Movie locations around the world part 3

This is part 3 of my quest for finding movie locations around the world. Left images are from the actual films and to the right are my visits to the spots.

You may also be interested in Part 1, Part 2, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8 and Part 9.

Game of Thrones (2011, 2012, 2014, 2016)

Game of Thrones: City gate, Mdina

During the first season of HBO’s Game of Thrones, many scenes set in King’s Landing were shot in Mdina, a small town on the island of Malta. For instance, the scene in episode 3 where Catelyn Stark enters King’s Landing was filmed at the Mdina city gate. Other locations in Malta were used, such as Fort Ricasoli in Valetta which appears as the Red Keep. Unfortunately there were issues with a subcontractor damaging protected land, so the production moved from Malta to Dubrovnik in Croatia instead.

Game of Thrones: Dubrovnik, Croatia

During second season and onward, Dubrovnik was used as King’s Landing in a lot of scenes. Some of the landmarks are easy to find. This pier is just below Fort Lovrijenac outside the city walls. The left image is Lord Baelish talking to Sansa Stark, shot in 2012. Right is the pier in 2014.

Game of Thrones: Dubrovnik, Croatia

Same pier, different angle. Right image is me doing a Baelish stance.

Game of Thrones: Dubrovnik, Croatia

Fort Lovrijenac is featured in a variety of disguises, sometimes as the Red Keep and sometimes not. Here is Tyrion and Varys planning the defense from the ramparts of Bokar Fort. The ramparts can be climbed for a great view of the sea and city rooftops.

Game of Thrones: Dubrovnik, Croatia

Daenerys visited the House of Undying in the town of Qarth. It was filmed at the base of Minceta Tower, highest point of the city walls in Dubrovnik.

Game of Thrones: Dubrovnik, Croatia

Daenerys running around House of Undying in the town of Qarth.

Other Dubrovnik locations are Sponza Palace and Rector’s Palace, which both were featured in the scenes with the Spice King of Qarth. The actual palace of Qarth was the Benedictine Monastery on nearby island Lokrum. The terracotta rooftops of the city are another common backdrop in many scenes.

Game of Thrones: Alcázar, Seville

Season five of Game of Thrones moves some of the action to Seville in southwest Spain. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister) is facing off against the Sand Snakes inside the “Dorne Water Gardens”, which is actually the gardens of the Alcázar of Seville.

Game of Thrones: Alcázar, Seville

Meanwhile, Nell Tiger (Myrcella Baratheon) is taking it far more easy near the fountain.

Game of Thrones: Bisbe Cartaña, Girona

The Spanish town Girona is featured a lot in the sixth season of Game of Thrones. Near the backside of the cathedral, there is a small street that was featured in several scenes. Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) is begging on the streets of Braavos…

Game of Thrones: Bisbe Cartaña, Girona

…when she is attacked by the waif (Faye Marsay). The crew hung nets above the street, maybe to obscure the obvious view of the cathedral in the background.

Game of Thrones: Sant Marti Sacosta church, Girona

Arya Stark is attacked once more, and during the escape she tumbles down large stairs occupied by grocery dealers. This is actually the stairs of Sant Marti Sacosta church. There are glimpses of several more landmarks during her escape, such as the columned Arab Baths and the bridge near Plaça dels Jurats.

Game of Thrones: Carrer de Sant Llorenç, Girona

Poor Arya is limping down the steep alley of Carrer de Sant Llorenç. Rough times for our favorite assassin.

Game of Thrones: Cathedral of Girona

Apart from the town of Braavos, Girona was also used for scenes in King’s Landing. The imposing Cathedral featured as a stand-in for the Great Sept of Baelor…

Game of Thrones: Cathedral of Girona

…where Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister) galloped up the stairs to have a showdown with Jonathan Pryce (High Sparrow).

Game of Thrones: Monastery of Sant Pere de Galligants, Girona

This old Benedictine abbey from 992 was used in a scene where John Bradley (Samwell Tarly) and Gilly (Hannah Murray) arrive at the Citadel of Oldtown. Next to the church is the square Plaça dels Jurats, where Arya watch the play about the Lannister family, as well as the old stone bridge where Arya is stabbed by the waif (but the bridge itself has no water under it, so the water scene was actually filmed in Northern Ireland).

Da Vinci Code (2006)

Da Vinci Code: Louvre, Paris

Da Vinci Code from 2006 is based on the bestselling book by Dan Brown, featuring a lot of familiar locations. It all starts with Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) meeting up with Jean Reno at the Louvre Pyramid in central Paris.

Da Vinci Code: Street in Paris, France

121 bronze Arago markers were once placed in the streets of Paris to mark the Paris meridian, but unfortunately many of them are gone today.

Da Vinci Code: Saint-Sulpice, Paris

Paul Bettany (Silas) visits Saint-Sulpice, which is the largest church in Paris. He starts to follow the “rose line” to find his prize, but even though there is an actual white marking across the floor, it is actually another meridian.

Da Vinci Code: Temple Church, London

Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou) are soon off to London, where they examine the old Temple Church.

