Set-Jetting: The World's Best TV and Film Filming Locations to Visit

Set-jetting, the practice of travelling to destinations specifically because they appeared on screen, is no longer a niche hobby. According to ABTA's 2023 Travel Trends report, screen content influences the travel decisions of 40% of travellers under 35. The White Lotus, Game of Thrones, Saltburn, and Succession have collectively triggered measurable spikes in tourism to Sicily, Croatia, Northumberland, and Tuscany. This guide covers the most compelling filming locations across Europe and beyond, with practical advice on how to visit them without joining a miserable crowd at peak hour.

The White Lotus: Sicily and Thailand

Season 2 of The White Lotus was filmed almost entirely at the Four Seasons San Domenico Palace in Taormina, Sicily. The hotel occupies a converted 15th-century convent perched above the Ionian Sea, with Mount Etna visible on clear days. A standard room starts at around €700 per night in high season, but non-guests can visit the grounds by booking at the hotel's restaurants or Etna's spa for significantly less. The town of Taormina itself is accessible to anyone: the Greek Theatre (Teatro Antico di Taormina), built in the 3rd century BC and still used for summer concerts, offers panoramic views identical to those seen throughout the series. Entry costs €10.

Season 3 moved to Koh Samui, Thailand, filming at the Samui Airport area and the SAii Samui Resort on Chaweng Noi Beach. The resort's infinity pool overlooking the Gulf of Thailand is bookable from around $350 per night. Even without staying, the Koh Samui coastline that serves as the backdrop is publicly accessible. For more authentic Thai scenery without the crowds, take a longtail boat to the nearby Ang Thong Marine National Park, which provided some of the show's establishing aerial shots.

Game of Thrones: Dubrovnik and Northern Ireland

Dubrovnik remains the most visited Game of Thrones location in the world. The city's medieval walls, Jesuit Staircase (the Walk of Shame scene), and Fort Lovrijenac (the Red Keep exterior) are all publicly accessible. The city walls walk costs 35 euros for adults and takes approximately 2 hours. Dubrovnik now enforces a strict daily visitor cap of 4,000 people inside the walls at any one time, and cruise ship arrivals are limited to two ships per day with a cap of 5,000 passengers total. Visit before 8am or after 6pm in July and August to avoid the worst congestion.

In Northern Ireland, the Dark Hedges near Armoy in County Antrim served as the King's Road. This beech tree tunnel, planted in the 18th century by the Stuart family, is free to visit and located off the B67 road. Parking is limited and the site is extremely popular with coach tours by mid-morning. Ballintoy Harbour on the north Antrim coast, used as the Iron Islands, is a working harbour with free access and dramatically better crowd levels than Dubrovnik. The Giant's Causeway, also nearby and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, adds genuine natural spectacle to any Game of Thrones northern Ireland itinerary. Entry to the Causeway visitor centre costs £15.50, though the causeway itself is freely accessible on foot.

Succession and The Bear: New York and Chicago

Succession used several highly specific New York locations across its four seasons. The Roy family apartment building is 740 Park Avenue on the Upper East Side, widely regarded as one of the most exclusive residential addresses in the United States. The building's exterior is visible from the street. The show's final season filmed scenes at the St. Regis New York, 2 East 55th Street, where afternoon tea in the Astor Court costs around $95 per person. Tuscany scenes in season 4 were filmed around Siena and at Villa Cetinale, a private 17th-century estate near Sovicille that occasionally opens for guided visits through specialist Italy tour operators.

The Bear is set in and around the West Loop neighbourhood of Chicago, specifically the stretch of Randolph Street known as Restaurant Row. The fictional "The Beef" sandwich shop is inspired by the real Al's Beef, which has operated at 1079 W. Taylor Street since 1938. The Italian beef sandwich there costs around $10. Several of the show's kitchen scenes were filmed at actual West Loop restaurants including Grace (now closed) and various spaces along Fulton Market. The Chicago Riverwalk, featured in establishing shots throughout the series, is freely accessible and one of the city's most pleasant walks.

Saltburn: Seaton Delaval Hall

Saltburn (2023) filmed its exterile house scenes at Seaton Delaval Hall in Northumberland, a National Trust property about 10 miles north of Newcastle. The hall is one of Sir John Vanbrugh's finest works, completed in 1728 and now partially restored after a fire in 1822 left the central block a dramatic ruin. Entry costs £10 for adults, £5 for children. The hall is open Wednesday to Sunday from April through October. The surrounding grounds and walled garden are part of the visit. Note that the interior rooms shown in the film are dressed sets: the actual rooms are sparsely furnished, so the opulent interiors seen on screen do not correspond to what visitors find inside. The real Saltburn-by-the-Sea, the Victorian seaside town that gives the film its title, is in North Yorkshire, 60 miles south of Seaton Delaval. The Victorian pier, funicular cliff tramway, and beach are all free to visit.

The Crown: Alnwick Castle and Fyvie Castle

Alnwick Castle in Northumberland has appeared in The Crown as well as the first two Harry Potter films, where it served as Hogwarts. It is the second-largest inhabited castle in England and the seat of the Duke of Northumberland. Entry costs £18.50 for adults. The castle is open daily from late March through October, and the broomstick training lessons in the grounds remain a popular Harry Potter attraction alongside the Crown filming tours offered by the estate. Fyvie Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, managed by the National Trust for Scotland, was used for several royal Scottish Highland scenes in The Crown. Entry costs £16 for adults. The castle contains one of Scotland's finest collections of portraits and is surrounded by an 18th-century designed landscape.

Practical Set-Jetting Tips

• Book well ahead for the most famous sites. Dubrovnik walls tickets, Four Seasons Taormina restaurant tables, and Hobbiton Movie Set in New Zealand (not listed above but consistently the most-booked film location globally) all sell out weeks in advance in summer.
• Distinguish exterior locations from set builds. Many of the most recognisable scenes were filmed on purpose-built sets at studios (Pinewood, Leavesden, Belfast's Titanic Studios). Only exterior locations are visitable. Research before booking a long trip.
• Go off-peak. The Dark Hedges, Dubrovnik walls, and Taormina all see visitor volumes 60–70% lower in April, May, and October compared to July and August, with significantly lower prices for flights and accommodation.
• Check visitor management rules. Dubrovnik has its cap. Venice now charges a €5 day-tripper entry fee on peak days. Some National Trust and Historic Environment Scotland properties require timed entry slots.
• Combine with the wider destination. The best set-jetting trips treat the filming location as one element of a broader itinerary rather than the entire purpose. Sicily has Agrigento, the Aeolian Islands, and Palermo. Northern Ireland has the Causeway Coast, Belfast's Titanic Quarter, and the Mourne Mountains.

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