Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Everything at Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe is served in takeout containers.
Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe
The fried green tomato sandwich comes on jalapeño cornbread toast.
Café Reconcile
BBQ shrimp braised in beer are a popular menu item.
High Hat Cafe
The pastries at Lagniappe Bakehouse are worth waking up for.
Lagniappe Bakehouse
Peter Vazquez has been quietly making a name for himself for years.
The Appetite Repair Shop
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
22 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
23 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
24 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
25 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom Wales Denbighshire Castell Dinas Bran

Castell Dinas Bran

These precariously placed ruins harken back to a 13th-century castle.

Denbighshire, Wales

Added By
katielou106
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Castle on the hill.   katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User
Castle on the hill.   katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User
Crow statue on the path at Castell Dinas Bran.   katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User
Castell Dinas Bran perched on top of the hill.   katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User
Part of the ruins.   katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The debate regarding the actual name of this castle began during the 17th-century.

Castell Dinas Bran is sometimes wrongly translated as "The City of Crows" because the word dinas in modern Welsh means "city," while in Middle Welsh it means a defended enclosure. Brân meanwhile is Welsh for "crow," suggesting that the castle's name was "the crow's fortress."

It has also been suggested that Brân could be the name of an individual. According to legends, Brân was a Cornish prince and the son of the Duke of Cornwall. It's also believed that these legends could be a reference to King Brân Fendigaid. It has been suggested that the name may have simply derived from the word bryn, or "hill." The name could also simply refer to a local mountain stream. The moniker of  "Crow Castle," has also been used since at least the 18th-century. This explains the crow statue positioned on one of the paths. The ruins visible today are all that remain of the stronghold constructed around the 1260s by Prince Gruffudd ap Madoc, a local Welsh ruler. 

Dinas Brân is just one of several castles that were constructed in the region following the signing of the Treaty of Montgomery which secured Wales for Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd. It also freed the region from English interference.

Related Tags

Ruins Castles History & Culture Architecture Royalty

Know Before You Go

There is a car park in town. then walk over the bridge and head for the canal, from here you will see the sign for Dinas Bran. The walk involves a bit of a climb, so allow yourself plenty of time, about an hour. The views alone are well worth the effort.

Community Contributors

Added By

katielou106

Published

December 1, 2020

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Castell Dinas Bran
Llangollen, LL20 8DY, Wales, UK
Denbighshire, Wales, LL20 8D
United Kingdom
52.979123, -3.158897

Nearby Places

Valle Crucis Abbey

Llantysilio, Wales

miles away

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct

Wrexham, Wales

miles away

Oswald's Well

Oswestry, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Wales

Wales

United Kingdom

Places 136
Stories 21

Nearby Places

Valle Crucis Abbey

Llantysilio, Wales

miles away

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct

Wrexham, Wales

miles away

Oswald's Well

Oswestry, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Wales

Wales

United Kingdom

Places 136
Stories 21

Related Places

  • Crawford Castle

    Crawford, Scotland

    Crawford Castle

    These crumbling ruins are all that's left of the ancestral home of Clan Crawford.

  • Falkenburg

    Detmold, Germany

    Falkenburg

    The ruins of a medieval castle that survived two sieges.

  • Looking down to where the central round keep would have been

    Eglinton, Scotland

    Eglinton Castle

    The ruins of a once-grand castle that played host to a tournament with 100,000 attendees.

  • Diósgyőr Castle

    Miskolc, Hungary

    Diósgyőr Castle

    This castle played host to the largest great hall found in medieval Central Europe.

  • Castle Lug

    Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland

    Castle Lug

    This castle once belonged to one of the most prominent families of medieval Carrickfergus.

  • Chichester Castle Tower

    Whitehead, Northern Ireland

    Castle Chichester Tower

    This tower once belonged to a castle fit for a knight.

  • Rocca di Pierle

    Cortona, Italy

    Rocca di Pierle

    The eerie ruins of this feudal fortress witnessed the execution of 60 conspirators in 1387.

  • Tintagel Castle

    Tintagel, England

    Tintagel Castle

    A fantastic castle rumored to be the birthplace of King Arthur.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.