Instagrammable

The world’s most beautiful castles have been ranked and there’s good news for Brits as top of the list is one gorgeous UK spot that’s in a very ‘Instagrammable’ city

The world’s most beautiful castles have been revealed with one gorgeous UK staycation spot topping the list.

Edinburgh Castle is already a firm favourite with locals and tourists alike thanks to its breathtaking location overlooking the Scottish capital and therefore offering up some of the best views of the city. Highlights include the Royal Palace as well as the impressive Great Hall, including artefacts such as the Crown Jewels and the Stone of Destiny.

Then of course there’s the fact that the entire city was recently named the world’s ‘most Instagrammable city’ thanks to the plethora of breathtaking locations to be found.

Want to see it for yourself? Adult tickets start from £21.50 online and child tickets from £13. You can find out more and plan your visit on edinburghcastle.scot.

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Oh, and listen out at 1pm every day when the castle’s iconic One O’Clock Gun is fired as an impressive way of letting everyone know the time! (It’s worth noting that the field gun doesn’t go off on Sundays if you are planning a weekend visit).

Edinburgh Castle sits right on the Royal Mile, the cobbled street that runs through the city’s postcard-worthy Old Town, complete with quirky boutiques, and a plethora of restaurants and bars. It’s also just a short walk down to Victoria Street, a curved street with colourful buildings that’s believed to have provided inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter books.

To determine the world’s most beautiful castles, the team at Iglu Cruise analysed 40 of the most popular castles in Europe and used Instagram data to discover which ones had the highest number of tags on the social media platform.

They added: “In first place, with 774,000 tagged photos on Instagram, is Edinburgh Castle in Scotland. Edinburgh Castle is one of Scotland’s most famous landmarks, with its ancient stone providing a striking contrast to the Georgian architecture of the New Town below. Perched atop Castle Rock, a formation left by a volcanic eruption, it can be observed and photographed from miles around.

“Dating back to the 11th century, it has served as a royal residence for generations, hosting notable monarchs such as Mary Queen of Scots. Today, visitors can experience a daily timeless tradition of the firing of the iconic One O’Clock Gun, a cherished part of the city’s heritage for over 160 years.”

It wasn’t the only UK hotspot to make the top 10 rankings. While Edinburgh Castle took the gold spot on the podium in the top 10 rankings, Windsor Castle closely followed in fourth spot, while Warwick Castle landed ninth place in the rankings. You can check out the top 10 rankings below.

1. Edinburgh Castle, UK
2. Prague Castle, Czech Republic
3. Neuschwanstein, Germany
4. Windsor Castle, UK
5. Castello Sforzesco, Italy
6. Palazzo Vecchio, Italy
7. Palace of Versailles, France
8. Quinta da Regaleira, Portugal
9. Warwick Castle, UK
10. Schönbrunn Palace, Austria

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A UK city has been named prettier than spots in Greece, France and Italy according to a new study that determined Europe’s prettiest places for an Instagram photo

Santorini and the Amalfi Coast may be the kind of beautiful places you see all over your social media feeds, but one UK city has just beaten both destinations in new rankings of Europe’s ‘most Instagrammable locations’.

Despite Santorini being famed for its whitewashed buildings with blue dome ceilings, gorgeous ocean views and cobbled streets, it’s actually Edinburgh that’s been proving more of a hit with those in search of that perfect Instagram backdrop.

Considering the Scottish capital has a historic castle, cobbled streets, beautiful surroundings and a plethora of independent shops and eateries, it’s not difficult to see why it’s so popular with the Instagram crowd.

For example, Harry Potter fans regularly flock to Victoria Street, lined with colourful terraced buildings that have often been credited as the inspiration behind Diagon Alley, not to mention nowadays there’s a wizarding shop or two that you can explore.

Meanwhile those who want to be #smug about getting up early for a hike will no doubt want to head to the top of Arthur’s Seat, where you’ll be treated to unrivalled views of the city. Then of course there’s Edinburgh Castle which makes not only for a great selfie backdrop, but it’s well worth a visit if you want to while away a couple of hours and learn all about Edinburgh’s fascinating history.

Back down on the cobbled streets, you can delve further underground and explore the expansive network of tunnels under the city, which boast a turbulent history full of crime and reported hauntings, with many a walking tour on offer to guide you and teach you about some of the city’s spookiest stories.

Then there are the quirky boutiques on offer, the plethora of restaurants (and yes, plenty of options if you want to try haggis), and the countless events on throughout the year including the iconic Edinburgh Fringe Festival, literary festivals and the Instagram-worthy Hogmanay celebrations complete with candlelit walks and Christmas markets.

It’s therefore no surprise that Edinburgh featured so highly in the rankings of Europe’s most Instagrammable destinations, released by FerryHopper. The team behind the study looked at six different hashtag templates for each location to determine the winners, with factors such as how many posts are tagged across destinations, and the quality of photos.

Edinburgh came ninth in the overall rankings, beating out a number of destinations in France, Greece and Italy. (The top spot went to Paris, followed by Nice and Barcelona). You can check out the full rankings below:

Europe’s 15 most Instagrammable locations

1. Paris, France
2. Nice, France
3. Barcelona, Spain
4. Valencia, Spain
5. Ibiza, Spain
6. Majorca, Spain
7. Porto, Portugal
8. Lisbon, Portugal
9. Edinburgh, Scotland
10. Santorini, Greece
11. Provence, France
12. Mykonos, Greece
13. Bergen, Norway
14. Amalfi Coast, Italy
15. Cappadocia, Turkey

Looking for more staycation inspiration? Check out our UK holidays page that’s packed with destination recommendations, travel tips and deals we think you’ll love.

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