top 10 Most Beautiful Palace In The World

Once the homes of kings and emperors, now popular tourist places. A list of some of the most beautiful places in the world.

#1 Forbidden City

Located in the center of Beijing, the Forbidden City is the world's largest palace complex covering 72 hectares. Build from 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 surviving building with 8,707 rooms surrounded by a six meter deep mast and a ten meter high wall. The distance between the Tiananmen Gate and the Gate of Divine Might is 960 metes. Twenty-four emperors reigned over the country for almost 5 centuries from the Forbidden City until the abdication of Puyi, the last Emperor of China.

#2 Potala Palace

Situated on Marpo Ri hill, 130 meters above the Lhasa valley, the Potala palace rises a further 170 meters and is the greatest monumental structure in all of Tibet. Although a palace was already build here in the 7th century the construction of the present palace began in 1648 the Potrang karpo, or White Palace, was completed. The Potrang Marpo, or red palace, was added between 1690 and 1694. The Potala Palace remained the residence of the Dalai Lama until the 14th Dalai Lama fled to India, after the Chinese invasion in 1959.

#3 Alhambra

Part fortress, part palace and part garden the Alhambra is situated on a plateau overlooking the city of Granada in southern Spain. The palace was constructed during the mid 14th century by the Nasrid sultans and is a testament to the skill of muslim craftsman of that time. The Alhambra is now one of Spain's major tourist attractions and many visitors come to Granada just to see the Alhambra.

#4 Palace of Versailles

Versailles was originally a hunting lodge, built in 1624 by Louis Xlll. His successor, Louis XIV, expanded the site into one of the largest palaces in the world, and from 1682, used it to control France by absolute rule. The palace of Versailles remained the official residence of the Kings of France until October 1789 when the royal family was forced to return to Paris during the French Revolution.

#5 Chateau de Chambord

This second most visited chateau in France (after Versailles), is a masterpiece of the French Renaissance. Chateau de Chambord features 440 rooms, 365 fireplaces, and 84 staircase. Construction of the chateau started in 1519 by King Francois I so he could hunt in the nearby forests. the cold and massive rooms of the chateau made it unpopular as an actual residence and Francois I himself stayed here for less than 40 days in total.

#6 Topkapi Palace

When Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror took Constantinople in 1453, he first ordered the construction of a new residence. This was to become the palace later known as Topkapi. The palace would remain the imperial enclave of the Ottoman sultans for 4 centuries, from 1465 to 1853. Over the years of the palace complex underwent constant modification. Today the complex is made up of four main courtyards of increasing grander and many smaller buildings.

#7 Summer Palace

The Summer Palace is located 15 kilometers (9.3miles) from central Beijing and is mainly dominated by the Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake. As its name  implies, the Summer Palace was used as a Summer residence by China's imperial rulers - as a retreat from the 'Forbidden City'. The gardens were substantially extended in 1750, reproducing the styles of various palaces and gardens from around China. Kunming Lake was extended to imitate the West Lake in HangZhou.

#8 Schonbrunn Palace

The 1,441 room Schonbrunn Palace, comparable in grandeur to Versailles, is one of the major tourist attractions in vienna. The palace was built between 1696 and 1712 at the request of Emperor Leopold I and turned into the imperial summer palace by maria Theresa. The Palace Park offers a lot of attractions, such as the Privy Garden, the oldest zoo in the world, a maze and labyrinth, and the Gloriette (a marble summerouse) situated on top of a 60 meter high hill.

#9 Mysore Palace

Commonly described as the City of Palaces, Mysore in India has a number of historic palace is the most famous one. The palace was commissioned in 1897 after the old palace was destroyed in a fire during a wedding, and its construction was completed in 1912. During the Dasara festival in the months of September and October the palace is illuminated with more than 10,000 bulbs, offering a magnificent sight.

#10 Pena National Palace

Build in 1842 by King Ferdinand II, the Pena National Palace in Portugal is the oldest European castle in the Romanticism style. The palace was constructed on the ruins of a 1755. Today , with it original colors of red and yellow restored, the pena National Palace is one of portugal's most visited monuents.