Palaces, Edinburgh

Dunnottar Castle is a dramatic and evocative ruined cliff top fortress that was the home of the Earls Marischal, once one of the most powerful families in Scotland. Steeped in history, this romantic and haunting ruin is a photographer’s paradise, a history lover’s dream and an iconic tourist destination for visitors the world over https://www.visitabdn.com/what-to-do/castles/castle-ruins/view/dunnottar-castle

This impressive building was built for the Hon Robert Edward Ward and his family in 1852. The building is situated in the grounds of Castle Park alongside the North Down Museum and is just a short walk from Bangor Castle Walled Garden. http://visitbelfast.com/things-to-do/member/bangor-castle-1

The gardens are a complex living museum containing over four centuries of culture and heritage. Within the heart of the 60 acre gardens is a unique visitor experience, Clotworthy House. http://visitbelfast.com/things-to-do/member/antrim-castle-gardens-and-clotworthy-house

Erected in the early thirteenth century on the site of a Viking settlement, Dublin Castle served for centuries as the headquarters of English, and later British, administration in Ireland. In 1922, following Ireland’s independence, Dublin Castle was handed over to the new Irish government. https://www.visitdublin.com/see-do/details/dublin-castle#53.342900|-6.267419|16

Built and mostly designed by William Cecil, Lord High Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I, between 1555 and 1587, the main part of the House has 35 major rooms on the ground and first floors. https://www.burghley.co.uk/about-burghley/welcome-to-burghley/

Home to the 12th Duke of Marlborough and his family and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, Blenheim Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site boasting a long and diverse history. A masterpiece of Baroque architecture landscaped Parkland and stunning Formal Gardens, Blenheim Palace provides an awe-inspiring experience for visitors. Explore over 2000 acres of ‘Capability’ Brown Parkland and 90 acres of award-winning Formal Gardens. Ride the miniature train to The Pleasure Gardens, a dedicated family area that offers a giant hedge maze, butterfly house and adventure playground. A year-round calendar of tours, exhibitions, experiences and events reveal the sheer splendour of Britain’s Greatest Palace. https://www.experienceoxfordshire.org/venue/blenheim-palace/

The Castle you see today, in the heart of the capital city, is at once a Roman fort, an impressive castle and an extraordinary Victorian Gothic fantasy palace, created for one of the world’s richest men. http://www.visitcardiff.com/seedo/cardiff-castle/

At its heart Tyntesfield is a Victorian country house and estate, which serves as a backdrop to the remarkable story of four generations of the Gibbs family. Their tale charts the accumulation of wealth from the guano trade, transformation of a Georgian house to a Victorian Gothic masterpiece and the collection of over 50,000 objects. https://visitbristol.co.uk/things-to-do/tyntesfield-p132323

Kensington Palace, a palace of secret stories and public lives, has been influenced by generations of royal women. Experience life as an 18th-century royal courtier whilst making your way through the magnificent King's and Queen's State Apartments adorned with remarkable paintings from the Royal Collection. Victoria Revealed, set within the rooms Queen Victoria lived in as a child, is an exhibition that explores her life and reign as wife, mother, Queen and Empress. Diana: Her Fashion Story - Kensington Palace’s newest exhibition - traces the evolution of Diana’s style; from the demure, romantic outfits of her first public appearances to the glamour, elegance and confidence of her later life. Highlights include the pink blouse worn for Diana’s engagement portrait in 1981 and the ink blue velvet gown, worn when the princess danced with John Travolta. https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/place/428001-kensington-palace

Visit a Buckingham Palace for a glimpse inside one of the few working royal palaces remaining in the world today. During the summer, you can tour the 19 spectacular State Rooms. These magnificent rooms are decorated with some of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection, including paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens and Van Dyck. Outside of the summer opening, you can still see the iconic exterior of the palace and watch the famous Changing the Guard. https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/place/427311-buckingham-palace

The first buildings to be built in Friesland using natural stone or bricks were stone refuge towers, known in Friesland as ‘stinzen’. ‘Stins’ means stone. These squat towers with rounded peaks served as a refuge for their owners, the farming gentry. These people were the rural aristocracy in Friesland, which had no earls or counts before 1500. http://www.leeuwardenholland.nl/en/

