VickiV

With the greatest Cathedral question doing so well, I thought I'd check opinions on this. We try to do one Castle (or Palace), one Cathedral (or church) and one museum per city. (We do a lot of weekend trips as we are in Europe on a military tour).

Dutchofile

My nomination: the palace of Het Loo, near Arnhem. Because the Dutch never suffered a violent revolution, the 17th century palace is untouched, with original furnishings intact. The gardens are stunning. Be sure to see the carriage house. Not as grand a Versailles nor as ornate as Peterhof, this palace is a gem nevertheless.

Rex

I don't like these threads on "greatest" - - there are too many diffferent criteria by which to "measure".<BR><BR>Still, I have to mention two, for very different reasons:<BR><BR>Burg Eltz - - for an appreciation of what a "real" castle of that medieval era (1400-1500's) is/was like - - and why it could only be that in this geographic oddity of a location that it survived destruction like all the other hundreds of its time.<BR><BR>and<BR><BR>Schloss Linderhof - - for its obsessive excesses (which doesn't mean that I don't admire the beauty of its baroque extravagance) - - and the grasp you get of one person's willingness/ability to spend the public's riches in creating this little jewel box of a castle. Better, in its own way that Neuschwanstein, Ludwig's "other", and far more visited castle "residence".<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

topper

topping<BR>

Ed

Are there good palaces in Italy? Caserta?<BR>

Bob

I agree that this post is not fair because there are a lot of castles out there to enjoy. Having said that here are a few more:<BR><BR>Warwick in England.<BR><BR>Lichestein in Germany...moat and all and not mentioned that much on these posts. Located south of Stuttgart.<BR><BR>Hohenzollern in Germany.<BR><BR>Castle at Ludwigsburg, Germany.<BR><BR>Glamis in Scotland. Queen Mother's favorite and very homey.<BR><BR>Gotta go...this list could go on and on.

Blane

In order to answer your question honestly, it would imply that one has visited every castle or palace in Europe, so I decline.<BR><BR>Maybe it's just the semantics of superlative questions that riles me, nonetheless I don't care for them.<BR><BR>Traveling to find absolutes has never been part of my MO. I truly don't understand why everything has to be the "best" to have any value.<BR><BR><BR>

VickiV

I'm just looking for some suggestions of places to visit. Since we live in Germany, I have been to Neuschwannstein several times with visitors, but never manage to get to Linderhof or Herrenchiemsee (we're doing those two on our NY vacation). I'm going to follow up on some of these suggestions, they sound very close to us.

Paula

Are there castles that ought to be included as part of an itinerary to Scandinavia?<BR>

uncle sam

Here are a few:<BR><BR>1. Edinburgh Castle<BR>2. Burg Eltz<BR>3. Hohensalzburg<BR><BR><BR>US

Leslie

I'm not (sadly) well traveled enough to suggest the "best" but since Vicki's looking for recommendations in reach of Germany, then Versailles, Fontianebleu, and/or Vaux le Vicomte go nicely with a trip to Paris. Windsor, Hampton Court, Blenheim or Woburn Abbey are all in reach of London. Each of these knocked my socks off. We just don't have places like these in LA!

up

up<BR>

John G

My vote goes to Pena Palace in Sintra, Portugal. I like it because of its strange (a melange of styles), ornate architecture, and the fact that it is small and intimate. There is a room where everything is made of Meissen china (tiles, fireplace, bed, etc.). The view of the far-off Tagus is spectacular from one of the terraces, as is the woodland scenery.<BR>

VickiV

Bob,<BR><BR>I noticed your recommendation on Lichestein in Germany, but I did a search online and couldn't find anything. Can you give me a little more specific info, other than south of Stuttgart?<BR><BR>Tks!

steve

Most fun castle to get to - Threave Castle in SW Scotland.<BR><BR>Drive out into the country, go up the farmer's driveway and park in his front yard. Walk about 1/2 mile thru his fields. Come to a river. RIng the bell and the boat comes over to pick you up. The castle itself is a nice ruin on an island in the river.

Maureen

We loved Schloss Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna (much nicer than Versailles), see the Lippizaner Stallions, the Museum of Fine Arts, attend a classical music concert at Liechtenstein Palace or elsewhere and tour St. Stephen's Cathedral. If you have time go to Mozart's hometown of Salzburg a few hours away and see the Sound of Music landscape.

ttt

ttt<BR>

Grasshopper

I loved the three castles of Bellinzona. Beautiful and the views were spectacular.<BR><BR>Also, I enjoyed Heidleberg Castle.