I travel the world finding fairytale destinations – here are 12 of the most magical locations I’ve discovered

Ever wished that fairytale locations existed in real life?

Instagrammer Kelly Prince-Wright has news for you – they do! And she’s on a mission to help you discover some of the most magical spots.

Kelly, from Hampshire, has built up a following of 1.3million people on Instagram thanks to posting magical clips of fairytale locations ‘that feel like they’re from the pages of a storybook’.

She continues: ‘My goal is to create content that inspires people to travel to these locations.

‘During the pandemic, I was reading a lot as a form of escapism. And I would be picturing these fairytale destinations in my head, wishing that they existed in real life. But there truly are so many fairytale destinations that do exist around the world – so once travel was safe to do again, I made it my mission to seek them out.’

Here, we showcase some of Kelly’s most spellbinding clips and images, from a mesmerising English village to a ‘swoon-worthy’ Oregon beach and woods in Ireland with a beautiful ‘dark fairytale aesthetic’. Scroll down to discover your next make-believe getaway…

THORNBURY CASTLE, ENGLAND: Behold the real-life castle near Bristol that King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn stayed in. ‘Thornbury Castle is one of my favourite magical spots,’ says Kelly. ‘I’m obsessed with castles and any time I can stay overnight in one? Sign me up!’

Kelly is pictured above strolling along Circus Lane in Edinburgh. If she could star in any fairytale movie, which one would it be? ‘Well, The Princess Diaries 3 is officially confirmed, so I am absolutely available,’ she said

BALLINASTOE WOODS, IRELAND (LEFT): ‘Ireland is one of my favourite places to keep visiting,’ says Kelly. ‘I’ve even been working on Castle Crawl road trip guides throughout Ireland – creating itineraries to help readers plan trips based around castles on the island of Ireland as well as seeing all the magic it has to offer. But Ballinastoe Woods is so extra fun to me because it has more of a dark fairytale aesthetic to it.’ EGUISHEIM, FRANCE (RIGHT): ‘Wow, the Alsace region is full of fairytale towns and villages,’ says Kelly. ‘Eguisheim specifically has a fountain in the town centre that reminds me of the opening scenes of Beauty and the Beast when Belle is wandering through her village. It’s also such a friendly lovely place. We spent the night in a local hotel and loved it’

WIBLINGEN ABBEY, GERMANY (LEFT): ‘My mission to visit fairytale destinations around the world heavily includes beautiful libraries,’ says Kelly. ‘Books are such a source of inspiration to me, therefore magical libraries are essential as part of my travels. I could spend hours in this library.’ LACOCK ABBEY, WILTSHIRE (RIGHT): This location was used for several Harry Potter movie shots. ‘So many magical spots within,’ says Kelly

MANOR HOUSE HOTEL, CASTLE COMBE, ENGLAND: ‘It’s considered one of England’s prettiest villages and you can see why,’ says Kelly. ‘The little village has a beautiful bridge over a stream, the cottage-lined streets and super-cosy pubs. The Manor House Hotel in Castle Combe is such a fairytale spot to stay, too. The beauty of Castle Combe is that it is gorgeous year-round. My recommendation is early mornings to visit or late evenings as it does get quite crowded here in the middle of the day’

RYDAL HALL, THE LAKE DISTRICT (LEFT): Kelly is pictured here taking a ‘cosy autumn stroll’ by a small stone house near Rydal waterfall, in the grounds of Rydal Hall. CANNON BEACH, OREGON (RIGHT): ‘Oregon is perhaps not your usual first thought when it comes to fairytale destinations,’ says Kelly. ‘But the scenery here is swoon-worthy! Cannon Beach is iconic for its mystical sunrises and sunsets. It also very much reminds me of Twilight!’

THE DARK HEDGES, COUNTY ANTRIM, NORTHERN IRELAND (LEFT): This stunning row of beech trees featured in Game of Thrones as the ‘Kingsroad’. Kelly recommends visiting in the autumn, when the colours are ‘so beautiful’. She notes that cars are banned here. She adds: ‘If you are visiting there is a car park at one end of the road and it’s a super easy walk down.’ CASTELFALFI, TUSCANY (RIGHT): Kelly took this picture at the Castelfalfi resort, describing it as ‘dreamy’

GOODWIN’S COURT, LONDON: In reference to the Harry Potter location, Kelly captioned this image with the question: ‘Knockturn Alley, anyone?’