Dreams have no mercy, they are our deepest desires dying inside us every day. But there is one dream that lives inside us no matter how old we get. It’s a dream to be a royal. No matter how old you are, what your status is, once in while you must have dreamt about living life king style. To fulfil this fantasy people travel miles to have a chance to step a foot on royal carpet. As you go about your daily life, we selected some palaces that you must visit once in your life, to live your fantasy.
- Buckingham Palace: when it comes to palaces the royal house of British monarch is the king of all palaces. It is the centre of attraction for many occasions. Anyone who has visited UK cannot miss out visiting this palace. Originally built as town house it was later acquired by King George III for his Queen. It was during the reign of Queen Victoria that it became royal residence of British monarch. It has 775 rooms, which includes 52 royal and guest rooms, 78 bathrooms, 19 state rooms, 92 offices and 188 staff bedrooms. Changing of the guards is the most famous ceremony that attracts tourist. It takes place daily in summers and alternate days in winters.
- Palace of Versailles – Palace of Versailles is a national landmark of France and former royal residence. It is one of the largest opulent castles in the world is also a UNESCO World heritage site. It was originally built by Louis XIII as a hunting ground but later expanded by Louis XIV as a lodge for secret escapes with his lovely mistress. The main attraction of this palace, are Hall of mirrors, Chapel of Versailles, Grand Apartments and Versailles garden. The Versailles garden is the largest palace garden in Europe. It has 350 rooms and the entire palace is decorated with beautiful paintings.
- WINTER PALACE, ST. PETERSBERG – Winter Palace served as a residence to Russian monarch from 1732 – 1917. It has a capacity of 1500 rooms and 117 staircases. The Winters Palace was built as monument to depict the strength and power of the Russian Monarch. It was Peter the Great of Russia who had a dream to have a palace built in western style for him. It was his vision that Winters Palace came into existence.
- Mysore Palace – the royal residence of the Wodeyars, the royal family of Mysore. The Palace hosts Vijaya Dashami festival, every year and the palace is decorated with 10000 lights during the festival. The main attraction of this palace is Someshvara temple which is devoted to Lord Shiva and Lakshmiramana temple which is devoted to Lord Vishnu. The palace is also know to have a huge bronze tiger statue at it’s gate and a collection of weapons from 14th It is the second most visited place in India after Taj Mahal, Agra.
- Pena National Palace – It was built by King Ferdinand in 1842 in Portugal. It is said to be built upon the ruins of a monastery which was destroyed by the Lisbon Earthquake in 1755. It is a Romanticist Palace. It is built on a hill top in Sintra Mountains. It is UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the seven wonders of Portugal. King Ferdinand was charmed by the beauty of the place and acquired it to build a summer residence for the royal family.
- Forbidden City – Forbidden City was a palace inhabited by Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty from 1420 to 1912. It has 980 buildings with 8886 bays of rooms, built in traditional palatial architecture. It was declared as the UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987. It was believed that no one could enter or leave the palace without the emperor’s permission, thus earning it a name forbidden city. It was home to 24 emperors – 14 from Ming Dynasty and 10 Qing Dynasty. About one million artefacts are safely guarded within the walls of the Forbidden City Palace museum.
