Go a step beyond filming locations you can visit – try these filming locations you can stay in! Sleep at the Twilight Bella Swan house in Oregon or relax in The Crown’s Balmoral Estate location in the Highlands. You can even spend a surprisingly delightful weekend at Doctor Who’s Blink house.
Unlock Even More Local Filming Locations
A few of these unusual hotels and famous Airbnb rentals come with an added treat! Look out for local filming locations you can visit only if you’re an overnight guest. And one Downton Abbey location’s connections are impeccable (even Lady Violet would approve).
Twilight - Swan House Location
The Twilight Swan House recently opened for business, and this one is a fan’s dream experience. It really looks the part inside and out, and with good reason – this home was Bella Swan’s house location for interior and exterior shots.
You can sleep in her room or the spare bedroom used in the movies, and eat at Charlie’s dining table.
It’s not actually in Forks, Washington, but it’s just one state further south in Oregon. Can you stand to leave the movie house during your stay? If you do, you can explore the local city of St Helens, the Cascade Range volcano that lies just across the Washington border.
The town was Twilight’s Port Angeles filming location. bookshop and prom dress scene were filmed around St Helens too. Sadly for book lovers, Bella Swan’s bookstore on 2nd Street is actually an office in real life. It’s just around the corner from the parking lot where Edward rescues Bella.
Hair salon Cuts+ was used as the dress store where Bella’s friends try on prom dresses before she excuses herself.
But if you want to shop like the girls from Forks High School, pop to Jilly’s on 1st Street where the production team bought outfits and accessories.
Another building on the street was made over into the Bloated Toad restaurant where Edward and Bella get dinner.
Making a Twilight tour? The Twilight prom scene was filmed at the View Point Inn on the other side of Portland, about an hour’s drive away from the Swan House.
The waterfall in the movie is Multnomah Falls, just a bit further along the route of the Columbia River at Columbia River Gorge. It’s a real Twilight hotspot, with the baseball scene taking place in the gorge, at The Shire.
If you continue down I84, you’ll reach the Bridge of the Gods at Cascade Locks. You might recognise it from the opening montage of Bella’s journey to Forks.
And if you’re hungry from a long day’s location hunting? Take a detour through Damascus on your way around Portland to eat at Charlie and Bella’s favourite diner.
It’s the Carver Café at 16471 Southeast Highway 224. You can sit at the corner table from the movie and look out the windows at the towering trees surrounding it.
And because the Twilight locations never end in the Portland area, head south of Route 212 to the Stone Cliff Inn at 17900 S. Clackamas River Drive Oregon City, OR 97045. It was used for several scenes of Bella and Edward in the forest.
Then head back to Bella Swan’s house to kick back like a Twilight character.
Cool Runnings – The Relax Inn Location
Stay at the Cool Runnings Relax Inn in Calgary, no 1990s sweaters required. But we won’t stop you if you want to dress the part.
No camera trickery here – you’ll find the Cool Runnings hotel in the Olympic city. It was only used for exterior shots, but that’s good enough for us. All the same, Travelodge Calgary South on Macleod Trail could be the Canadian winter sports resort you’re looking for.
You’ll find all the sporting action over at WinSport. It’s an evolution of the sports complex that hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics where Eddie the Eagle and the Jamaican bobsleigh team competed.
Ghostbusters 2020 includes scenes shot on location around Calgary’s bustling Beltline neighbourhood.
And Jumanji: The Next Level is set to feature the Kananaskis with the stars rolling into town in spring 2019.
It’s a mountain region covering 4,000 square kilometres with outdoor activities that’ll let you capture the adventurous spirit whether Jumanji – or Cool Runnings – is your thing.
The Sound of Music – The von Trapp House Location
Stay at the Sound of Music von Trapp house filming location and you’ll find it’s perfect in more ways than one.
You’ll recognise Schloss Leopoldskron as the filming location for the front of the von Trapp house overlooking the lake. It’s featured in the pink lemonade scene with Max, the Duchess and the family among other iconic moments.
Of course, you really can take a stroll around the lake so it’s full of Sound of Music magic from the start. Better still, it’s located in Salzburg, where the movie is set.
There’s more. In real life, it was the home of theatrical director Max Reinhardt, one of the founders of the Salzburg Festival. He inspired the character of Uncle Max in The Sound of Music.
His son, Wolfgang, bought the movie rights to Maria von Trapp’s story and launched its cinematic journey.
