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The Difference Between a Castle and a Palace

09/02/20 | Castles, Palaces, Travel

Travel Blogger at Neuschwanstein Castle

I often speak on Instagram about how much I love a castle and I am having a great time exploring different ones across England. However, someone recently asked me the difference between a castle and a palace.  While I *thought* I knew, after having been to more than a dozen of each I decided to look up the formal answer and I wanted to share that with you all today castle vs palace: 

A castle is a fortified residence (either a large house or group of buildings)  with strong walls built to defend against attacks. They were often inhabited by royals, nobles, or controlling landlords and inhabitants and usually built on hill tops. They often have thick walls, moats, and other defensive architecture to protect against attackers. On the other hand, a palace is designers for luxury and elegance. The purpose is to display lavishness and are not meant destined with any defensive features except perhaps a gate. Another defining factor is they are often have lush, lavish landscapes gardens.  And as a fun fact the word palace comes from Palatine hill in Rome; the original palace! So let’s start with castles,  I have featured a dozen of my favorites below including ones in Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Scotland, Slovakia, and Spain.

Lichtenstein Castle

Germany’s Lichtenstein Castle

Bratislava Castle from the Tower

Touring Bratislava Castle

Corfe Castle Ruins

Exploring England’s Corfe Castle

Travel Blogger at Neuschwanstein Castle

Neuschwanstein, Disney’s Cinderella Castle

 

 

German Castle Road Trip - Hohenzollern Castle in Germany

Visiting Germany’s Hohenzollern Castle

Berkeley Castle - Reception Hall

Berkley Castle in Gloucestershire

Leeds Castle in Kent with Swan

Visiting Leeds Castle in Kent

Exterior of Peles Castle in Romania

Romania’s Royal Peleș Castle

Kelly Outside Edinburgh Castle

Touring Edinburgh Castle

Bran Castle in Romania

Dracula’s Castle in Romania

Christian IV's Crown of Gold, Diamonds, and Pearls at Rosenborg Castle 05

Rosenborg Castle and the Danish Crown Jewels

Buda Palace and Szechenyi Chain Bridge

Buda Castle in Hungary

Waterfall in Parc de Montjuic

Climbing to the Montjuïc Castle

Prague Castle Archway

Exploring Prague Castle

Hever Castle in England (where I got engaged)

There are also quite a few castles still on the top of my list to see is including Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, the Forbidden City in Beijing, and the Winter Palace in St Petersburg. Some of the best palaces that I have featured on Sparkles and Shoes are from Austria, Denmark, Egypt, England, Morocco, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden:

Hampton Court Palace in England 

Schonbrunn Palace Grand Hall

Twice as Nice at Schonnbrunn Palace

London Bike Tour - Buckingham Palace Gold Gates

Buckingham Palace

Hofburg Palace in Vienna

Scalloped Trim Dress at the Hofburg Palace

Blenheim Palace at Christmas

Christmas at Blenheim Palace

Navy Dress in Rosenborg Castle, Copenhagen

Navy Shift Dress at the Palace

Kelly in the Courtyard of the Bahia Palace in Marrakesh

The Bahia Palace in Marrakesh

Sintra’s Pena Palace in Portugal

Kelly in the Library at Drottningholm Palace

My Morning at Drottningholm Palace

Ticket at the Royal Palace of Madrid

Travel Diaries: The Royal Palace of Madrid

View of the Belvedere Palace Gardens

Visiting Palaces in Vienna

In the Slottskyrkan Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace in Stockholm

Touring The Stockholm Royal Palace

View of the Montaza Palace - Egypt Royal Palace

Montazah Palace in Alexandria, Egypt

The Royal Palace in Oslo

The Royal Palace in Oslo

I have also been to a handful of other famous ones including the Palace of Versailles just outside of Paris  and the Pitti Palace in Florence but either these were before Sparkles and Shoes or I didn’t see fit to write about them at the time. And I have two additional castles we visited recently that will be coming to the blog soon including Windsor Castle and Arundel Castle.

Would you like to see more castles and palaces on the blog? 

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Comments

  1. Rory says

    September 3, 2020 at 5:27 pm

    I am going to win a lot of bets at the bar with this fact in my arsenal.

    Also a great line of conversation starter for my mom, aunt and grandmother.

  2. Tessa says

    September 3, 2020 at 2:03 pm

    Gosh you really have been to a ton of castles and palaces. Such terrific photos and fun to see all the various architecture and decorating styles.

    Again so cool that you got engaged at one. So romantic 🥰🥰

    Can’t wait to travel again and visit a few of these sights.

  3. Kristen Woolsey says

    September 2, 2020 at 2:20 pm

    I never thought about the difference, so this was a very fun read! It’s amazing how many beautiful places you have been.

Hi, I am Kelly and welcome to Sparkles and Shoes, a fashion, travel, and lifestyle blog.  I am a New York City girl at heart but I moved to London in the Spring of 2018!

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