CGI technology has come on in leaps and bounds, but there's no substitute for using real scenery on screen. We take a closer look at some of the most exciting filming locations featured in recent hits, including the much-anticipated Don't Worry Darling starring Harry Styles and Florence Pugh, plus other incredible destinations around the world that have appeared in memorable films from the past.
The latest take on Agatha Christie's classic whodunnit Death on the Nile hit the silver screens with a star-studded cast of Kenneth Branagh, Gal Gadot and Jennifer Saunders and plenty of jaw-dropping Egyptian sights as the backdrop. While most of it was actually filmed in a studio in the UK with a touch of CGI magic, several of the film's key locations, like Abu Simbel (pictured), actually exist in real life. The temple complex was built by King Ramesses II sometime between 1264 and 1224 BC and can normally be visited on organised tours from Cairo and Aswan.
This stunning biopic of Diana Princess of Wales focuses on three days over Christmas 1993 at Sandringham, in Norfolk, England. The Spencer production crew headed to Germany where three castles were used as stand-ins for the British royal family's country retreat and traditional Christmas venue. Schlosshotel Kronberg, northwest of Frankfurt, was mostly used for interior shots – eagle-eyed viewers will recognise the black and white tiling and the fireplace in the main hallway from a scene where Diana dances through the hall in a red dress.
Wes Anderson's latest flick follows the story of the French branch of an American newspaper, set in fictional provincial town Ennui-Sur-Blasé. The real-life stand-in for the town is the equally enchanting Angoulême in southwestern France. Filming took place all over town, but perhaps the most notable location is The French Dispatch office, which was set up in a square in front of the towering Cathédrale Saint-Pierre. Scenes were also filmed on Rue du Sauvage and Rue de Bélat.
Viewers first meet the newest incarnations of Sherlock (Henry Cavill) and Mycroft Holmes (Sam Claflin) as well as Netfilx's Enola Holmes titular character (Millie Bobby Brown) at a quaint train station. The real-life location is the Arley Railway Station in Worcestershire. Built in 1862, it's no surprise it was picked as its appearance is much the same as it would've been during the time the film takes place.
One of Tenet's most confusing and puzzling scenes is an elaborate car chase along one of the most-used highways in the Estonian capital Tallinn. To film the challenging sequence, the crew shut down five miles (8km) of the highway and filmed for three weeks, involving hundreds of extras and stuntmen driving cars both forward and in reverse. Incredibly, no CGI was used at all in this epic scene of Christopher Nolan's sci-fi spy flick.
2020 has been full of surprises and one of them was the success of Netflix's Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, telling the story of Lars (Will Ferrell), who's dream is to win the Eurovision. Much of the action takes place in Húsavík, the home of Lars and his childhood friend Sigrit, which is a real place in Iceland. Travel North are now offering a walking tour of Húsavík's sights featured in the film.
Hotly anticipated since June, when it was planned for release, Wonder Woman 1984 sees Gal Gadot reprise her role as the superhero from the DC Comics universe. Although not much is known about the plot of the film, a lot of the filming was done in Washington DC and its famous locations like the Penn Quarter neighborhood, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and the Lincoln Memorial. Pennsylvania Avenue, during what looks like a riot, also features in the trailer.
Fans can step into Olivia Coleman's shoes as Queen Anne in The Favourite at Hatfield House in England. Located in Hertfordshire, just over an hour away from London, this stunning country house served as the location for the majority of interior and exterior shots in the film.
It's hard to name a corner of the world that didn't feature in the latest Avengers instalment Infinity War. Scenes from Tallulah Falls in Georgia, New York City and Edinburgh in Scotland all appeared in the film, however, few could contest the beauty of Banaue rice terraces in the Philippines – Thanos' (Josh Brolin) retreat post-snap.
Although Wakanda isn't a real place, a piece of Black Panther action takes place in Busan, South Korea. Early in the film some of its main characters, including T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and Okoye (Danai Gurira), walk through the city streets, passing food markets, before speeding away in an epic car chase through the city, providing a good look at Busan's sights.
While the film takes place in various locations, it was mostly filmed in Louisiana, apart from one scene in New York City. Film-makers utilised New Orleans' French Quarter as well as International House and Tulane University (pictured). Green Book is a story of the unlikely friendship that forms between a tough Italian-American bodyguard (Viggo Mortensen) looking after an African-American pianist (Mahershala Ali) touring the Deep South in 1962 during the era of segregation.
