26 Real-World Disney Locations You Can Actually Visit In Europe

If you loved Ratatouille swing by Tour d’Argent, the fine restaurant that served as the inspiration for Gusteau’s restaurant in the film. But maybe not for dinner — entrées at this Michelin-Starred restaurant start at 87€ ($98 USD)!

Location: in the 5th arrondissement of Paris

Lovers of Beauty and the Beast definitely have to visit the Château de Chambord, which served as the animators’ inspiration for the Beast’s Castle. And YES, the castle does have an east and a west wing. 🌹

Location: Chambord (about 2 hours from Paris by car)

Château de Chenonceau was one of many castles that served as inspiration for Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World, and the parallels are obvious. Make sure you stop inside for a visit — the rooms of the castle are absolutely enchanting.

Location: Chenonceaux (a little over 2 hours from Paris by train)

If you were enchanted by the live-action Cinderella, make time to visit Blenheim Palace, which served as Prince Kit’s palace in the film. (It was transformed with grandeur using CGI technology, so it might look a little different IRL!)

Location: Woodstock (about 2 hours from London by train)

You can also stop by the Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College in London where Prince Kit enjoyed honing his fencing skills in Disney’s live-action reimagining of Cinderella. (Bonus: They also filmed a scene from Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides here.)

Location: Greenwich, London

Any Pixar fan traveling to Scotland MUST visit the Eilean Donan Castle. This castle is notable as the animators’ inspiration for both the interiors and exteriors of Merida’s palace in the fictional kingdom of DunBroch in Brave.

Location: Dornie (about 6 hours from Edinburgh by train)

Speaking of Star Wars, if you find yourself strolling through the streets of Dubrovnik, you might start to think you’re somewhere familiar. That’s because you’re walking through the city of Canto Bight from Star Wars: The Last Jedi, aka where Finn and Rose went to recruit the “Master Codebreaker” — and wreaked havoc in the process!

Location: take a walk along Stradun, the main street in Dubrovnik

YES, you can go off to find Luke Skywalker in self-exile on the planet of Ach-To! (But actually, it’s an island in Ireland…) For a fun Star Wars trip, take a boat from Portmagee to the island of Skellig Michael, which was featured in both Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Location: off the coast of Portmagee (about 5 hours from Dublin by car)

You can also experience a bit of real-life Disneyland magic by visiting the ACTUAL Matterhorn Mountain in the Swiss Alps. You could climb it (if you’re feeling adventurous) or simply admire it from the nearby village of Zermatt.

Location: Near Zermatt (about 3.5 hours from Zurich by train)

If you could only pick ONE European “Disney” castle to visit, it’d have to be Neuschwanstein Castle. It was the primary source of inspiration for the design of Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle (and you can totally see the similarities), and its architecture is also reminiscent of Cinderella Castle in Disney World! And yes, you are able to explore the inside of this gorgeous palace as if you were a Disney princess. 👑

Location: Schwangau (about 8 hours from Berlin by train)

This quaint Bavarian town served as inspiration for Pinocchio’s village in the 1940 animated film, but it also has vibes of Belle’s “little town” from Beauty and the Beast — complete with the fountain where she sings about her favorite book.

In fact, St. George’s Fountain in the main square of Rothenburg ob der Tauber even inspired the set designers of the live-action Beauty and the Beast, who created a near-identical one for Belle’s village on the soundstage set.

Location: Rothenburg ob der Tauber (about 5 hours from Berlin by train)

Obviously you can’t go to Greece without experiencing the history of Greek mythology, art, and architecture — aka the foundation of everything you see in Hercules! Start by visiting the Temple of Olympian Zeus, where Zeus would have fatherly chats with Hercules by possessing the iconic statue of himself in the temple (unfortunately the statue no longer remains.)

Location: Zappeio, Athens

Or, if you identify with Megara, you could swing by the Porch of the Caryatids to sing “I Won’t Say (I’m In Love)” with your backup singers.

Location: at the Erechtheion in Athens

If you’re a Frozen fan, then you HAVE to visit the inspiration for Anna and Elsa’s castle: the Akershus Fortress in Oslo, where you can run through the halls singing like Anna. (Don’t actually do that though…)

Location: Sentrum, Oslo

And if you’d like to experience the culture of a kingdom like Arendelle, then Bergen is exactly what you’re looking for. The city is even surrounded by gorgeous mountains that are reminiscent of where Elsa fled and built her ice castle.

Location: Bergen (about 7.5 hours from Oslo by train, or an hour by plane)