Tower of London, complete with trebuchet
- Tower of London: most historically significant and great exhibits; beefeater-guided tour; the ravens
- Stirling: most important to Stuart family history; great tour guide
- Edinburgh: best preserved; located on a cool volcanic ridge (the Royal Mile); great tour guide
- Caernarfon (Wales): coolest passages inside 15-ft thick walls; great exhibits on the castle, Edward I, and Prince of Wales
- Lindisfarne (Northumberland, England): most dramatic approach and profile
- Urquhart (Drumnadrochit, Scotland): best ruins and location on Loch Ness, and Drumnadrochit is fun to say
- Culzean (Ayrshire, Scotland): most beautiful grounds
- Eilean Donan (Dornie, Scotland): most picturesque approach by bridge
- St. Andrews (St. Andrews, Scotland): best ruins in the driving rain; cool underground tunnels
- Tintagel (Cornwall, England): King Arthur’s birthplace, Merlin’s cave, gorgeous Cornish coast