If you could spend a week in Fantasyland . . .

. . . which world would you visit?

I often speculated that it would be nice to visit some of the places and characters I've read about. And then I started really thinking about it and came to a shocking realization: Most of the fantasy worlds are either in a war or recovering from a war or have something bad about to happen just over the horizon.

So where would I really want to go? Difficult one. Perhaps to visit Sethvir in Althain Tower (The Curse of the Mistwraith)? Or maybe to look in on Achmed in the Bolglands (Rhapsody)? Not really sure.

So, I'm curious. Which places would you visit?

This is so hard - I love horses, and would love to go Rohan, but the thought of spending time in Rivendell is enchanting... Maybe spring and summer in Rohan (foaling time!) and fall/winter in Rivendell at the Last Homely House.

Rivendell and Fionavar every time BUT after the wars!

I would visit Alagaesia, before the war, when

dragons ruled the skies.

Ohh I would love to go to Scotland....just after the battle of Culloden. And I would find Jamie Fraser and we would live happily ever after.

Hey, this is MY fantasy :)

I'd definitely like to visit Wintefell, especially the castle and around the godswood (before it was burned and left as ruins =( ). I'd also like to explore in the world of Faerie (as portrayed in Stardust), even though it may be dangerous!

Yeah! Winterfell!

Hmm, maybe Valdemar in one of their peacetimes.

Or Winterfell.

This is a toughie of a question for any fantasy lover. I agree, Valdemar would be nice.

Of course, I'd also love to wander through Middle-Earth and perhaps the world of Paksenarrion. It would be neat to see some of the villages and the races there.

I'd love to spend a week in The Shire =)

Roger Zelazny's Amber and its shadow worlds - what a thrill to travel through alternative realities and then return to wonderful Amber.

Winterfell? Everyone seems so depressed and miserable and the landscape cold and bleak, why would you wish to visit?

I think I would have to agree with the Shire. Soft rolling hills with quiet country lanes, good food, lively tunes and several pubs.

Rivendell.

Xanth.

I would spend a week in Tortall.

There's a Stark beauty to the cold and ice. There is a practicality and a strength to the place. I think it would be wonderful.

Travel to fabled Westeros!

See the formidable walls of King's Landing and the Glory of the Red Keep!
Sit on the Iron Throne and know the comforts of the Kings!
Stand upon the impregnable walls of Storm's End!
Sail your boat around the mighty island of Dragonstone!
Bask on the sunny beaches at Sunspear and cool off in the Shadow City!
View the ocean from the magnificent castle Starfall - try not to leap!
Climb to the top of the lofty Hightower in Oldtown!
Marvel at the glorious gardens of Highgarden!
Gaze in awe upon the massive Casterly Rock!
Huddle in the dark ruin of vast Harrenhal!
Row out to the Isle of Faces and meet the Green Men!
Look out from the towering ramparts of Riverrun!
Spend a dizzying night in one of the sky cells of the unbelievable Eyrie!
Step from tower to tower along the rope bridges of Pyke!
Wonder at the puzzle of the Ten Towers!
Walk the bridge between The Twins and dine with Lord Frey himself!
Travel through the swamps to age-old Moat Cailin!
Shiver in the crypts at ancient Winterfell!
Enjoy the legendary hospitality of Lord Bolton at the Dreadfort!
Witness the vast and mysterious Wall and meet the merry men of the Night's Watch!
Journey beyond the Wall, where you can meet Wildlings, Wights, Giants, and maybe even the enigmatic Others!

But wait, there is more!
Cross the Narrow Sea, and visit the marvelous Free Cities!
See the Titan and the canals of Braavos!
Hear the great bells of Norvos!
Visit the towers of Pentos and the brothels of Lys!
Admire the tapestries of Qohor and the carpets of Myr!
Buy slaves in Volantis and fine armor in Tyrosh!
Taste the wines and spices of the Summer Isles!

Travel onwards to Slaver's Bay and see the great cities of old!
Journey to the ruins of mighty Valyria!
Watch the drills of the fabled Unsullied in wealthy Astapor!
Be entertained in the fighting pits or the pleasure houses of Yunkai!
Gasp at the vastness of the Great Pyramid at Meeren!
Stare in wonder at the only living Dragons in the world!

Extend your travels even further to the lands of the far East!
Pass under the Horse Gate of Vaes Dothrak!
Put out your eyes after witnessing the shattering beauty of Qarth!
Travel to far Asshai and on into the Shadow Lands!

If I could have a Daemon, I might want to visit the world of Lyra in His Dark Materials.

Right now I am sailing around in Earthsea with Sparrowhawk and Arren, so that has a certain appeal at the moment.

I'd want a week in tortall then at least 4 weeks in Ixia - possibly offering myself as the Commander's new food taster :P Perhaps explain to Yelena that her and Valek are just not that suited to each other and she should move on and leave the way open for other interested parties lol *snickers*

On a rainy weekend i'd choose Bag End but on a sunny one Rivendell. 8^)

Narnia, definitely, Narnia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think it would end up being the world of The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley.

Oooh, Narnia or Scotland with Jamie Fraser would be great.

How about Hogwarts? Mostly safe to spend a week there. :P

I'd love to visit Hogwarts!

Valdemar would be nice, especially if I could get my own Companion.

I'm actually thinking about visiting Chicago completely based on my present infatuation with the Dresden books.

