Ever wished you could visit the locations of your favourite ancient myths and legends, or even modern works of fiction? From the mystery of the lost city of Atlantis and the enigma of the Bermuda Triangle to the well-loved tales of legendary warrior King Arthur and fairy-tale heroine Sleeping Beauty, we've found the places steeped in legend that you can actually visit. They are all sure to capture your imagination.
Ready to explore? Click through the gallery to discover some of the world's most fantastical places you can see in real life...
The steam train that chugs to JK Rowling’s fictional Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is real. Passengers board at Fort William and Mallaig and ride the train (called The Jacobite in the muggle world) through 84 glorious miles (135km) of Scottish countryside.
The stunning 100-foot (30m), 21-arch viaduct in the Harry Potter films isn’t clever CGI trickery either. It would be hard to imagine a more beautiful natural setting for the sweeping Glenfinnan Viaduct than Loch Shiel and the surrounding green rolling hills of the Scottish Highlands.
Mount Doom, the volcano where the One Ring was forged and eventually destroyed, looms large in the mythology of JRR Tolkien’s Middle Earth. Mount Ngauruhoe, on the north island of New Zealand, depicted the brooding Mount Doom in The Lord of the Rings cinematic trilogy.
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Although it hasn’t erupted since 1795, Mount Ngauruhoe is an active stratovolcano that can be explored from the famous Tongariro Crossing, which takes a day to trek. The 7,500-foot (2,286m) crater is the highest point in Tongariro National Park and hiking within the rugged volcanic landscape shouldn’t be underestimated.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1912 novel The Lost World imagines a lonely plateau in South America where dinosaurs and ape-men roam. The flat-topped Mount Roraima is said to be the inspiration for his work.
The peak of Mount Roraima is often shrouded in cloud, and local indigenous tribes once believed it was home to the mother goddess. Located in Venezuela, close to the border with Brazil, the remote mountain can be explored on a week-long hike with a guide.
A roaring chasm known as the ‘Door to Hell’ or the ‘Gates of Hell’ has been burning for more than 50 years in north Turkmenistan. Though technically called the Darvaza gas crater, the locals prefer its more vivid nicknames. Visitors can walk right up to the edge to peer into the fiery abyss.
Debate rages as to how this burning pit in a barren desert was created, but it’s definitely a man-made phenomenon, possibly caused by a drilling rig collapsing in the natural gas fields. Its days could be numbered, however: in January 2022, President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov ordered the government of Turkmenistan to begin researching how to put the fire out.
Ludwig II, King of Bavaria, envisioned Neuschwanstein Castle “breathing the air of heaven”. Perched high in the German Alps, the Romanesque Neuschwanstein is a fantastical fairy-tale castle.
Neuschwanstein was the inspiration for the soaring spires and turrets of Sleeping Beauty Castle, located within Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. At Neuschwanstein, visitors can explore the vast rooms, with their ornate wall hangings and opulent chandeliers, but only as part of a guided tour.
The baffling disappearance of several ships and planes in a section of the Atlantic Ocean provoked one of the most enduring mysteries of the modern age. Also known as the Devil’s Triangle, the Bermuda Triangle covers a section of the ocean between Miami, Bermuda and Puerto Rico. Notable disappearances include the USS Cyclops, a 542-foot-long (165m) Navy cargo ship that vanished somewhere between Barbados and Chesapeake Bay in 1918, with over 300 men on board.
The British overseas territory of Bermuda is also famous for its shorts, golf resorts and pink sand beaches. But it's the enigma of missing vessels that has proved its most infamous defining character. For anyone intrigued by these mysterious disappearances in the deep, shipwreck diving off Bermuda is highly recommended. The islands lay claim to more wrecks per square mile around their waters than anywhere in the world.
Reindeer sleigh rides along snowy forest tracks, games with jovial elves, snow-topped log cabins and a visit to meet Santa himself – a trip to Lapland is likely to make any child’s dreams come true. This stunning region north of the Arctic Circle spans Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, and is home to the indigenous Sami people. It’s also a veritable winter wonderland – all snowy forests, frozen lakes and vast expanses of tundra.
There are a number of places where you can visit Santa’s grotto, but Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, Finland is the most established. Older kids may not be as excited by a meeting with the jolly old elf, but they’ll love the other fun-filled activities on offer in this winter playground – you can go dog sledding, join snowmobile safaris and stomp into the wintry landscape on a snowshoe adventure.
Sacred Mount Olympus was the legendary home of the mighty Zeus, king of the gods, and 12 other Olympian gods and goddesses. Today the prized peak is surrounded by Olympus National Park, which has some fantastic walks – including trails up the mountain for serious hikers. Not up for scaling the mythical mount? Then don’t miss a visit to the fascinating archaeological park and museum at Dion, situated at the foot of Olympus.
Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece and was greatly revered in ancient times. Its summit, Mytikas, was known as the Pantheon by the ancient Greeks and it was here that the capricious deities were said to convene to discuss and squabble over celestial matters and humankind. The nine muses were believed to reside at the foot of the mountain.
Walk in the footsteps of legendary outlaw Robin Hood and his band of merry men as you explore the ancient woods of Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire. Designated as a royal hunting forest by William the Conqueror, the wooded area was a popular hunting ground for many Norman kings, including King John and Edward I. The ruins of King John’s hunting lodge can be seen near the settlement of Kings Clipstone.
In the 1200s, where most tales place Robin Hood, Sherwood Forest spanned about 100,000 acres, which was around a fifth of the entire county of Nottinghamshire. Meanwhile, its oak and birch woodland would have been the perfect place for fugitives to hide out. Be sure to visit the large English oak tree, known as the Major Oak, that's between 800 and 1,000 years old and was allegedly where Robin and his merry men took shelter.
While it’s uncertain whether or not Robin Hood actually existed, the folk hero has enduring appeal and there are numerous places throughout Nottinghamshire and beyond associated with the legendary figure. Nottingham Castle, one-time home to the villainous Sheriff of Nottingham, is one of them. But you can find out all about the man himself and other hidden histories of the city as you explore its underground caves, Old County Gaol and medieval streets.
"Second to the right, and straight on till morning" is where you’ll find Neverland. Or so Peter Pan tells Wendy. But its real-world location is a lot closer to home: Eilean Shona, a tiny isle on the west coast of Scotland, is thought to have inspired JM Barrie's fantastical land. The Scottish playwright and author rented the island for a holiday and wrote the play Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up while staying here. It’s now an exclusive island retreat, owned by the Devereux-Branson family, so you can stay there too.
You can imagine Captain Hook’s Jolly Roger dropping anchor in the craggy coves, mermaids lounging by the rockpools and fairies fluttering in the enchanting forests as you roam around this car-free isle. In reality, though, you’re more likely to spot red deer, otters, porpoises, seals, pine martens, sea eagles and red squirrels.
Scattered around a rocky headland on the north Cornish Coast, the spectacular sight of the ruins of Tintagel Castle is enough to rouse anyone’s imagination. This mystical place is positively steeped in myths and legends, most notably those linked to King Arthur. It gained this literary fame in the 12th century thanks to cleric Geoffrey of Monmouth, who named Tintagel as the place where the legendary king of the Dark Ages was conceived.
The existence of the so-called “once and future king” is questionable, but the legend has captured imaginations since the Middle Ages. Tintagel’s association with Arthurian legends is thought to have inspired Richard, Earl of Cornwall to build a castle here in 1230. A rocky inlet below the castle, meanwhile, has been known as Merlin’s Cave since Victorian poet Alfred Tennyson's retelling of the legend, in which Merlin used a passageway below the castle to carry away the infant Arthur.
Iron-age fort Cadbury Castle in Somerset also has links to Arthurian legends, having been touted as a possible location for his court Camelot. Either way, the stunning site is a fascinating place to visit and commands wonderful views over the rolling hills and across to Glastonbury Tor, itself linked to myth as the site of the isle of Avalon. Glastonbury Abbey, meanwhile, has been suggested as the king’s final resting place.
Atlantis, Plato’s legendary lost continent that sank into the ocean overnight, has captured people’s imaginations for thousands of years, prompting numerous theories as to where the ruins lie. The cataclysmic volcanic eruption that obliterated Santorini (Thera) and totally eradicated Akrotiri, a thriving Bronze Age settlement, could well have inspired the Greek philosopher's writings. Today, the volcanic island’s caldera is one of the most beautiful sights in the Cyclades.
The rugged and remote mid-Atlantic archipelago of the Azores has also been connected to Plato’s enigmatic lost city, as have the Strait of Gibraltar (thanks to the discovery of large stone anchors underwater), the Canary Islands and Antarctica. Most scholars concur, however, that the sunken civilisation was more likely a literary invention to convey his philosophical theories.
Homer’s vivid depiction of this impenetrable walled city – which was besieged for 10 years after Paris stole away Helen from Menelaus, King of Sparta – is an appealing one. It’s widely agreed that there was a real ancient city known as Troy, whose ruins remain on the northwest coast of Turkey, but it’s disputed as to whether the Trojan Wars actually happened.
