Here's A Peek Insides Some Spectacular Places. Enjoy! :)
Taj Mahal, Agra, India:
From the outisde, in the right light, the Taj Mahal is magical, looming like a mirage through its main gateway. It seems to float, as though painted on gauze: pink at dawn and dusk, dazzling white at noon, pearly silver by moonlight.
Inside, the tomb houses two false cenotaphs surrounded by an intricate marble screen. The actual caskets of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan are stored in a relatively plain crypt beneath the inner chamber.
Palace of Versailles, Paris, France:
If you make just one excursion, then it should be to Versailles, easily reached by RER. Louis XIV's vast chateau, with its extravagant ceilings, hall of mirrors, formal gardens and vast park, is an ode to royal absolutism. The spectacular fountains are turned on at weekends from April to October. The town, snooty and bourgeois, is worth a look, too.
Buckingham Palace, London:
The historic Royal residence dating back to the early 1700s opens its lavish palace quarters for public viewing every summer while The Queen makes her annual visit to Scotland. The 19 State Rooms of the palace are used by the Royal family for hosting guests, ceremonies and official visits. This year Palace tours are available from August 3 to September 29.
The Capitol, Washington DC, US:
The Capitol is the working office building where members of the US Congress gather for legislative meetings. Visitors can tour the Rotunda, Senate gallery, House gallery and the National Statuary Hall, which houses a statue collection of various noted figures in American history. The Exhibition Hall provides a detailed account of the government's history through documents, artefacts, models and theatres. Tours are free but passes must be booked.
Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia:
Breathtaking even if you've seen it a thousand times before, the famous white scallops of the Opera House somehow define Sydney. To really understand this futuristic building, take the famous Backstage Tour, which allows guests to access spaces once used by various artists, from Ella Fitzgerald and Pavarotti to Cate Blanchett, including their dressing rooms, the Green Room and the Concert Hall stage. Tours run daily at 7am and last for about two hours.
Visitors can also do the official Sydney Opera House tour, an interactive guided tour to uncover the history and tales beneath the famous sails and its 1,000 rooms and 300 corridors. The tour is also available in Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, German and French.
The White House, Washington DC, US:
The American equivalent of Britain's 10 Downing St residence has been lived in by every US president since John Adams, the nation's second president. The historic building consists of 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and 6 levels in the Residence.
Visitors can see the West Wing of the White House, including the Oval Office, the official office of the President.
White House tours are currently cancelled but requests for tours must be made at least 21 days in advance.
Reichstag, Berlin, Germany:
The seat of the German Parliament is also one of Berlin's most famed landmarks. Guided tours (lasting 90 minutes) are available when Parliament is not sitting (advance reservation only) and other guided tours are offered daily at 10.30am, 1.30pm, 3.30pm and 6.30pm. Booking a tour is a good way to avoid the horrendous queues that almost always form outside. You can also consider a lunch or dinner at the rooftop restaurant (reservation recommended).
Hagia Sofia (Aya Sofya), Istanbul, Turkey:
One of the most important and imposing religious buildings in the world, the massive domed basilica of the sixth century Aya Sofya (Church of the Holy Wisdom) was to provide the blueprint for countless Ottoman-era mosques. Glittering with gold mosaics, this is one building that looks better inside than out.
Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris, France:
The Gothic Notre-Dame Cathedral (most attractive viewed from behind with its flying buttresses) sits on Ile de la Cite of Paris. Guided tours of the cathedral are run daily unveiling its history through architecture, sculptures and paintings.
The cathedral's Treasury in the sacristy also houses several religious artefacts from the 17th and 18th centuries. Guests can also visit the cathedral's Towers for expansive views of Paris from above and a closer look at the roof detailing and the cathedral's largest bell, the Emmanuel Bell.
Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE:
The world's tallest building is indeed a sight to behold. Visit the Observation Deck (average visits last 90 minutes, however you can stay as long as you like) at the top for magnificent 360-degree views over the city, desert and ocean below.
Special telescopes at the top level allows visitors to also get virtual time-travel visions of the cityscape, from real-time close-ups to scenes from the past, by both day and night.
The Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt:
This Egyptian pryamid complex is the only ancient wonder in the world still standing. The 488-foot-high structure was the world's tallest building for over 4,300 years before the Eiffel Tower was built in 1889.
The Great Pyramid contains three burial chambers, one underground, one known as the Queen's Chamber, possibly intended for the pharaoh's sacred statue and the King's Chamber, where the pharaoh's granite sarcophagus lies.
Statue of Liberty, New York:
We have all looked upon the face of this New York landmark, recently re-opened following Hurricane Sandy, but what do you see within?
Visitors with bags of energy climb 377 steps to reach the pedestal of Lady Liberty. The less ambitious meanwhile can take a lift and save themselves for the 146-step climb to the top of the crown via a spiral staircase, where they are treated to far-reaching views of the city.
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