Dam Square is Amsterdam’s beating heart. Nowadays Dam Square in contrast with the old days it is now a very peaceful square which is home to scores of pigeons and street performers. Dam Square has had a turbulent history. Around 1270 a damn was constructed in this spot in the river Amstel. Dam Square was once the central marketplace of Amsterdam where literally everything under the moon was sold. The Royal Palace and the Nieuwe Kerk Amsterdam are also situated at Dam Square. Other nearby highlights are the red light district, the narrowest house in Amsterdam at Singel 7 and the shopping mall Magna Plaza. https://www.holland.com/global/tourism/destinations/amsterdam/dam-square.htm

Begun in 1453 by Philippe Le Bon, Duke of Burgundy, it is one of the rare reminders of the flamboyant gothic style in Lille. On the ground floor, the Salle des Gardes (Guards room) houses the tourist office. http://en.lilletourism.com/historic-sites-and-monuments-lille/the-rihour-palace.html

Zypendaal House (Huis Zypendaal) is an old-style country house dating from 1762. The ground floor is open to the public. The costly furnishings and many souvenirs of the Brantsen family, the house's former residents, give the house a very intimate feel. http://www.arnhemnijmegenregion.com/arnhem/culture-and-heritage/places-of-interest/huis-zypendaal

The Grand-Place is the central square of the City of Brussels. All over the world it is known for its decorative and aesthetic wealth. The Grand-Place is surrounded by the guild houses, the City Hall and the Maison du Roi. The Grand-Place is considered as one of the most beautiful places of the world. The Grand-Place of Brussels was registered on the World Heritage List of the UNESCO in 1998. Nowadays, numerous festive or cultural events are organized on the Grand-Place: the Flower carpet (77 x 24m, event organized every 2 years in mid-August and with more than 500.000 begonias; the Ommegang which commemorates the tribute created in 1549 during the coming of Charles the Fifth in Brussels to present it his son, the future Philippe II; the Christmas tree; the daily flower market; the procession of the Meyboom and concerts. https://www.brussels.be/grand-place-brussels

The Joan of Arc Historial, the largest site dedicated to the memory of Joan of Arc, is set in the heart of the Archbishop’s Palace of Rouen. Closely linked to Joan of Arc’s destiny, this site of exceptional architectural quality houses the remains of the room known as l’Officialité, the ‘Official Room’, where her sentence was pronounced in 1431, and where her rehabilitation trial took place in 1456. http://en.rouentourisme.com/arts-antiques/historial-jeanne-d-arc-2132-en

A trip to Mönchengladbach would not be complete without a visit to Rheydt House, the beautifully preserved Renaissance palace. http://www.germany.travel/en/towns-cities-culture/towns-cities/moenchengladbach.html

The Wickrath Palace, which is surrounded by a lake and romantic parklands close to the river Niers. http://www.germany.travel/en/towns-cities-culture/towns-cities/moenchengladbach.html

The history of the Palace of Versailles starts at the 17th century. It was first a hunting lodge, then a seat of power, and finally, from the 19th century onwards, a museum. Composed of the Palace, the gardens, the Park, the Trianon estate and several buildings in town, today the Estate of Versailles spreads over more than 800 hectares. http://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/estate

Transformed at the end of the 17th century by Jules Hardouin-Mansart and Robert de Cotte, the Palace of Tau still holds rooms that have retained their medieval aspect. This is the case with the Palatine Chapel (13th century) and the Tau Room, in which the coronation banquet was held. Decorating the walls are 15th century tapestries which tell the story of "Mighty King Clovis". The royal treasury's most remarkable objects are Charlemagne's talisman (9th century) and Saint Remi's chalice (12th century). The Sainte-Ampoule, or "holy flask", contains the holy oil with which new kings were anointed during the coronation ceremony. https://www.reims-tourism.com/palais-du-tau/reims/pcu0000000000855

Place of exhibitions, concerts and cultural events in Le Mans. Backing onto the Roman ramparts, which were altered during the medieval period, is the Collégiale Saint-Pierre-la-Cour, once the chapel of the palace of the Comtes du Maine. https://www.lemans-tourisme.com/en/partenaire/view/id/2217/category/12

