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The royal family had subsequently rebuilt it into their rural retreat with the area of an impressive 800 hectares. The seat is surrounded by vast plots of land with extensive gardens, parks, forests, but also reserves with animals. Today, there are various social events and tours for the public to fully excite the whole family. Children can play in one of many play-grounds, while parents certainly enjoy a beautiful pass through the interior and exterior of the luxury palace.

Osborne House is a good example of traditional British relations, which may seem a little too formal, but on the other hand, for many can be nice and slick.

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Palace of Versailles is also an important symbol of the Great French Revolution, when in 1789 the nobility was expelled from there to Paris, and executed by the guillotine.

Beautiful castle is admired mainly for its unique architecture and large surrounding gardens, which are really amazing. Many rulers in other European countries later attempted to imitate the construction of their residences just according to this French chateau; for example, Viennese palace Schönbrun.

During an excursion in the Château de Versailles you definitely do not miss the spectacular tour of the royal apartments and beautifully decorated chapel. The complex has really got a lot of rooms, wings and associated buildings, so if you want to see everything it takes you almost all day.

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Very interesting is a unique Hall of Mirrors, but you should visit also the Museum of History, which shows you all the important events that are associated with this place. I have to say that they are terribly much.

In the gardens you can find many fountains and statues. The best time to visit the gardens is in the summer during the summer musical and water festival Les Grandes Eaux Musicales, when the fountains are turned on and chamber music bands play in the gardens.

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Construction of the Linderhof Palace began in 1870 under the leadership of Georg Dollmann and was completed in 1878 as a memorial to the absolute monarchy of the French kings. The castle was built in the Rococo style according to the style of Bourbon kings. Linderhof Palace is the only building constructed by Ludwig II. It was also his favorite residence until his tragic death in 1886.

The entrance hall is surrounded by a red marble pilasters, and there is an equestrian statue of Louis XIV. It is a copy of the statue from the Place Vendôme (square in Paris) which was made by Francois Girardon. Visiting a Palace is really a great experience, especially the Hall of Mirrors which is the most richly decorated room in Linderhof Palace.

The palace includes also the park with an area of ​​198 acres. There is even a waterfall and fountain with Neptune, or a classic circular temple with a marble statue of Venus.

Around the Linderhof Palace you can find romantic structures like Venus Grotto, Hunding’s Hut, Gurnemanz Hermitage, Moorish Kiosk or Moroccan House.

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Santa María de León Cathedral was built of golden sandstone, in the Gothic style in the 13th Century. Master Cathedral architect was Enrique. It was built in the place where originally (in the 2nd century BC) stood Roman Spa, which was about 800 years later converted into a palace.

León Cathedral was completed in the 16th century. Today it is a wonderful building and since 1844 it is Spanish National Monument.

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Right at the entrance of the León Cathedral there are three decorated portals. Inside the cathedral there are more than 250 magnificent stained glass windows and a large circular window. Stained glass windows occupy more than 1800 m2.

In León Cathedral you also find cathedral’s museum. You can see there La Virgen Blanca, which is a Gothic statue of the Virgin Mary. Then the treasury of the 16th century and the cloister decorated with frescoes by Nicolás Frances. Cathedral Museum is in the summer (July-September) open from Monday to Friday, from 9:30 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 19:30. On Saturday it is open from 9:30 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 19:00. Cathedral is closed on Sundays and public holidays.

But the museum is open all year round, however opening hours are changing, it is better to look at the official site of the León Cathedral. Basic admission fee is 4 €.

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Pena National Palace was built in 19th century but its history started already in the Middle Ages when a chapel was built here and later in 1493 also monastery, however it was severely damaged by lightning and later by the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755. After that only ruins remained here for many decades. King Ferdinand started reconstructions and rebuilt the place into a summer residence for the Portuguese royal family in 1847.

Pena National Palace is now a place of Portuguese government and president officials. Around the Palace there is 200 hectares large vast forest with lots of paths.

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The Kronborg castle has been one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. The castle was originally used to collect duties, and was later rebuilt to Renaissance castle. However it is important to note, that Renaissance means something else in Italy and something else in Scandinavia. Later the castle was used as barracks for two centuries.

You can save a tour of the interior. After the fire, there is not much remained to be seen inside. It is best to walk along the sea and the view from the ship.

