The World’s 100 Best Palaces · 2026
The Best Palaces in Germany
8 of the 100 palaces in The World’s 100 Best Palaces 2026 are in Germany. The highest placed is Neuschwanstein Castle in Schwangau, at number 16 in the world. Schwerin Castle in Schwerin (number 21) and Linderhof Palace in Ettal (number 31) follow.
Ludwig II
Three of the palaces were built for King Ludwig II of Bavaria. Neuschwanstein stands on a hill near Füssen and is seen on a short guided tour. Linderhof is a small Rococo palace in the Bavarian Alps with the Venus Grotto in its park. Herrenchiemsee, modelled on Versailles, is on an island in Lake Chiemsee and reached by boat.
Residences
The Würzburg Residence has a staircase under Tiepolo's ceiling fresco. Augustusburg Palace in Brühl is next to the train station, and a park path leads to the Falkenlust hunting lodge. Sanssouci in Potsdam is the single-storey summer palace of Frederick the Great above terraced vineyards.
Castles
Schwerin Castle stands on an island in a lake and also houses the state parliament. Hohenzollern Castle above Hechingen is still owned by the Hohenzollern family.
Palaces
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N° 16
Neuschwanstein Castle
Schwangau
Castle
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N° 21
Schwerin Castle
Schwerin
Castle -
N° 31
Linderhof Palace
Ettal
Palace -
N° 33
Würzburg Residence
Würzburg
Palace -
N° 38
Herrenchiemsee Palace
Chiemsee
Palace -
N° 41
Hohenzollern Castle
Hechingen
Castle -
N° 58
Augustusburg Palace
Brühl
Palace -
N° 88
Sanssouci Palace
Potsdam
Palace
Best by region
- The NordicsFrederiksborg CastleHillerød, DenmarkN° 4
- EuropePeleș CastleSinaia, RomaniaN° 1
- AsiaMehrangarh FortJodhpur, IndiaN° 3
- The Middle EastQasr Al WatanAbu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesN° 13
- North AmericaChapultepec CastleMexico City, MexicoN° 26
- Latin AmericaCatete PalaceRio de Janeiro, BrazilN° 70