1. Pagsanjan, Philippines

Francis Ford Coppola’s epic movie, Apocalypse Now, is set in Vietnam and Cambodia in the Vietnam War, but most of the filming took place in the jungles of the Philippines. Take the river trip to Pagsanjan Falls; the dramatic gorge surrounded by towering cliffs and lush vegetation formed the backdrop for the final scenes.

 

2. Trang An, Tam Coc, Vietnam

Much of 2017’s Kong: Skull Island took place in the wetlands of Vietnam’s Ninh Binh province. The peaks and rivers were transformed into the legendary home of supersized monsters and Kong. The scenic Trang An–Tam Coc area, just 100 km from Hanoi, features lush green paddy fields, striking limestone outcrops and near-vertical limestone peaks.

 

3. Anji bamboo forest, China

Big-budget blockbuster, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, won Ang Lee an Oscar. Filmed in a handful of striking locations across China – including the Gobi Desert – some of the movie’s most famous scenes took place in the incredible bamboo forest of Anji. It’s a popular spot with hiking enthusiasts but it’s still as peaceful and secluded as ever.

 

4. St Petersburg, Russia

Made in 1997, Anna Karenina was the first Western movie filmed in post-Soviet Russia. Bernard Rose’s sparkling adaptation of Tolstoy’s celebrated novel takes place on the streets of St. Petersburg, with shots of the spectacular Winter Palace and the Hermitage.

 

5. Queensland, Australia

 An obvious suggestion, true, but this epic 2008 drama starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman undeniably showcases some of Australia’s most spectacular scenery. While the movie is set in Darwin, most of the filming actually took place in Bowen, Queensland. Other stunning outback locations include the Kimberly Ranges and Kununurra.

 

6. Ecola State Park, Oregon, United States

It’s pinned as Forks – which is a real town in Washington – but all four Twilight movies were mostly filmed in Oregon. La Push Beach, where Bella first finds out about her bae Edward, is actually the Indian Beach in Ecola State Park.

 

7. Valldal Valley, Norway

 Norway stands in for Alaska in most of the sci-fi drama, Ex-Machina. In fact, you can even sleep at the Juvet Landscape Hotel, otherwise known as Nathan’s mountainside retreat. The spectacular landscape includes the fast-flowing Grondalen waterfall, a fractured coastline navigable only by tunnels and ferries and Norway’s famous fjords.

 

8. Chatsworth House, United Kingdom

 Chatsworth House, the stately home located in the Derbyshire Dales, masquerades as Pemberley in Joe Wright’s 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice. The house likely inspired the fictional home in the original novel too. Jane Austen visited the house briefly before writing the famous novel.

 

9. Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dubrovnik is best known as the King’s Landing in the hit HBO series, Game of Thrones, but it’s also a popular location for blockbuster movies. Most recently, it was transformed into medieval Nottingham in the new Robin Hood movie starring Jamie Foxx, Jamie Dornan and Taron Egerton.

 

10. Banaue Rice Terraces, Philippines

The latest Avengers instalment was shot all over the world, but one of its most breathtaking scenes was filmed at the Banaue Rice Terraces. The ancient green landscape boasts a seemingly endless series of terraced fields, climbing up thousands of feet along the natural contours of the mountain.

 

11. Kefalonia, Greece

 Much of the 2001 tearjerker, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, was filmed on the beautiful island of Kefalonia. Most of the filming took place in the tiny village of Sami and the beach at Antisamos Bay.

 

12. Havana, Cuba

Incredibly most of Our Man in Havana, an adaptation of Graham Greene’s famous novel, was shot in Havanna just two months after the Cuban Revolution. Fidel Castro reportedly even visited the set during filming. The movie captures the colourful capital’s vibrancy, with iconic shots of the Plaza de la Catedral, Hotel Sevilla and Calle Lamparilla.

 

13. Alberta, Canada

 It’s set in 19th-century South Dakota and Montana, but filming for The Revenant mostly took place near Calgary, in Alberta. You’ll recognise the Canadian Rockies, with shots of Bow Valley and Fortress Mountain. The horrific bear attack was filmed in Squamish Valley, on the border of British Columbia.

 

14. The Grand Canyon, United States

While the movie follows the story of two pals on a road trip from Arkansas, most of the filming took place in California and Utah. But the famous final scene – possibly the most iconic scene in all of film history – is pure Grand Canyon.

 

15. Kenting National Park, Taiwan

Ang Lee’s blockbuster, Life of Pi, might be set in India but most of the movie was shot in the director’s homeland – Taiwan. Several recognisable locations feature in the movie, including the abandoned Shuinan Airport, Taipei Zoo and the Houbi Lake. Kenting National Park is the oldest of Taiwan’s national parks, featuring colliding mountains, vibrant coral cliffs, limestone caves and sandy beaches.

