10 Movie Locations You Can Visit on Holiday
The ultimate in escapism set the scene with your next holiday.
The rich tapestry woven by producers and directors is enhanced visually by setting the scene on stunning locations as a backdrop for the action in a movie. Some of the most iconic moments from the cinema history were only made possible through the spectacular settings of the locations used in the film.
Seeing these epic locations in the flesh is an enthralling prospect. Here are 10 of the best movie locations to visit on holiday.
Guatemala: as seen in Star Wars
George Lucas’ space opera created heroes Luke, Han and Leia around planets in galaxies far away. The movie was majorly shot in California and the astounding setting of the Mayan ruins in Tikal, Guatemala provided the backdrop for the Rebel base in the fourth moon of Yavin seen near the end of A New Hope.
New Zealand: as seen in Lord of the Rings
The Tolkien’s fantasy of orcs, elves and hobbits was brought to life by director Peter Jackson. However, with the entire trilogy shot in the country, the scenery of his native New Zealand provided the perfect setting to bring Middle Earth to life.
Tunisia: as seen in Monty Python’s Life of Brian
From the desert wastes of Tatooine in Star Wars to the arid warzone of Iraq in The Hurt Locker, Tunisia has been used by Hollywood for years to represent a variety of landscapes. Aside from its spectacular landscape, Tunasia is very cheap, providing an excellent destination for cheap holidays and cheap film sets. The Monty Python team descended on Ribat in 1979 to film one of the most controversial and excruciatingly funny movies of all time.
Thailand: as seen in The Beach
Leonardo DiCaprio as the backpacker Richard travels through Thailand and was beautifully captured by Slumdog Millionaire helmer Danny Boyle. On the tiny island of Kho Phi Leh, The Beach’s mysterious paradise was filmed with only a short ferry ride away from Krabi and Phuket. Travellers can trace DiCaprio’s journey with a cheap holiday to Thailand and a boat trip from Phuket Pier with a cost of around £10.
Iceland: as seen in Die Another Day
James Bond movies provides some of the greatest setting for films as MI6′s favorite secret agent goes jet setting to save the world. In Die Another Day, Bond is invited to a spectacular Ice Palace where he gets involved in a frantic car chase across a frozen lake. The chase was filmed in a a fishing village in the south east of the country of Iceland, near H¶fn.
Salzberg: as seen in The Sound of Music
Julie Andrews portrayed a great Austrian nanny in The Sound of Music and sung herself into movie history. The memorable scene where Andrews twirls into song on the hillside was shot in Mellweg, with most of the film shot in and around the town of Salzburg.
Seville: as seen in Lawrence of Arabia
Most of the shooting of the film was actually done in Spain as the story Lawrence of Arabia set mainly around Peter O’ Toole’s time in Cairo. Providing a backdrop for some of the Arabian desert in Morocco, the most part of David Lean was majorly shot in Spain. The other civic buildings in Seville as well as the buildings in The Plaza de Espana were used to represent the parts of Cairo.
Egypt: as seen in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
The second installment of Michael Bay’s Transformers movie was bigger, louder and had more explosions than the original. The characters of Optimus Prime and Co. were expanded and dragged the plot away from the States to Egypt. The movie’s climax was provided with a dramatic setting by the Giza Pyramids near Luxor.
Jordan: as seen in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
The third movie of Indiana Jones trilogy focused on Harrison Ford searching for the Holy Grail, which saw our hero journey to the Canyon of the Crescent Moon. The real life canyon can be found in Jordan in the Edom Mountains at a place called Al Khazneh or “The Treasury”.
Skiathos: as seen in Mamma Mia!
The decade’s musical hit Mamma Mia was the movie version of the Abba-inspired stage musical of the same name. A stellar cast including Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan and Stellan Skarsg¥rd filmed on the beautiful Greek island of Skiathos to bring the feel-good romantic comedy to life.