There’s no greater adventure than diving into a really good book, at least as far as bookworms are concerned. Here is a list of cities that have inspired writers through the ages to write great literature – must-see sites for every self-respecting book nerd!
1. London, United Kingdom
It would be impossible to list all the sites in London that have inspired writers – from William Shakespeare to Sir Conan Doyle, from Charles Dickens to Ian Fleming, literature is littered with references to London’s murky streets, amazing parks, bawdy pubs and magnificent palaces. Join a guided walking tour; there are hundreds to choose from, including Dickens’ London, the Literary London Pub Walk and Shakespeare tours.
Such tours are particularly useful, if you’re a student and have an essay to write, since you’ll get a real feel for the locations, buildings and London neighborhoods that inspired some of literature’s greatest works. Of course, you could always employ an essay service chosen and rated by Essayhipster.com, for example, if your budget doesn’t allow you to visit Sherlock Holmes’ place of business and you’re supposed to write an essay on Victorian London’s Whitechapel district!
2. Paris, France
Irish playwright and enfant terrible Oscar Wilde is buried at Père-Lachaise Cemetery, reason enough to visit France’s enchanting capital. Many expat writers sought inspiration and a more joyous lifestyle in Paris through the ages. Hemingway liked to hang out in a St. Germain-based cafe called Les Deux Magots. It’s clearly a good place to sit down with a notebook and start collecting background material for an inspired essay! The Paris Walks tour explores Hemingway’s former neighbourhood, the Latin Quarter, one of Paris’ most bohemian areas. Stay at the hotel Le Pavillon des Lettres for good measure. Each of the hotel’s 26 rooms represents a famous writer and a letter of the alphabet.
3. Edinburgh, Scotland, Great Britain
Having inspired more than 500 novels, Edinburgh continues to provide contemporary writers with plenty of material, including Alexander McCall Smith, whose 44 Scotland Street is a much-loved series of stories set in Scotland’s fairest city. From poems by Robert Burns to crime stories penned by Ian Rankin, whose Inspector Rebus investigates the city’s grizzlier aspects, Edinburgh should be high on every book nerd’s bucket list. And if you love adventures written by Robert Louis Stevenson, you’ll probably want to move there!
4. Dublin, Ireland
Ireland’s capital worships literature just as much as harp music, rock band U2 and a pint of Guinness. Find out for yourself on a Dublin Literary Pub Crawl, what makes Dublin’s artists tick. The tour’s inspired actor-guides are a fountain of entertaining facts and gossip about their favorite city. From Oscar Wilde to James Joyce, you’ll find your tour guide will have an amusing anecdote to relate that may well inspire your next essay.
5. Santiago, Chile
Pablo Neruda, South America’s much-loved people’s poet, produced some of the most romantic verses of the 20th century, inspired by La Chascona, his muse and mistress. Visit Neruda’s home in the Bellavista district with the La Bicicleta Verde tour and let the cheerful blue-and-yellow outside of the poet’s hilltop residence inspire your romantic side.