10 Places That Look Like They're Out of 'A Court of Thorns and Roses'

Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses series is beloved by fans for many reasons, from its gripping romances and elaborate world-building to its heroic, complex, and sometimes infuriating main characters. But another standout aspect of the series is its vivid setting, which spans everything from the eternally lush springtime realm of the Spring Court to the icy, starlit hills of the Night Court. 

While it might not be possible to stroll through Velaris or take a flight with a handsome winged man all the way to the moonstone floors of a Night Court palace—at least anywhere other than in our imaginations—fortunately, there are many whimsical and gorgeous places on Earth that are definitely possible to visit if you’re looking to live out your ACOTAR dreams.

1. A Real-World Velaris: Zermatt, Switzerland
2. Another Real-World Velaris: Hallstatt
3. A Real-World Day Court: Alexandria, Egypt
4. A Real-World Spring Court: Ashridge House, UK
5. A Real-World Winter Court: Bergen, Norway
6. A Real-World Dawn Court: Chiang Mai, Thailand
7. A Real-World Summer Court: Santorini, Greece
8. A Real-World Night Court: The Siberian Taiga, Russia
9. A Real-World Autumn Court: Woodstock, Vermont 
10. A Real-World: Amarantha’s Castle: Brézé

A Real-World Velaris: Zermatt, Switzerland

A quaint village surrounded by snowy peaks, the Swiss town of Zermatt is widely considered by fans to be the closest real-world thing we have to the Night Court city of Velaris. It’s nestled in the heart of the Swiss Alps, giving it a protected and fairytale-esque quality that very much resembles the Night Court’s secret city, and is full of whimsical wildflowers in the spring and summer and charming Swiss architecture.

As the sun sets, the village begins to shine like a set of jewels glittering beneath the darkness of the Matterhorn, and it’s not hard to imagine that some winged Illyrians might be flying above. If you don’t have a winged form of transport, you can reach it in about a three-and-a-half-hour train ride from the Zurich airport.

Another Real-World Velaris: Hallstatt

Another contender for Velaris is the amazingly quaint Austrian town of Hallstatt, a 7,000-year-old village located on a lake nestled between the towering mountains of Austria’s Salzkammergut region. While it might not be as glittery as Zarmatt, it is nestled on the side of a lake, which evokes the presence of Velaris’s Sidra River.

A Real-World Day Court: Alexandria, Egypt

In A Court of Mist and Fury, readers discover that the Day Court had been home to thousands of libraries before they were destroyed by the villainous Amarantha. Combined with the Day Court’s depiction as a sunlit place filled with libraries and palaces, Alexandria, Egypt seems to fit the bill for this court.

This city was, of course, home to the Library of Alexandria—antiquity’s largest and most famous library—before it burned down, possibly initially due to the Roman invasion in 48 BC, though accounts of who actually destroyed the library vary. Either way, between its desert landscapes, bright sunlight, and storied history, Alexandria seems to have some parallels to what we know of the Day Court.

A Real-World Spring Court: Ashridge House, UK

The first court featured in A Court of Thorns and Roses is the Spring Court, which at first seems like a paradise with its gorgeous manor house and impeccable gardens. One real-world place that seems to resemble Tamlin’s pristine, looming manor is Ashridge House, a historic and sprawling former temporary residence of King Henry VIII and Princess Elizabeth I.

Located on a 5,000-acre wooded estate and surrounded by almost uncannily well-maintained gardens, this house is also filled with Victorian-era opulence on the inside. With its magnificent frescoes and gold-paneled pillars, it certainly isn’t hard to imagine a figure like Tamlin lurking within its halls. Interestingly, its limestone walls were also used as moulds for Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies.

A Real-World Winter Court: Bergen, Norway

With its evergreen-filled, perpetually snowy landscapes, the Winter Court is often linked to Scandinavian countries like Norway and Sweden. Specifically, the idyllic city of Bergen matches up with the Winter Court—at least during the colder half of the year, when its colorful houses are bathed in a dense layer of snow and the magical surrounding forests and mountains become veritable winter wonderlands.

A Real-World Dawn Court: Chiang Mai, Thailand

It’s difficult to find a real-world parallel to the Dawn Court, as this court is essentially described as being a kind of heaven on earth. Perpetually softly lit by a sunrise that lasts long into the day, and blessed with eternally summery weather and lush landscapes, the Dawn Court is said to consist mostly of small towns set on sparkling rivers.

This draws some parallels to many locations on Earth during sunrise or early summer, but its paradise-like atmosphere also sounds a bit like Thailand, with its generally beautiful weather, butterfly-inhabited rivers and waterfalls, and many sparkling temples. In particular, Thailand’s Chiang Mai and its surrounding jungles, towns, and cloud-covered temples perched on the edges of mountains could be one of the closest things we have to the Dawn Court in our human realm. 

A Real-World Summer Court: Santorini, Greece

With its domed, white-colored houses, Mediterranean climate, and brilliantly blue sea on every side, Santorini—and Greece on the whole—easily evokes the expansive, open glamour of the Summer Court. Specifically, Santorini has many parallels to the Summer Court city of Adriata, where a palace towers atop a mountainous island by the sea.

A Real-World Night Court: The Siberian Taiga, Russia

Outside its main cities, the Night Court is known for consisting mostly of a formidable, mountainous landscape filled with dense, impenetrable forests haunted by various beasts. This fits well with Russia’s Siberian taiga, which is the world’s largest forest, covering over five million square kilometers. With its dense pines, long winters, and collection of inhabitants that range from Siberian tigers to brown bears, this landscape certainly matches up to Sarah J. Maas’s description of the fearsome Night Court woods.

A Real-World Autumn Court: Woodstock, Vermont 

The Autumn Court exists in a state of perpetual autumn, which can be said of exactly nowhere on Earth. But if any place on Earth is synonymous with autumn colors, it might be the United States’ New England, which comes alive during the fall. During this time, the region's trees and forests change into a tapestry of golds, reds, and bronze shades that, at their peak, could probably rival Sarah J. Maas’s description of the Autumn Court’s hypnotic hues. 

New England is full of idyllic towns that fit this description, but Woodstock, Vermont is particularly well-known for its quaint village, farmlands, and autumn colors. The Autumn Court is said to consist mostly of farmlands outside of its dense woods and central palaces, so Woodstock’s combination of small-town charm and beautiful forests matches up with what we know of this redhead-dense Prythian kingdom.

A Real-World: Amarantha’s Castle: Brézé

In A Court of Thorns and Roses, Amarantha leads her reign of terror from Under the Mountain, an underground fortress that doubles as a subterranean prison where all manner of terrible things happen. There are actually some real underground fortresses in the world, including Brézé, located under the Château de Brézé in France’s Loire Valley.

With over three kilometers of stone tunnels snaking beneath the Earth, this architectural marvel is Europe’s largest underground complex of its kind. As far as we know, though, the fortress was mostly used as a shelter where inhabitants of the castle could hide from sieges and surprise attacks, not a home for a dictator and her Middengard Wyrm.