Da Vinci Code: Temple Church, London

It doesn’t take long before things are heating up, right among the effigies in the floor.

Da Vinci Code: Temple Church, London

The bad guy leaves the church in an appropriately dramatic fashion.

Da Vinci Code: Westminster Abbey, London

The dynamic duo heads to Westminster Abbey, but the actual filming took place inside Lincoln Cathedral.

Da Vinci Code: Westminster Abbey, London

Meeting up with Teabing (Ian McKellen) in front of Newtons tomb (also filmed at Lincoln Cathedral).

Da Vinci Code: Westminster Abbey, London

The final showdown between Langdon and Teabing takes in the Cloister House in the southeast part of Westminster Abbey (although this was also filmed on another location).

Da Vinci Code: Westminster Abbey, London

But the exterior scenes are unmistakably the real Westminster Abbey.

Da Vinci Code: Rosslyn Chapel, Scotland

Langdon and Sophie arrive at the beautiful Rosslyn Chapel, south of Edinburgh. On my visit I was told by the locals that they were not too fond of the film crew invading their idyllic small town.

Midnight in Paris (2011)

Midnight in Paris: Place de l’Abbé Basset, Paris

There are many great Paris locations in this movie by Woody Allen. Here is Gil (Owen Wilson) and Inez (Rachel McAdams) waiting for the time-traveling car on the church stairs, which frequently appear during the movie. This is actually the side door entrance to Saint-Étienne-du-Mont near Pantheon.

Midnight in Paris: Quay de Bourbon, Paris

Arriving in style to the party at Quay de Bourbon, on the western tip of Île Saint-Louis.

Midnight in Paris: Shakespeare and Company, Paris

Gil is coming out from Shakespeare and Company. This particular bookstore is also the place where Jesse Wallace (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) met in Before Sunset, and it was featured in a Michael Palin travel episode.

Midnight in Paris: Pont Alexandre III, Paris

Gil is joined by Gabrielle (Léa Seydoux) for an evening stroll across Pont Alexandre III, the extravagant bridge which also can be seen in the James Bond film A View to a Kill (1985) and several other movies.

Contact (1997)

Contact: VLA, New Mexico

Several movies and music videos have been filmed at the VLA observatory in New Mexico, but the most iconic is arguably Contact. Here is Ellie Arroway (Jodie Foster) visiting one of the antennas. There is a small exhibition at the VLA with images from the film production.

Contact : Tidal Basin, Washington DC

Washington Monument features as a romantic backdrop to Ellie Arroway (Jodie Foster) and Palmer Joss (Matthew McConaughey) as they discuss science versus religion on a walk.

Control (2007)

Control: Barton Street, Macclesfield

Anton Corbijn directed this black&white movie about the life of Ian Curtis. On May 18 in 1980, the lead singer of Joy Division ended his life in his home at 77 Barton Street, which is also the on-screen location of his home in the movie.

Control: Macclesfield Cemetery

Ian Curtis was buried at the Macclesfield Cemetery, in reality as well as in the movie. His small tombstone is a bit difficult to find, but it has the inscription “Love will tear us apart”.

Into the Wild (2007)

Into the Wild: Salvation Mountain, California

The movie is a chronicle of the life of Christopher McCandless, based on the book by Jon Krakauer. During his travels in 1990 McCandless arrived at the Salvation Mountain, a peculiar art installation by Leonard Knight located near Salton Sea in California. In this scene, the actors Emile Hirsch and Kristen Stewart walk across the grounds with Leonard himself.

The Terminator (1984)

Terminator: Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles

Once you start to look for it, Griffith Observatory is found everywhere! Even Arnold Schwarzenegger walked around here naked in the eighties as The Terminator.

From Russia with Love (1963)

From Russia with Love: Maiden’s Tower, Istanbul

The second James Bond movie From Russia with Love has a lot of scenes in Istanbul. James Bond (Sean Connery) travels across the Bosphorus by ferry, with Üsküdar and Maiden’s Tower in the background. I did the same trip 50 years later, noticing that a lot more buildings has been constructed since then.

Back to the Future 3 (1990)

Back to the Future 3: Monument Valley, Arizona

The third part of the trilogy sees Michael J. Fox (Marty McFly) travel back in time to 1885, where he arrives in Monument Valley. He returns to the same location later on in the movie, trying to accelerate the DeLorean by using horses.

Argo (2012)

Argo: Hagia Sophia, Istanbul

Argo has a few scenes in Istanbul. Here Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) is having a meeting inside the Hagia Sophia, an impressive masterpiece of Byzantine architecture.

Taken 2 (2012)

Taken 2: Malibu Pier, California

In a short scene, Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) meets up with his family at the Malibu Pier for a rare relaxing time.

Young Guns 2 (1990)

Young Guns 2: White Sands, New Mexico

During the first scenes, Billy the Kid (Emilio Estevez) meet up with a reporter in the cold desert of White Sands, a day ride from the territory where the real Billy the Kid was active.