It’s the time of year when many of us begin dreaming of our next vacation. For book lovers, a literary-themed one can combine the best of everything: travel, history, and the ability to connect with our favorite books or authors on a whole new level. Read on for some vacation ideas that are sure to satisfy the writer (and reader) in you.

New Orleans, LA, USA 

Where: The Faulkner House at 624 Pirate’s Alley in the French Quarter

Why: It was designated a Literary Landmark by the Friends of New Orleans Public Library on June 25, 1993, in honor of the author William Faulkner. He lived on the ground floor of the house in 1925 and wrote New Orleans Sketches (a series of short stories and musings based on his first six months in the city), as well as his first novel, Mosquitoes, there. A small local bookstore called Faulkner House Books is run out of the home.

Verona, Italy

Where: The streets and buildings (and, yes, the balconies) of Verona

Why: Arguably William Shakespeare’s most famous setting, Verona is where the events of his play Romeo and Juliet take place. While it’s a fictional tale, he supposedly took inspiration from real places in the city. Walking tours abound, all of which offer to show you landmarks such as Juliet’s house, Romeo’s house, the street where Romeo killed Tybalt during their duel, the thirteenth-century gate out of which Romeo left in exile, and Juliet’s grave.

Haworth, England

Where: The tiny village of Haworth in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England

Why: The famous Brontë sisters—Charlotte, Emily, and Anne—lived here with their family while growing up. Visit the Brontë Parsonage on Church Street to see where they resided when their father was vicar. Now a museum, the building houses their furniture, clothes, and other personal knickknacks. Saint Michael and All Angels Church is also nearby, where the entire Brontë family (with the exception of Anne) is buried.

Calcutta, India

Where: Jorasanko Thakur Bari, Ganesh Talkies, 267, Rabindra Sarani, Singhi Bagan, Jorasanko, in the city of Calcutta

Why: Calcutta is the former capital of British India and home to the Kavi guru (aka the poet of poets), Rabindranath Tagore. A poet, writer, philosopher, composer, painter, and social reformer, Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913 for his collection entitled Gitanjali—the first time that the award was given to an Indian. Tourists can visit the 35,000-square-meter home where he was born, which was built in 1785 and is now a museum.

Dublin, Ireland

Where: Historic Dublin, the capital of the Republic of Ireland

Why: Author James Joyce takes readers on a leisurely stroll through this historic city through the eyes of protagonist Leopold Bloom in his modernist tome Ulysses. Visitors can follow Bloom’s same route (more or less—some of the buildings, and even entire streets, are no longer in existence) by following fourteen brass plaques erected in 1988 that mark the famous walk. The novel’s other main character, Stephen Dedalus, also mentions a few landmarks worth visiting, including the Martello tower in Sandycove and the O’Connell Bridge.

Cortona, Italy

Where: The hilltop town of Cortona in Tuscany, Italy

Why: It is the picturesque setting of the memoir Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes. The story tells of an American woman on vacation in Italy who buys a run-down villa on a whim. Fans of the book can find guided or independent tours to villa Bramasole, the actual house Mayes bought (although you are only allowed to walk past it, not actually enter the residence). In addition to the villa, the medieval town boasts Etruscan walls that are still standing, Roman roads that are still able to be traveled on, and the Diocesan Museum that houses a second-century Roman sarcophagus.

Bath, England

Where: The city of Bath in Somerset, England

Why: While famously named for its Roman baths, the city of Bath is now perhaps even more famously known for being the town in which Jane Austen lived part of her life. Visitors can see Queen Square, where Austen stayed in 1799, then travel on to her aunt’s home in the Paragon. Throughout her time in the city, Austen and her family lived in multiple residences: first a house on Gay Street (located a few doors down from the current Jane Austen Centre); then 4 Sydney Place from 1801–1805 (near the Sydney Gardens that Austen loved walking through); next was Green Park Building East, where Jane Austen’s father died; then came 25 Gay Street, and, lastly, Trim Street. There are also plenty of references to Bath within Austen’s novels. For example, fans can walk down Milsom Street, where Anne Elliot from Persuasion first hears that Captain Wentworth is in town.

Tokyo, Japan

Where: Tokyo, the capital city of Japan

Why: Internationally renowned author Haruki Murakami sets many of his stories in this city, from 1Q84 to Sputnik Sweetheart. Fans can visit specific locations mentioned throughout his works, including Tokyo Tower (a 333-meter-high building constructed in 1958) and the Nezu Museum (filled with traditional Japanese artwork). For a breather from the fast-paced city streets, take a stroll to Sangenjaya, a quieter section of Tokyo filled with izakayas, small cafés, and one of only two tramlines left in the city. Inokashira Park (located in the section of Kichijoji, next to the insanely popular Studio Ghibli Museum) is another spot mentioned by Murakami in his work and provides breathtaking views. Or have a drink at Dug Jazz Café & Bar in Tokyo’s Shinjuku City. Not only does Murakami mention it by name in Norwegian Wood, but he also frequented it himself in his early days as a writer.

Pamplona, Spain

Where: Pamplona, the capital of Navarre province in northern Spain and home to the famous running of the bulls

Why: American writer Ernest Hemingway had a famous love affair with this city. Published in 1926, his famous novel The Sun Also Rises tells the tale of some American expatriates who travel from Paris to Pamplona to watch the running of the bulls (part of a festival to honor San Fermin, the city’s patron saint). If being chased by bulls isn’t your thing, you can visit some other time of year to stop by Café Iruña on the Plaza del Castillo, a place Hemingway mentions in his novel and apparently frequented during his visits. Plenty of guided walking tours exist if you want to follow in Hemingway’s exact footsteps throughout this historic city.

Andrea Moran lives outside of Nashville. She’s a professional copywriter and editor who loves all things books. Find her on LinkedIn.