Grandiose structures, lavish halls and acres of meticulously kept garden are all tell-tale signs of the palaces of Instagram. Here are the most Instagrammable palaces in the world.
The previous home of kings and emperors will always be places that the everyday person finds fascinating with an air of mystery and grandeur surrounding them. Palaces have changed throughout the years and have become more of a tourist attraction than ever before giving guests the opportunity to take a glimpse into the past and see how the over half live.
They span throughout the world but are mostly found in Europe, India and the Middle East, all with uniquely different designs and architecture. No two palaces are the same, with extravagant halls and unusual designs. Some are the homes of the monarchy and presidents while others act as museums and event spaces.
Here at Silver Swan Recruitment, we’ve compiled a list of the world’s top palaces and measured the number of times they have been hashtagged on the photo-sharing site to determine the most Instagrammed palaces in the world.
From the halls of UK royalty to the best of Indian design, check them out below.
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Versailles, France
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Number of Hashtags: 1,719,957
Ranking at the very top of our list is the Palace of Versailles in France, often regarded as one of the most extravagant and luxurious buildings in the world. The palace surpassed all others on the list with a staggering 1.7 million hashtagged images, all showcasing the building’s splendour from opulent rooms with towering windows and gorgeous chandeliers to outside shots conveying the size of the place with expansive gardens.
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Buckingham Palace, UK
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Number of Hashtags: 1,222,108
Buckingham Palace is the first one on our list from the UK and cements itself as one of the most popular palaces in the world with just over 1.2 million posts. The famous palace is home to the British monarchy and can be named as one of the most recognisable buildings in the UK with the British flag flying atop its masthead and the Queen’s Foot Guards in their telling post box red uniforms. The public are not allowed inside the palace so the only images we see on Instagram are of its exterior. We can’t help but wonder what it’s like inside.
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Kensington Palace, UK
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Number of Hashtags: 346,169
Kensington Palace is the second palace in the UK to rank on our list with over 300,000 related images on Instagram. The palace is home to young royals, William and Kate along with their children, George, Charlotte and Louis. Again, Kensington is a residential palace so most of it is closed off to the public except for a few exclusive areas including the King’s State Apartments, the Queen’s State Apartments and the famous gardens. Images on Instagram are mainly of the exterior of the palace, its brick red walls and the white statue of Queen Victoria.
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Forbidden City, China
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Number of Hashtags: 330,672
Coming in at 4th place as the first palace in China to grace our list is the Forbidden City in Beijing. This palace complex based in the centre of the capital city sports a completely different look from any of the palaces we’ve seen yet with traditional Chinese architecture lending to its ornate detail and predominantly red buildings. When searching the palace on Instagram you’re met with visually appealing imagery of the striking red buildings against blue skies, traditional Chinese decoration and the famous Meridian Gate.
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Emirates Palace, UAE
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Number of Hashtags: 192,573
Emirates Palace may not be the first thing on your mind when you think about the most famous palaces in the world but when you see the size and beauty of this building you can instantly see why it has almost 200,000 images. The palace serves as a luxury five-star hotel based in Abu Dhabi inviting hundreds of guests to stay there every week. The hotel is open to the public however if you’re not a guest you’ll only be able to access the lobbies and exhibitions. On Instagram, the palace is definitely an Insta-worthy spot with images of the palace’s front, its luscious grounds and the luxurious interior complete with indoor palm trees.
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Casa Rosada, Argentina
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Number of Hashtags: 171,901
Once you lay eyes on Casa Rosada you can see why it’s so popular with the Instagram community. A baby pink exterior is what stands out the most along with its opulent architecture. The exterior was painted pink reportedly in order to defuse political tensions by mixing the red and white colours of the country’s two opposing political parties. Based in Buenos Aires the palace acts as the office of the President of Argentina. Instagram will reveal images of travellers posing in front of the gates, often in matching baby pink attire.
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Summer Palace, China
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Number of Hashtags: 168,935
The Summer Palace is the second palace in China to appear on our list with just over 150,000 hashtags. The palace complex is widely open to the public and is considered one of Beijing’s biggest tourist attractions with endless steps to new rooms, a large lake where you can hire a boat and even a separate island. The images on Instagram are incredible with a range of close-up shots of the buildings’ intricate designs to sweeping images of the Summer Palace overlooking the surrounding lakes.
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Hawa Mahal, India
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Number of Hashtags: 154,817
The first palace in India to top the list does not disappoint. The Hawa Mahal in Jaipur is possibly one of the most recognisable palaces in the whole world. Made with red and pink sandstone the palace has a design that’s hard to miss or forget and its unusual architecture is a stunning example of local artistry. On Instagram, the images are inundated with the front of the palace drawing attention to the honeycomb design with 953 small windows decorated with intricate latticework.
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Topkapi Palace, Turkey
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Number of Hashtags: 154,639
Just settling in 9th place is Topkapi Palace in Turkey which welcomes hundreds of tourists every day. Based near the Faith district of Istanbul, the palace is a working museum that exhibits the imperial collections of the Ottoman Empire and has an extensive collection of books and manuscripts in its library. The palace is famous not just for its incredible architecture and collections but also for the history and culture of the Ottoman Empire. When searching the palace on Instagram there’s a large array of shots including the notable dome and lavish interior.
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Palace of Fine Arts, Mexico
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Number of Hashtags: 145,527
Rounding off our top 10 with almost 150,000 hashtagged images is the Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico. Unlike a number of palaces on our list, the palace is neither residential, presidential or royal. The Palace of Fine Arts hosts some of the most notable events in music, dance, theatre, opera and literature and has also held important exhibitions of paintings, sculpture and photography. On Instagram, the palace is one of the most photographed places in Mexico City with tourists cheerfully taking selfies in front of its massive structure and shots of its interior as it hosts events.
Results
The full list of the Most Instagrammed Palaces is as below:
Methodology
We compiled a list of the most popular palaces around the world.
We then analysed each of these palaces on Instagram and noted the number of times the palace was hashtagged on the social media platform.
We then ranked the palaces based on the number of posts and selected the top 75 highest ranking palaces with the most posts.
The results were measured from March of 2020.
