Palaces and castles—with their soaring towers and whimsical gardens—are opulent estates often intertwined with fiction. But storybook fortresses aren’t exclusive to mythical kingdoms and romantic tales.
These enchanting constructions were built to immortalize real love stories in stone. Seek them out to perhaps find your own happily ever after.
Taj Mahal
Agra, India
Situated on the south bank of the Yamuna River, the ivory-domed Taj Mahal is a mausoleum commemorating romance. In 1631, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan commissioned the white marble mausoleum to honor his late wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died during childbirth earlier that year. Between 1631 and 1648, thousands of master artisans, painters, calligraphers, and masons from across Asia were brought to Agra to construct and embellish the 42-acre complex. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and is widely recognized as one of the world’s greatest works of Mughal architecture.
How to visit
Tickets to the Taj Mahal can be purchased online or at the gate for approximately $15; admission is free for children under 15. Admission includes entry to the mausoleum where the emperor was buried by his wife’s side after he died in 1666.
Kellie’s Castle is found in the forested valleys near Batu Gajah, Perak.
Photo by Jessie Beck
Kellie’s Castle
Batu Gajah, Malaysia
This unfinished castle in northwest Malaysia was commissioned by Scottish civic engineer William Kellie Smith for his wife, Agnes. In 1915, Smith imported such materials as bricks and marble from India and Italy to realize the innovative design, which blended Moorish and Indo-Gothic architectural styles. The original plans included a six-story tower, secret tunnels, a rooftop entertainment area, and a wine cellar, but Smith died of pneumonia in 1926 before his dream home was realized. His grieving wife sold the property and moved back to Scotland, and the castle was abandoned to ruin for decades. The haunting landscape was made famous by the 1999 film Anna and the King.
How to visit
Visitors can take self-guided walks through the castle for a small entry fee (about US$2.50).
Castello di Torrechiara is approximately 30 minutes by car from the northern Italian city of Parma.
Photo by Shutterstock
Castello di Torrechiara
Parma, Italy
The 15th-century Italian nobleman Pier Maria Rossi was already married when he fell in love with Bianca Pellegrini, who became his mistress. That didn’t stop him from building Pellegrini a sprawling castle overlooking the foothills of northern Italy. In 1448, construction on Castello di Torrechiara began near the town of Langhirano; its dramatic drawbridges, stone towers, and defensive battlements took more than a decade to complete. Inside the feudal fortress, decorative interiors include frescoes credited to Benedetto Bembo, such as Camera d’Oro, a room that depicts courtly interactions between Pier Maria Rossi and Bianca Pellegrini and recounts the tale of their love.
How to visit
Castello di Torrechiara is open to visitors seven days a week (hours vary by season). Admission costs about $6 for adults and is free for children under 18.
Leeds Castle in Kent, England, has been called “the loveliest castle in the world.”
Photo by Gus Martinie/Shutterstock
Leeds Castle
Broomfield, England
This southeast England estate hosts more than 900 years of royal history, but one of its greatest tales is a love story that began with an arranged marriage. In 1254, King Edward I and Queen Eleanor of Castile were married at a very young age, and although Edward had a reputation for being arrogant and quarrelsome, the pair eventually fell deeply in love. In 1278, Eleanor bought Leeds Castle (formerly a military stronghold) and transformed its 11th-century foundations with Spanish-influenced pavilions, gardens, and other polished designs.
When Eleanor died in 1290, Edward inherited the 500-acre grounds and built an on-site chapel in her memory. Over the next two centuries, England’s medieval kings upheld the tradition of dedicating ownership of Leeds Castle to their queens.
How to visit
For tickets booked online at least one day in advance, admission costs about $40 for adults.
Millionaire hotelier George Boldt mapped out the Rhineland-style Boldt Castle in 1900 for his beloved wife, Louise.
Photo by Omar Mansour/Shutterstock
Boldt Castle
Alexandria Bay, New York
In 1900, millionaire hotelier George Boldt (proprietor of the world-famous Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City) purchased Heart Island on the banks of the St. Lawrence River in upstate New York, where he mapped out a Rhineland-style castle for his beloved wife, Louise. Boldt hired 300 workers to construct the six-story, 120-room castle outfitted with a drawbridge and tower, but when Louise died suddenly in 1904, the heartbroken Boldt halted construction and never returned to the island.
