A Scots castle has been named as the best castle to visit in Europe in a new poll.

Online travel company Weloveholidays ranked the continent’s most beloved castles according to the number of five-star reviews they have received online and the number of social media posts they have been mentioned in. 

Edinburgh Castle ranked first with 30,752 five-star reviews on TripAdvisor and 698,000 posts on Instagram, ahead of Prague Castle in second place and the Alhambra in Granada, Spain.

Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany came fourth ahead of Schönbrunn Palace in Austria in fifth place.

READ MORE: Scots island named among 10 best places in world for whale watching

Two other castles in the UK made the top 10, with Windsor Castle ranking in sixth position and Warwick Castle in 10th position.

Commenting on the research, Jan Kuklinski, managing director of weloveholidays, said: “Europe has an incredible variety of architectural styles, which is reflected in the many castles found across the continent, so it is not surprising that these stunning buildings are popular online.”

Back in January, a Scots island was named among the best in Europe ‘for getting away from almost everyone’.

The 10-strong list was drawn up by CNN Travel to highlight "lesser known" islands that offer visitors the chance to “ditch the crowds and get closer to nature”. 

The list features islands such as Alicudi in Sicily, Rathlin Island in Northern Ireland, Flores Island in the Azores, Heimaey in Iceland and Naustholmen in Norway. 

Joining them as the unique Scottish entry on the list is Tiree, which CNN Travel describe as a “turquoise paradise off the western coast of Scotland”.