In this Globe Guide we visit the world’s most opulent palaces.

In Europe Adela Ucar visits the stunning Palace of Versailles just outside Paris, before heading onto Madrid’s Royal Palace in Spain.

Ian Wright learns about the Imperial Habsburg family’s lavish lifestyle and their equally grand palaces in Vienna.

We also explore the mystical lives of India’s Maharajas as we visit the romantic Taj Mahal andFalaknuma Palace. Megan McCormick heads to the Imperial Palace in Beijing’s Forbidden City, full of detailed symbolism.

Finally we end our journey by exploring the world’s most breath taking Islamic palaces as Christina Chang visits the Alhambra in southern Spain, Europe’s most visited palace, while Estelle Bingham journeys to the oldest palace in Europe, Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace.