Wales is often called 'the land of castles' – there are 427 of them! If you visit Wales you're almost certain to see one. If you live here you're probably familiar with quite a few. Cadw looks after 44 castles — each one is unique.

Wales is famously known as the "Castle Capital of the World," and in 2026, you can visit over 100 historic castles that are open to the public. These range from the massive "Iron Ring" fortresses of Edward I, such as Conwy, Caernarfon, and Harlech (which are UNESCO World Heritage sites), to smaller native Welsh strongholds like Dolbadarn. Many of these sites are managed by Cadw, the Welsh government's historic environment service, while others like Powis Castle are run by the National Trust. Some, such as Cardiff Castle, are owned by local councils and offer a more "city-center" museum experience. While there are over 600 castle sites across the country, those that are "visitable" typically feature visitor centers, gift shops, and accessibility paths. In 2026, many of these castles have introduced interactive digital tours and augmented reality (AR) exhibits to bring their medieval history to life for modern visitors.