From Page to Passport: 5 Literary-Inspired Stays Worth the Trip

Forget set-jetting — the best travel inspo starts on the page. From epic romances to time-traveling adventures, the world’s most beloved novels offer a richer kind of escapism, prompting readers to cross oceans, continents, and even centuries in search of the stories that moved them. And as fan communities bring these fictional worlds to life through pilgrimages, book clubs, and literary festivals, a new wave of story-driven travel is taking hold.

Below, five literary-inspired stays to spark your wanderlust (including to The Bloomsbury, pictured above).

2026 marks the 175th anniversary of Herman Melville’s “Moby-Dick,” the seafaring epic partially set in Nantucket during the height of the island’s whaling era. While the industry is long gone, its legacy remains central to the island’s identity, particularly at the Whaling Museum, a former candle factory housing 30,000 maritime artifacts, including the skeleton of a 46-foot sperm whale. Exhibits trace Nantucket’s rise as a whaling hub and the 1819 voyage of the Essex, the doomed ship that helped inspire Melville’s novel. To further explore the island’s history, sign up for a walking tour with the Nantucket Historical Association. The island has more than 800 pre–Civil War homes (the largest collection in the U.S.!), including those belonging to the commander and first mate of the ill-fated Essex.

After a day of exploring, settle back in at Jared Coffin House — one of New England’s oldest and most atmospheric hotels — housed in a three-story former captain’s mansion where Herman Melville stayed during his first visit to the island (which, many readers are surprised to learn, came about a year after he wrote “Moby Dick”). Named after the original owner, a successful shipbuilder during whaling’s heyday, the three-story brick mansion is an unbeatable choice for guests who want to be immersed in Nantucket history with easy access to restaurants and boutiques in the center of downtown.

• Don’t Miss: The Nantucket Historical Association’s newest biking tour, covering centuries of Nantucket history and ending at the Whaling Museum where a special exhibition on Moby Dick, titled “The Tragedy of the Essex,” is currently on view.

Arguably London’s most literary neighborhood, Bloomsbury was home to the 20th-century circle of writers, artists, and philosophers known as the Bloomsbury Group. Now, literary-minded travelers can trace the footsteps of its most prominent members — Virginia Woolf, John Maynard Keynes, E.M. Forster — with a stay at The Bloomsbury, a Grade II–listed former women’s club turned boutique hotel just off Tottenham Court Road.

The hotel’s all-day dining concept, Dalloway Terrace (named for Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway) resembles a charming secret garden and is popular for afternoon tea. Guests who visit the Bloomsbury Club Bar, a cocktail den straight out of the Jazz Age, will find a drinks menu featuring a tongue-in-cheek diagram of The Bloomsbury Group’s many entanglements (Dorothy Parker famously quipped that the set “lived in squares, painted in circles and loved in triangles.”)

• Don’t Miss: The hotel’s Dalloway Terrace has been transformed into a cascading floral masterpiece, as dreamy and shape-shifting as the novel that inspired its name. The luscious display — complete with an inspired, limited-editing cocktail menu — is part of “The Clarissa Chronicles,” a year-long celebration of the 100-year anniversary of Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway. A special Clarissa Chronicles Package includes a Woolf–inspired walking tour with a bespoke illustrated map of Clarissa’s London (insider tips: unexpected greenspaces, where to go for books and blooms). For an additional cost, guests may also book a private tour led by a London literature expert for a more personalized and in-depth experience.

Madeline Miller’s bestselling novel Circe was a feminist, absorbing reframing of Greek mythology for a modern audience, renewing interest in the islands that gave rise to its legends. Just across the water from Delos, the mythological birthplace of Apollo, Mykonos has long been considered a place where the divine and the earthly intersect. And you won’t find a more heavenly perch than Kalesma Mykonos, a design-forward, Greek-owned retreat on the island’s rugged northwest end.

This year, the property is expanding its footprint with the addition of 21 additional accommodations (10 deluxe rooms and 11 junior suites), a pool, and a traditional all-day Greek taverna. Architecturally striking and minimalist cool, the property (only one in the world with Rick Owens furniture) will nearly double in size, offering guests more options for dining and lounging throughout the day, all with the view of Ornos Bay sparkling below. While Pere Ubu maintains its elevated Greek cuisine, the new taverna will offer a cozy and traditional experience with classic Greek mezedes such as dolmades, saganaki, and dakos salad. Also new is a partnership with Mykonos-based designer Faye Chatzi, who crafts hand-woven shawls, caftans, bags, and wall hangings out of ethically sourced Mykonian wool, spun from sheep that roam freely on the island.

• Don’t Miss: For a treatment worthy of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of pleasure and beauty, retreat to the spa for a bespoke Barbara Sturm wellness treatment.

For fans of Outlander and its world of sweeping love stories and ancient landscapes, The Fife Arms is a fitting portal. Nestled in the heart of Cairngorms National Park, this gloriously reimagined 19th-century Victorian coaching inn blends historic charm with bold storytelling, much like Diana Gabaldon’s beloved series.

Opened in 2018 by Iwan and Manuela Wirth under their independent hospitality company Artfarm, the hotel features 46 one-of-a-kind rooms and suites, two restaurants, and two bars, including a whisky bar with over 500 bottles and a cocktail bar inspired by Elsa Schiaparelli. Surrounded by ancient woodlands, castle ruins, and clan history, The Fife Arms brings the Outlander world to life with its extraordinary art collection (over 16,000 antiques and artworks throughout the property), roaring fireplaces, and richly layered sense of place. Whether tracing Jacobite history or indulging in the hotel’s Artful Solo Traveller package (perfect for modern-day Claires), guests will find themselves transported, no time travel required.

• Mark Your Calendars: The third-annual Braemar Literary Festival, created in collaboration with Her Majesty Queen Camilla’s Reading Room, will take over the Highlands from September 26–28. This year’s lineup includes talks by Sir Alexander McCall Smith, bestselling author Monica Ali, One Day author/screenwriter David Nicholls. Travelers can secure a front-row seat by booking the Fife Arms’ Braemar Literary Accommodation Package, which includes two nights’ accommodation, festival launch dinner, and complimentary access to all festival talks and performances, with reserved priority seating.

Marylebone Village may be best known for its leafy streets and stylish boutiques, but it also holds a special place in literary history. Arthur Conan Doyle famously placed his most iconic character, Sherlock Holmes, at 221B Baker Street — right in the heart of Marylebone. Today, visitors can tour the Sherlock Holmes Museum, browse independent bookshops like the beloved Daunt Books, and wander past Georgian terraces that wouldn’t feel out of place in a Victorian mystery.

For a stay that blends modern comfort with old-world atmosphere, check into The Marylebone Hotel, located just steps from Holmes’s fictional doorstep. The 257 rooms feature luxe touches like marble-clad bathrooms with underfloor heating, while the on-site health club boasts a 60-foot swimming pool and complimentary fitness classes. Splurge on the The Marylebone Suite, on the seventh floor, with an expansive Scandi-style terrace and vast views across London’s rooftops.

• Don’t Miss: Afternoon tea on the all-seasons Doyle Terrace — a streetside sanctuary with views of the neighborhood’s historic architecture — where the menu includes classic cakes and tarts, sandwiches, and buttermilk scones, served with hot or iced tea (we recommend the spiced iced tea cocktail, mixed with jasmine, melon, ginger, mint, and elderflower).