Although most of the reappearance of everyone's favourite nanny was filmed in a studio, there are many sights across London you'll recognise from Mary Poppins Returns. The area around Bank and Threadneedle Street appears in the film, as does St. Paul's Cathedral, the Tower of London and, of course, Big Ben.
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The culmination of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is set in the Cimetière du Père-Lachaise in Paris. However, these scenes were actually filmed in Highgate Cemetery in north London. One of the crypts at the Circle of Lebanon – an architectural highlight of the cemetery – was used to portray the entrance to the Lestrange Mausoleum.
Tom Cruise hit many headlines when he was seen sprinting across the roof of Blackfriars station in January 2018. It turned out to be another one of his stunts for Mission: Impossible – Fallout. The actor, who performs all of his stunts, was also seen teetering over the edge of Tate Modern and filming in Battersea Park only a few months after he broke his ankle in another scene for the film.
Mary Queen of Scots, a historical drama about the relationship between Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie) and her sister Mary Stuart (Saoirse Ronan), not only features outstanding make-up, hair and costumes but also leaves its viewers in awe of the stunning vistas. Many locations in both England and Scotland, like Chiltern Open Air Museum and Edinburgh, feature in the film. However, the scenes filmed in Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, are the most spectacular.
Just around the corner from Moulin Rouge in Paris, you'll find Café des Deux Moulins, the real-life location of Amélie's workplace in the 2001 film Amélie. Although much of it has stayed the same as in the film, usually attracting a lot of fans, the tobacco counter, tended in the film by Georgette, was removed in 2002 when the café changed ownership.
First featured in Generation X, a TV film aired in 1996, Hatley Castle in British Columbia, Canada has appeared on screen in X-Men, X2: X-Men United and X-Men: The Last Stand throughout the 2000s. Exterior shots for Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters were all filmed here while the interiors were all created on a soundstage in Los Angeles.
Yes, Die Hard's Nakatomi Plaza is a real building located in Los Angeles, California. You'll find it at 2121 Avenue of the Stars, which is the corporate headquarters for Twentieth Century Fox. Also featured in Speed, Airheads and Fight Club, the building is actually known as Fox Plaza.
There's a reason why Quentin Tarantino chose Evergreen Plantation as the location for his 2012 hit Django Unchained. The 250-year-old plantation, once owned by Lezin Becnel, was home to more than 103 slaves and still has 22 original slave cabins. The former plantation (temporarily closed) normally runs regular tours, offering a candid and educational look at the history of enslaved people in the American South.
Ghostbusters fans will find their New York City headquarters at 14 North Moore Street on the corner of Varick Street in TriBeCa. In reality, it's a fully operational New York Fire Department firehouse, home of Hook & Ladder Company #8.
Martha's Vineyard was used as the fictional resort town of Amity Island in Spielberg's 1975 classic Jaws. Joseph Sylvia State Beach is where one of the on-screen shark attacks takes place, while Edgartown is home to landmarks including the Jaws Bridge (officially the American Legion Memorial Bridge).
Apparently 70% of overseas visitors to Salzburg come because of The Sound of Music, which was filmed in and around the beautiful Austrian city. Film locations include Pegasus Fountain at Mirabell Gardens, where Maria (Julie Andrews) dances with the children, the lake where the boating scene takes place, and the gazebo at Hellbrunn Palace where Rolf (Daniel Truhitte) sings Sixteen Going on Seventeen.
The third Indiana Jones film sees the archaeologist-turned-action-hero (Harrison Ford) head off in search of the Holy Grail, which turns out to be – spoiler alert – in the Canyon of the Crescent Moon. The real-life location is Al Khazneh, part of the rock-carved city of Petra, Jordan.
Every Lord of the Rings and Hobbit fan knows that New Zealand provided the background to the franchise. Matamata, on North Island, doubles as the Shire, and the Hobbiton set, with its 44 hobbit holes, is open for tours. In Tongariro National Park, Mount Ngauruhoe doubled as Mount Doom, while Mangawhero Falls was where scenes of the Ithilien Camp were filmed.
There are Harry Potter filming locations all over the UK, but the most dramatic can be found in Scotland, including the Glenfinnan Viaduct, along which the Hogwarts Express travels, and Loch Eilt, which was used for shots of the Hogwarts' grounds and as the location of Dumbledore's grave.
