The 9 Best Castles in Monmouthshire, Wales

The Home of Welsh Castle Life: Immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the Castle’s exciting past. Caldicot Castle’s impressive structure is surrounded by an idyllic 55 acre Country Park. You will be able to travel through time and discover the home of Welsh castle life, from medieval times to the twentieth century. The castle was developed as a fortress by Royal hands in the Middle Ages and restored as a Victorian family home. The river Nedern winds its way through the park and the wildlife pond is home to a variety of wildfowl.

Beautifully preserved Chepstow Castle stretches out along a limestone cliff above the River Wye like a history lesson in stone. There’s no better place in Britain to see how castles gradually evolved to cope with ever more destructive weaponry – and the grandiose ambitions of their owners. For more than six centuries Chepstow was home to some of the wealthiest and most powerful men of the medieval and Tudor ages. The displayed opening times are our general pattern. Please check the Cadw website for specific times and days, including closures.

White Castle is the best preserved and most imposing of the trio of Monmouthshire fortresses known as the ‘Three Castles’ – which includes Grosmont and Skenfrith – built to control the border. Originally constructed from wood and earth, a series of renovations transformed it into the significant defensive structure we see today. The displayed opening times are our general pattern. Please check the Cadw website for specific times and days, including closures.

The unmistakable silhouette of Raglan crowning a ridge amid glorious countryside is the grandest castle ever built by Welshmen. We can thank Sir William ap Thomas, the ‘blue knight of Gwent’, for the moated Great Tower of 1435 that still dominates this mighty fortress-palace. His son Sir William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, created the gatehouse with its flared ‘machicolations’. These stone arches allowed missiles to be rained down on attackers. But Raglan came 150 years later than the turbulent heyday of castle-building. It was designed to impress as much as to intimidate.The displayed opening times are our general pattern. Please check the Cadw website for specific times and days, including closures.