Familiar, Famous Landscapes to Visit

Landscape artists have long taken their inspiration from natural surroundings and mesmerized their audiences through creativity and self-expression. Have you ever stared at a beautiful landscape painting and wondered: one, where the original location is, and two, is it possible to stand where the artist stood and see it in real life? Stick with us as we share four locations you can visit on your next vacation and be transported into a real life landscape. Talk about making art come to life!

Cafe Terrace at Night,
Vincent Van Gogh

While living in the southern France city of Arles, Van Gogh was inspired to paint over 200 paintings, the most famous of which is possibly shown above: Cafe Terrace at Night. 135 years later, the cafe still stands. Called Le Café la Nuit, Van Gogh fans can visit this cafe day or night to get a cappuccino and their culture fix.

Le Café la Nuit; Arles, France

Corfe Castle, J.M.W. Turner

The ruined remains of Dorset’s Corfe Castle, where watercolor artist J.M.F. Turner drew inspiration in 1793, is located in Dorset county, England, on the Isle of Purbeck. The Purbeck coastline is a destination in itself, where visitors can view the 95-mile stretch of coastline known as the “Jurassic Coast”. It gets it’s name because fossils of prehistoric creatures can be viewed hanging off of the cliffs…unbelievable!

Corfe Castle, Isle of Purbeck, England

Valley of the Yosemite, Albert Bierstadt

Valley of the Yosemite was painted in 1864 by German-American artist Albert Bierstadt. If you make your way to sunny California, you can see this vastly unchanged landscape through the artist’s eyes, because this land has remained protected as first the Yosemite Grant and then becoming a National Park in 1890.

Yosemite Valley, California

Water Lilies and Japanese Bridge,
Claude Monet

Rounding out the list with arguably the most famous and recognized piece, Water Lilies and Japanese Bridge was painted by impressionist painter Claude Monet in 1899. Giverny is a village in the Normandy region of France, a quick one hour train ride from Paris. Visitors can view the artist’s beloved gardens at what is now the Fondation Claude Monet museum.

Giverny, France: Foundation Claude Monet Museum

Landscape artists draw inspiration from their surroundings, which is exactly what travelers do as well. Where are you inspired to visit next?