Castello Aragonese
Castello Aragonese
5
9:00 AM - 1:00 AM
Monday
9:00 AM - 1:00 AM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 1:00 AM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 1:00 AM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 1:00 AM
Friday
9:00 AM - 1:00 AM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 1:00 AM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 1:00 AM
About
Masterpiece of the Italian renaissance military architecture that shows important remains of almost three thousand years of history. Free guided tours every day at : 0900 - 01:00
Duration: < 1 hour
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Top ways to experience Castello Aragonese and nearby attractions

The area
Address
Reach out directly

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles3,255 reviews
Excellent
2,706
Very good
487
Average
49
Poor
6
Terrible
7

Scott S
Brighton, Canada17 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023
Site says English tours are provided but they were not so we were put on an Italian tour otherwise we would not have been able to visit it. There has to be a guide with you in order to visit the site. At one point the guide told me to move while he brought the Italian visitors past me, very uncalled for and rude. We did not understand a word but at least we could see the castle.
Written March 5, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

DW111
Burnham-On-Sea, UK155 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2014 • Friends
Reading the other reviews I almost think I must have visited a different place, but the photos look the same!
We turned up for the guided tour but the guide didn't speak English so after 15 mins we decided to wander ourselves. We were told that we had to be part of a tour, and when we explained in very basic Italian that we couldn't understand, we got shrugs and a gesture towards the main gate.i.e. there's the way out! So we left.
I appreciate that we should have been able to understand Italian, but I can't speak the language of every country I visit!
So for us it was a complete waste of time - queued up for nothing!
If you speak fluent Italian fine, if not, don't bother!
Written July 2, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Si esprime sincero rammarico per l'accaduto; si informa che il Castello Aragonese di Taranto è aperto tutti i giorni a visite guidate gratuite della durata di circa 90 minuti con inizio alle ore 9.30 e termine alle 3.00 di notte. Le guide sono sottufficiali della Marina Militare Italiana; il 70% di essi sa esprimersi in lingua inglese. Comunque nel caso di turisti stranieri le visite sono precedute dalla visione di un filmato in inglese della durata di 15 minuti che fornisce la descrizione generale del castello; inoltre in ogni locale della fortificazione vi sono descrizioni in inglese, francese e tedesco per consentire ai turisti stranieri di comprendere il castello anche qualora la guida non parli la loro lingua. Non è autorizzata la visita al' interno della fortificazione senza la guida a causa della complessità e tortuosità del percorso di visita. Cordiali Saluti. Lo staff del Castello Aragonese.
Written July 9, 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Andrei L
Bucharest, Romania57 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2019 • Couples
If you are in Taranto, you should definitely go see the castle. The castle is on the island which is the old city and pretty much the coolest thing to see there, as the old city itself is rather dilapidated. The entrance is free and you will be joined to a guided tour, which takes place every hour or so. The guided tour is held by a navy person that is assigned to the castle, since the castle itself belongs to the military. The tour is quite informative and takes you through the history and current affairs of the castle. If you liked the visit, do not tip the guide, as they are not allowed to take tips, rather donate to the "friends of the castle" association, which uses the funds for maintenance and repairs. The tour we had was in Italian, French and English and we absolutely loved our guide. Highly recommended
Written July 2, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ruthie17
Israel308 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2018 • Couples
A fascinating tour by a Naval Officer in English. The tour started with a video (also in English) and then we had a guided tour through different parts of the castle and through different bygone eras. There are many tours during the day and night. The castle is now occupied by the Navy, and the Naval soldiers are responsible for the excavations in the castle.
Written June 6, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Zwardon
Budapest, Hungary17 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2017 • Friends
It is well organised, interesting, detailed and free. You can see the system which moves the bridge, too.
Written May 30, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

swtraveler15
Springfield, MA1,552 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2017 • Couples
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the Castello Aragonese. The castle offers free tours by a member of the Italy Navy. Our guide was very personable and while the tour we took was given in Italian, our guide also gave us a quick synopsis of each stop in English. It was fascinating to see how much restoration has been completed on the castle and you can tell it has all been done with respect for the history as well as pride in their accomplishments. Excellent restoration and we would love to return once it is finished.
Written January 14, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

SimonIG10
Loughton, UK105 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2017 • Couples
Taranto were very welcoming when we arrived with free buses run from the ship to just outside of the castle. We went straight in so they don't stick to times. As others have mentioned it is an Italian Navy location with serving personnel as guides. Ours was very knowledgable and spoke great English. Worth a walk through old town to Cathedral to see some traditional living.
Written September 18, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Thehunagi
London, UK76 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2017 • Couples
Accidentally joined a free tour here guided by a marine and it was great. The view from the wall is spectacular and the history of the fort is very interesting. The guide was super nice and took great care of us even though we were the only English speaking guests.
Written September 10, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Fergs85
Thornton-Le-Dale, UK1,036 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2017 • Solo
This is an amazing castle, and well worth visiting. It acts as a reminder of the days when southern Italy, including Sicily and the kingdom of Naples, was ruled by Spanish kings – it was originally built in the 13th century by Emperor Frederick II, but then underwent significant reconstruction under the orders of Ferdinand of Aragon (hence its name), and in the chapel of St Leonard you’ll see a portion of a stone tablet bearing the coats of arms of Philp II. The castle, as it appears today, is an outstanding example of renaissance military fortification, with massive walls to a thickness of 7 to 8 metres, huge rounded towers and lots of examples of flanking defences which were becoming typical of military architecture at this time.
Nowadays the castle is in the care of the Italian navy, and as other reviewers have said, you are required to sign a disclaimer against accidents you may experience on the visit – however it is in fact perfectly safe (but there would be no disabled access). You will not be allowed to explore on your own, but the guided tours are free. On the day I was there I was tagged on to the end of a school visit (along with one other independent traveller, from France) – this might have been interesting but the guide devoted much of the visit to lengthy lectures to the school group, much of which seemed to be the over the heads of the children, who were only of primary age. We were given summaries by the guide in English, but still spent a good part of the visit stuck with the group – of course, your experience might be different, and I wouldn’t let this put you off. My other reservation would be that there is only limited access to the ramparts themselves, so on the tour you do spend a fair bit of time in the innards of the castle – although much of this is still interesting.
If you want to buy a guide book (5 euros) be sure to have some change. I only had large notes but picked up a copy later in the tourist information office.
Written June 29, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

VillaOttiliaOria
Oria, Italy80 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2016 • Friends
We had booked a tour in English well in advance and as we arrived a marine officer was expecting us. He took us through every nook of the castle and it was truly an interesting tour. Very knowledgeable and courteous he made us feel welcome in a way every tourist would love to be greeted. Such a clever move on behalf of the marines, offering the tour free. A great idea that I wish more cities would consider as the castle is the pride of each little town around here!
Heads up though: not easily accessible! Steep stairwells was quite a task to conquer for parts of our group!
Written December 5, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Showing results 1-10 of 117
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

Castello Aragonese - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Frequently Asked Questions about Castello Aragonese

Hotels near Castello Aragonese: View all hotels near Castello Aragonese on Tripadvisor

Restaurants near Castello Aragonese: View all restaurants near Castello Aragonese on Tripadvisor