From Aurora Castle to Sherwood Forest. The most beautiful fairytale places to visit with your children

A journey through the places that have inspired the most beautiful fairy tales ever. From Pinocchio park, to Little Red Riding Hood wood to Sherwood Forest, where Robin Hood and Little John hid, giving rise to one of the most loved stories by children.

Here are the most beautiful itineraries that have been the background to the most beautiful fairy tales of all time and that you can visit with your children to make them relive the magic of the fairy tales of the past even in real life.

We start right from our home, precisely from Pistoia. It is said that in the kitchen of the seventeenth-century Villa Garzoni, the nephew of the farmer Carlo Lorenzini, aka Collodi, would have written the tale of Pinocchio. The house, located in Collodi, a hamlet of Pescia, is about 200 meters from the entrance to the Pinocchio park.

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In Switzerland, in Oberrofels, Heidi is waiting for us. Johanna Spyri, the creator of the character, spent her holidays nearby in Maienfeld. On foot, and surrounded by greenery, you can reach the hut, a real museum that illustrates the history and life of the most famous Swiss girl in the world.

Germany welcomes us with the Grimm Brothers and the Fairy Tale Road: Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood and the Pied Piper still relive today along the Deutsche Märchenstraße, a 600 km itinerary from Bremen to Hanau through the places of interest that refer to the tales of the Brothers Grimm. In Hameln the Pied Piper is the protagonist: to recall this fairy tale the city every Sunday from May to September, offers a show at the Civic Garden (Hameln Pied Piper) followed by games.

In Schwalmstadt, you will visit the Little Red Riding Hood forest. The tale of Cinderella still lives on in the Renaissance castle of Polle in the Weser valley. The itinerary finally touches the places of Sleeping Beauty, in Hofgeismar, where the splendid castle of Sababurg stands.

A few kilometers from Kassel is Trendelburg, the city of Rapunzel where the Grimms lived for several years: the story of the princess imprisoned in a tower who meets her prince by dropping her long braid of hair inspires the rooms of a turret of the Hotel Burg Trendelburg: from April to October the hotel organizes a representation of the fairytale, complete with a braid hanging from the tower.In addition to the fairytale road, in Germany, in Füssen, stands the Neuschwanstein Castle that inspired Walt Disney in designing the places magic of Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.

Fairy tale activities for children on the fairytale route in Germany

A museum dedicated to Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales has welcomed many visitors since 1908 in Odense, Denmark. In the adjacent play center in Fyrtoejet park, you can take a ride on the swan-shaped pedal boat. If you decide to visit Copenhagen, remember to pass by the harbor for a salute to the Little Mermaid statue.

You can savor the legends of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table in the magical atmosphere of Brittany (France) and Cornwall (UK), in Tintagel, where you can visit the ruins of King Arthur's Castle. The "Sherlock Holmes Walking Tour" in London takes fans in the footsteps of the world's most famous detective, reliving the atmosphere of Arthur Conan Doyle's stories, complete with Sherlock Holmes Pub.

In Sherwood Forest, where Robin Hood and his friend Little John were hiding, you can look for the famous Major Oak, a large oak which, according to legend, was Robin Hood's main lair. The park hosts the Robin Hood Festival every summer, a great event that recreates the medieval atmosphere and the characters of the legend.

Santa's home is in Lapland but Italy also offers themed villages. Among the largest is the one created in 2003 by the artist Carmelo Giammello in the historic center of Rivoli (Turin). Santa Claus Village looks like a Nordic village with wooden houses inside which activities, workshops and entertainment take place. There is also an ice skating rink.

In Rovaniemi, Finland, you will meet Santa Claus himself and can visit his post office. The trip to Lapland is an opportunity to try new experiences, such as a reindeer sleigh ride or to admire the spectacular light effects of the Aurora Borealis and travel through the forests and the vast expanses of snow aboard snowmobiles. Finally, 5 km from Rovaniemi is Santa Park, a theme park where you will meet elves, visit the workshop where toys are made and discover many other fun activities for young and old. Children should not forget to bring used toys, because here they are recycled to be given as gifts to less fortunate children.

Santa Claus in his house in Rovanjemi

Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany

image Heidi and Peter: copyright Graubünden Ferien / Gaudenz Danuser
image Heidi The hut: copyright Heidiland Tourismus / Boris Baldinger

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