Famous Filming Locations That You Can Visit

Film has a way of rewriting the map. A side street becomes a stage, a cliffside monastery a set piece, and suddenly a place you’d never really noticed is on every traveller’s lips. The most famous filming locations aren’t always backlots or soundstages – they’re often real towns, temples, and coastlines, carefully chosen for their atmosphere long before the director ever calls “action.”

And there’s a peculiar thrill when you finally stand there yourself, whether you’re a film aficionado or not. A staircase that once carried a queen in disgrace, a piazza where star-crossed lovers delivered late-night soliloquies, a bookshop that made the entire world swoon. They’re not props that get packed away and archived when the trailers have departed. They’re places that stay alive with their own silver screen stories and living histories.

Europe: From Gothic Drama to Glamorous Escapes

Dubrovnik, Croatia – Game of Thrones & Star Wars

The ramparts of Dubrovnik have defended the city for centuries, but it was Game of Thrones that gave them true global fame. King’s Landing played out here: Cersei’s walk of penance down the Jesuit Steps, Tyrion plotting in shaded courtyards, and the endless twinkle of the Adriatic acting as the backdrop. A few years later, Star Wars: The Last Jedi cast the same streets as Canto Bight, a decadent city of gamblers and endless intrigue. Walk the ancient walls at dusk and you’ll see why filmmakers keep returning to this same Croatian city – it’s a ready-made set with drama built into every stone.

How to Visit: Dubrovnik is a favourite on boutique Adriatic cruises, but has a more profound effect when you spend a little longer here. Ask us about adding a pre- or post-cruise stay in a sea-facing room onto your luxury cruise. We’ll make sure it feels suitably cinematic.

Rome & Sicily, Italy – The Godfather, The White Lotus & Eat Pray Love

Italy is a natural performer, and directors have never been shy about casting it or trying to emulate the Dolce Vita on screen. For us, it was The Godfather that really cemented Sicily’s place in cinema: the dusty lanes where Michael courted Apollonia, the courtyards that echoed with old feuds, and olive groves hiding secrets. Fast forward to 2021 and The White Lotus gave the island another spotlight, as its second season unspooled inside the frescoed cloisters of Taormina’s San Domenico Palace (read our dedicated blog to find out where the latest season, season 3, was filmed). Rome, meanwhile, is and always has been eternal on screen: Audrey Hepburn navigating the streets on a Vespa in Roman Holiday, Julia Roberts eating her way through traditional trattorias in Eat Pray Love. Italy doesn’t need lighting or costumes. It’s always dressed for the part.

How to Visit: Our range of Tailor-Made Holiday itineraries that trace their way through Italy. And if your dream trip isn’t captured in one of our ‘ready made’ trips? Just let us know. We can create something from scratch, tailored entirely to you. 

Paris, France – Amélie, Midnight in Paris & Killing Eve

Paris is perhaps cinema’s most faithful muse. Amélie painted Montmartre in whimsy: the green-grocer, the cobbled staircases, the café where a shy waitress plotted acts of kindness. Midnight in Paris spun the city into a time machine, sending us drifting through smoky jazz clubs and salons of the roaring 20s. And then came Killing Eve, where directors recast the boulevards in couture and true unrelenting menace, capturing Villanelle striding past the Seine with a smirk that really could stop traffic. Paris contains multitudes, a little bit of everything - romance, nostalgia, suspense - and it performs them all with ease.

How to Visit: A romantic stay at the Four Seasons, the Mandarin Oriental, or the Shangri-La. 

Vienna, Austria – Before Sunrise

Few films have been able to capture a city’s quiet pulse like Before Sunrise. Richard Linklater gave us two strangers who wander Vienna overnight, talking their way into intimacy. The Riesenrad ferris wheel, a tucked-away record shop, candlelit cafés that still feel conspiratorial all remain today, as if waiting for the next Jesse and Céline to come along. Packed with history, Vienna itself is lyrical, deliberate, and endlessly repeatable without ever being overdone.

How to Visit: A river cruise on the Danube. If you’re into history, there’s no better trip, as you’ll also typically visit the likes of Budapest, Munich, and Bratislava. 

Notting Hill, England – Notting Hill & Bridget Jones’s Diary

London is vast, but it’s the small corners that we remember, the small corners that make it cinematic. In Notting Hill, Hugh Grant’s blue-doored townhouse and Portobello Road market became shorthand for noughties romance. And just a few Tube stops away, Bridget Jones chronicled her heartbreaks from a flat sat just above Borough Market – a spot still avidly photographed by fans. These aren’t grand sets or staged illusions, just lived-in parts of a capital city given a touch of stardust by stories that refuse to be forgotten.

How to Visit: A luxury hotel stay in the city’s heart, then you can dip into various movie sets while having a central location to explore, too. 

The Americas: City Streets & Wild Landscapes

New York City – Sex and the City, Ghostbusters & When Harry Met Sally

New York is not just a famous filming location, it’s almost every actor's co-star. Carrie Bradshaw’s brownstone stoop, the firehouse from Ghostbusters, Katz’s Deli where Meg Ryan acted out “the” scene in When Harry Met Sally. Central Park is a constant cameo: in romcoms, thrillers, dramas – as versatile as any actor. Walking the city déjà vu is constant, but it’s not always because you’ve physically been here before. Every street corner just feels like you’ve stepped through the screen.