Dating from 1299, this medieval castle and royal residence developed into a fortress in 1592 and was rebuilt into a renaissance castle 1637–1648. https://www.visitoslo.com/en/activities-and-attractions/attractions/?TLp=182662&Akershus-Castle

It is the oldest building in Celle and it is regarded as one of the most splendid Guelphic palaces in Northern Germany. http://www.celle.travel/celle-palace/the-ducal-palace.html

As the town residence of the Grand Duke, the grand-ducal palace has unquestionably one of the most beautiful façades in the city (Flemish Renaissance, 16th century). Majestical interior and splendid above stairs (with light design by Ingo Maurer) can be visited exclusively during summer. https://www.visitluxembourg.com/en/place/castle/palace-of-the-grand-dukes

The Electoral Palace in Koblenz is one of the most important palatial buildings in the French early Classicism style in south-western Germany, and is one of the last residential palaces that was built in Germany shortly before the French revolution. http://www.koblenz-tourism.com/culture/koblenz-attractions/electoral-palace.html

The Palace Church (Schlosskirche) is the landmark of the town, with its two 55 m. high domed towers of Rorschach sandstone, visible from far out on the lake. http://en.friedrichshafen.info/discover/sightseeing/palace-church/

The Electoral Palace directly next to the Basilika is considered one of the most beautiful rococo palaces in the world. http://www.trier-info.de/english/electoral-palace-info

The Lion's Castle has a picturesque location in the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe. From afar, it appears to visitors as a romantic knight’s castle from the Middle Ages. However, it was actually built between 1793 and 1801. Conceived as a pseudomedieval 'ancestral castle' by its commissioner, Landgrave Wilhelm IX of Hesse-Cassel, later Prince Elector Wilhelm I, Heinrich Christoph Jussow, the court’s master architect, realised the bold plans. http://www.kassel.de/englisch/culture/museums/02146/index.html/

In addition to the palace, the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe is also home to another treasure, the Ball House. Though the building's outward appearance is quite plain, the interior is all more impressive with its spacious, splendidly arranged ballroom and crystal chandeliers. http://www.kassel.de/englisch/culture/museums/02135/index.html/

Frederiksberg Palace Gardens is one of the largest and most attractive green spaces in Copenhagen. The park was landscaped during the reign of King Frederik IV from 1699–1730, as a baroque garden surrounding Frederiksberg Palace. The gardens now house the remains of the baroque garden and a romantic landscape garden, which held special significance for the popular King Frederik VI. The romantic landscape garden was changed during his reign from 1808–1839. Today, those wishing to sail along the canals like the king can hire boats from the boat service Svendsens Bådfart. In the summer, Frederiksberg Gardens form the setting for various cultural events, including the music festival Stella Polaris (August) and Midsummer’s Eve (June). Midsummer’s Eve is a particularly special evening in Frederiksberg, attracting some 35,000 visitors. There is a bonfire party by the water close to Frederiksberg Palace and entertainment aplenty. http://visitfrederiksberg.dk/en/emne/the-royal-parks/

Towering on a promontory in Northern Zealand, Kronborg faces the sound between Elsinore and Helsingborg in Sweden. Grand fortifications with bastions and casemates used to protect the Danish land from unwanted visitors and was home to the royal family until the late 1600 hundreds. http://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/kronborg-castle-gdk476685

The Museum of Modern Art was born from the donation made to the State in 1976 by Pierre and Denise Lévy, Trojan industrialists and great art lovers. http://www.tourisme-troyes.com/decouvrir/les-musees/musee-d-art-moderne-ancien-palais-episcopal-425997

Christiansborg Palace, located on the tiny island of Slotsholmen, contains the Danish Parliament Folketinget, the Supreme Court, and the Ministry of State. Parts of the palace are used by the Royal Family for various functions and events. The Royal Reception Rooms include The Tower Room and The Oval Throne Room where foreign ambassadors to Denmark are received by the Queen. The Throne Room gives access to the balcony where the Danish monarchs are proclaimed. https://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/christiansborg-palace-gdk420896