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The most magical places to visit during your lifetime

Mohamed Rehan
07 February 2022, MVT 11:19
A town in Bavaria - straight off of a fairytale -- Photo: Culture Trip
Mohamed Rehan
07 February 2022, MVT 11:19

Disney and old folk tales made it certain for almost all of us to fantasize heavily about magical lands in faraway places. The most prominent fairytales have a tendency of starting off its narration about some majestic castle, high mountain summits and picturesque landscapes where friendly villagers hum beautiful tunes through their daily labors.

So, if one was to immediately think about a fairy-tale destination, one that exuberates a sense of magic then aforementioned elements will be among the very first things that wind up in your mind. While we cannot guarantee you with dragon sights and actual knights in shining armors, we can most certainly curate a list of places that can at least get you as close to giving you the feeling of stepping into the medieval times.

Bavaria, Germany

Straight off of a fairytale book, this place has got it all. Snowcapped mountains, humble looking towns and townspeople, rich architecture that is reminiscent of an era once lived, splendid carvings on castles and… the castles themselves.

Interestingly, the Neuschwanstein Castle is supposedly the inspiration behind Walt Disney’s Cinderella Castle in the Disney World.

Bavaria is picturesque as much as it is calm and soothing. Stepping foot here will feel like you have been transformed directly into a beautiful chapter of a medieval tale.

Lake Bled, Slovenia

The picture perfect Lake Bled -- Photo: Living Nomads

Isolated and quiet. Peaceful and serene. Lush and vegetative. The words will fall short in trying to justify the appeal of Lake Bled which is also one of the prettiest places in Slovenia. The spot is famous for the aquamarine lake and a castle perched on a cliff and the centerpiece of the Bled Island.

This is the picture-perfect location and to the west end of the lake lies Zaka Valley.

Travelers from across the globe visit this tourist hotspot to enjoy a bit of row-boat and other recreational fun.

Zhangjiajie, China

Zhangjiajie; the place that was the inspiration for a major motion picture's world-building -- Photo: Agoda

Magical would be a bit of an understatement, rather the Zhangjiajie happens to be one of the most mystical places on planet Earth. Filled with several pinnacles of sandstone rock that stretch for miles, making up a beautiful and unique vista.

Interestingly, this is also the real-life location that inspired the hovering rocks and waterfalls in the 2009 James Cameron directed action-adventure epic, Avatar. Well, glad to know that Pandora’s landscapes drew inspiration from Earth.

Santorini, Greece

The place that feels ethereal, Santorini, Greece -- Photo: Digital Nomad World

This is an immediate favorite among several globetrotters including Maldivian travel enthusiasts as well. Santorini is situated in Cyclades – a windswept and volcanic island in Greece. Whites blended seamlessly into myriad of colors and the buildings seemingly stacked atop one another.

Santorini is arguably one of the most aesthetic places on Earth and it attracts photogenic travelers by the thousands – every year.

Hobbiton, New Zealand

Welcome to Middle-Earth, quite literally -- Photo: Hobbiton Tours

How many of us had wanted to travel across Middle-Earth? Venture into friendly country-side where the peaceful hobbits from Tolkien’s fantasy epic resided in? Well, even though our desires to meet real life hobbits, dwarves and elves may never manifest, we can still try our hand at experiencing what it would have felt like to live among them.

Hobbiton is located in New Zealand, the place looks and feels like it really is a fairytale destination with beautiful mysteries of the medieval period still looming about them. The Hobbiton is actually the movie set for both ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’ series which are global phenomena and cultural lexicon in terms of fantasy sagas.

Though created for the movies, the town can be visited and is a popular tourist destination with many coming to explore the place where Bilbo Baggins ventured off to have an epic adventure.

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