Pay particular attention to Schloss Leopoldskron’s Venetian Room, designed by Max Reinhardt. The interior of the Von Trapp house was built on set, but the production team faithfully recreated it for the Lonely Goatherd and ball scenes.
The iconic Sound of Music pavilion from Liesl and Rolf’s rainstorm sequence really was situated in Schloss Leopoldskron’s grounds at the time of filming.
It was moved to Schloss Hellbrunn when it attracted too many visitors.
You can catch a bus from Salzburg to the palace and its weird and wonderful grounds, with a strange series of follies to explore on a guided tour. And of course, the white pavilion.
Salzburg itself is brimming with Sound of Music filming locations, including squares and gardens from the Do-Re-Mi sequence. We’ve mapped them all out here.
Of course, for a slice of reality, you can be a guest of the real von Trapp family. Head to the Trapp Family Lodge in Vermont, run by the family for decades.
Home Alone 2 and Ocean’s 8 – The Plaza Location
The century-old Plaza Hotel on 5th Avenue needs no introduction, but let’s do it anyway.
Debbie Ocean checks in at the hotel in Ocean’s 8. She overhears another guest’s details, the calls using their info to book herself in for free. (After she picks up beauty products at Bergdorf Goodman and before raiding The Met – both on 5th Avenue.)
If that scenario sounds familiar, cast your mind back to Home Alone 2. Kevin listens to another guest booking in at The Plaza then calls up and reserves his own room using his dad’s credit card. And orders a huge amount of room service.
You might have spotted a second Home Alone reference later in the movie, when Nine Ball infiltrates McCallister Security.
But in fact, the first movie filmed at The Plaza was Hitchcock’s stylish thriller, North by Northwest. The scene where Cary Grant’s character is almost kidnapped was filmed in the Oak Bar.
Downton Abbey – Lady Sybil and Branson’s Hotel Location
Mary and Edith drove through the night to reach Sybil and Branson’s hotel, in an effort to stop the elopement. They pull up outside the Swan Inn in Swinbrook, near Burford.
If Sybil and Branson are aiming for Gretna Green, they’re taking the scenic route – it’s in the Cotswolds.
If you thought a country inn might be humbler than Downton Abbey’s castles and townhouses, you would be mistaken. The Swan Inn is as close to high society as any of them.
The Mitford sisters grew up in the village. If you’ve read Jessica Fellowes’ Mitford Murders series, you’ll recognise the name of Asthall Manor. The books fictionalise the sisters’ lives but one detail is completely accurate – the Cotswolds manor really was their family home.
In fact the last surviving sister, the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, kept up her connection to the area. She owned the Swan Inn until her death.
From this comfortable base, you’ll find so many Downton Abbey locations you can visit in the area.
It’s only a short drive to historic Cogges Farm in Witney, Oxfordshire, was used for Mason and Mr Drewe’s farms. South of the A40, Bampton was the Downton Village filming location seen in most episodes, and from there it’s about an hour to Highclere Castle.
Doctor Who – The Blink House Location
Wester Drumlins in the Doctor Who episode Blink was filmed at Fields House in Newport. It might look horrifying onscreen, but in reality it’s a comfortable Airbnb.
The Grade II-listed building has been carefully renovated by the current owners, who took it on in 2009.
By the time the crew returned to film the Doctor Who Christmas Special The Snowmen in 2012, it was a smartly appointed Victorian house. The dining room was used as Captain Latimer’s study, but you would hardly guess it was filmed in the same property.
And who would guess it was the strange house Bill moves into in Knock Knock?
It’s the perfect base for Doctor Who fans to explore other places you’ve seen in the Cardiff-based show.
Tredegar House has appeared no less than ten times. The Girl in the Fireplace, The Unicorn and the Wasp, The Family of Blood – they were all filmed at the Morgan family’s 17th Century mansion.
Dyffryn Gardens, Caerphilly Castle and all the Cardiff Doctor Who filming locations are only a short journey away. It’s fan heaven!
Sherlock’s Scandal in Belgravia location is the same house near Cardiff too. But when you book a stay in this filming location, here’s the room you’ll want to save for yourself.
Make a beeline for the master bedroom before your fellow guests get there first, then retreat to the drawing room. Both were used in interior shots of Irene Adler’s apartment.
If you’re wondering, the exterior of Irene Adler’s house was 44 Eaton Square in Belgravia.
The ground floor flat was listed at £70 million in 2013, making her front porch one of London’s priciest. But we think this Welsh retreat looks far more welcoming.
