Beautiful castles/palaces from around the world

Bunratty Castle.

Thanks for the addition, R1. I particularly like the arched, indented Southern façade.

Goin back into a more exotic territory, here's Pagaruyung Royal Palace in Sumatra, Indonesia.

Hohenzollern Castle (Germany) — lovely fairytale setting

Alhambra

The view from my knees is stunning at night.

With its intriguing bi-level roofline, unique texture combinations, and simply adorned minimalist landscaping, this example has for years been among the most alluring of castles.

The exceptionally beautiful Pena Palace in Sintra, Portugal. It was built between 1842 and 1854 by architect Wilhelm Ludwig von Eschwege, under the supervision Queen Maria II of Portugal and her husband, German prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry. It recicled a significant number of materials from the monumental Convent of Our Lady of Pena, which occupied the site before the castle and had been destroyed by the great Earthquake of 1755.

My local and my favorite

OK, this is not a royal palace, but it is inspired by one. The utterly spectacular Izmailovo market and palace in Moscow, Russia, is probably the most beautiful and grandest commercial area in the world.

The very beautiful royal fortress of Fasil Ghebbi in Gondar, Ethiopia.

Corvin Castle in Huneadoara, Romania.

Have any queens on here lived or stayed in a castle?

@R13, it's difficult to find someone who can affort to live in one, but there are several people on YouTube who are doing it successfully. There's this British lady living in France who is remodelling a 17th Century château...

Maybe more imposing than beautiful, but Edinburgh Castle, situated on an extinct volcano in the City centre.

Kyoto's Golden Palace, or Golden Pavilion.

Wowsa! There aren't any golden palaces in the West!

But there's one in India, too!

Okay, it's really a temple, but have a look anyway, just so you've seen it.

I was really stunned by Castello Aragonese on the island of Ischia in Italy

The Castle of Mey - Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother's bolthole in northernmost Scotland. It was the only piece of property she ever owned by herself, outright.

The Golden Temple of Amritsar is very beautiful indeed, R17. Simply spectacular! There are some very impressive castles in India, especially Medieval ones.

R18, thank you for posting this. I had never, ever heard about this castle and now I am utterly dazzled... What a beautiful place! Italy truly is one of the most wonderful countries on earth.

Going back to Portugal, here's the gorgeous Buçaco Palace, which is the last palace ever built by the Portuguese royal family (between 1888-1907). It has been a luxury hotel since the 1920s and between 1945 and 1970, an apartment was built to house the royal family after dictator António Salazar allowed them to return to Portugal. Nowadays, the entire complex is a hotel.