How to Visit: Choose a luxury cruise that begins or ends in New York. We recommend adding on a pre- or post-cruise hotel stay, as one night is simply never enough. 

Hawaii – Jurassic Park & Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Few establishing shots are as spine-tingling as the helicopter sweep over Kauai in Jurassic Park, mountains looming like prehistoric sentinels – a whisper of events to come. Even without the CGI dinosaurs, the valleys and waterfalls feel positively monumental. Switch tones though and Hawaii is comedy - Forgetting Sarah Marshall turned Oahu’s Turtle Bay Resort into a stage for heartbreak, ukuleles, and improbable puppet musicals -  or children’s fantasy, as the islands were immortalised in the likes of Lilo & Stitch and Moana. Whichever lens you prefer, Hawaii never plays a minor role.

How to Visit: Luxury resorts like Four Seasons Resort Oahu let you explore on-island famous filming locations with ease, while lavish cruises can transport you from island to island in unmatched style.

Savannah, Georgia – Forrest Gump

“Life is like a box of chocolates.” Has a line ever been so closely tied to a place? Chippewa Square in Savannah became known across the globe thanks to Tom Hanks and that park bench (now safely housed in a museum). But the city itself is all theatre: oak canopies, wrought-iron balconies, and squares designed for respite between exploration. Forrest may have kept running, but Savannah encourages you to stop and enjoy.

Africa & the Middle East: Ancient Mystique on Screen

Petra, Jordan – Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

As Harrison Ford rode through the Siq canyon and the elaborate Treasury appeared, audiences must’ve gasped in unison – an ancient temple carved into rose-red rock and revealed like a spectacular magician’s trick. Petra became a film icon in that very instant, though its tombs and city had stood for centuries before. Visiting today, the walk through the narrow gorge still delivers the same breathtaking reveal: light spills across the stone and the silence is punctuated only by your footstops and murmurs of awe. There aren’t many famous filming locations that live up to their close-up quite like this one does.

How to Visit: Luxury cruises sometimes include Petra within their itineraries, or you could twin a trip here with explorations of Saudi Arabia. 

Casablanca, Morocco – Casablanca & Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation

Although the film was shot in Hollywood, Casablanca remains inseparable from its namesake. A city of Art Deco facades, French cafés, and ocean breezes, it’s very easy to picture Bogart lighting a cigarette or Bergman looking wistful. Modern cinema has chased Morocco too – Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation staged its pulse-quickening stunts across Marrakech. The real Morocco is no less dramatic: busy souks, scent-filled spice markets, and Atlantic light that seems designed solely for illuminating black-and-white film.

How to Visit: Combine Casablanca with Fez, Merzouga, Ouarzazate and Marrakech on our Tailor-Made Holiday itinerary – Morocco Cities, Kasbahs & Desert.

Cape Town, South Africa – Black Panther & Safe House

The Western Cape’s landscapes lent their grandeur to Wakanda in Black Panther: jagged mountains, sweeping vineyards, coastlines where ocean crashes into stone. Cape Town also doubled for international cities in Safe House, proving its chameleon qualities. But beyond the roles it has played, Cape Town feels stage-set in itself, as Table Mountain anchors the city that rises and falls with the light.

How to Visit: One&Only Cape Town sits at the city’s heart with Table Mountain framed in every window. You can also visit as part of a wider Tailor-Made Holiday in South Africa.

Asia: Exotic Backdrops & Hidden Depths

Thailand – The King and I, The Beach & Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason

Thailand has long attracted filmmakers with its mix of regal architecture and wild beauty. The King and I, though famously filmed on Hollywood sets, was inspired by the intricate palaces and traditions of Bangkok, with their golden spires and theatrical courtly rituals. Decades later, Danny Boyle’s The Beach immortalised Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Leh – a turquoise cove so popular it had to close for years to recover from the sudden influx of visitors. And who could forget Bridget Jones, stumbling her way along golden shores (and eventually, through a Thai prison) in The Edge of Reason? Thailand has played the glamorous muse, the tropical paradise, and the comic foil – a reminder that it’s a country of many scripts.

How to Visit: Pair Bangkok’s temples and palaces with an island stay. The Mandarin Oriental Bangkok is timeless for city luxury, while Phi Phi Island offers access to the famous bay (now carefully managed with conservation in mind).

Angkor Wat, Cambodia – Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

In 2001, Angelina Jolie sprinted through the tree-rooted ruins of Angkor Wat and suddenly the ancient Buddhist temples were on every traveller’s radar. But in reality the crumbling towers, tangled fig roots and carvings worn by centuries hardly need Hollywood’s help – they’re spectacular enough as they are. Walk among them and you’ll see why Tomb Raider needed little set dressing.

How to Visit: We have a variety of ready-built itineraries that allow you to venture into Angkor Wat: Classic Cambodia, The Best of Vietnam and Cambodia, Singapore & Cambodia In Style. Or we can create a brand-new itinerary tailored to your pace, preferences, and passions. 