The UNESCO World Heritage Site at Hisarlik, on Turkey’s Aegean coast, has been associated with Troy since ancient times and is the most likely inspiration for Homer's The Iliad, the epic poem which detailed how the Greeks sacked the city via their cunning and a wooden horse. The multi-layered ruins, which sit on a strategic point at the southern entrance of the Dardanelles, show evidence of various settlements that date back almost 4,000 years.
Homer's other epic poem, The Odyssey, describes many mythical places, including the enchanted island of Ogygia. It was home to the nymph Calypso, who fell in love with Greek hero Odysseus and held him captive there for many years. Some theories place Gozo as the inspiration for the fictional island. See for yourself on a visit to the place where the bewitched sailor was allegedly imprisoned. Calypso Cave is set inside a cliff overlooking the island’s ravishing Ramla Bay.
Another bewitching isle which lays claim to being the home of Homer’s seductress is Mljet in Croatia. The so-called Odysseus Cave, an oval-shaped craggy crevice, can be found on the southern coast of the island near the village of Babino Polje. It’s possible to take a boat inside the grotto, or you can swim your way in. Visit at midday to see the water and cave light up spectacularly as the sunlight floods in. An epic sight indeed.
The “stately pleasure-dome” immortalised in romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem Kubla Khan was also a real place. Xanadu was the sprawling summer capital of Mongol ruler Kublai Khan (grandson of Ghengis) who established the Yuan dynasty in the 13th century, which went on to rule China for over a hundred years. The remains of the once-grand palace are located in China’s inner Mongolia region and are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The spiritual concept of a hidden land peopled by a mystic brotherhood is a cornerstone of the Tibetan Buddhism tradition, and the mythical kingdom of Shambhala has fascinated countless authors, including James Hilton, whose 1933 novel Lost Horizon depicted a mountainous utopia enclosed somewhere in the western end of the Kunlun Mountains. A town in China’s Yunnan province renamed itself Shangri-La in 2001 to associate itself with the legend. While its historic claims are questionable, it’s home to the impressive Ganden Sumtseling (pictured), a vast Tibetan monastery established by the fifth Dalai Lama in 1679.
Described as “the loveliest mountain on Earth... an almost perfect cone of snow, a dazzling pyramid so radiant, so serenely poised that it scarcely seemed to be real” by historian Michael Wood, the real-world location of this utopia has fascinated many. He suggested in a BBC documentary that Hilton’s Shangri-La could have been the abandoned city of Tsaparang, the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Guge in Tibet. But whether or not there was an actual place remains up for debate.
The mysterious residence of Bram Stoker's Count Dracula in Transylvania, a region steeped in centuries-old tales of vampires and werewolves, is one of the greatest Gothic literary creations. The imposing 14th-century fortress Bran Castle near Brasov has become associated with the Victorian novel mostly due to its location and wonderful architecture, which ticks all the Gothic boxes. It's now one of the top tourist destinations in Romania.
While Stoker didn’t actually visit Romania, he drew inspiration from notorious 15th-century Wallachian nobleman Vlad Dracula, also known as Vlad the Impaler, for his portrait of the blood-sucking count. Bran Castle's connections to Vlad Dracula are highly tenuous but its formidable turrets and towers will stoke your imagination, as will the wilderness of Transylvania's Carpathian Mountains, where wolves, lynx and brown bears still roam.
Follow in the footsteps of Cinderella, the seven dwarves and Hansel and Gretel along the German Fairy Tale Route, which promises a magical journey around some of the regions and places that inspired the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales. You can visit their boyhood home, a pretty timbered house in the little town of Steinau that’s now a museum (pictured), and see the brothers’ annotated copy of their fairy tales at the museum in Kassel, where they later lived.
With its picturesque towers, medieval Trendelburg Castle, near Kassel, was reputedly the inspiration behind the Grimms' tale of Rapunzel. Head here at 3pm and you’ll see the long-locked captive princess make an appearance at the window of the tallest tower. The castle is now a hotel.
Venture cautiously into the woods on the Grimmsteig walking trail, which leads out from Kassel, to follow a path through the swathe of ancient beech trees that could be straight out of a storybook. You can imagine a cast of fairy-tale villains lurking behind the gnarly trees as you skip through these thoroughly enchanting forests. Just don't forget the breadcrumbs.
From magical forests to medieval streets, the route will also take you into the fabled town of Hamelin in Lower Saxony. All crooked timbered houses and little lanes, the town embraces its fame as the setting for the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. You can follow rat trails that mark the way to various Piper-themed attractions, including a wonderful museum dedicated to the fable with a clever mechanical installation that brings it to life.
Now discover more fantastic fairy-tale towns around the world