While the first three Mad Max films were shot in Australia, the most recent instalment of the post-apocalyptic epic used the Namib Desert near Swakopmund, Namibia, as its backdrop. Here you can see red desert, sweeping dunes and mountain ranges.
Something of a love letter to Los Angeles, La La Land was shot all over the famous city. The best-known dance number takes place at Cathy's Corner on Mount Hollywood Drive, not far from the Griffith Observatory, which also appears on screen. Plus fans can visit Warner Bros. Studios, where heroine Mia (Emma Stone) works, and the Smoke House restaurant, where Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) is forced to play Christmas songs.
Many of these old-school classics may be called spaghetti westerns, but very few were actually filmed in Italy. This Clint Eastwood hit was shot in the Tabernas Desert, in Andalucía, Spain, and visitors can still take a peek at some of the old sets where the gun fights and chases took place.
The 23rd James Bond film saw Daniel Craig's Bond retreat to Skyfall, his family home in Scotland. While the building itself was constructed by the film crew, its location – atmospheric Glencoe – is entirely real.
You know that scene in When Harry Met Sally? THAT scene... Well, it was filmed in Katz's Deli on New York City's Lower East Side. The place has been serving up salt beef sandwiches and more since 1888, and today there's a sign pointing to the exact spot where Meg Ryan gave her most memorable performance.
This Second World War drama centres around code-breaker Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch), who helped crack the Enigma code – particularly his work at Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire. Officially named Station X, it was the code-breaking headquarters and now the public can visit the buildings where operatives worked and explore exhibitions on the era.
This 1990s romcom sees Vivian (Julia Roberts) go from working as a lady of the night on Hollywood Boulevard to mingling with high society in Beverly Hills after meeting rich businessman Edward (Richard Gere). Fans can make like the couple in Pretty Woman and check into the Beverly Wilshire hotel before going shopping on Rodeo Drive.
Although The Godfather's Corleone mafia family come from – where else – Corleone, Sicily, the town was too over-developed in the 1970s to work as a backdrop, so the village of Savoca, also in Sicily, was used instead. Here fans will find Bar Vitelli and the church where Michael (Al Pacino) got married (pictured).
It's impossible to follow in the footsteps of Lost in Translation's Bob (Bill Murray) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) without visiting the Park Hyatt Tokyo, where the pair meet in the top-floor bar. The film also features other spots around the Shibuya and Shinjuku districts, including Shinjuku crossing – the world's busiest.
You'll recognise the 900-year-old town of Hongcun, in China's Anhui Province as the setting of martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. There are photogenic waterways, bridges and traditional houses, while nearby is Anji Bamboo Forest, scene of the movie's treetop battle.
The silver screen adaptation of Graham Greene's novel Our Man in Havana was shot in Havana just two months after the Cuban Revolution, with Fidel Castro even visiting the set during filming. Locations include Plaza de la Catedral, Calle Lamparilla and Hotel Sevilla, which is still open to guests today.
Set in the state of New York, much of the central action of Eternal Sunshine takes place in Montauk, at the extreme tip of Long Island. Joel (Jim Carrey) first spots Clementine (Kate Winslet) here on the beach, where the distinctive Montauk Point Lighthouse can be seen. The beach house, however, is in Wainscott, some 20 miles (32km) down the coast.
It may be set in 19th-century South Dakota and Montana, but The Revenant was mostly filmed near Calgary in Alberta, Canada. Parts of the Canadian Rockies such as Bow Valley and Fortress Mountain featured, while the notorious bear attack scene took place in Squamish Valley, across the provincial border in British Columbia.
Centred around a road trip from Arkansas to the Grand Canyon, Thelma and Louise was shot mostly in California and Utah. The bar where the journey starts to take a turn for the worse is Cowboy Country in Long Beach, while the motel where the friends (Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon) meet up with J.D. (Brad Pitt) is the Vagabond Inn in downtown Los Angeles. The desert scenes, meanwhile, were around Moab, Utah – including those supposedly featuring the Grand Canyon.
Telling the story of a young boy who wants to be a ballet dancer, Billy Elliot was filmed entirely in North East in England. The terraced streets of Easington stood in for the mining community where Billy grows up, while mining scenes were shot in Ellington and Lynemouth mine in Northumberland. Billy (Jamie Bell) and Mrs Wilkinson (Julie Walters) are also seen crossing the Tees Transporter Bridge.