 

16. Gourdon, France

Victor Hugo’s plot is set in Paris, but most of the filming took place in England. That is, except for one impossibly French scene. when Jean Valjean heads off to redeem himself, he hotfoots to the charming hilltop village of Gourdon, in the Alpes Maritimes region. Come spring, it’s bursting with orange trees and colourful flowers.

 

17. Mehrangarh Fort, India

 Rising magnificently above the city of Jodhpur in Rajhastan, Mehrangarh Fort is the first thing Bruce Wayne (Batman) sees when he’s managed to escape prison. The fifteenth-century palace was once one of India’s largest forts. You can see why the exterior made a suitably scary prison but inside it’s pure Maharaja luxury.

 

18. Skellig Michael, Ireland

 Set on the remote island of Skellig in County Kerry, Skellig Micheal plays the role of other-worldly Ahch–To. The location first features in The Force Awakens, but it then plays a huge role in the latest instalment, as Luke Skywalker trains Rey. Despite its remote location, there’s been a huge surge in Star Wars-related film tourism. Thousands of aspiring Jedis make a pilgrimage to the Wailing Woman rock every year.

 

19. Bruges, Belgium

 The whole of pint-sized Bruges is like a movie set, from its medieval bell tower to its timer-fronted buildings. Filming for the eponymous film starring Colin Farell, Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes really did take place in the UNESCO World Heritage designated city centre, so you can relive your favourite scenes from the movie with ease.

 

20. Dunn’s River Falls, Jamaica

Most of Dr No takes place in Jamaica and Crab Key, a fictional island off Jamaica. The first-ever sighting of a James Bond girl, Ursula Andress, is on a Jamaican Beach. Sean Connery’s famous waterfalls scenes took place at Jamaica’s top attraction – Dunn’s River Waterfalls. Standing at a staggering 180 feet, they’re every bit as impressive as they were when James Bond frolicked about in them, over 50 years ago.

 

21. The Tabernas Desert, Spain

 Not all Spaghetti Westerns were shot in Italy – in fact, a lot were shot in Spain. Perhaps the most iconic of them, Clint Eastwood’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, involved a rigorous filming schedule that took place in the Tabernas Desert in Andalucía, Spain. The semi-arid desert provided the perfect backdrop for galavanting cowboy heroes. You can still catch a glimpse of the old sets too.

 

22. Glacier National Park, United States

 Meryl Streep and David Strathairn starred in the 1994 film, The River Wild, which told the story of a couple who took a rafting trip along the Salmon River. Those dramatic rivers scenes are both in Montana, at the Kootenai River and the Middle Fork of the Flathead River in Glacier National Park. 

 

23. White Sands National Monument, United States

 In The Man Who Fell to Earth, David Bowie stars as a humanoid alien sent to Earth to collect water for his dying planet. The White Sands National Monument works perfectly as Newton’s home planet. Rising from the heart of the Tularosa Basin, the wave-like glistening white dunes of New Mexico are unlike anywhere else.

 

24. The Soča Valley, Slovenia

 The Soča Valley’s emerald green waters and wild rapid formed the perfect setting for the finale of the second film in the Narnia franchise. It’s located The Triglav National Park, Slovenia’s only national park.

 

25. Wadi Rum, Jordan

Disney’s live-action adaption of everyone’s favourite cartoon is set in the fictitious city of Agrabah, but filming took place in Wadi Rum, Jordan. The UNESCO World Heritage Site features everything you could want from an archetypal desert – burning heat, chiselled canyons and impressive caves.

 

26. Kakadu, Australia

 Featuring sprawling desert, sacred aboriginal sites and croc-infested wetlands, it’s little wonder that the filming crew headed to Kakadu. Covering around 20,000 square kilometres, the national park is home to a staggering array of wildlife, as well as 25,000-year-old rock paintings.

 

27. Mara, Kenya

The story of a Danish noblewoman Karen Blixen as she set embarks on a love affair with an aristocratic game hunter won hearts – and many Oscars – when it was released in 1985. Filming took place across the country but some of the most awe-inspiring scenes were set in the Mara North Conservatory of the Masai Mara.

 

28. Atacama Desert, Chile

Another Bond entry – Quantum of Solace. Daniel Craig headed to the Antofagasta region in the Atacama Desert to film a good chunk of the movie, though in the film he refers to it as Bolivia. The Cerra Paranal, home to the ESO telescope and observatory, also features in the movie.

 

29. The Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

 Master and Commander follows the story of Charles Darwin, as he travels to the Galapagos Islands to explore its unique ecology. It’s the first feature-length movie ever filmed here, due to its delicate ecology.

 

30. Botswana

Filming for the charming and true story of Bechuanaland (now Botswana) king-to-be Prince Seretse Khama’s marriage to English woman Ruth Williams took place in Botswana. Unsurprisingly, big wildlife takes centre stage throughout. One of the main film locations is Serowe, Botswana’s largest village and the capital for the Bamangwato tribe in the early 20th century.