Alcázar

Lonely Planet review

Rapunzel towers, turrets topped with slate witches' hats and a deeeeep moat at its base make the Alcázar a prototype fairytale castle, so much so that its design inspired Walt Disney's vision of Sleeping Beauty's castle.

Fortified since Roman days, the site takes its name from the Arabic al-qasr (castle) and was rebuilt and expanded in the 13th and 14th centuries, but the whole lot burned down in 1862. What you see today is an evocative over-the-top reconstruction of the original.

Highlights include the Sala de las Piñas, the ceiling of which drips with a crop of 392 pineapple-shaped 'stalactites', and the Sala de Reyes (Kings' Room), featuring a three-dimensional frieze of 52 sculptures of kings who fought during the Reconquista. The views from the Torre de Juan II are exceptional, and put the old town's hill-top location into full context.

Admission is free for EU citizens on the third Tuesday of every month.