Oh goody! I want to go to Ankh-Morpork or pretty much any where else on the disc, Damar with Corlath as a guide, and the countries of Eddis and Attolia with Eugenides.

I'd like to meet Harry Dresden, too!

I would spend a week in Tortall because it seems sooooo awesome. Then I would go to the places in The Books of Bayern. Then maybe Narnia and to finish it off I would go to the world of Hogwarts. To me that sounds like a wonderful vacation!

New Crobuzon.

I would spend a week shopping in the Bazaar on Deva!

I would like to visit New Zealand...again.

Although I haven't read the Xanth novels in many years. that is still my favorite fantasy world. Nothing really bad happens there, everything you need grows on trees and I'd love to visit the magician just to get sent on a quest. I've always wanted to go on a quest

Hey do video game worlds count? Cause I would love to visit Hyrule for about a week or two, when Gannon wasn't ruining the place.

I have to agree with others and say Hogwarts..but where I'd like to go is Pern.

Most definitely Pern. Oh, and I want a fire lizard when I get there.

Yep a fire lizard and meet F'lar LOL

I would like to see Cornelia Funke's Inkworld but only as a visitor, perhaps with Mortimer at my side...

Hogwarts, or Scotland with Jamie

Pardon my ignorance-but who is Jamie & which book(s) is he/she in? 8^)

Jamie Fraser from Outlander

Ok have to agree with Scotland with Jamie !!getting An Echo in the Bone tomorrow!!!!!
Vanye its from The Outlander Series by, Diana Gabaldon

I would certainly love to visit Hogwarts and watch Quidditch, visit with Magickal Creatures sit in on some of the Classes.

Beatles1964

The World of Oesha from Luthiel's Song: Dreams of the Ringed Vale and other series books. Would love to use a Wyrd Stone and slip into the world of dreams...

What a wonderful topic! I would definately love to spend time with Meredith Gentry and the world of the Fey for a while! It would be pretty awesome to meet my favorite character Frost and my second favorite, Galen (heavy sigh)!

My second choice would be Narnia!

The vast majority of these fantasy realms, while splendid to read about, would be absolutely terrifying, disgusting or full of hardships to visit, let alone live in. Winterfell or anywhere else in Martin's world would perforce be nasty and brutish for example, not nearly as romantic in reality as it appears in literature, and that goes for most of the other choices. I'll happily settle for these worlds remaining between the pages.

Vacationing in Westeros would be cool, but they're kind of hard on the women and I can't afford to hire sellswords to protect me. Though the free cities might be alright especially Braavos. Dorne sounds good too. I could hang by the water gardens with the sand snakes.

Well, lots of them have wars and/or crises during the books, but they have "uninteresting" times too. Assuming the good times:
Lothlorien
Narnia
Gormenghast
and yes, Hogwarts for me too
and Moominland, esp. if the hobgoblin's hat is included (love that scene where the dictionary falls in & all the words start creeping out as tiny creatures)

Or meeting Ayesha - She; Ged - A Wizard of Earthsea; the grandmother in The Princess and the Goblin

I'm sure others will mention things where I say "how could I have forgotten that?" -- that's the neat thing about fantasy: endless riches.

42, I always think that, I try to think of somwhere that is described beautifully, but the I remember the war, the evil overlord, the unrelenting attitudes, the weather, the slavery, the bandits and outlaws. That being said, for commonors Valdemar seems like a quite good and tolerent place, protected from the world of velgarth at large by Vaneyel's 'Bubble' that keeps magic out, the forest in the north keeps threats away and the pelgirs are mostly quiet there. Heralds and companions keep the law quite fair and aberrations are comparitivley rare. Right up untill the mage storms that is though.

Hobb's Duchies don't seem bad either given that the danger and sacrifice is faced by one or two people in those books, there is a little political instability there, but what is that to a commoner? Unless it results in a full scale war, which it nearly did but for the dragon. But then you have the threat of slavers and pirates from the south and now dragons.

Another faliure of some books (to be able to judge whether it would be a good place to live or not, that is, not in general) is to focus on an elite that most of us wouldn't be and not give a description of what it is like for the commoner, like in the Riddlemaster books or the Earthsea especially. Pern too really focuses on the dragonriders, but how many of us women are going to be there? Some of the rare decriptions of how some lord holders treat their small holders are horrifying, think of the caves where Jayge was or how the antagonist in Reegades was treated.

With Rothfusses books it looks good, but we still again haven't seen much of what it is like for us, we are following Kvothe exclusivley and we don't know what general threats there are and obviously there are some because there are references to what kvothe fought.

All in all it's difficult to judge a world with a restrictive view of it, i'st like trying to judge a room through a little crack in the door, you are only seeing a part of it, the rest of it is unknown, good or bad.

If I am to be honest, I'd much rather camp out on Thardrandia - a world from one of my stories. ^_^

Failing that, Pern would be my first option for a visit. One of the Weyrs, methinks. Or maybe Harper Hall. Either way, I wanna fly a dragon.
Or perhaps a cheery wandering across Landover. Just after the first book would be nice (it's all I've read so far). Then again, I wouldn't mind treading the Cheysuli camps around Homana. As long as it was after the first two books and before the fifth. Though being in the castle during the last week of the sixth book would be nice too.

I think I'd pick the island of Hybras from the Lyonesse trilogu with Shimrod as a cicerone.