Best Five Asian Palaces

Oddly, the Asian landmark most like a classic fairytale palace is a giant crypt. That is, the Taj Mahal, which had to be excluded from this round-up of Asian palaces because it is not actually a palace.

Palaces can seem like a European invention: the stuff of Britain and Bavaria, which feature them richly in fairytales. Better known for temples, Asia nonetheless has plenty of palaces – some magnificent, others just discreetly posh.

Here’s a peek behind the curtain at some of Asia’s most remarkable palaces. Drool at these enviable homes, free from the mundane realm of rent, mortgage repayments, and foreclosures.

1. Tokyo Imperial Palace (Kokyo), Tokyo, Japan

Japan’s Imperial Palace, aka Kokyo, is the main home of the Emperor of Japan. The Imperial Palace occupies what is supposedly the world’s most expensive square kilometer. The palace lies in downtown Tokyo at Chiyoda, a stroll from Tokyo Station. Set on the ruins of Edo Castle, the palace comprises a park surrounded by moats and towering walls. The picturesque bridge leading to the palace, Nijubashi, is said to be the most photographed scene in Japan. To visit the palace, book online here:http://sankan.kunaicho.go.jp/order/index_EN.html.

2. Chan Chaya Royal Palace Pavilion, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The palace in Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, is a scattering of buildings that serve as the royal home of the country’s king. The palace was built in the 1860s after King Norodom shifted the royal capital from Oudong, 40 kilometers northwest of Phnom Penh, to the capital in the mid-19th century, putting it atop an old citadel called Banteay Kev (Crystal Citadel). Since then, the palace has almost always been occupied. The gap came during the late 70s when the country was hijacked by the despised ultra-Maoist Khmer Rouge regime. The palace features a 'moonlight pavilion', silver pagoda and gardens.

3. Reunification Palace, Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam

Reunification Palace resembles a cross between a cricket pavilion and a banqueting venue, but the palace is saturated in history with a grim tilt. Dotted around it stand various war relics including the very tanks that burst through its gates when northern communist forces captured Saigon in 1975. The tanks are enshrined at the entrance. Spookily, the whole complex has been left just as it was when the war ended.

4. Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok’s Grand Palace served as the official home of the kings of Thailand from the 18th century on. Construction of the palace began in 1782, during the reign of King Rama I – the first monarch of the reigning House of Chakri of Siam, now Thailand. His Highness began building the Grand Palace after he boldly shunted the capital across the river from Thonburi to Bangkok. Since then, in a ‘renovation fever’ spirit the Palace has been repeatedly upgraded with annexes tacked on. True, the current King of Thailand, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, lives at another Bangkok address, Chitralada Palace. But the Grand Palace remains the Thai kingdom’s spiritual core, containing the famous Emerald Buddha.

5. Palace of the Light of Faith (Istana Nurul Iman), Brunei

The home of the Sultan of Brunei, this 400-million-USD monster mansion stands in the micro-nation’s capital, BSB (Bandar Seri Begawan). The palace also acts as the Sultan’s office – from it, he runs the country and welcomes international VIPs. The Palace of the Light of Faith was built in the symbolic year of 1984. All golden domes and vaulted roofs, it is officially the world’s largest palace.

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