The article contains a full rundown of the top 10 cities with the most castles. Visiting any of these 10 cities in the springtime is a guarantee for a holiday full of picturesque walks and outdoor sightseeing.

The research revealed that Europe’s “castle hotspot” is Istanbul, Turkey. The city is home to a total of 12 castles – equating to 0.21 castles per 100,000 m2. Visitors to Istanbul in the spring will also have the pleasure of experiencing the Tulip Festival if they come in April, when approximately 30 million flowers planted all over the city will come into bloom. Carpets of tulips cover the city parks and public spaces, in ornate patterns that change every year. The gardens of one of Istanbul’s most beautiful castles, Dolmabahçe Palace, is a popular place to see the flowers.

Another city with a high volume of castles is the historic Italian city of Rome – home to 11 castles in total, which is the equivalent of 0.85 per 100,000 m2. In March and April, the iconic landmark the Spanish Steps is host to the Mostra delle Azalee festival, when it is covered in purple, pink and white azalea flowers. Just outside of the city, those who go to visit the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo in the pretty town of Castel Gandolfo will find that the gardens in springtime are extraordinarily beautiful.

In joint third place were the cities of Berlin (Germany) and Naples (Italy). Each city had 9 castles in total. Berlin’s castles equated to 1 castle per 100,000 m2, while Naples had the equivalent of 7.67 castles per 100,000 m2.

Other cities included in the top 10 included:

• Ankara, Turkey – 8 castles total (0.03 castles per 100,000 m2)
• Graz, Austria – 8 castles (6.27 castles per 100,000 m2)
• Vienna, Austria – 8 castles (1.92 castles per 100,000 m2)
• Prague, Czech Republic – 7 castles (1.41 castles per 100,000 m2)
• Milan, Italy – 7 castles (3.85 castles per 100,000 m2)
• Łódź, Poland – 7 castles (2.38 castles per 100,000 m2)