Nine Famous Movie Locations in Europe

Playground of the gods – Tenerife

For decades, Tenerife’s cinematic claim to fame was restricted to Raquel Welch running around Teide National Park in One Million Years B.C. Then, in 2010, director Louis Leterrier spotted the potential Tenerife’s diverse landscape offered, and chose it as the main location for Clash of the Titans. After seeing how good Teide National Park’s other-worldly terrain looked on the big screen, Hollywood sat up and took notice, with Fast & Furious 6 and Jason Bourne being among the blockbusters filmed on the largest of the Canary Islands.

Inntravel holiday: Follow in the footsteps of the gods on the To the Top of Spain walking holiday.
 

The name’s Bond – Venice & Siena

Italy has appeared in an incredible eight out of the twenty-five Broccoli-produced James Bond movies, including Daniel Craig’s final outing, No Time to Die. Venice has featured three times: From Russia with Love (one of the best Bond films), Moonraker (the less said about a pigeon in St Mark’s Square doing a double take, the better), and Casino Royale, Daniel Craig’s triumphant Bond reboot. However, most memorable has to be the beginning of Quantum of Solace, when Bond gets caught up in the famous Palio horse race in Piazza del Campo in Siena, a sensational Tuscan city with or without MI6 agents.

Inntravel holiday: Sip an Aperol Spritz in Siena’s Piazza del Campo at the end of our Hill-Top Towns of Tuscany walking holiday.
 

City with a view – Florence

It’s Italy again, this time for the complete opposite of a testosterone-fuelled hero of British literature and cinema. There are some movies which leave audiences yearning to visit their gorgeous locations; A Room with a View is one. Italian cities tend to be romantic places to visit anyway, but Merchant Ivory’s Oscar-winning tale of an innocent falling in love while on holiday in Florence elevated the Tuscan capital to a whole new level. And Florence is as beautiful as it looks in the movie, the historic streets and piazzas looking exactly the same as the ones which caused Helena Bonham-Carter to swoon.

Inntravel holiday: Be seduced by the Ponte Vecchio and Piazza della Signoria on our From Bologna to Florence walking holiday.
 

A few of my favourite things – Salzburg

Unless you’ve never turned on the television at Christmas during the last forty years, you’ll find it almost impossible to walk through Salzburg’s Altstadt (Old Town) without jaunty tunes popping into your head at regular intervals. It may be close to six decades since The Sound of Music was made, but its presence accompanies visitors throughout the city, especially in the likes of the Mirabell Palace and Gardens where Maria famously sang Do-Re-Mi, and where blushing brides and grooms now pose for wedding photos. Maria and the Von Trapps have become so synonymous with Salzburg, it’s easy to forget this was also Mozart’s birthplace.

Inntravel holiday: Sing along to The Sound of Music soundtrack, or not, on the Austria's Great Cities rail journey.
 

Hit the road – Galicia

There are movies whose settings captivate so much, audiences flock to visit the locations they’ve just watched. The success of Captain Corelli's Mandolin in 2001 resulted in a 16% increase in visitors to the Greek island of Cephalonia. Then there are others that are worth watching prior to a visit; movies which whet the appetite. The Way accompanies an affluent American doctor, Martin Sheen, as he walks the Camino de Santiago, scattering his dead son’s ashes along the pilgrims’ path. Empire film magazine’s review concluded “it makes you want to dig out the hiking boots and make the same journey.”

Inntravel holiday: Create your own unique Camino experience with Camino de Santiago, The Old Way.
 

To boldly go – Northumberland

Alnwick Castle in Northumberland has seen a lot of changes throughout its long history – family home, a teaching college, refuge for evacuees, and military outpost. In recent years, the second-largest inhabited castle in England has become somewhat of a movie star. It played the role of Hogwarts in the first two Harry Potter movies and doubled as Brancaster Castle in two Downton Abbey Christmas specials, including the last ever episode of the series. Other appearances include Transfomers: The Last Knight; Elizabeth; Robin Hood Prince of Thieves; Blackadder; and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Inntravel holiday: Boldly go where Jean-Luc Picard and his crew went on our The Northumberland Coast & its Castles walking holiday.
 

Winter is coming – Dubrovnik

Like the Bond films, eye-catching locations became an integral aspect of consecutive Game of Thrones seasons. Malta provided one of the key settings, King’s Landing, during season one. But from season two, Dubrovnik’s walled old town took over the role. And it was perfect. The immaculate medieval town looks like one huge film set, especially when viewed from the fortress walls which surround it. Fans of the series will easily spot where the ‘murder of the innocents’ took place, whereas non-fans can simply enjoy an incredibly special place.

Inntravel holiday: Channel your inner Stark or Lannister on our Dalmatian Islands & Dubrovnik touring holiday by car.
 

Rugged drama – Scotland

Streaming services like Netflix have elevated drama series to such a level, the arrival of a new season is greeted with an outpouring of excitement as big as that which once would have met the premiere of the latest Bond or Harry Potter film. One of the big success stories is Outlander, Diana Gabaldon’s tale of a WWII nurse who time-travels back to 1743 Scotland where she hooks up with a charismatic Highlander. As well as being sexy and thrilling, the series showcases the allure of Scotland’s dramatic scenery. If anyone doesn’t think the kilt is a good look, Sam Heughan’s Jamie Fraser should change their mind.

Inntravel holiday: Feel the Outlander vibe in one of the second series’ locations on Fife’s Coastal Kingdom.
 

A scenic double – Brecon Beacons

Finally, a setting which is especially appropriate for walking holidays. The atmospheric opening scenes of An America Werewolf in London are supposed to be on the Yorkshire Moors. But the beautifully bleak countryside the two naïve American backpackers unwisely set off hiking through as dusk falls, is actually in the Brecon Beacons. Even the exterior of the pub where the hikers take refuge is in Wales. Thankfully, the Brecon Beacons aren’t anywhere like as scary as their cinematic counterpart, and the pubs along the way are far more welcoming than The Slaughtered Lamb.

Inntravel holiday: You’ll probably see buzzards and red grouse, but no werewolves, on our The Brecon Beacons walking holiday.