This article looks at 5 big budget film locations to visit in the world. If you wish to check out our detailed analysis of experiential travel and set jetting, you may head over to 25 Big Budget Film Locations to Visit in the World.
5. Kyoto, Japan
Insider Monkey Score: 10.62
Related Movie/ Show: Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
While the majority of the movie was filmed in California, several sequences from the movie were captured into the cultural paradise of Kyoto. This includes the iconic scene in the movie where Chiyo sprints through 10,000 lucky red gates in order to reach the Fushimi Inari shrine. Apart from their religious and cultural value, these gates are now an iconic film location, perfect for a set jetting experience.
4. Kualoa Ranch, USA
Insider Monkey Score: 10.71
Related Movie/ Show: Jurassic Park (1993)
While many fans of Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park (1993) travel to Universal’s Island of Adventure in Florida to relive the feeling of being chased by velociraptors, they might consider traveling to Kualoa Ranch in Hawaii. Often called the Dino Valley, Kualoa Ranch offers many private tours with itineraries inspired by the franchise. Moreover, it has also been featured in recent movies of the Jurassic Franchise as well as Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017).
3. Skopelos, Greece
Insider Monkey Score: 10.77
Related Movie/ Show: Mamma Mia! (2008)
Located in the Aegean Sea, the neighboring islands of Skiathos and Skopelos were featured heavily in Meryl Streep’s Mamma Mia (2008). Apart from being an iconic film location, the islands are one of the most picturesque, unspoiled destinations for a vacation in Southern Europe. Skopelos is home to the tiny chapel of Agios Ioannis, the location where Sophie’s and Sky’s wedding takes place in the movie.
2. Dubrovnik, Croatia
Insider Monkey Score: 10.86
Related Movie/ Show: Game of Thrones
Dubrovnik is famous for its Old Town area, which is encircled inside massive stone walls, perched at the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Apart from being a UNESCO heritage site, it appeared in many scenes set in King’s Landing, the Capital of Westeros. From the harbor of Blackwater Bay to the streets and steps where Cersei Lannister is compelled to perform her walk of atonement, Dubrovnik features many iconic moments from the series, making it a prominent big budget film location to visit in the world.
1. Matamata, New Zealand
Insider Monkey Score: 11.91
Related Movie/ Show: Lord of the Rings Franchise
The undisputed best big budget film location to visit in the world is the town of Matamata where Peter Jackson filmed many of the Shire scenes in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies. Since filming, some areas in the town, including the set of Bag End, have been repurposed into a shrine for fans of Tolkien’s greatest masterpiece. Fans can talk tours to the lush green pastures of Hobbiton, middle-earth’s most peaceful and beautiful destination, stepping into the unshod feet of the ring-bearer Frodo Baggins.
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