France has south of France, vineyards, and a ton of art and fashion.
Turkey has sunny locations.
England is rainy. Music, literature and the royals are its reason for visiting
Turkey has sunny locations.
England is rainy. Music, literature and the royals are its reason for visiting
Palace of Versailles, 10m visitors.
But it's not nearly as lavish as Versailles is, and its place in history is much less important. It wasn't completed until after the monarchy had become subordinate to the Parliament. Its residents have always been figureheads.
Versailles, by contrast, is the ultimate in conspicuous consumption. The building is insanely gaudy, inside and out. The grounds are jaw-dropping. It can take you a day just to walk them. Compared to it, Buckingham Palace is a cottage.
It's also redolent in French history. It was the court at the absolute height of French monarchical power, and played crucial roles in the fall of that power. Marie Antoinette's Petit Trianon, where she dressed up as a peasant girl and played at being a milkmaid, is a potent symbol of how out of touch the monarchy had become.
People would surely come to see Buckingham Palace, home to Queens Victoria and Elizabeth, and be informed about some of the important events that happened there. More would come if it were more open. But it would never be the draw that Versailles is, and people would not come out raving about what extravagant lives its residents led.
I never visited England for the royals. I went to see London, York, Cambridge. Couldn't care less if any royals are currently there or not because I can't see them anyway.
We also have 1000 years of history, museums full of stuff we pillaged, the best pubs in the world, and Greggs.
Quite why anyone would want to visit any other country is a mystery.
Oh, and we're the best at sarcasm.