If you love to travel and marvel at stunning architecture, visiting beautiful palaces around the world is a must. Here are a few suggestions for palaces that are sure to take your breath away:
Forbidden City The Forbidden City in Beijing is the world's biggest palace complex, covering 72 hectares with 980 buildings and 8,707 rooms. It was built from 1406 to 1420 and served as the home of 24 emperors until Puyi's abdication. The distance between the Tiananmen Gate and the Gate of Divine Might is 960 meters.
Potala Palace The Potala Palace, the greatest monumental structure in Tibet, sits on Marpo Ri hill, 130 meters above Lhasa valley, with the White Palace built in 1648 and the Red Palace added between 1690 and 1694. It used to be the residence of the Dalai Lama until the Chinese invasion in 1959 when the 14th Dalai Lama fled to India.
Palace of Versailles Originally a hunting lodge constructed in 1624, Versailles was expanded by Louis XIV into one of the world's largest palaces. It became the residence of the Kings of France and a symbol of absolute rule until the French Revolution in 1789, when the royal family was forced to return to Paris.
Schonbrunn Palace Vienna's Schönbrunn Palace has 1,441 rooms and is a popular tourist site, comparable to Versailles. Emperor Leopold I had it built in 1696, and it became the summer palace under Maria Theresa. Its Palace Park offers the oldest zoo, a maze, a labyrinth, and the Gloriette, a marble summerhouse atop a 60 meter high hill.