The Coolest Filming Locations Around the World
Films and TV shows are shot in a variety of stunning locations around the world. Here are the five coolest filming locations from around the globe.
Whether it’s a romance, drama, action or thriller, every film has to find exactly the right location to match its narrative. As movie-goers, we owe a real debt to the producers who uncover some of the coolest spots in the world!
Here’s a look at five locations which are featured on TV and in the movies and are all unbelievably cool in different ways.
Ait Ben Haddou — Gladiator
Game of Thrones and Gladiator. That’s right, Gladiator. A huge blockbuster hit starring Russell Crowe, Gladiator is a heady mix of violence, emotion and revenge. The settings in the film vary wildly from Germania at the start, the location of the savage battle, right through to the hot and arid conditions of the African town where Crowe was sold into slavery.
Those initial scenes were in fact shot in Surrey but the crew travelled all the way to Ait Ben Haddou in Morocco for an authentic setting for the African scenes. Ait Ben Haddou lies on a caravan route between Marrakech and the Sahara and is a type of fortified village known as a ksar. Nestled in the shadow of the High Atlas Mountains, Ait Ben Haddou is now a designated World Heritage Site due to its stunning traditional examples of Moroccan clay architecture.
ZhangJiaJie National Forest — Avatar
Smash-hit Avatar was known for combining real footage with CGI imagery, and blurring the two at times to make it hard for viewers to know which they are watching. However, even the CGI parts took their inspiration from a real location and that’s the ZhangJiaJie National Forest in China.
Now often known as the Avatar Mountains, the ZhangJiaJie National Forest has wonderful natural features such as free-standing columns of sandstone topped with shrubbery clinging to their narrow pinnacle. Some of these monoliths are 200m tall and combined with the lush, green vegetation create a startling landscape.
There are many un-signposted paths that allow you to wind your way to the top where you’ll find incredible views. Just for a moment you might believe that you are actually in Pandora!
If all of that weren’t enough reason to visit, there’s also a natural stone bridge which sits 82 feet above the ground. The highest bridge of its type in the world, it’s been dubbed Number One Bridge Under the Heaven by the locals.
New York — Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly is a character that generation after generation have been smitten with. Her stylish looks, elegant manner and timeless appeal mean that many women still try to emulate her in every way. Breakfast at Tiffany’s was set in New York and you can take a wander down Fifth Avenue to admire the jewels at Tiffany’s for yourself.
As well as looking at the diamonds that Holly Golightly loved so much, you can also visit her apartment from the film. Head over to the East Side, more specifically 169 East 71st Street, and you’ll find the exact apartment that was in the film. It’s a popular spot for a photo, and understandably so. Why not take a moment to snap a selfie and channel your own inner diva for the camera?
Tabernas Desert — The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
One of the most iconic spaghetti westerns of all time, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly featuring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and American Eli Wallach. As you might expect, there’s gunslinging action, plenty of bloodshed, fighting and some gold, just for good measure.
All of this takes place under the hot sun of the Tabernas Desert in Andalucia, Spain — not the Wild West.
With barely any rainfall and more than 3000 hours of sunshine every year, it’s the only proper desert in Europe. However, in amongst this dry and barren landscape is an unexpected surprise: a film village. There are many productions which have been shot in the Tabernas Desert as it’s been set up to look just like a cowboy’s retreat. There’s cacti, saloon bars, dusty streets and a canyon in the background.
Some of the films that have been shot here include Exodus, A Fistful of Dollars, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Dance of the Vampires.
Despite the remote feel, the desert town is only half an hour from local beaches and is accessible with a direct road from the highways.
Dubrovnik — Game of Thrones
No list of cool movie locations to visit would be complete with the inclusion of at least one place from Game of Thrones, right? Although much of it was filmed in Northern Ireland and offers many picturesque places to see, if you want to see some of their other sites, Dubrovnik is where you’ll need to go.
There were a number of GOT scenes filmed in Dubrovnik but arguably one of the most memorable is when Joffrey dies in his mother’s arms at the wedding feast. Although the wedding scenery had to be built for the occasion, the setting was real and is open to the public to visit.
Lying just to the west of Fort Lovrijanec, Park Gradec dates back to 1898, making it the oldest one in Dubrovnik. With lots of beautiful shady pine trees and park benches, it’s an area which is relaxing and gives no hint of the drama that previously unfolded.
To reach the exact spot where the wedding was filmed, you’ll need to cross to the entrance where you’ll find a fishpond. It’s here where you’ll find views over the old town as well as Fort Lovrijanec that GOT was filmed. You could be standing in the very spot where Joffrey took his final breath…
Any More to Add?
With so many stunning locations all over the world included in films and TV shows every day, these five are just a sneak preview of what’s out there. Do you have a favourite film location or perhaps a film tour you’ve enjoyed? Maybe it’s time to make your own list about what you want to see next…
