Since the dawn of the Internet, curious minds have searched the web for intel on where to find Middle-earth real-world locations. And no wonder: In his glorious film adaptations of author J. R. R. Tolkien’s epic books, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and The Hobbit, filmmaker Peter Jackson brought the fictional world of those classic tales to technicolor life. Shot in New Zealand, Jackson’s epic adventure-fantasies made his homeland the official HQ of Middle-earth.
As magical as the lush landscapes may be (and yes, they’re all that and more) New Zealand doesn’t have a lock on bewitching Tolkien-esque locales. Join us as we take a deep dive into Middle-earth real-world locations you can visit. Some bear an uncanny resemblance to the film depictions; others actually inspired Tolkien’s richly imagined universe. The best way to explore one and all, is by taking a tour, so you don’t miss any of the mind-boggling nooks and crannies.
Where to find The Shire in the real world
The Lake District, England
The beloved home of Bilbo Baggins and his heir, Frodo, The Shire was a bucolic corner of Middle-earth inspired by one of Tolkien’s own childhood homes, particularly the English countryside that surrounded the village of Sarehole, in Birmingham, during the Diamond Jubilee period of 1897. Tour The Lake District, famous for its breathtaking lakes, forests and mountains, and you’ll understand why it’s a wondrous stand-in for Hobbiton. As history buffs may know, the area also wove its magic spell on literary lions including William Wordsworth, Beatrix Potter and John Ruskin.
Munnar, Kerala, India
Is Middle-earth a real place? Not exactly. Still, Jackson’s trilogies can make us believe otherwise. The breathtaking scenery captured in these fantastic films doesn’t only exist on celluloid; it’s possible to find idyllic meadows greener than The Shire’s in the hill station of Munnar in Kerala, India. As you hike the rainforests of Silent Valley National Park, amidst the rolling Nilgiri hills, you may momentarily bliss out. Perhaps the hobbits’ homeland actually exists IRL!
Forest Gully Farms, Santa Fe, Tennessee
For an immersive experience reminiscent of the cozy hobbit holes where Tolkien’s cherished characters lived, head to Forest Gully Farms in Tennessee, about 40 minutes from Franklin, where you can burrow into, um, rent, three underground hobbit-esque Gully huts, surrounded by 15 acres of farmland. Sleep like a hobbit and live the lifestyle, picking fresh berries, collecting farm-fresh eggs, hiking to the waterfalls, and roasting s’mores over the fire pit (no hobbit in Hobbiton would have turned their nose up at this campsite treat).
Where to find the Misty Mountains and Rivendell in the real world
Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau and Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
Between Eriador and Wilderland lie the Misty Mountains, a prominent part of Middle-earth’s topography, where the beloved characters fended off deadly foes, In a letter to his son, Tolkien relayed that Bilbo’s epic journey from Rivendell to the Misty Mountains was a throwback to his own 1911 trip to Switzerland, including a trek through the Swiss Alps, to the Lauterbrunnen Valley. Lauterbrunnen, with its rocky cliffs and astounding waterfalls, is a mirror image of Rivendell, with the mountains of the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau forming the peaks of the Misty Mountains.
Where to find Rohan in the Real World
Glendalough, Co. Wicklow
Amongst the many so-called Middle-earth real-world locations around the world, Glendalough, dubbed the “valley of the two lakes,” is nothing short of spectacular. Set in Wicklow Mountains National Park, it’s a natural wonder without rival, boasting incredible wildlife and scenery, plus a medieval monastic settlement. As you gaze out onto the stony valleys, mountain ranges, and natural bodies of water, it’s easy to picture the Riders of Rohan galloping across the horizon, and surveying the kingdom.
Malvern Hills, Worcestershire
Tolkien’s childhood held a firm grasp on his literary imaginings. Centuries ago, the Midlands, where he spent many formative years, was home to Mercia, a powerful kingdom of Anglo-Saxon England. Some academics believe that the Riders of Rohan were based on the Old English-speaking Anglo-Saxons and link the horsemen’s names to Mercian dialect. As an adult, while hiking the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire with George Sayer, a biographer of C.S. Lewis, Tolkien compared the landscape to the fictional White Mountains, on the Rohan-Gondor border.
