Holiday Rentals News - UK tops the list of literary tourism destinations worldwide

UK tops the list of literary tourism destinations worldwide

The UK features strongly in a list of the top ten literary destinations of the world, taking the top four places. Classic literary figures as well as modern authors have helped British destinations to dominate the top of the list.

The list, compiled by TripAdvisor, shows London, the inspiration for Charles Dickens, to be the number one destination on the literary tourism map.

Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon came second and Edinburgh and Dublin took third and fourth place respectively. Outside of the UK, New York, Paris, San Francisco and Rome were all listed as hotspots for literature lovers.

The top ten literary destinations in the world according to TripAdvisor are:

1. London - the home of and inspiration for "many of the greatest authors of all time" including Dickens, Chaucer, Milton and Keats. According to one source, it is "the home of the literature we have spent so much time learning and loving."


2. Stratford-upon-Avon - Shakespeare's birthplace, Stratford is "a Mecca for the literature enthusiast". Visitors can see the "magnificent" Royal Shakespeare Company or "pay tribute to the father of modern literature at his final resting place".


3. Edinburgh - "we have Edinburgh authors to thank for some of the world's most beloved stories and characters", from Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes to Rowling's Harry Potter. Visitors can take a walking tour of the mediaeval Old Town to learn about Scottish literary characters and history.


4. Dublin - Authors such as Yeats and Joyce used their home city as inspiration, most famously in Joyce's "Dubliners". Tourists should visit the James Joyce Tower and House and the National Library of Ireland, or take a tour of the city's pubs with the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl.


5. New York - Kerouac, Miller and Mailer help New York into fifth place. Take in the literary sights with a walking tour or immerse yourself in the "immense collection" at the New York Public Library.


6. Concord, Massachusetts - "a unique destination for its small size and depth of literary history", Concord is where Louisa May Alcott penned "Little Women". Pay your respects in the Author's Ridge section of the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, where Alcott, Emerson and Hawthorne are all buried.


7. Paris - Hugo, Voltaire, Dumas, Hemmingway and others of the 'Lost Generation' give Paris a "rich and diverse" literary fabric. The "bouquinistes" book stalls line the Seine, or visit cafes frequented by the literary greats.


8. San Francisco - Ginsberg and Kerouac moved from New York to San Francisco and "brought their new literary style with them establishing the city as the new hub of the 'Beat Generation'". See where they made their first poetry reading at the Six Gallery.


9. Rome - Rome is "birthplace of some of the world's most influential literature", home to "ancient greats" such as Virgil. However, Rome's literary importance continues to the present day; Keats, Shelley and James amongst others drew inspiration from the city. The Keats-Shelley House on the Spanish Steps is a must-see.


10. St Petersburg - with a "remarkable history highlighted by Leo Tolstoy, Anton Chekhov, Alexander Pushkin and Fyodor Dostoevsky...St. Petersburg is a renowned literary destination". There is a museum dedicated to the life of Dostoevsky as well as walking tours to "see the city through the famous authors' eyes".

This story was brought to you by holidaylettings.co.uk, the UK's No.1 holiday home website.

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