Most of Ang Lee’s blockbuster was filmed in Taiwan, particularly Kenting National Park, and Houbi Lake, which was used for the fluorescent island scene. In the abandoned Shuinan Airport (now a business park), the crew built a huge wave pool for the ocean scenes, while some of the animals seen on screen were actually residents of Taipei Zoo.
Fans of the sci-fi drama can spend the night at the Juvet Landscape Hotel in Norway's Valdall Valley and imagine they're staying in the home of Ex Machina's billionaire protagonist, Nathan (Oscar Isaac). Much of Alex Garland's film was shot here and in the surrounding area, which stands in for Alaska.
As the title would suggest, this Richard Curtis romcom is set in Notting Hill, one of London's most photogenic areas. Fans can stroll down Portobello Road, where the opening scenes were shot, keeping an eye out for number 142, which was the location for the travel bookshop (it's currently ja shoe shop). Over on Westbourne Park Road is the blue door to William's (Hugh Grant) flat.
The special effects may have improved over time, but the backdrop to the Jurassic Park series has always been spectacular. Though many of the filming locations on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, are inaccessible to tourists, a helicopter ride will reveal the lush forests, cliffs and waterfalls that appear on screen.
Follow in the footsteps of Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley) at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, which appeared as the home of Mr Darcy in the 2005 adaptation of Jane Austen's novel. The nearby Peak District also put in a performance, as did Stamford, a Lincolnshire town that became Meryton Village.
It's hard to say exactly where British archaeologist and soldier Thomas Edward Lawrence spent time, but what is certain is that scenes for biopic Lawrence of Arabia were filmed in Wadi Rum. The red valley has been inhabited for millennia, most recently by the Zalabia Bedouin people, and visitors can find the ancient marks of past residents carved into the rock.
The climax of The Force Awakens showed Rey (Daisy Ridley) finally coming face to face with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) on his remote island hideout, and 2017's The Last Jedi revisits this stunning location. In real life it’s Skellig Michael, one of the two Skellig Islands off the coast of County Kerry where monks built drystone structures in the 7th-century and the remains of the monastery still stands today, despite the adverse weather.
The Plaza de España in Seville doubled as Theed, the capital of Naboo, in Attack of the Clones. In the post-production, a whole array of special effects were applied to make it appear bigger than in real life and the skyline was changed to become barely recognisable for the film. However, if you remember Padmé (Natalie Portman), Anakin (Hayden Christensen) and R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) strolling through the sand-coloured archway, you can recreate the scene right there.
The beautiful glacier of Finse in Norway stood in as the remote ice planet Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back. If you’re ever there, stay at the Finse 1222 Hotel and leaf through the guestbook – it’s signed by the film’s producers and actors, who stayed there during the filming, including George Lucas, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford.
Lake Como in northern Italy is regularly used as a filming location due to its breathtaking scenery. The deep blue water and towering mountains make for a dramatic backdrop to any film. In Attack of the Clones, the grounds of Villa del Balbianello were used to film Padmé and Anakin’s wedding on Naboo.
It may be set in the real town of Forks, Washington, but the four Twilight films were actually filmed elsewhere in the state, and in Oregon. Twi-hards can take a road trip to Bella's house, in the town of St Helen's, and Kalama, where the school served as Forks High School. Scenes at La Push beach, meanwhile, were filmed at Indian Beach in Ecola State Park.
Nominated for ten awards at the 94th Academy Awards (aka the Oscars), Dune was largely filmed in the remote Liwa Desert, western Abu Dhabi. This mesmerising oasis area served as the perfect double for the fictional desert planet of Arrakis. But Dune wasn’t the desert’s first movie debut; it previously featured in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Despite its Bali setting, Ticket to Paradise was actually filmed on location in Queensland, Australia. We see George Clooney and Julia Roberts act out the fictional reunion with their daughter on Katie's Cove on Haslewood Island in the Whitsunday Islands, which was also used as a beach backdrop in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. The rest of the film was shot across other parts of the Whitsundays, the Gold Coast's rainforests and secret Brisbane beaches.
The much-anticipated thriller is a real feast for the eyes with most of it filmed with the stunning mid-century Palm Springs architecture for backdrop. The film features many notable spots, like Canyon View Estates, Palm Springs City Hall and Visitor Center and The Volcano House. Chances are you'll also recognise Frank (Chris Pine) and Shelly's (Gemma Chan) house as the Kaufmann House, a steel, glass and Utah stone masterpiece from the 1950s, which featured in Slim Aaron's iconic Poolside Gossip photo from 1970.
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