Have you ever wondered how it would be to live in the world of the last movie you watched or the last historical fiction book you read? We have… always. There are a lot of fictional places we’d love to visit and, since there are so many ideas out there, we figured it’d be a good idea to make a list. BUT, this is not only a list of cool places we want to visit, after each fictional destination, you’ll find suggestions so you can satisfy that craving!
1) Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
This is a no-brainer. Who wouldn’t love to be in Hogwarts? And, who wouldn’t want to discover that they’re a witch or a wizerd? The appeal of Hogwarts, besides the fact that it’s full of magic, is the castle (and surroundings) in itself. It’d be so cool to visit the common rooms, sleep in the dormitories, go to the dungeons, and have a stroll in the Forbidden Forest (with Hagrid, of course).
Where to go instead
You can go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios, Florida or you can take the tour around the studios where the movie was shot near London. The last one is a bit expensive but we tell you how to get the most of it (and save some bucks) here. For a real-life location, go to Alnwick Castle in England.
2) Rivendell
Going from one franchise to another! Who wouldn’t want to visit this paradise in the Middle-earth? Rivendell is a hidden valley full of green, great weather, and elves. From the sights we get of it in The Hobbit, we just want to take strolls around the forest, jump in the crystal-clear rivers, and take some cool photos of al the waterfalls. And what about the architecture? Come on! This would be a dream place for architecture lovers.
Where to go instead
It is believed that Rivendell is based in Lauterbrunnental in Switzerland. From the photos we just saw, it’s the perfect place to visit if you want to experience something like Rivendell (minus the elves).
3) Wakanda
Wakanda FOREVEEEEEEER! In the Marvel Universe, Wakanda is a fictional place in Africa. Although outsiders don’t know it, Wakanda is home to some of the most technological advanced artifacts. And this is the main reason we’d love to go, to see all those things in real life! What is also very interesting about Wakanda is that it truly mixes African culture with everything futuristic, Afrofuturism.
Where to go instead
We read this interview with the production designer of Black Panther and from that, we suggest you should visit South Africa, Zambia, or Uganda if you want to see the real places that inspired the movie.
4) Narnia
One of the reasons we want to visit Narnia is because of the talking animals. Just imagine having a conversation with a rabbit… or lion… or any other animal! But, besides the awesome animals, we believe Narnia would be a perfect destination for all those who love nature. Narnia is mostly green with forests and valleys. As a side note, we’d only like to visit during the Golden Age when the Pevensies are the rulers.
Where to go instead
The movie was shot in several places like the UK, Czech Republic, and Australia. But, if we could suggest New Zealand. In this post, you can find all the filming locations of Narnia in that country.
5) Naboo
According to Princess Leia, “Naboo represents the best of the old Republic.” It’s worth a visit. Part of the reason we’d love to visit is because of its pastures and green areas. The buildings are also interesting, no? But beyond that, another interesting thing to explore is its core. As you know if you’re a Star Wars fan, this planet has no molten core. Instead, it has tunnels and caves. Wouldn’t it be exciting to explore?
Where to go instead
Sevilla to see the Plaza de España (which is the Palace in Naboo) and the Blue Grotto in Italy for interesting caves to explore.
6) Macondo
Straight from the mind of Gabriel García Márquez, one of the most important authors in the world. Macondo is the fictional town where A Hundred Years of Solitude happens. In the world of the book, Macondo is a place between the mountains and a pristine river with white stones. What we’d love to visit is the house of the Buendía and the Alchemy Laboratory of José Arcadio Buendía.
Where to go instead
Gabriel García Márquez is Colombian and he based his description of Macondo in his hometown, Aracataca. It’s a beautiful Colombian town where you can also visit the house where Gabriel García Márquez was born!
7) Gotham City
For the brave ones! Gotham City might not seem like the safest, most attractive city in the world but wouldn’t you want to live in a world where superheroes and supervillains actually exist? Imagine reading the newspaper and finding out about a new superheroine called Poison Ivy! I mean… wow! Not the safest city but very exciting.
Where to go instead
New York, of course. But, also there are other cities that have inspired the depiction of Gotham City in pop culture, like Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Hong Kong, and Detroit.
8) Atlantis
There are a lot of references to Atlantis in pop culture so you already know about this mythical city. It’s a mythical island Plato mentioned once and we’re sure he wasn’t expecting for it to blow up like this! According to pop culture, Atlantis was a super technologically advanced island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. So, cool technology + island = perfect holidays!
Where to go instead
Santorini, Greece.
9) Asgard
The one in Avengers is just one interpretation of Asgard, of course. But, if we’re being honest, the reason we’d like to visit Asgard is to meet the Norse Gods. Thor? Odin? Count us in! Also, what’s interesting and we’d love to see is that this is a flat place as in… it’s not round like planet Earth, it’s just suspended in space. It doesn’t move or orbit around anything else. Interesting, no?
Where to go instead
Norway, of course. And if you’re there to watch Northern Lights, better!
10) Pemberley
If you’ve read Pride and Prejudice and you’ve fallen in love with Mr. Darcy, you’d want to visit Pemberley ASAP. This is a typical English manor but the way Jane Austen describes it as handsome... come on! We want to go to a handsome manor and meet our own Mr. Darcy there. Pemberley is surrounded by woody hills and a stream. It’s, as Jane Austin would say, “a place where nature had done more, or where natural beauty had been so little counteracted by an awkward taste.”
