Real Medieval Towns for Fantasy Worlds

Build the town street by street

Castles get the attention, but most of a fantasy city is ordinary streets, stairs and doorways. Getting those right is what makes a world feel lived in.

• Medieval City - Game of Thrones: 363 photos of Girona's old town in Spain, which still has much of its medieval architecture. The TV series filmed several of its city scenes here. TLopez shot the streets early in the morning, with no tourists in the frame.
• Medieval City Narrow Streets: 91 photos of empty medieval streets, alleys, roofs and stairs, with close-ups of doors and windows.
• Venice Old Town: 54 photos of canals, lanes, boats and medieval houses. A good start for a city built on water.

Rooftops, fog and the view from above

A town seen from a height tells you how it grew: tight around a square, stretched along a river or climbing a hill.

Mountain Lake Medieval Town shows Hallstatt in winter in 129 photos, on a foggy morning and on a sunny day. The same streets in two kinds of weather give you two moods for one location. Edinburgh Sunset Cityscape has 99 photos of buildings and rooftops at sunset, at 7360 × 4912.

The village beyond the walls

Not everyone in a kingdom lives in the city. The countryside needs its own reference.

• Historical Ukrainian Village: 218 photos of a historic village and its rural surroundings, including the inside of one of the houses.
• Viking Village: 164 photos of a film set in the south of Iceland, built for a Viking film and left standing when filming was cancelled. A mountain rises behind the wooden buildings. Treat it as a designed set, not a historical record.

Walls, towers and gates

For the defenses, start with 14th Century Ukrainian Castle (115 photos of a large medieval stronghold, its towers, walls and ruins). Fantasy doesn't have to mean Europe: Old Town Wall with a Moat has 187 photos of the 14th-century wall around Chiang Mai, including a section under reconstruction, so you can see the wall being repaired. For many more strongholds, see our castle and fortress reference.

Knights and older ruins

Medieval Knight Armour shows 108 photos of helmets, breastplates, chain mail, gauntlets, engraved patterns and horse armor, at 6000 × 4000. Use it for character design and for the small details on statues and tombs.

For an ancient kingdom older than the medieval one, look at ruins. Matte painter David Edwards used the Masada Ancient Fortress Ruins pack (83 photos of eroded stone walls on a rock plateau in the Judaean Desert) to build his "Lost Temple" 3D environment.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use these photos for a tabletop RPG book or a game I sell?

Yes. Art you create from the reference is yours to sell. Every license is royalty-free, covers unlimited projects and never expires. If a pack is Editorial or has an Editorial folder, use those photos as reference and in your art, but don't reproduce them directly on products such as prints or posters.

Is the Viking Village a real historical site?

No. It is a film set built for a Viking film that was never finished. It is useful for mood, layout and construction ideas, but check historical sources if you need accuracy.

Do you have medieval fantasy reference from outside Europe?

Yes. Chiang Mai's old town wall is one example on this page. For Central Asian cities, see our Silk Road reference, and for world ideas in general, see worldbuilding inspiration photos.

Are the towns full of tourists?

Not in the packs planned for empty streets. The Girona pack was shot early in the morning with no tourists, and Medieval City Narrow Streets shows mostly empty streets. Hallstatt is a busy town, so check the previews if you need empty streets. The product description tells you what to expect.