Where to find Minas Tirith in the real world
Ravenna, Italy
The list of Middle-earth real-world locations you can visit includes Ravenna in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, once the capital of the Western Roman empire. While admiring the gorgeous mosaics decorating centuries-old UNESCO-listed monuments like Mausoleo di Galla Placidia, you might draw parallels to the mythical Minas Tirith. Blackwell’s Rare Books, in Oxford, England, connected the dots after a copy of Lord of the Rings owned by Pauline Baynes, the illustrator of the Map of Middle-earth, came into its possession. Inside was an annotated map with Tolkien’s notes alluding to Ravenna as the reference point for Gondor’s fortified capital, Minas Tirith.
Where to find Helm’s Deep in the Real World
Cheddar Gorge Caverns, Somerset
In The Lord of the Rings, the Elf, Legolas, is bowled over by the beauty of the jeweled caverns in the Glittering Caves of the White Mountains behind Helm’s Deep in Rohan. The real-world place that stoked the fires of Tolkien’s imagination: the formations and crystalline stalagmites in the Cheddar Gorge Caverns in Somerset. In a letter to the Jesuit priest, S. J. O’Rourke, Tolkien reveals that the caverns influenced his portrayal of Helm’s Deep, recounting visits to the magical spot before writing the passages, and during his honeymoon.
Where to find Fangorn Forest in the real world
The Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire
Fantasy and reality collide once again on the border of England and Wales. In 1929, Tolkien consulted on an archaeological dig, at an old Roman temple called Dwarf’s Hill in erie Lydney Park, a 17th-century estate in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. Formerly an Iron Age settlement, the Romans later believed Dwarf’s Hill to be inhabited by hobgoblins and, yes, dwarves. Cloaked in lore, it brings to mind Fangorn Forest, home to the tree shepherds known as Ents. Voila: Another Middle-earth real-world location explained.
Hoh Rainforest in Olympic National Park, Washington
If Ents walked the earth, chances are that they’d flock to the enchanting Hoh Rainforest, one of the largest temperate rainforests in the US, located on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington’s Olympic National Park. As you wander amidst soaring trees covered in fairytale-like moss, ferns, and foliage, mesmerized by the brilliant shades of green, you may feel as if you’ve been airlifted by Treebeard to the ancient Fangorn Forest. Set off on a hiking trail called the Hall of Mosses and revel in the Middle-earth vibes.
Where to find Mount Doom in the real world
Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
Another Middle-earth real-life counterpart that conjures up scenes from Tolkien’s masterpieces, Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, on the Big Island of Hawaii is a dead ringer for Mount Doom in the initial aftermath of Sauron’s destruction. Consider Frodo and Sam your spirit animals as you explore rainforests, desert plains, mountainous meadows, and desert plains, hiking all the way up to the unearthly summit of Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano.
Where to find The Lonely Mountain in the real world
Mount Fuji, Japan
Where is Middle-earth a real place? A journey to the snow-capped peaks of Mount Fuji, considered a sacred spot in Japan since the 7th century, may supply the answer, drumming up comparisons to the Lonely Mountain (aka Erebor) a lone peak in the north of Wilderland that was reclaimed by Thorin Oakenshield and the Company of Dwarves. While sunrise at the top of iconic Mount Fuji is a sight to behold, as with the Lonely Mountain, its striking beauty is breathtaking from afar.
Where to find Middle-earth–like landscapes in the real world
Laugavegur Trail, Alftavatn, Iceland
Tolkien was besotted by Norse mythology, and devoured Norse tales in the original medieval Icelandic (West Norse). Glimmers of his obsession resurface in his masterworks. Perhaps there’s no better place to channel Tolkien, and the avid adventurer, Bilbo Baggins, than magical Iceland, the Land of Fire and Ice, particularly the Laugavegur trail in Álftavatn. Easily accessible from Reykjavik, this multi-day hike takes you through stunning gorges and glaciers, from the Landmannalaugar geothermal springs to the Þórsmörk nature reserve. Behold: Middle-earth in the real world.
