While you may not literally be able to transcend reality and travel into your favorite book, you can do the next best thing. Here are 29 film locations used for adaptations of best-selling books, all in places you can actually visit!
Outlander
Kinloch Rannoch, Scotland — Craigh na Dun, where Claire travels back in time. The stone circle of Craigh na Dun was built for the show, but the rest of Kinloch Rannoch is still a gorgeous landscape. The town itself has a waterfall, several old churches, and a hotel overlooking a landscape the locals call the “fairy mountain.”
Doune Castle, UK — Castle Leoch, home of Clan MacKenzie. This castle is a very popular location for movie sets… you might see it again later in this article! What you can see of the castle in real life is only half of its past glory; historians have no idea what happened to the rest of the castle, but they have determined that there are entire sections missing!
Glencoe, Scotland — While technically none of the show was filmed here, you can still recognize the rolling hills from the opening credits. It kind of makes perfect sense, too. When I think of the Scottish Highlands, this is exactly what I picture. Don’t you? Glencoe is known as the “Outdoor Capital of the UK,” where visitors have plenty to do in any season. Ranging from gorgeous lochs and coastlines to ski resorts and watersports, Glencoe is your ideal Scottish destination.
Lord of the Rings
Kaitoke Regional Park, New Zealand — Rivendell, land of the elves. Most of Rivendell was a manufactured set or added in post-production, but the park is still extremely reminiscent of the gorgeous scenery of the Elvish sanctuary. Kaitoke Park is a great local spot for fishing, camping, and BBQ, and boasts a gorgeous river surrounded by thick forests.
Tongariro National Park, New Zealand — Mordor. Unfortunately, the park doesn’t come with a giant tower to house your very own Orc slave army, but it still boasts some pretty cool volcanoes. Known for being New Zealand’s very first national park, its stunning emerald lakes and cooled lava flows are a highlight for any visitor. You can even walk the famous “Tongariro Alpine Crossing,” which takes a full day to complete, but the stunning volcanic craters, lakes, and steam vents make up for the lengthy duration.
Matamata, North Island, New Zealand — Hobbiton. The set for the Hobbit’s village was fully created for the movie, but it still stands today! You can visit it in the exact same condition as it was in the film. If you want a more in-depth experience, you can also sign up for one of many Hobbiton Movie Set Tours, which will take you inside the famous homes in addition to several other popular filming locations.
Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon
Dubrovnik, Croatia — King’s Landing. Dubrovnik’s Old Town was the site of (and inspiration for) the town streets of King’s Landing. With its gorgeous red roofing and Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture, the resilient Old Town has been officially named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
St. Michael’s Mount, England — Driftmark. While Driftmark may only be a fantasy island, that path traversing the ocean — that’s actually real. At low tide, you can walk all the way across to the island! People have been visiting the mount for thousands of years, believing it to be a site of great religious power. The castle itself is home to the historic St Aubyn family, who actually still lives there today.
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, Bermeo, Spain — Dragonstone. This site is notoriously difficult to get to, its name literally meaning “inaccessible castle.” The journey is well worth it, though, for the stunning beauty that awaits you at the top. When you get there, be sure to ring the bell three times to ward off evil spirits! This coastal shrine is an insanely gorgeous attraction, but I think it’s a little unfair that the crew took the dragons back when they stopped filming. I’m just saying, if you’re going to create a famous filming location with dragons, you could at least leave behind one or two for us to hang out with.
Fort Manoel, Malta — The square in which Ned Stark was executed. You may not want to revisit one of the most devastating scenes of season one, but if you do, you’ll learn that this fort is exceptionally cool. Built by knights in the 18th century, the fort was used as a defense against water-born attacks.
Doune Castle — The Stark home at Winterfell. I told you you’d see this castle again! Yes, Castle Leoch from Outlander also doubles as the Stark’s stronghold in Game of Thrones.
The Dark Hedges, Northern Ireland — The Kingsroad. Planted by the Stuart family as a method of enticing travelers to visit their mansion, these beech trees create an iconic passageway into the plush greenery of Northern Ireland. Even if you’ve never seen Game of Thrones, you’ll still definitely want to visit this road. I mean, just look at it. It’s literally oozing high fantasy.
The Harry Potter Series
King’s Cross Station, London, UK — Home to Platform 9 3/4. Even without the notoriety of Harry Potter, King’s Cross Station is still a place to visit, with its impressive stone and glass architecture and ease of access to places across the country. It has a wide variety of shops and restaurants, boasting good food and quality souvenirs.
Oxford, England — Staircases, the infirmary, the restricted section of the library… Lots of scenes were filmed here; I mean, what gives off “Hogwarts” vibes more than Oxford University, one of the oldest schools in the world? There is evidence of some sort of education at Oxford dating all the way back to 1096 C.E.
