning cities.

A former Viking stronghold on the Swedish isle of Gotland, Visby is renowned for its medieval charm. From the 12th to the 14th century, Visby was the main centre of the Hanseatic League in the Baltic and is regarded as the best-preserved fortified trading town in northern Europe today. Its city walls or ringmuren – the best preserved in all of Scandinavia – were built between 1250 and 1288, and stretch for around two miles (3.5km) with many original towers and gates still present. Behind its ring of medieval walls lie charming cobblestone streets, ancient churches, old warehouses and grand townhouses.

Rising out from the rolling Tuscan countryside, the famed towers of the hilltop town of San Gimignano are an arresting sight. Surrounded by three walls, with access via a number of formidable gates, the medieval enclave gained wealth due to its position on the Via Francigena, an important trade and pilgrimage route between Rome and Canterbury. It’s possible to walk along the perimeter of the second circle of city walls, along which lie 15th and 16th-century dungeons. When the city was at its height in the 12th century, competitive locals built 72 tower-houses within the walls as potent symbols of their superior wealth and power, but only 14 survive.

Today it’s a handsome seaside town on the Brittany coast, but Saint-Malo was once a pirate hot spot as the stronghold of the corsairs of St-Malo. These infamous sailor merchants pillaged foreign ships' traders with the sanction of the King of France in the 17th and 18th centuries. The port's sturdy ramparts, flanked by several towers, date back to the 12th century and were strengthened in the 17th century. The defensive belt forms a complete 1.2-mile (2km) loop around the city, which is also protected by a castle and off-lying island forts.

Sitting high above the yacht-filled harbour, the old walled town of Ibiza, or Dalt Vila as it's known, on the island of the same name, is steeped in historic charm and cultural gems. It was first settled by ancient seafarers the Phoenicians around 654 BC with subsequent occupiers, the Carthaginians, Romans, Moors and Spanish, all adding their mark. The imposing walls, which can be entered via the grand arched Portal de ses Taules, date from the mid-16th century. They were erected to deter Ottoman and French attacks, with bastions for spotting enemy ships now offering fabulous views of the White Isle.

Built in 1370, the mighty 39-foot-high (12m) Ming Dynasty walls of Xi'an – capital of several ruling dynasties and powerful trade centre – still exude defensive might. Running for 8.5 miles (13.7km), the walls feature 98 flanking towers (where soldiers stood watch for enemies scaling the walls) and a watchtower at each of its four corners. There was once a moat and drawbridge which made the old city completely impenetrable. Today walking or cycling along the wide path on top of the walls is one of Xi'an's most popular things to do.

This former Roman fort in the north of England has retained many of its ancient treasures, including its walls. In fact, Chester is the only city in Britain that still has the full circuit of its ancient defensive walls. The Romans first built the city walls which have been extended and bolstered over the centuries. A circuit walk around the fortifications can be accessed from four main medieval gateways – Northgate, Eastgate, Watergate and Bridgegate – into the city. Chester, which was known as Deva Victrix, also has the remains of an amphitheatre, which was built in the late first century AD. These are Britain's most historic town and cities.

Sheltering behind its sturdy citadel walls for centuries, the maze of medieval houses, churches and little streets that make up Bonifacio’s old town are full of historic atmosphere. Founded in 828, the clifftop settlement in the far south of Corsica has faced invasion, pirate attacks and the plague, along with another peril, erosion. The spectacular old town and citadel are now perched on sheer limestone cliffs that are being undercut by the ocean – many of the buildings now overhang the cliffs. Take a look at more of the world's precarious places on the edge.

The Azerbaijani capital is a city of two parts – ancient and startlingly modern. The many wonders of the old town of Baku, known as Icherisheher, lie behind protective 12th-century city walls. Inside the impressive structure lies the city's most ancient monument the Maiden Tower and the sprawling Palace of The Shirvanshahs. The incredible religious complex was also home to northern Azerbaijan’s rulers. Everywhere, the architecture reveals the many different cultures that have had an influence on Baku over the centuries including the Zoroastrians, Sassanians, Arabs, Persians, Shirvanis, Ottomans and Russians.

The colourful mansions, little lanes and pretty churches that lie within the sturdy fortified ramparts of the old city of Campeche make it one of Mexico’s most historic and charming state capitals. Located on the Gulf of Mexico, the defensive walls and fort were built by the Spanish in the late 17th century to ward off pirates when it was commandeered as one of their most important sea trading ports. The defences took 18 years to finish and once had four gates, only two of which remain today.

Towering above the dazzlingly blue waters of the Adriatic, the sturdy medieval walls of Dubrovnik are a truly astounding sight. These magnificent walls were built in the 13th century, with some reinforcements added in the 15th century, to protect it from the Ottoman Turks. Now world-famous for its starring role as King’s Landing in HBO’s Game of Thrones, the near-perfectly preserved walled town ranks as one of Europe’s most beautiful cities. It’s possible to do a circuit of the arresting battlements, which offer amazing views of the old town’s terracotta rooftops, passageways, Baroque churches and out to sea.

The 13th-century stone walls encircling Monteriggioni in Tuscany are incredibly well-preserved and particularly impressive when viewed from above. The perfect loop measures 1,870 feet (570m), interrupted only by 14 majestic towers. Porta Franca is the main gateway to the hilltop village and likely had a drawbridge in the past, which would have been lowered across a moat that has also long disappeared. Now discover secrets of the world's most famous walls.