The abandoned estate in Alexandria Bay remained in ruins until 1977, when the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority purchased the property and funneled millions of dollars into its restoration.
How to visit
Today, Boldt Castle welcomes visitors from May through October. (In 2025, Boldt Castle will reopen May 10.) Tickets cost $13 for guests over 13 years old and $9 for children 5–13. En route to the castle, which is only accessible by tour boat, look for the heart-shaped gardens that surround the structure in honor of George and Louise.
Casa Loma encompasses a Gothic revival mansion and garden in midtown Toronto.
Photo by oasisamuel/Shutterstock
Casa Loma
Toronto, Canada
In 1911, Canadian electricity tycoon Sir Henry Pellatt hired architect E.J. Lennox to design a lavish Gothic revival castle in Toronto for himself and his wife, Mary. Inspired by his love of European architecture and design, Pellatt decorated Casa Loma with lavish furnishings, including bronze doors, a stained glass ceiling, marble fountains, and fur rugs. When Pellatt’s business failed and bankrupted him in 1924, he was forced to auction off the $3.5 million estate along with all its riches—and Mary died later that year. The city of Toronto purchased the property in 1933, and today the historic attraction hosts curated exhibits and special events, including afternoon teas and concerts in the Great Hall.
How to visit
General admission throughout the year includes a self-guided audio tour and documentary screening; tickets costs around US$30 for adults, US$25 for seniors over 65 and youth (between 14 and 17), and US$17.50 for children between 4 and 13 years old.
Larnach Castle, on the South Island near the city of Dunedin, is New Zealand’s only castle.
Photo by Shutterstock
Larnach Castle
Dunedin, New Zealand
Vast stretches of land and sea between Europe and New Zealand didn’t stop 19th-century businessman William Larnach from importing Venetian glass, English tile, and Italian marble to the picturesque South Island to build a dream castle for his wife, Eliza. Two hundred workers began building Larnach Castle’s main structure in 1871 on the Otago Peninsula near Dunedin; it took 3 years to construct and European artisans spent another 12 years decorating its ornate interior.
How to visit
The restored estate hosts high tea and guided tours throughout the year. Visitors can also stroll through the seven acres of romantic gardens blooming with azaleas and rhododendrons on self-led tours. Admission costs approximately $27 for adults and $9 for children between 5 through 14 years.
Thornewood Castle
Lakewood, Washington
In 1907, Tacoma banker Chester Thorne purchased and dismantled a 400-year-old Elizabethan manor in England and shipped many of its pieces—including the front door, oak paneling, and oak staircase—to the Pacific Northwest, where he built a Tudor Gothic estate for his wife, Anna. Today, the Thornewood Castle still stands in Lakewood, Washington, as a romantic bed-and-breakfast with medieval stained glass windows, antique furniture, and a century-old walled garden that was designed by the influential 19th-century landscape architects the Olmsted brothers. Former U.S. presidents William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt were both once guests at the castle known as the “the house that love built.”
How to visit
Travelers over the age of 12 can stay overnight in Thornewood Castle. Rates for overnight stays range from $150 to $500 per night.
The garden contains a memorial hall with wooden images of Hideyoshi and Nene.
Courtesy of realfish/Unsplash
Kodaiji Zen Temple
Kyoto, Japan
Kodaiji Zen Temple dates back to 1606, when Kodai-in Kogetsuni (known as Nene) built this Buddhist temple to honor her husband warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Besides being a key figure in the unification of Japan, Hideyoshi also frequently practiced tea ceremonies—which explains why there are two teahouses here. (You can’t go inside, but you can see their interiors.)
This testament of love includes gardens that light up during the spring and autumn. So try to catch a visit during a nighttime event, such as during the Obon holidays or a tea gathering.
How to visit
Admission costs $4 for adults and $1.60 for students. For around $6, travelers can get admission to the Kodaiji temple, Entokuin temple, and Kodaiji Sho museum. The museum founded by Nene contains artifacts such as paintings of Nene and Hideyoshi.
This article was originally published in February 2020 and was updated on February 13, 2025.
