Castles, palaces & forts worth the detour
Detourmap maps 9,519 castles, palaces & forts across 156 countries — castles, fortresses, palaces and châteaux. The most famous is Palace of Versailles in France; France has the most (1,296). The 96 best known are below — every one with a photo and a Wikipedia article.
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Palace of Versailles
Castles & palaces · 17th century · Iconic
Palace in Versailles, France and location of the Museum of the History of France
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Château de Montsoreau
Castles & palaces · 10th century · Iconic
Castle in the Loire valley France and location of château de montsoreau-museum of contemporary art
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Alhambra
Castles & palaces · 13th century · Iconic
Palace and fortress complex in Granada, Andalusia, Spain
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Buckingham Palace
Castles & palaces · 18th century · Iconic
Official London residence and principal workplace of the British monarch
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Windsor Castle
Castles & palaces · 11th century · Iconic
Royal residence at Windsor in Berkshire, England, UK
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Winter Palace
Castles & palaces · 18th century · Iconic
Former imperial palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia
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Prague Castle
Castles & palaces · 9th century · Renowned
Castle complex in Prague, Czech Republic, dating from the 9th century
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Balmoral Castle
Castles & palaces · 14th century · Renowned
Estate house in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK
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Belvedere
Castles & palaces · 18th century · Renowned
Building complex that includes two Baroque palaces in Vienna, Austria
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Apostolic Palace
Castles & palaces · 16th century · Renowned
Official residence of the Pope in Vatican City
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Tuileries Palace
Castles & palaces · 16th century · Renowned
Royal and imperial palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the River Seine
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Malbork Castle
Castles & palaces · 13th century · Renowned
Castle built in Prussia (now Poland) by the Teutonic Knights
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Château de Chambord
Castles & palaces · 16th century · Renowned
Castle in Chambord, Centre-Val de Loire, France
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Kensington Palace
Castles & palaces · 17th century · Renowned
Royal residence set in Kensington Gardens, London, England, UK
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Hampton Court Palace
Castles & palaces · 16th century · Renowned
Historic royal palace in Richmond, Greater London
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Diocletian's Palace
Castles & palaces · 3rd century · Renowned
Ancient palace built for the Roman emperor Diocletian
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Nymphenburg Palace
Castles & palaces · 17th century · Renowned
Baroque palace in Munich, Bavaria, southern Germany
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Karlštejn Castle
Castles & palaces · 14th century · Renowned
Gothic castle in the Czech Republic founded by Charles IV
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Takht-e Soleyman
Castles & palaces · Renowned
Archaeological site in West Azarbaijan, Iranian national heritage site
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Grand Palace
Castles & palaces · 18th century · Renowned
Official residence of the King of Thailand since 1782
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Chillon Castle
Castles & palaces · 12th century · Renowned
Moated castle in Veytaux in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland
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Buda Castle
Castles & palaces · Renowned
Castle and palace complex of the Hungarian kings in Budapest
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Durham Castle
Castles & palaces · 11th century · Renowned
Grade I listed historic house museum in Durham, England, UK
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Hohenzollern Castle
Castles & palaces · Renowned
Ancestral seat of the imperial House of Hohenzollern in the Swabian Alps of central Baden-Württemberg, Germany
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Würzburg Residence
Castles & palaces · 18th century · Renowned
Cultural heritage monument D-6-63-000-454 (0) in Würzburg, Bavaria
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Château de Chenonceau
Castles & palaces · 15th century · Renowned
Castle spanning the River Cher in the Loire Valley, France
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Palace of Whitehall
Castles & palaces · 16th century · Renowned
Former building in the City of Westminster, London
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Royal Palace of Madrid
Castles & palaces · 18th century · Renowned
Official residence of the Spanish Royal Family
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Berlin Palace
Castles & palaces · 15th century · Renowned
Former residence of the Prussian kings, seat of the Humboldt Forum
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Royal Castle in Warsaw
Castles & palaces · 16th century · Renowned
Castle residency in Warsaw, Poland
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Sandringham House
Castles & palaces · 19th century · Renowned
Royal residence near the village of Sandringham in Norfolk, England, UK
Castles, palaces & forts by country
Every country with at least one. Those with eight or more have their own page.
- France1,296
- United Kingdom1,090
- Italy890
- Germany802
- Japan381
- Switzerland375
- Spain339
- India323
- Austria305
- Portugal299
- Poland257
- Belgium213
- Ireland198
- United States189
- Sweden177
- Czech Republic155
- Iran155
- Netherlands124
- Turkey97
- Ukraine97
- Croatia76
- Slovakia74
- Russia67
- Slovenia64
- Brazil62
- Greece57
- Malta54
- Luxembourg51
- Denmark47
- Lithuania44
- Latvia40
- Romania40
- Azerbaijan37
- Bosnia and Herzegovina36
- Canada36
- China34
- Syria34
- Serbia32
- Georgia31
- Ghana31
- Hungary30
- Indonesia30
- Norway30
- Albania28
- Bulgaria28
- Finland28
- Pakistan27
- Tunisia26
- Egypt23
- South Korea23
- Belarus22
- Thailand21
- Morocco19
- Taiwan19
- Armenia17
- Sri Lanka16
- Malaysia15
- Saudi Arabia15
- United Arab Emirates15
- Bangladesh14
- Estonia14
- Israel13
- Philippines12
- Algeria11
- Iraq11
- Jordan11
- Uzbekistan11
- Cuba10
- Kosovo10
- Argentina9
- Mexico9
- Peru9
- Afghanistan8
- Australia8
- Cyprus8
- Lebanon8
- Montenegro7
- Nepal7
- Oman7
- Guernsey6
- Austrian Empire5
- Cape Verde5
- North Korea5
- South Africa5
- Venezuela5
- Bahrain4
- Chile4
- Haiti4
- Libya4
- Liechtenstein4
- Mozambique4
- Palestine4
- Panama4
- Qatar4
- São Tomé and Príncipe4
- Vietnam4
- Angola3
- Benin3
- Brunei3
- Colombia3
- Curaçao3
- Ethiopia3
- Guyana3
- Isle of Man3
- Jersey3
- Nigeria3
- Northern Cyprus3
- Singapore3
- Suriname3
- Timor-Leste3
- Uganda3
- Yemen3
- British Virgin Islands2
- Democratic Republic of the Congo2
- Guatemala2
- Guinea-Bissau2
- Madagascar2
- Moldova2
- Myanmar2
- New Zealand2
- Nicaragua2
- Saint Kitts and Nevis2
- Tajikistan2
- Uruguay2
- Vatican City2
- Antigua and Barbuda1
- Austria–Hungary1
- Bhutan1
- Cameroon1
- Crown of Castile1
- Dominica1
- Dominican Republic1
- Erivan Khanate1
- Faroe Islands1
- Gibraltar1
- Grand Duchy of Lithuania1
- Grenada1
- Jamaica1
- Kingdom of France1
- Monaco1
- Mongolia1
- Namibia1
- Nazi Germany1
- Niger1
- Paraguay1
- Portuguese Empire1
- Russian Empire1
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines1
- San Marino1
- Senegal1
- Sint Maarten1
- Somalia1
- Tanzania1
- The Bahamas1
- The Gambia1
- Togo1