fcuklp

I may not have enough time to visit the inside of Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin. If I do, I need to sacrifice some other Berlin attractions.
How is this palace compared to Versalles & Madrid's Palace in terms of size, opulence, grandeur and sights inside ?

Are these 3 Palaces considered the Top 3 among those in Europe ?

Thanks

Echnaton

Schloss Charlottenburg is not comparable to Versailles and Madrid Palace. It was heavily damaged in WW2 and although it had been restored, it does not have the grandeur of Versailles and Madrid. I would not rank Schloss Charlottenburg in the Top 3, not even in the Top 20 in Europe.

I would not even consider Schloss Charlottenburg a first-rank attraction in Berlin. IMO, Schloss Sanssoucci and the Neues Palais in Potsdam are more impressive.

The Top attraction of Berlin is the Pergamon Museum. And do not miss Nefertiti's bust in the Egyptian Museum.

ira

Hey fc,

>Are these 3 Palaces considered the Top 3 among those in Europe ?<

By whom?

I prefer Linderhof in Bavaria and the Frederiksborg Slot in Denmark.

Dukey

I would have to agree that Charlottenburg is certainly not as impressive as the palaces out in Potsdam mentioned by Echnaton.

Even Ludwig's palace at Herrenchiemsee has a bigger hall of mirrors than Versailles.

It is probably as Ira comments: it is all about what people PREFER rather than some actually factual information.

Echnaton

>>>size, opulence, grandeur and sights inside<<<

These are OP's criteria. Here some thoughts:

- Versailles is the mother of all rococo palaces in the world. Versailles is first-rank in all criteria: it is huge, it is opulent, it has unrivalled grandeur, and inside it is spectacular. And the gardens are spectacular, too.

- The Royal Palace in Madrid is, when it comes the building, not as spectacular, but, since it is a living palace, it is very opulent inside.

- Catherine's Palace is Tsarkoye Selo near Sankt Petersburg is IMO the most beautiful (and colourful) palace in Europe.

- Windsor Castle, albeit older in architectural style, is a first-rank living palace, especially the inside.

- Würzburg Palace is spectacular because of those gorgeous Tiepolo frescos on the ceilings.

- Nordkirchen Palace is probably the prettiest rococo palace when it comes to buildings, moats and gardens, but inside there is not much left of its former glory.

- Blenheim is probably the most opulent palace, however it is pretentious and certainly bad taste.

There are, of course, many more. Rankings are always problematic, since each place has its special charme and it is difficult to compare.

fcuklp

Thanks for all the feedback especially Echnaton.
I will certainly look into all those palaces mentioned above and see if I can visit them this trip or next time.

jgwagner4

If I remember correctly Herrenchiemsee was Ludwig's attempt to out shine Versailles. He might have suceeded had he completed it. What was completed is impressive though. I have never seen Versailles to compare the two.

Charlottenburg was interesting but did not leave me in awe.

Woyzeck

If you're in Berlin, the palaces to see are the Schloss Sanssoucci and the Neues Palais in Potsdam.