11 Vacations For Literature Lovers

Nerd out to your heart's delight.

To Scotland, for the Edinburgh International Book Festival

theguardian.com

Every August, the Edinburgh International Book Festival hosts 800 authors in the world heritage site of Charlotte Square Gardens for 700 book-related events: workshops, panels, signings, talks and more. Previous guests include Neil Gaimain, J.K. Rowling, Salman Rushdie, and Zadie Smith. It's basically an amusement park for bibliophiles.

To The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

harrypotterfanzone.com

Meanwhile, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is literally an amusement park for book lovers. Part of Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, this theme park lets us live out our fondest Harry Potter fantasies. On the London side, you can wander around Diagon Alley, take a ride through the vaults of Gringots bank, and catch the Hogwarts Express from Kings' Cross station. By Hogwarts, you can shop at Hogsmeade, visit classrooms and common rooms, and fly on a Hippogriff.

To Bath, England: Jane Austen's onetime home

janeausten.co.uk

Tourists in the small Georgian city of Bath can visit the Jane Austen Centre to learn about the author's experiences living there and how they figured into her novels. The centre has a permanent exhibition, holds Austen-themed walking tours and even puts on a Jane Austen festival every September.

To Romeo and Juliet's Verona

Flickr: francois-2

We don't know if Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet ever really lived, but their story was set in real places in Verona, Italy, and based on real family rivalries. Fans of their tragic tale can visit Juliet's tomb and the Montague and Capulet houses -- including Juliet's famous balcony, to see what light through yonder window breaks. The especially lovestruck, or morbid, among us can even get married there.

To Walden

content.time.com

Simplify, simplify, simplify in Walden Pond -- the Massachusetts reservation that once inspired Henry David Thoreau's manifesto of natural living. Visitors can swim, hike or cross country ski, as the park is open year round.

To India for the Jaipur Literature Festival

ibnlive.in.com

In eight years of existence, the Jaipur Literary Festival has become the largest book festival in Asia and the largest free one in the world. It takes place for five days every January and hosts a diverse array of Indian and international authors. After appearing there in 2010, Tina Brown called it, "The greatest literary show on Earth!"

To James Joyce's Dublin

mountainairarts.blogspot.com

The James Joyce Centre of Dublin offers a number of tours to experience the author's works. Follow the path of Ulysses protagonist Leopold Bloom or learn about Joyce's life in the city. You can also visit the center to attend a workshop on one of his famously difficult books.

To William Faulkner's Oxford, Mississippi

frontporchnewstexas.com

Oxford was the setting of Faulkner's life, and also of his literature. Visit his home at Rowan Oak, take a swig of bourbon and leave the bottle at his grave (a common tribute), and see the mansion that inspired the Compson estate in The Sound and The Fury.

To Anne of Green Gables' Prince Edward Island

tripadvisor.ca

Not only can you visit the place where Anne of Green Gables is set, but also the time. In Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, Avonlea Village recreates Anne's everyday life. You can go for wagon rides, drink Raspberry cordial, and attend a kitchen party (whatever that means).

To Stockholm for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

stadsmuseet.stockholm.se

The Stockholm City Museum runs a walking tour through the city, where you can trace the footsteps of Lisbeth Salander and Mikel Blomkvist. You'll see the building where Lisbeth lived in a giant luxury apartment and the café where Mikel -- and Steig Larsson -- worked on their writing.

To Twilight's Forks, Washington

mycruisestories.com

The rainy town of Forks, Washington has fully given itself over to Twilight fame. On tours of the area, you'll see a local family's home designated as the Swan House, life size cutouts of the characters, and special menu items in restaurants where the characters ate.