Singapore – Crazy Rich Asians

Crazy Rich Asians was privy to glittering rooftop scenes at Marina Bay Sands and the verdant surrounds of Gardens by the Bay, but the film also spotlighted the places where Singaporeans themselves eat, drink, and gather. The Newton Food Centre, with its sizzling satay skewers and plastic tables, became a must-do on every traveller’s list. In what could have been a parade of excess, director Kevin Kwan instead presented a layered, multicultural, and grounded side of Singapore –  a warm counterpart to the movie’s potentially chaotic title.

How to Visit: Stay at Raffles Singapore for a taste of true colonial grandeur or Marina Bay Sands for those famous skyline views. We have Tailor-Made Holidays that dip into the destination.

Tokyo, Japan – Lost in Translation & Killing Eve

Tokyo plays extremes. In Lost in Translation, Sofia Coppola drew out its solitude – neon lights outside a hotel window, quiet conversations in bars high above Shinjuku. Killing Eve recast it as glamorous and dangerous, while anime adventures tap into its creative and culture-rich side. Whichever version you choose, Tokyo is a metropolis that enhances stories beyond measure.

How to Visit: Aman Tokyo and Park Hyatt Tokyo (of Lost in Translation fame) let you watch the city buzz below while retreating to serene calm above.

Sri Lanka – The Bridge on the River Kwai & Indiana Jones

Sri Lanka’s beautiful rivers and jungles have always attracted directors. The Kelani River was the site of The Bridge on the River Kwai, where Alec Guinness marched across bamboo scaffolding into silver screen history. Later, parts of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom were also staged here, as its jungled hills doubled up as the setting for pulp adventure. Today, the same scenery feels rich in another way – tea plantations, colonial villas, and coastal stretches that seem endless.

How to Visit: Ceylon Tea Trails offers boutique bungalows in the highlands, while Cape Weligama brings seaside splendour to the south. Explore more of our Tailor-Made Holidays in Sri Lanka here.

Oceania: Fantasy Worlds & Other Realities

Hobbiton, New Zealand – The Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit

Some sets disappear when filming wraps, but Hobbiton was preserved. It had to be. Round-doored houses, vegetable gardens, a working Green Dragon Inn – it’s all still there, tucked among the rolling hills the country is famous for. For Tolkien fans it’s sacred ground, for everyone else it’s disarmingly charming, like stumbling into a fairytale village that insists on being real.

How to Visit: Tours depart daily from Matamata, or make it part of a wider New Zealand journey that combines Auckland with Rotorua’s geothermal wonders.

Sydney, Australia – The Matrix & Finding Nemo

Sydney shapeshifts with ease and, very fittingly in The Matrix, its rooftops became dystopian battlegrounds, office towers transformed into corridors of paranoia. Then, in animation, Sydney Harbour surfaced as the backdrop to Finding Nemo’s climatic scenes, reminding audiences that, even in the heart of a global city, these waters teem with life as richly as Australia’s more remote coasts. It’s a harbour where ferries, yachts, and divers share space with dolphins, seahorses, whales and penguins: proof that Sydney is as wild as it is urban.

How to Visit: InterContinental Sydney sits just behind the Opera House — the most enviable cinematic backdrop of all. Make sure to twin it with other destinations in Australia for the most well-rounded adventure across the country.

Skopelos, Greece – Mamma Mia!

I can’t think of a film that caused - or continues to cause - more destination envy than Mamma Mia!. Though set on the fictional island of Kalokairi, the whitewashed chapels, turquoise coves, and cliffside villas of Skopelos were all too real, inspiring hen party themes and trends like the coveted Euro Summer even 17 years after the initial ABBA-filled film was released. The movie’s soundtrack made it joyful, but the scenery would have been enough on its own – every corner here looks like it’s ready for an encore of ‘Dancing Queen’. 

How to Visit: Pair Athens with the Sporades islands, or set off on a luxury cruise of Greece. All of our favourite cruise lines offer them, it’s just a case of choosing which islands will make up your trip.

Why We Love Famous Filming Locations

Part of the pleasure of visiting famous filming locations is recognising a scene, but the real thrill is seeing what drew the location scouts there in the first place. Directors search for drama, something memorable, whether that be the tilt of a mountain, the curve of a piazza, or the light at 4pm. These are places that hum with atmosphere with or without a film crew, so when you visit you’re part of the story.

Must-See Famous Filming Locations Around the World

• Dubrovnik, Croatia (Game of Thrones, Star Wars)
• Sicily & Rome, Italy (The Godfather, The White Lotus, Eat Pray Love)
• Paris, France (Amélie, Midnight in Paris, Killing Eve)
• New York City, USA (Sex and the City, Friends, Ghostbusters, When Harry Met Sally)
• Petra, Jordan (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade)
• Casablanca, Morocco (Casablanca)
• Tokyo, Japan (Lost in Translation, Killing Eve)
• Hobbiton, New Zealand (The Lord of the Rings)
• Skopelos, Greece (Mamma Mia!)
• Savannah, Georgia (Forrest Gump)