Castello Svevo in Brindisi: can you visit the Swabian castle, and what about the Castello Alfonsino?

Can you go inside the Castello Svevo today?

The castle belongs to the Marina Militare and today houses the San Marco Marine Brigade, so it is not a museum with opening hours. For some years the Comune di Brindisi and the Navy had an agreement that allowed guided visits, run by the association Le Colonne. The PastPuglia page for the castle now says in capital letters that visits are not possible at the moment, because the agreement "expired in May 2026" and is being renewed. I read that notice on 17 October 2026 and it did not list any new dates.

So my honest advice: do not plan your trip around going in. If you are lucky and the visits are back when you arrive, great. If not, the outside and the other castle give you plenty to see.

How to ask for a visit when they restart

Before the suspension, the rules published by the Comune and the local press were these (they may change when the new agreement is signed):

• Price: free.
• Booking: compulsory, online at pastpuglia.it or in the PastPuglia app. PastPuglia currently says to book at least 96 hours ahead; earlier notices said 48 hours.
• No internet? Call 379 265 3244 (Le Colonne, the number given by PastPuglia).
• Tours: two time slots a day, at 9:00 and 10:30 according to the Comune page, on Saturday and Sunday of one weekend a month. A 2025 local news report mentioned different slots and some evening tours, so treat times as indicative.
• Meeting point: the guardhouse at Porta Vittoria, Via dei Mille 4, about 15 minutes before your slot.
• Bring a valid ID, the same one you gave when booking.

You can also phone 0831 642111, the number MuseiOnline lists for the castle, to ask whether visits are on. The Navy also opens some of its sites on special days, and the castle has appeared in the FAI Spring Days (listing shows 2022, 2025 and 2026) and Autumn Day (2021, 2024). I could not find the exact days for any of them, so look at the FAI site close to your dates. More on local events in our festivals and events guide.

A short history of the castle

Frederick II ordered the castle built in 1227, on the inner harbour, and it still has the trapezoid layout of the Swabian core: a courtyard, a large keep that serves as the entrance, and six other towers. The Angevins strengthened it after 1268. In the late 15th century Ferdinand I of Aragon added the outer wall and four large corner towers, and in the 16th century work ordered by Charles V strengthened it further (Ministry of Culture listing). That is why you will also see it called the Castello Svevo-Aragonese, or Castello di Terra, to tell it from the Castello di Mare, the one on the island.

In 1814 Joachim Murat made it a penal prison, a role it kept under the Bourbons and the Savoy until the early 1900s. The Navy then took it over as a base. In June 2024 it hosted the gala dinner for the G7 leaders in Brindisi, with President Mattarella. For the wider story of the city, see Brindisi history.

What you can see from outside

The castle stands in the city, near the historic centre, with one side facing the inner harbour. From Via dei Mille you can see the outer wall with its round corner towers and the mass of the entrance keep. It is a military area, so follow the signs, do not cross barriers and keep photography to what is visible from the public road.

The nicest way is to include it in a stroll. Walk the waterfront of the inner harbour, look across at the castle from the water side, and continue to the old town. It also fits a layover day: see our 24 to 48 hours in Brindisi plan and the cruise day guide. Other ideas are in things to do in Brindisi and free things to do.

The other castle: Castello Alfonsino and Forte a Mare

This one you can visit more easily. The Castello Alfonsino, also called Castello di Mare or Aragonese, stands on the island of Sant'Andrea at the entrance of the harbour. Ferrante of Aragon began the fortress in 1481, his son Alfonso gave it its castle form, and in 1558 the Forte a Mare was added to defend the rest of the island (FAI). It later became a naval arsenal and reopened after restoration by the Ministry of Culture.

According to a travel article published in April 2026, visits are guided tours run by Le Colonne, booked in advance on pastpuglia.it. The article lists one tour at 11:30 on weekdays and two at 11:30 and 17:30 at weekends, about 50 minutes, with tickets at 8 euro (6 reduced, free for children under 6), and a boat from a point near the Scalinata Virgilio. Another local site says tours are in Italian, English and Spanish, daily, by reservation (379 265 3244). I could not confirm these details on an official page, so check the dates on PastPuglia before you go. If you only want to see the castle from the water, a boat tour of the bay passes by it, but the one I checked does not stop on the island.

Two castles at a glance

Stay a short walk from the waterfront

BDS House is a whole home in the historic centre, a short walk from the waterfront where you can look at the castle and the harbour. After a morning of walls and boats you can come back to a full kitchen and one of the two private rooftop terraces. Guests who book direct find a Puglia welcome box prepared by my father. Check your dates.