16 trips every Disney lover needs to take in their lifetime

Angel Falls in Venezuela (L) and the fictional Paradise Falls as seen in Pixar's "Up" (R).Alice Nerr/ Shutterstock

• Many Disney animated film locations are based on or inspired by real-life destinations.


• Paradise Falls from Pixar's "Up" was based on the real Angel Falls in Venezuela.


• Both Cinderella's Castle and Sleeping Beauty's castle were inspired by Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany.

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The most iconic Disney movie settings don't just come from animators' imaginations; they are usually inspired by actual places.

From the fjords in Norway that influenced the design of the Arendelle kingdom in "Frozen," to the real-life Cinderella's Castle that can be found in Bavaria, Germany, INSIDER has rounded up 16 of the most popular Disney movie locations that you can visit in real life. 

Keep scrolling to start your bucket list of Disney-inspired destinations that every fan should see in their lifetime. 

The Neuschwanstein Castle is a 19th-century palace overlooking the Bavarian Alps.

The pointed towers and turrets of this castle, which was built for the 19th-century Bavarian king, Ludwig II, are instantly recognizable to Disney fans. 

Both Cinderella's castle and Sleeping Beauty's castle were modeled after Neuschwanstein.

The castle as seen in "Cinderella."Screenshot courtesy of Disney

Neuschwanstein Castle is said to have been the major inspiration for Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty's castles, both on and off the screen.

In Disney World, you can see how closely the real and fictional castles resemble each other. 

The Notre Dame cathedral is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Paris.

The Notre Dame cathedral in Paris is well-known as the setting for Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" novel. 

 

In Disney's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," hunchback Quasimodo lives in the 14th-century cathedral.

Notre Dame cathedral in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."Screenshot courtesy of Disney

The 226-foot cathedral with its two towers and iconic stained glass windows was recreated by Disney animators in the 1996 movie. 

Chillon Castle is a medieval chateau on the coast of Lake Geneva, Switzerland.

Chillon Castle — or the Château de Chillon — is a medieval fortress on the shores of Lake Geneva that was built in 1150, and was known for housing its prisoners below sea-level. 

Prince Eric's castle in "The Little Mermaid" looks almost identical to Chillon Castle.

Prince Eric's castle in "The Little Mermaid."Screenshot courtesy of Disney

The details of Prince Eric's home — down to the color scheme and arched bridge that juts out into the water — are borrowed from the Swiss fortress.

The ice hotel inspired Queen Elsa's magical ice palace in Disney's "Frozen."

Elsa's ice palace in "Frozen."Screenshot courtesy of Disney

"Frozen" directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee visited the Hotel de Glace for inspiration several years before the movie was released. When Queen Elsa sings "Let It Go," you can see how much the ice hotel influenced the design of her frozen palace.

The hotel even partnered with Walt Disney Studios to host a press junket when "Frozen" was released in 2013.

The scenery in "Frozen" was inspired by Norwegian landscapes, especially Norway's Nærøyfjord.

There are many Nordic references in Disney's "Frozen," but one of the most obvious influences is Nærøyfjord, the most narrow fjord in the world, which is surrounded on both sides by mountains more than a half a mile tall.

 

"Frozen's" kingdom of Arendelle looks like it was built in the middle of the Nærøyfjord.

The fictional kingdom of Arendelle in "Frozen."Screenshot courtesy of Disney

Arendelle's setting so closely resembles Norway's fjords that the Adventures by Disney vacation program created a "Frozen"-themed vacation package to Norway. 

Le Mont Saint-Michel is an island commune off the northwest coast of France topped by a 16th-century abbey.

This French commune may look like a castle, but Le Mont Saint-Michel was actually built as an abbey in the 11th century. More than a millennium later, the UNESCO World Heritage site is still open to visitors.

 

Animators were inspired by the French island commune when they designed the kingdom in "Tangled."

The king and queen's castle in "Tangled."Screenshot courtesy of Disney

The tall spires of Corona castle from Rapunzel's kingdom in "Tangled"  were modeled after Le Mont Saint-Michel's abbey. 

 

 

The Taj Mahal in Agra is one of the most recognizable landmarks in India.

The Taj Mahal resembles a royal palace, but it was actually built in the 17th century as a mausoleum and a tribute to the Shah Jahan's late wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Now it's considered one of the seven new wonders of the world.

 

 

The Sultan's Palace in "Aladdin's" fictional city of Agrabah was created with the Taj Mahal in mind.

The Sultan's palace in "Aladdin."Screenshot courtesy of Disney

Besides the obvious resemblance of the Sultan's palace to the Taj Mahal, the name of the fictional city in "Aladdin" is Agrabah — a nod to the Taj Mahal's home in Agra. 

The tallest uninterrupted waterfall in the world is Angel Falls in Canaima National Park, Venezuela.

Located in the Guayana highlands, Angel Falls is 15 times taller than Niagara Falls. This UNESCO World Heritage site is one of the many waterfalls found in the Tepuis, or "tabletop mountains," of Venezuela.

In Disney/Pixar's "Up," the fictional Paradise Falls strongly resemble the real waterfalls in Venezuela.

Paradise Falls in Pixar's "Up."Screenshot courtesy of Disney

The team behind Disney/Pixar's "Up" visited Angel Falls during film production, making notes and sketches of the waterfall, which would become the visual centerpiece of the movie. 

See the waterfall for yourself by booking an adventure tour of the isolated Tepuis region in Venezuela.

Alsace, France, is known for its small, colorful villages, like Ribeauville.

