10 Most Fascinating Castles and Palaces

1. The Potala Palace: Tibet's greatest monumental structure

Originally built by King Songtsen Gampo in the seventh century, Potala Palace is located on the Red Hill of Lhasa, Tibet. Destroyed by lightning and war, Potala Palace had been rebuilt by the Fifth Dalai Lama in 1645. Since then, Potala Palace has become the seat of Dalai Lamas and also the political center of Tibet. The thirteenth Dalai Lama extended it to the present size, 117 meters (384 ft) in height and 360 meters (1,180 ft) in width, covering an area of more than 130, 000 sq meters (about 32 acres). Mainly comprised by the White Palace (administerial building) and the Red Palace (religious building), Potala Palace is famous for its grand buildings, complicated constructions, devotional atmosphere and splendid artworks. .

Best Hikes In The National Park

Veteran parks writer Robert Earle Howells is the authority on finding real adventure in the National Park System. Here he names the 10 best hikes in the parks, from unforgettable day trips to challenging backpacking escapes.

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

The signature hike of Grand Teton National Park threads its way along the interior spine of the Teton Range, joining high divides and passes, alpine lakes, and intimate looks at those iconic craggy summits. The brief hiking season coincides with a supernova burst of color—carpets of lupine, streams choked with mountain bluebells. At Fox Creek Pass you get sweeping views of Jackson Hole in Wyoming and Teton Valley in Idaho. And starting in Hurricane Pass, every view for several miles frames the three Tetons in all their glory.

Big Bend National Park, Texas

Big Bend is all about a sense of vastness: Hundred-mile views sweep across the hills, arroyos, and mesas of the Chihuahuan Desert with nary a sign of civilization. No place delivers a sense of the park’s enormity—and solitude—better than the high country of the Chisos Mountains. This three-day, two-night hike climbs into and traverses the south rim of the range, where you can stand in the shade of big maples, cypress, oaks, and ponderosa pines and view the austere beauty of the desert far below.

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

This hike joins parts of two loop to descend the canyon and ogle the weirdest of weird Bryce geology—warrens of fantastic rococo hoodoos that shimmer in dozens of shades of red in early-morning light. The sandstone spires tower as you make your way back up

Huashan - The Most Dangerous Mountain Route in China

Mount Hua, or Hua Shan is a mountain located near the city of Huayin in Shaanxi province, about 120 kilometres (75 mi) east of Xi'an. It is one of China's Five Great Mountains, and has a long history of religious significance. Originally classified as having three peaks, in modern times the mountain is classified as five main peaks, of which the highest is the South Peak at 2,154.9 metres (7,070 ft).

Mount Hua is located near the southeast corner of the Ordos Loop section of the Yellow River basin, south of the Wei River valley, at the eastern end of the Qin Mountains, in southern Shaanxi province. It is part of the Qin Ling Mountain Range that divides not only northern and southern Shaanxi, but also China.

Vieux Port Pavilion by Foster + Partners

Foster + Partner’s re-imagining of the World Heritage-listed harbour at Marseilles, France has been officially unveiled. Opened by the President of Marseille Provence Métropole, Eugène Caselli, and the Mayor of Marseille, Jean-Claude Gaudin on 2 March, the new Vieux Port events pavilion has been built to celebrate the French city’s year as the European Capital of Culture.

Constructed using highly reflective stainless steel and supported by slim pillars, the new events pavilion is a simple canopy which measures 46m by 22m, and is completely open on all sides. The polished, mirrored surface of the pavilion reflects the views of the historic port and has been designed to taper towards the edges in order to reduce the structure’s visual impact.

Amazing Places to Visit