Kronborg Castle has been added to UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites list in 2000.

History of Kronborg Castle

• In 1420s the fortress, Krogen, was built by the Danish king, Eric of Pomerania.
• In 1585 was rebuilt by Frederick II into a magnificent Renaissance castle and renamed to Kronborg.
• In 1629 the castle was totally burned due to some mistake of two workers.
• In 1639 the castle was restored by Christian IV, but the interior never fully regained its former glory.
• From 1688-1690, an advanced line of defence and ramparts were built around it, which made Kronborg Castle the strongest fortress in Europe.
• From 1739 until the 1900s, Kronborg was used as a prison.

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Since 1848, Denmark is a constitutional monarchy and kings have not been crowned any more. In 1859 there was a large fire in the castle and the majority of the castle has been destroyed. Restoration has been proceeded with the intention to build a museum of Danish history in the castle. Tourists now pass through magnificently furnished rooms which are divided into different time periods, and can see the rich history of the Danish kingdom. The castle is richly equipped with paintings, furniture and interior decorative accessories. Frederiksborg is the Denmark’s largest gallery of portraits of all kings and queens from the year 1500, along with hundreds of other prominent Danish people.

Frederiksborg Palace is surrounded by a lake and park, which consists of a Baroque French garden and English park. From May to September, you can take tour boat around the castle. The start point is near the main square with city hall and the finish at the castle gardens.

The castle is located in the town of Hillerød, the final lines of the S-train. The city’s history is closely linked to the castle. Before castle construction there stood only a few village houses. Soon the city grew and became a center of commerce. Even today you can do shopping here, as well as in the center of Copenhagen, all the major companies have their own clothing shops here in the shopping street.

Hillerød is a vibrant town with 35,000 inhabitants and a beautiful castle, which is its greatest attraction.

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The palace was built by John III of Sweden in 1580 for his queen, Catherine Jagellon. The Queen Dowager Regent Hedwig Eleonora, widow of Charles X Gustav, bought the castle in 1661. She gave the command to rebuild a site in 1662.

Until today there are still 30 of the original props and decorations in the unique Baroque theater, built in 1766 in the Palace. The summer is still issued here with operas and theatrical performances. For safety reasons, the interior of the theater was designed with special electric lamps, instead of candles.

The entire complex is strongly inspired by Versailles and the surrounding beautiful park with symmetrical and architectural features are worth the walk. On the way to large garden complex are seen two ponds, canals, bridges, large open grassy areas, trees standing in groups or arranged in an alley, plenty of fountains, the Chinese pavilion dating from 1753 and many statues .. Most of the ancient marble sculptures were purchased by Gustav III in Italy, but here you find the Mannerist sculptures by Adrian de Vries from the Wallenstein Garden in Mala Strana, Prague, which was taken as war booty by the Swedish soldiers in the Thirty Years War.

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At the behest of the Spanish King Charles III. – king of Spain (1759–88) and of Naples and Sicily (1735–59), Luigi Vanvitelli began to work on the construction work in 1752. In 1759, the Charles III. became unable to manage personnel in both kingdoms upon succeeding to the Spanish throne on 10 August, therefore the castle under construction left a son, Ferdinand VI (who became Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies, or Ferdinand IV of Naples and Ferdinand III of Sicily).

The whole building including the park were inspired by the chateau of Versailles. The palace has a ground plan dimensions of 247 x 184 m. The adjacent park has an area of 120 hectares.

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Caserta Royal Palace was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

The Park

The Royal Palace of Caserta has the most scenic parks in the world, scattered with fountains and waterfalls. The gardens, partly English and partly inspired by French models, are adorned with statues, made from the best Neapolitan sculptors under the guidance of Carlo Vanvitelli. Although the original draft was much more sophisticated and extensive, there were some economical reductions.

The central avenue of the park, from the gate to the big waterfall, is 3 km long. The park covers 120 hectares in total.

There are several fountains with the vasca (basin) in the garden:

The Fountain of Diana and Actaeon / La fontana di Diana e Atteone
The Fountain of Venus and Adonis / Cascatelle e Fontana di Venere e Adone
The Fountain of the Dolphins / la Vasca e Fontana dei Delfini
The Fountain of Aeolus / la Vasca e Fontana di Eolo
The Fountain of Ceres / la Vasca e Fontana di Cerere

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