Grand houses

A palace is a grand residence, usually for a head of state. The word comes from the French word palais, which implies that the building is in a city.
Château (plural châteaux) is the French word for a countryside manor or palace; the master residence of a countryside estate. Schloss (traditional spelling Schloß) is the corresponding German word.
A castle is a fortification from the Middle Ages (9th to 15th century) used as a royal or noble residence.
A manor is in English law an estate with a manorial court; jurisdiction over an estate.

Austria

• Schönbrunn Palace

  address: Vienna
  Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, this Habsburg summer palace is comparable in grandeur to Versailles.

France

• Château de Versailles

• Château de Chavaniac

  address: Chavaniac-Lafayette
  Birthplace of General Lafayette and was used a center of philanthropy for people affected by World War I, now it is a museum open to the public.

• Château de Chantilly

  phone: +33 3 44 27 31 80
  address: 60500 Chantilly, France

Germany

A Schloss (pre 1998 spelling in Germany and Austria Schloß) is usually a representative building that serves either as the main residence of a minor blue blood or a secondary residence of a higher ranking blue blood whereas a Residenz is the main residence and usually in the capital.

• Nymphenburg palace

  address: Munich
  Originally one of the smaller residential palaces, now it is the biggest Baroque palace in Germany.

Italy

• Royal Palace of CasertaA former royal residence constructed for the Bourbon kings of Naples. It was the largest palace and one of the largest buildings erected in Europe during the 18th century.

Russia

• Winter Palace

  address: Saint Petersburg
  The former main residence of the Russian tsars, nowadays hosts one of the world's great museums.

United Kingdom

The first "grand houses" in the United Kingdom were predominantly residences for the monarchy, nobility, and sometimes prominent religious officials.
Alongside the grand houses of these, are those that were built by those that had acquired their wealth either by favour, or by doing exceptionally well in trade or various industries (which developed from the 17th century onward). As well as being residences, the grand houses of some were also intended as a showcase for the artworks which the owners had "collected", or designs they had commissioned.
The peak for grand houses came in the early 20th century, after which many grand houses went into decline, before some were actively preserved.

• Chatsworth HouseMassive and spectacular late-17th-century stately home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire (inspiration for Pemberley, apparently), open to public, pay for parking but with free access to surrounding area (flat riverside ambles, wooded hillside trails, famous fountain. Restaurants, at old stables, cafe at car park in grounds.

• Hatfield House

  address: Hertfordshire

• Cragside, NorthumberlandA later 19th century Grand house constructed by the 1st Baron Armstrong, it was one of the first houses in England to be lit by hydro-electric power.

• Blenheim Palace, OxfordshireAlthough widely known as a birthplace a certain Winston Spencer Churchill, this extensive house and estate has been the ancestral seat of the Dukes of Malborough since the 16th century.

• Osborne House, Isle of Wight.

• Hampton Court.

United States

In the United States, there is no nobility, but there has been a kind of quasi-nobility that has encompassed old landowning families like the Roosevelts, the robber barons of yesteryear and today and the movie moguls and stars. Many of these people had mansions built in the New York area, including the Hudson Valley and Long Island, and the Los Angeles area, including Beverly Hills. There was also another type of grand house: The houses of large slaveholders in the antebellum (pre-Civil War) South. In both North and South, many of the grand houses are part of larger estates that can in many instances be visited.

• Hearst Castle

  address: 750 Hearst Castle Rd, San Simeon, California
  This palatial estate built by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst is one of the most visited attractions in California. See the amazing European architecture including the Spanish cathedral-like facade, the Neptune Pool, and the Roman Baths. Think of it as a museum where many of the centuries-old pieces are built into the structure of the building. It is located at the top of a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean. A 40-minute movie about the history of the castle shows every 45 minutes from 8:15AM to 6:45PM in the five-story theater in the Visitor Center off Highway 1. There are three different daytime guided tours, each lasting 45 minutes and each costing $25 for adults. There is an additional 30 minutes of travel time from the Visitor Center and back by bus – it is no longer necessary to make the bus trip for every tour, if doing multiple tours. Reservations recommended – book online where you can see how many of the up to 52 seats are still available for each time, and be wary of seats filling quickly close to the time.

• Montgomery Place

  phone: +1 845-758-5461
  address: 25 Gardener Way, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York
  380-acre historic site overlooking the Hudson, including a grand mansion that was the property of the Livingstone family, whose ancestors migrated to New York from Scotland when it was a British colony in the 17th century and two of whom were among the signers of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The grounds are lovely, with great views of the Hudson, and are home to lots of wildlife. The property also includes signposted trails, the best of which is the Sawkill Trail, which you can follow to see a view of a beautiful little waterfall which was depicted in art starting in the 1820s. This property was acquired by Bard College in 2016 and is officially called Montgomery Place Campus.

• Olana

  address: Olana State Historic Site, 5720 State Route 9G, Hudson, New York
  5720 Route 9G. The mountain-top villa of Frederic Church, one of the most prominent Hudson River painters and one of the United States' most significant artists. From the hilltop home there are sweeping views of the Catskills, the Hudson River, and the Taconic Hills. Grounds are open year round for walking, hiking, cross-country skiing, and other activities.

• Sagamore Hill

  address: 20 Sagamore Hill Road, Oyster Bay, New York
  The summer home of President Theodore Roosevelt, a scion of a family of wealthy Dutch landowners who settled in Nieuw Amsterdam in the mid 17th century. Includes tours, a museum, and a visitor center. It is run by the National Park Service. From the website: Access to the Theodore Roosevelt Home is only by guided tour. Same-day tickets can be purchased on a first come, first served basis from the Visitor Center. Advanced reservations to tour Theodore Roosevelt's home can be booked through Recreation.gov or call (877) 444-6777.

• Mount Vernon

• Winchester Mystery House

• Castles - medieval
• Fortifications