Spider-Man: Far From Home – Prague Hotel Location
What do Spider-Man and Jason Bourne have in common? Apart from complicated double lives that put their loved ones in danger, obviously...
You can see where this is going. Both movies used a hotel in central Prague, though as different things.
The Bourne Identity American Embassy scene was filmed at the Carlos IV Hotel. The exterior appears when Jason Bourne enters the embassy, then escapes by an unconventional route.
Peter Parker finds a low-key use for it – you might recognise it as the Spider-Man: Far From Home Prague hotel location. The school group are seen outside the entrance and in the lobby, though the hotel’s bedrooms weren’t used in the movie.
You won’t be short-changed by the hotel’s real guest accommodation though. Each room and suite was created individually by a top designer.
The Bourne Identity – Hotel Regina Location
Speaking of the assassin, The Bourne Identity Hotel Regina location is very real – and very stylish.
In the scene, Marie finds out details from the receptionist then returns to Bourne in a nearby street. We don’t think you’ll want to leave so quickly though.
There’s not much camera trickery at work, the 5-star Regina Louvre is perfectly situated at 2 Place des Pyramides. It offers views of La Tour Eiffel and Tuileries from certain suites, and inside the guest accommodation every details speaks of luxury.
The Crown – Balmoral Location
Here’s an exclusive way to visit The Crown Balmoral filming location.
Or maybe you know it better as Monarch of the Glen’s Glenbogle, or as a rumoured Bond 25 location. However you discovered it, the Ardverikie Estate is an impressive slice of the Highlands.
The Crown filming locations around the estate include Loch Laggan at Kinloch Laggan and the main house.
You can’t stay in Ardverikie House itself because this filming location is a family home. But booking a rental cottage on the estate opens up an exclusive experience film fans and Scottish history fans will love.
Check with the Estate Office before you book your holiday, because on certain dates guests can take a tour of the house for a small fee. It’s an insider treat that’s not open to the general public.
It’s a shortish drive to Aviemore, where the cast and crew of The Crown were based during Season 2 filming in Scotland. The Bond 25 team set up in the Highland resort town in 2019 too.
And the real Balmoral is a couple of hours’ drive away, on the other side of the Cairngorms National Park. You can visit Balmoral Castle in winter, while the Royal Family are staying at other residences.
Like the Netflix series, the Judi Dench and Billy Connolly movie Mrs Brown filmed Balmoral scenes at Ardverikie. And like The Crown series, this Queen Victoria biopic made full use of the estate’s Highland scenery.
Pattack Falls were used in Mrs Brown’s picnic scenes, just a short walk away from Gallovie Cottage.
And stunning Inverpattack Lodge boasts a movie room and hot tub, but remember to look outside too. It overlooks the River Pattack, a regular Monarch of the Glen filming location.
The Gate Lodge offers guests turrets and a spiral staircase for a fairy tale Highland castle experience on a smaller scale. It sits on the edge of the estate at Newtonmore, a town that was featured throughout Monarch of the Glen’s run.
Everything from The Transport Café to the Clan Macpherson Museum has appeared in Monarch of the Glen.
If you’re wondering, the museum was used as the tearoom and the post office, and the café appeared as a diner. Buildings all along Main Street appeared in the show.
Other Monarch of the Glen locations like the Duke of Gordon Hotel in Kingussie are just a short drive away.
Four Weddings and a Funeral – The Jolly Boatman Pub Location
Four Weddings and a Funeral’s Jolly Boatman location is an Amersham pub. Or rather, two Amersham pubs.
It plays an important role in the first wedding, with Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell starting their on-off relationship there after the ceremony.
They’re seen in The Crown on Market Square. Think back to the scene where Charles tries to extricate himself from a conversation when Carrie arrives.
Don’t be too surprised if Charles and Carrie’s traditional lodgings are more contemporary than you remember. The guest rooms have been redesigned by Ilse Crawford, whose portfolio includes Soho House New York and the Anya Hindmarch flagship store.
You’ll recognise the exposed timbers of the smart Hawkyns restaurant as the Jolly Boatman’s lounge. These days, it’s led by Michelin-starred chef Atul Kochhar.
But the exterior is actually the Kings Arms Hotel, a 15th Century coaching inn further along Amersham High Street.
It’s appeared in the 1963 Miss Marple mystery, Murder at the Gallop, and as a Midsomer Murders filming location.
Old Amersham High Street features regularly in the ITV detective series. Drop by the antique shop or taje a detour to The Maltings on School Lane and you’ll find yourself in Barnaby’s territory.