Glenfinnan Viaduct in Inverness-shire, Scotland — The Bridge to Hogwarts. This is the viaduct from the famous “flying car” scene in The Chamber of Secrets, the bridge that the Hogwarts Express takes to Hogwarts. Not too far from here lies Eilean na Moine, the tiny island home of Dumbledore’s final resting place. You can even take a ride on the real “Hogwarts Express,” on a Jacobite Steam Train that gives tours of the Scottish Highlands, passing through both Glenfinnan Viaduct and Eilean na Moine.
The Hunger Games
Big Ivy Area/Coleman Boundary, North Carolina — District 12’s forest where Gale and Katniss hunt. Most of District 12 was actually filmed in North Carolina; no fancy sound stages here. Some capital scenes were also filmed in North Carolina! This natural area boasts of dozens of hiking trails and scenic campgrounds, some leading to peaks with great views. Make sure to check out Big Butt Peak and Little Butt Peak! And please report back whether they look like butts or not, because I am dying know what they are named after.
DuPont State Forest — Arena scenes. A notable location from this forest is the waterfall where Katniss finds Peeta. You can visit the waterfall and even re-enact the scene (if you’re skilled enough at body painting). Most visitors also like to bike, ride horses, and hike around the forest, even staying to camp if they’re prepared to go without any nearby water or cell service.
Jurassic Park
Kauai’s Nāpali Coast, Hawa’ii — Isla Nublar. One of the most noteworthy scenes in Jurassic Park comes from a helicopter flight over the gorgeous Isla Nublar, home to Jurassic Park’s genetically engineered dinosaurs. You can visit the cliffs by boat, kayak, or even plane. When visiting the real-life Nāpali coast, however, please do not approach the dinosaurs!
The Avengers Comics
NASA’s Space Power facility, Sandusky, Ohio — The Avengers Lab. It may surprise you to know that a lot of the Avengers movies were actually filmed in Ohio. The high-tech Avengers laboratory was even filmed there, in an aluminum vacuum chamber just west of Cleveland. NASA’s Space Power facility is the largest vacuum chamber in the world, designed to test anything from nuclear space hardware to Mars Lander systems.
Public Square, Downtown Cleveland — Stuttgart square. The scene in which Loki forces a crowd into submission was not actually filmed in Stuttgart but in downtown Cleveland, a place many Ohioans walk through on a daily basis. The tower you see was actually the second tallest tower in the world when it was built, serving as a railway station.
The Twilight Saga
House in St. Helens, Oregon — Bella Swan’s house. An actual Airbnb, this five bedroom house still looks almost exactly like it did in the movie. They even kept the original decor and (until recently) the bedding!
Quimby Street, Portland— The Cullen’s house. This house is currently owned, so you can’t go inside. But you can still see the woody area surrounding the house and take pictures of the foggy Pacific Northwest scenery. Just be sure to remember: this is an actual person’s house!
Kalama High School in Kalama, Washington and Madison High School in Portland, Oregon — Forks High School. Just like many other shows and movies, Twilight used two different locations to film Forks High School. Kalama High School was used as the exterior, and Madison High School was used as the interior.
Carver Café in Damascus, Oregon — Where Bella seems to lose her grip on reality for a second with a ketchup bottle. Need I say more? We all know what scene I’m talking about. This family-owned café has a huge variety of food, and serves breakfast all day.
Indian Beach, Ecola State Park — La Push, baby! Indian Beach is only one of many places to visit in this giant Oregon state park. Ecola State Park has just about every type of scenery you could wish for: caves, grassy trails, dense forest, and stunning beaches. Even Lewis and Clark traversed the park looking for a beached whale, accidentally finding something much better in Ecola’s scenic lookouts.
The Shining
Timberline Lodge, Oregon — The Overlook Hotel’s exterior. The interior of the hotel was filmed on a sound stage, sadly, but the exterior shots were filmed at the gorgeous Timberline Lodge in Government Camp, Oregon. This lodge is a frequent visit for many Pacific Northwest outdoor sportsmen, known for its awesome views and popular skiing spots. It brings in almost two million visitors per year and was even declared a National Historic Landmark back in 1977. If you stay overnight, just… don’t go alone. And bring extra batteries. Just in case.
Bonus: The Vampire Diaries
Covington, Georgia — Mystic Falls. While us humans may not be cut out for the bloody, dangerous world of Mystic Falls, we can still visit the set! Known as “the Hollywood of the South,” Covington has been used for films as early as 1954. This adorable little town is jam-packed with The Vampire Diaries filming locations, like the Lockwood house, the clock tower, Bonnie and Elena’s houses, and a real-life Mystic Grill! You can even stay in the giant mansion (now a bed-and-breakfast) used during flashback scenes.
I don’t know about you, but I’m booking a flight to Georgia, like, yesterday. Vacations are great, but reading the Vampire Diaries while sitting in the real Mystic Grill? Or walking through the Scottish Highlands with Outlander tucked under your arm? Nothing beats that. What film locations are you dying to visit? Did the sets of these movies and TV shows live up to their books’ counterparts, or did they fall short? Let us know on Instagram, Facebook, or X!
Want to visit more bookish locations? Check out our article on places that inspired classic books!
To read some of our favorite adaptations, take a look at our bookshelf.
