Stories from the places that host the festivals, and honest guides to the festivals themselves.
Poland
What is original brick in rebuilt Gdańsk, why the Teutonic Knights' 1308 takeover still matters, when St Dominic's Fair runs, and how to add Malbork and Grunwald.
Elke Brandt · 9 min read ·
City Guide
What is medieval in Óbidos, why it belonged to Portugal's queens from 1282 to 1834, when the Mercado Medieval runs, and how to walk a wall with no railing.
Elke Brandt · 8 min read ·
Germany
How much of Rothenburg ob der Tauber is medieval, what was rebuilt after March 1945, why the town re-stages a 1631 drink, and whether to come in May, September or December.
Elke Brandt · 8 min read ·
City Guide
What is genuinely medieval in Visby, why a town this small has a 3.4 km wall, what happened in 1361, and when to come if you want the ruins without the crowds.
Elke Brandt · 9 min read ·
City Guide
Why Tallinn's Hanseatic Old Town is so intact, what to see on Toompea and below it, where the 1944 gap is, and when Old Town Days runs each June.
Elke Brandt · 8 min read ·
City Guide
How much of Carcassonne's Cité is 13th-century and how much is Viollet-le-Duc, what happened in 1209, when the summer jousts run in the lices, and when to go.
Elke Brandt · 8 min read ·
Family
What is medieval in York, how to walk the walls, the Shambles and the Minster with children in one day, and when Jorvik Viking Festival runs in 2027.
Wren Ashdown · 8 min read ·
Planning
What in Prague is genuinely 14th-century and what is Baroque paint, where to stand and when, and the two real medieval festivals a train ride out.
Elke Brandt · 9 min read ·