Trakai’s Cinderella turrets and spiked spires soar high above Lake Galvė’s waters of impossible blue, with wisps of forest and fair country towns swirling around. It's perhaps just what you might expect from the place that was once the prestigious home of Lithuania's grand dukes.

A mere 25 kilometers outside of the capital of Vilnius, the whole complex is now designated as part of the Trakai Historical National Park. Its centerpiece is the stunning Trakai Island Castle, with its red-tiled towers and stone-built bulwarks. Head there to delve into the long and bloody history of conflict that existed between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Teutonic Knights, who besieged Trakai and devastated the castle in 1377.

Trakai tour guides have plenty more to show you, too. There's the half-ruined Trakai Peninsula Castle, now a series of walls and keeps, the romantic bridge walk to the main citadel gate – a majestic photo-taking spot, the haunting local chapel, and the old town of Trakai itself, which comes peppered with wood-faced Karaim cottages nestled in green forests.