Europe travel: 5 of the best walled cities to visit, from Berlin to Tallinn

Dubrovnik's Old Town, within the city's ancient walls, is one of the most popular places for visitors to Croatia. Photo / Joanne Brookfield For Travel - April 25

Once upon a time, architecture was defensive. A giant stone wall went up around the perimeter of the town and that was that. Although we live differently now, there is something especially medieval, and a little bit magic, about an old walled city. Here are some of Europe’s best, writes Joanne Brookfield.

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Fans of Game of Thrones know it as the fictional Kings Landing, but Dubrovnik’s Old Town has long been called “the pearl of the Adriatic” as it is one of the most magnificent walled cities on the planet.

Ensconced by walls that are in some parts 6m wide and 25m tall, what lies within is a mix of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architectural influences. Labyrinthine laneways are paved with smooth pale stone to match the buildings, window shutters are green and rooftops are terracotta, making it a visually captivating destination.

Rich in history, from its origins in the 7th century up to war in the 1990s, this is one walled city you’ll want to spend several days in, as there is plenty to learn, do and see here.

Much of Diocletian's Palace in Split, Croatia still remains intact two millennia after it was first built. Photo / Joanne Brookfield

Split, Croatia

Like Dubrovnik, Split is on the stunning Dalmatian Coast, which explains why Roman Emperor Diocletian snapped up this prime real estate for his retirement. Back in the 4th century AD, however, you built your bach as a spectacular fortress made out of white limestone and marble. Incredibly, much of it - columns, grand arches, polished laneways, squares and massive exterior gates, plus the (world’s oldest and smallest) Cathedral, Belltower and subterranean Cellars of Diocletian’s Palace - still remain intact two millennia later.

York, England

Although not much of the original Roman walls remain, having gone up around 71AD with Vikings doing their own un-televised version of The Block-style renovations in the 9th century, York’s City Walls have undergone a few transformations. The majority of what remains first appeared in the 13th century and there’s still an impressive 3.4km of them left intact, making them the longest medieval town walls anywhere in England. Free for the public to enjoy, a stroll along them takes around two hours and there are plenty of historic features, such as the four main “bars” (grand fortified gateways) plus towers with arrow-slits and musket-loops. Where once there were moats, the sloping banks now famously feature spectacular displays of daffodils every March and April.

There's an impressive 3.4km of ancient city walls left intact in York, making them the longest medieval town walls anywhere in England. Photo / Getty Images

Kotor, Montenegro

Montenegro’s Kotor will not only delight but help with your step daily step count. Beautifully preserved, this triangular-shaped fortified city juts into Boko (is it a bay? A fjord? A ria?) and is backed by St John Mountain.

Known as Acruvium back in 168 BC, from the 1400s Kotor was ruled by Venetians for almost four centuries and their influence dominates the Old Town’s Romanesque architecture, which is a maze-like collection of narrow laneways and five town squares, allowing you to wine, dine and shop the day away.

With the fortress walls extending up the mountainside, you can also climb 1300-plus ancient, narrow and uneven stairs that zig-zag all the way up to a tiny chapel from 1518, or further again to Sveti Ivan’s Fortress. It’s a steep ascent but the reward is a wonderful panorama of water, mountains and the many terracotta rooftops clustered below.

Tallin, Estonia

The twisting cobbled lanes, guard towers and Gothic spires create a fairytale-style aesthetic in Tallinn’s Old Town. Given their desirable trading location, Estonia’s capital had many invaders, so the defensive architecture started in the 13th century. By the 16th century, Reval, as it was known, was one of the most fortified cities in Northern Europe, complete with a network of secret tunnels underground, which you can still explore today.

Raekoja Plats (aka the Town Hall Square) also embraces medieval history, with themed restaurants offering 700-year-old recipes made from bear, elk, wild boar and rabbit. Ghost tours are also a very entertaining way to enjoy this picturesque location as it twinkles after dark.

The twisting cobbled lanes, guard towers and Gothic spires create a fairytale-style aesthetic in Tallinn's Old Town. Photo / Filippo Cesarini, Unsplash

Second tier walled cities: other ramparts of renown

Budva, Montenegro

A half-hour drive from Kotor is Budva, a smaller but no-less-pretty walled city by the sea with a similar Venetian history. Budva’s Old City includes The Citadel, an ancient landmark that is now also a museum and rare book library.

Carcassonne, France

In southern France, Carcassonne comes with not one but two sets of outer walls, plus more than 50 towers and barbicans, which ensured the lower town and castle within were kept safe from invaders. The sprawling historic citadel with a 2500-year history wasn’t kept safe from indifference, however, falling into considerable disrepair until massive restoration works took place in the latter 19th century.

Berlin, Germany

Germany’s capital holds the distinction of having had both medieval and modern city walls. Only 120m are left of the 13th-century stone wall that separated Berlin and twin-city Cölln, while the Brandenburg Gate is a symbolic souvenir from the mainly wooden wall erected in the 1700s. Their most famous wall went up in 1961 and although came down in 1989, stretches of it remain and serve as stark reminders of how important it is that we learn from history.