20 of the World’s Most Famous Castles in 2014 – The Forbidden City in Beijing Takes the Top Spot

By Rita

A well-known travel website, Travel&Leisure, released its list of “The Most Popular Famous Castles of 2014.” Each location on the list has a remarkable history. Though visitors often complain about long queues, there’s no doubt that people are willing to endure the wait for sites that are steeped in history and rich in symbolism. Which of these places have you visited? Were they what you expected?

1. The Forbidden City in Beijing
Annual Visitors: 15,340,000

▲The Forbidden City in Beijing (Photo / Wikimedia Commons)

2. The Louvre in France
Annual Visitors: 9,334,000

▲The Louvre (Photo / Wikimedia Commons)

3. The Grand Palace in Bangkok
Annual Visitors: 8,000,000

▲The Grand Palace in Bangkok (Photo / Wikimedia Commons)

4. The Palace of Versailles in France
Annual Visitors: 7,527,122

▲The Palace of Versailles (Photo / Wikimedia Commons)

5. Topkapi Palace in Istanbul
Annual Visitors: 3,335,000

▲Topkapi Palace (Photo / Wikimedia Commons)

6. The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg
Annual Visitors: 3,120,170

▲The Winter Palace (Photo / Wikimedia Commons)

7. Tower Bridge in London
Annual Visitors: 2,894,698

▲The Tower of London (Photo / Wikimedia Commons)

8. Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna
Annual Visitors: 2,870,000

▲Schönbrunn Palace (Photo / Wikimedia Commons)

9. The Alhambra in Spain
Annual visitors: 2,315,017

▲The Alhambra (Photo / Wikipedia)

10. Shuri Castle Park in Okinawa
Annual visitors: 1,753,000

▲Shuri Castle Park in Okinawa (Photo / Wikipedia)

11. Prague Castle
Annual visitors: 1,748,000
12. Kumamoto Castle
Annual visitors: 1,579,000
13. Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany
Annual visitors: 1,520,128
14. Osaka Castle
Annual visitors: 1,512,000
15. Nagoya Castle
Annual visitors: 1,472,000
16. Nijo Castle in Kyoto
Annual visitors: 1,463,000
17. Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Annual visitors: 1,420,027
18. Catherine Palace
Annual visitors: 1,382,000
19. Windsor Castle, United Kingdom
Annual visitors: 1,327,976
20. Doge's Palace in Venice
Annual visitors: 1,307,230