The small towns in the Alsace region of France are known for their whimsical architecture.

Ribeauville — one of the oldest medieval towns in Alsace — looks like a real-life fairytale setting. 

The provincial town in "Beauty and the Beast" was inspired by real French villages like Ribeauville.

Belle's "quiet village" in "Beauty and the Beast."Screenshot courtesy of Disney

Multiple towns in the Alsace, France, region claim to be the visual inspiration for Belle's quaint French village in "Beauty and the Beast." Ribeauville and the neighboring Riquewihr are two of the most cited examples.

Ribeauville even has a town square that looks like it could fit right in with Belle's opening musical number. 

The French Château de Chambord was constructed as a Renaissance castle in the 16th century.

The Château de Chambord — a French castle originally built as an elaborate hunting lodge — is surrounded by 5,440 acres of formal French gardens and wineries. Today, the castle is a very expensive wedding venue.

The Beast's castle in both the 1991 and 2017 versions of "Beauty and the Beast" was architecturally inspired by Chateau de Chambord.

The Beast's castle in Disney's "Beauty and the Beast."Screenshot courtesy of Disney

During production of  Disney's first "Beauty and the Beast" movie, Disney animator Glen Keane and his team visited the Chateau de Chambord.

"It was an ominous, impressive place with all of these spires and just standing there before us," Keane said in a behind-the-scenes DVD special. "I thought, 'this is the Beast’s castle. This is where he lives.'"

China's Forbidden City — a 15th-century palace complex — is a major tourist attraction in Beijing.

China's Forbidden City is the largest ancient palace in the world, with 980 buildings covering 180 acres. When it was inhabited, the mysterious palace was home to 24 emperors over two dynasties.

Even though the UNESCO World Heritage site was originally "forbidden" to ordinary Chinese citizens, now anyone can book a tour of the giant palace. 

In "Mulan," the Imperial Palace where the emperor lives looks very similar to this real Chinese landmark.

The Imperial Palace in "Mulan."Screenshot courtesy of Disney

In Disney's "Mulan," the emperor lives behind the walls of the Imperial Palace. You can see just how much Disney animators were inspired by the Forbidden City. 

Dunnottar Castle is the remains of a medieval fortress near Stonehaven, Scotland.

Since the 3rd century, generations of churches and castles have been built, invaded and destroyed in the location where Dunnottar currently stands. The remaining ruins are mostly from the 15th century.

After a visit to Scotland, Disney/Pixar animators modeled Merida's castle in "Brave" after Dunnottar.

Castle DunBroch as seen in Disney/Pixar's "Brave."Screenshot courtesy of Disney

In 2006 and 2007, the animation team behind Disney/Pixar's "Brave" visited Scotland.

Originally, Merida's castle was supposed to be a loch in the Scottish Highlands, but according to Scotland's tourism website, once the animators saw Dunnottar Castle in person, they completely changed their plans for Castle DunBroch.

Machu Picchu is what remains of an ancient Incan citadel in the Andes Mountains of Peru.

Historians believe that Machu Picchu's mysterious ruins were once an Incan royal estate or holy site. However, the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire in the 16th century all but eradicated them, leaving this five-mile site as one of the only reminders of their civilization. 

In "The Emperor's New Groove," the hills of Pacha's home village were animated to look like the mountain peaks surrounding Machu Picchu.

Pacha's village in "The Emperor's New Groove."Screenshot courtesy of Disney

The village's resemblance to Machu Picchu is not the only reference to Incan civilization in "The Emperor's New Groove."

Visitors to Machu Picchu often run into the wild llamas of the Andes Mountains, just like Emperor Kuzco. 

The Louisiana Bayou is home to miles of swampland, alligators, and Cajun culture.

A bayou alligator.Pixabay

New Orleans visitors can take air boat tours of the swamplands that are such an inherent part of Louisiana culture.

In "The Princess and the Frog," Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen spend most of their time in the bayou trying to break Naveen's curse.

A trumpet-playing bayou alligator in "The Princess and the Frog."Screenshot courtesy of Disney

Even though it's a New Orleans story, most of "The Princess and the Frog" takes place in the surrounding bayou.

Pixar founder John Lasseter toured the bayou during his research trip to New Orleans and said that "so much of [what we learned] ended up in the movie."

Grand Central Terminal is a transportation hub in New York City known for its arched ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows.

Grand Central Terminal is one of the most iconic New York City landmarks, and attracts millions of commuters and tourists every year. 

Game Central Station in "Wreck it Ralph" is a nod to Grand Central Terminal.

Game Central Station in "Wreck it Ralph."Screenshot courtesy of Disney

In Disney's "Wreck it Ralph," the transportation hub is called Game Central Station — a playful reference to Grand Central Station. The vaulted ceilings and high windows look almost identical to the real station, but instead of commuters, this fictional station transports video game characters to their consoles.

Sherwood Forest is a 450-acre royal forest in England known as the legendary setting of the Robin Hood stories.

Sherwood Forest was formed during the last Ice Age, about 10,000 years ago, and was a popular hunting forest during the medieval period. Best known as the backdrop for the iconic tales of Robin Hood and his merry men, the forest today is a protected national park. 

Sherwood Forest is Robin Hood's home in Disney's version of the tale too.

Robin Hood and Little John in Sherwood Forest in Disney's "Robin Hood."Screenshot courtesy of Disney

Like every other "Robin Hood" story, Disney's animated classic takes place in Sherwood Forest: the fox outlaw's hideout from the evil Prince John. 

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