Top 7 Tours that Bring Literature to Life

Ever wanted to fall in love with Pemberley like Elizabeth Bennet or gallop through the Highlands just like Claire Fraser? Then these travel tours are for you! Below are the top 10 best tours inspired by literature written by women (and loved by them too).

1. Jane Austen ~ "The distance is nothing if one has a motive." ~ Pride and Prejudice

Strictly Jane Austen Tours includes visits to three cities, allowing the true Austen fan to experience Hampshire, Bath, and Winchester for authentic experiences.

Trace where Jane Austen lived as well as fan-favourite movie locations.

See Lacock Wiltshire, where the popular 1995 adaptation was filmed. A fan of all Austen's works? Go with ECT Travel and customise the experience with trips to Lyme Regis (featured in Persuasion), London, and other film locations like Stourhead and Chatsworth House (2005 film Pemberley), as well as the must-see Lyme Park (1995 film Pemberley).

2. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon ~

“The world and each day in it is a gift, no matter what tomorrow may be.” ~ The Fiery Cross

Highlands Unbridled has a variety of horse riding holiday tours, and its Outlander specific holiday is custom designed to the book series.

This 7-10 day tour involves in and out of the saddle visits to essential book and tv show locations. They offer two destination options, allowing guests to cater the tour

to their interests and previous travel experience.

• Please note, this tour is for those who are capable of riding at the walk/trot/canter.

3. Harry Potter Tours (JK Rowling) ~

“Let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.”

Visit the city where Harry Potter was created! See Edinburgh's influence in the series with every step you take.

Putting aside the many movie studio and filming location-based tours in England, the Edinburgh: Harry Potter Magical Guided Walking Tour is the best budget-friendly experience for the truest book fans. This 2 hour tour will test your knowledge in a trivia challenge and take you to the places that inspired Rowling as she wrote.

4. PS, I Love You Tours (Cecelia Ahern) ~

“After travelling around the world searching and searching, she … had finally found contentment.”

A day trip to Wicklow from Dublin allows for a two-part tour inspired by the novel-turned-movie PS I Love You.

Book a ticket with Hilltop Treks to tour the Wicklow Mountains for the best variety of options. While most tours will take you to the bridge featured in the film, this tour allows each visitor to choose to join a guided walk, go on a horse trek, or relax and enjoy some refreshments in a local café.

Whether you choose to walk like Holly at the Sally Gap or pick up the pace on horseback, you're in for a memorable day. Follow up the guided tour with a stop on your own to Whelan's Pub (on Wexford Street) upon your return to Dublin and relive Gerry's rendition of "Galway Girl" in the location the scene was filmed!

• Hilltop offers a discounted rate for seniors, children, and students

5. Brontë sisters ~ Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Tenant of Wildfell Hall

"Come, walk with me ...

The clouds rush dark and wild

They fleck with shade our mountain heights

The same as long ago" ~ Emily Brontë

Explore the wilds of northern England with Brontë Walks. They offer a variety of tours that will suit all budgets, time schedules, and interests.

Join the popular "Passionate Brontës" tour at only £7.50 a person (or take advantage of the family rate!) for a 90 minute walking tour through the village of Haworth, where the Brontë sisters lived and wrote.

Extend your trip with the "Brontë Experience" that will be customized to what you and your group would like to see and distances you'd like to cover. Tour guides bring the novels to life as you wander the wild moors that inspired the talented sisters.

6. Lucy Maud Montgomery ~ Anne of Green Gables ~

“Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.”

Prince Edward Island tourism offers the best guide for the true "Anne fan."

Much of being a Green Gables tourist can be done individually, like seeing the musical at the Charlottetown Festival. Don't miss the guided tour of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Cavendish Home. Follow that up with a Matthew's Carriage Ride to complete the experience and enjoy the beauty of the island.

The most complete package is the Green Gables Shore Tour from Charlottetown. This 4 hour day trip includes visits to the national park, a sea walk, ending at the Prince Edward Island Preserve Company.

7. Margaret Atwood ~ Handmaid's Tale, Oryx & Crake, Alias Grace, MaddAddam ~

"There’s the story, then there’s the real story, then there’s the story of how the story came to be told. Then there’s what you leave out of the story. Which is part of the story too." from MaddAddam

Whether you discovered the books first or love the television shows based on her works, Adventure Canada has created the ultimate Margaret Atwood tour - nothing less than a cruise with the author herself!

The cruise begins in Saint John's, Newfoundland, and visits Saint Pierre, the Louisbourg fortress, Roosevelt Campobello International Park, the Bay of Fundy, and Sable Island per the Matador Network.

Come join Atwood for an incredible living literary experience. Spots are still available, with the budget option coming in just under $4000 and luxury accommodations up to $15,295. This cruise promises to be an unforgettable, once in a lifetime experience. Cruise runs June 15 to June 26, 2020.

No matter which tour speaks to you, experience living literature on your next trip. Which literature-inspired tour from our list will be a place for your bookmark? Or share with us the book-based trips you've taken in the past @WomenWhoWander_NUIG on Instagram or Women Who Wander on Facebook.