Where to go instead
Go to Derbyshire, England, and visit Renishaw Hall or Chatsworth Hall, these places are just how we imagine Pemberley to be.
11) Pandora
We don’t remember much about Avatar but we perfectly remember the lushness of Pandora! Imagine having your own avatar and being able to experience Pandora first hand. One of the main attractions of this place would be its creatures like the direhorse (the horse-like animals the Na’vi ride). Although some creatures are definitely dangerous, we count on the Na’vi to keep us safe.
Where to go instead
To the Discover Pandora exhibition or to the Pandora theme park in Disney World.
12) King’s Landing
Or so many other places from Game of Thrones, for that matter. The good thing about this is that many places in Game of Thrones actually exist and you can actually visit so… without further ado:
Where to go instead
We already wrote a whole post on this, so check out 6 countries where Game of Thrones was shot.
13) Hobbiton
First of all, we’d like to be friends with hobbits. They’re so cool, relaxed, and nice, that’d be one of the main reasons to visit Hobbiton. We’d party with them, dance with them, and maybe even get a bit tipsy… why not? The beauty of Hobbiton is that it’s almost literally one with nature! The houses are carved inside the hills and everything is so green it’s surreal!
Where to go instead
You can actually go to Hobbiton in New Zealand.
14) Arendelle
If you have little kids in your life you’re probably waaaaay over Frozen but that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t want to visit the kingdom of Arendelle. First of all, we’d meet Sven. Maybe also Anna and Elsa! And, if we’re visiting during the winter, we’d skate and… build a snowman. The cobbled streets of Arendelle and the nature surrounding it make it a fictional place we’d very much enjoy!
Where to go instead
There’s no date yet but there will exist a Kingdom of Arendelle attraction in Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Tokyo DisneySea. Take a first look here. On the other hand, if you don’t want to wait for this attraction to open, you can also go to Arendal, the town where Arendelle is based on.
15) Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory
All the things we’d just eat in this place! It’d be so unhygienic, we’re down to it. The appeal of Willy Wonka’s Factory is that you get to discover how your favorite candies are created. And, if we’ve learned something from How it’s Made is that we love to know how things are made. Especially important would be to go into the chocolate river and to see the squirrels doing their important jobs.
Where to go instead
One of our favorite places in the world: Zotter’s Chocolate Factory. This is a chocolate factory some minutes away from Graz, Austria. There are no chocolate rivers but you can eat ALL the chocolate you want (and it’s delicious).
16) Westworld
A bit controversial but super interesting at the same time. Ever wanted to experience the cowboy lifestyle without any repercussions or fear of actually getting killed in a shooting? Or fall in love with a cute robot (?). Everything is possible in Westworld. What we love about this place is that everything is planned to the detail… to every scary detail. But, the question is… would we completely let go and just try our wildest fantasies in Westworld?
Where to go instead
There are a lot of Old West-themed parks that you can check here.
17) Jurassic Park
Are there any fans of dinosaurs out there? If not, at least you’re a fan of the movie. Imagine seeing dinosaurs in real life? Ignoring the ethical dilemmas around it, it would be an experience of a lifetime! Yes, a bit scary but an experience. What we don’t know yet is which Jurassic Park we’d like to visit, if the one from the trailer you see above, or the one from the movie with Chris Pratt.
Where to go instead
To Universal Studios in Orlando! There’s a whole new ride that seems super scary and real.
18) Stars Hollow
Oy with the poodles, already! Stars Hollow is an idyllic small town in the US. The famous Gilmore Girls live there. The reason we’d like to visit Star Hollows is because of their very quirky and unique festivals like the Winter Carnival, The Revolutionary War Reenactment, the Knit-A-Thon, or the Snowman building contest… gee, we’d even want to attend a town meeting to vote for any nonsensical thing that’s going on in town. Of course, it’d also be a dream to stay at the Dragonfly Inn and meet Lorelai Gilmore!
Where to go instead
If you’re lucky, you can actually visit the sets where Stars Hollow was shot in the Warner Bros. studios. But, if you’re looking for places that look similar, go to Washington Depot, West Hartford, New Milford, or Mayflower Grace, all of them in the US.
19) Genovia
We want Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo to be our Queen! This could only happen in Genovia. As you know, from the Princess Diaries, Genovia is a small country in Europe. In the movie, we learn that it’s between France and Spain and on their official tourism website, we also learn that it has a beach and great weather! What we love about Genovia is its cobbled streets and how friendly people seem to be. We’d love to be there during the Genovian Independence Day.
Where to go instead
Genovia is definitely inspired by small villages and towns in Europe. From the looks, we’d recommend any small town in Austria, France, or Germany.
20) San Fransokyo
*in Baymax voice* From 1 to 10 how much do you want to go to San Fransokio? A LOT. San Fransokyo looks SO cool. It’s a mix between all the things you know from San Francisco but with Japanese details. It’s such an interesting mix! The reason behind this, according to the art director of Big Hero 6, is that the movie happens in an alternate universe where San Francisco is hit by an earthquake in 1906. After that, Japanese immigrants rebuild the city (with all their seismic knowledge). The result is a combination of Japanese and American architecture.
Where to go instead
Well, to San Francisco or Tokyo, hehe.
Which places would you love to visit in real life? Tell us in the comments!
