Top 5 Filming Locations

Modern-day technology means that nowadays, many movies are shot inside a studio. Sometimes however, filming takes place in incredible locations around the world. So, if you’ve ever watched a movie and thought, ‘wow, I wonder where that is?’ here are some famous filming locations you can visit on a Travelsphere escorted tour.

1. Lord of the Rings

Matamata, New Zealand: All three of The Lord of the Rings movies were shot on location in New Zealand. Take a tour of New Zealand and experience Middle-earth™ for yourself in the town of Matamata on North Island. The village of Hobbiton™ was created here for the films and is today open to visitors. On a tour of the Hobbiton™ Movie Set, you’ll explore the home of the Hobbits™, The Shire™, and venture inside the world-famous Green Dragon™ Inn.

2. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

Siem Reap, Cambodia: Scenes from the 2001 adventure movie, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, were filmed at the Angkor Thom temple complex in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Played by actress Angelina Jolie, Lara Croft embarks on a mission to retrieve part of an ancient talisman from a mysterious, vine-clad temple, known in real life as Ta Prohm. Today, the temple is a popular place for tourists to visit, and the crumbling walls entwined in tangled tree roots are best viewed early in the day. Other scenes from the movie were filmed at the incredible Bayon temple – famed for its 54 towers adorned with carvings of smiling faces.

3. Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets

Jacobite Steam Train, Scotland : Calling all Muggles! Here’s your chance to step aboard the real-life Hogwarts Express. The Jacobite steam engine and carriages, which run on Scotland’s West Highland Line, took centre stage in the Harry Potter films. They played the part of the Hogwarts Express - the magical train which departed from Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Station. Today you can take a stunning journey on the Jacobite Steam Train through some of Scotland’s most spectacular scenery. You’ll even cross the 21-arched Glenfinnan viaduct, made famous by the Harry Potter films.

4. Lawrence of Arabia

Wadi Rum, Jordan: Based on the life of TE Lawrence, an English Officer who led Arabian forces during World War 1, Lawrence of Arabia is an epic three-and-a-half-hour movie released in 1962. It was filmed mostly on location in Jordan’s Wadi Rum desert, amid burnt-orange sand dunes and breathtaking rock formations. On a Travelsphere escorted tour of Jordan, you can stay in a Bedouin-style tent in this stunning and spectacular landscape.

5. La Dolce Vita

Rome, Italy: In 1960, the great Italian film director Federico Fellini brought us La Dolce Vita, a film depicting the life of a journalist, Marcello Rubini, played by actor Marcello Mastroianni. Shot partly on location and partly using a set, one of the movies most famous scenes shows Sylvia, played by Anita Ekberg, wading through the Trevi Fountain in her ballgown. It was shot on a cold March evening, and despite wearing a wetsuit under his clothing, it’s claimed that Mastroianni had to drink a large amount of vodka before shooting the scene!