Movies can transport you from your life for a little while, but did you ever let the movies transport you in life? Every country and virtually every way of life has been captured on film, so it’s rather irresistible to catch the travelling bug from the silver screen.
Today, let Rotten Tomatoes be your travel guide, as we present 10 places whose architecture, landscape, and beauty have given life to some famous movies in history. Navigate the cities below and fire up your wanderlust!
The gateway to the enigmatic Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza (just 20 miles south of the city), Cairo is the perfect introduction to the many wonders of Ancient Egypt. Why not begin with a visit to the national library and museum, home to the treasured artifacts seen in The Mummy? Or perhaps you’d prefer some carousing in the local parlors favored by Peter O’Toole in Lawrence of Arabia? And to really soak up the city, a trip through the colorful streets and marketplaces visited by Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark is a must; you might even pick up a pet monkey to accompany you. Finally, head for the Great Pyramids themselves, as James Bond did in The Spy Who Loved Me.
Hawaii
Hawaii remains a popular vacation and honeymoon destination because, well, it’s gorgeous there, and as such, you’ll probably spend most of your time outside. Take a cue from movies like Blue Crush and Riding Giants and learn how to surf; just make sure you stay away from the really big waves. Want something a tad off the beaten path? Hike to a secluded beach, or try a bit of kayaking around the islands (A Perfect Getaway). Wait, we understand — you want to go super low-key. In that case, spend some time getting to know the friendly locals, maybe hit up a luau (50 First Dates, Forgetting Sarah Marshall), or follow in George Clooney’s footsteps (literally) in The Descendants and take a nice, relaxing jog on the beach. If you’re able to fund your trip entirely via a food marketing loophole (Punch Drunk Love), all the better! Whatever the case, make sure you tell Adam Sandler we said hello; he seems to spend a lot of time there.
Jamaica
Despite its relatively small population, Jamaica exerts an outsized imprint on global culture. Before booking your trip, you should probably get a taste of Jamaican music by watching Marley, an exhaustive documentary about the great reggae star who became the island’s most famous native son. Once you arrive, you’ll find plenty of beachside resorts that offer everything from deep sea diving (Dr. No) to exotic intoxicants (Cocktail) to eccentric fellow travelers (Club Paradise). Plus, if you’re a lovelorn woman, you’ll have ample opportunities to hit the singles circuit, just like Angela Basset in How Stella Got Her Groove Back.
Las Vegas
If nicknames like “Lost Wages” and “Sin City” imply “ideal vacation spot” to you, you might be Chevy Chase. Or Hunter S. Thompson. Or a bachelor party. But America’s unofficial gambling capital is more than just a haven for those seeking fast money and debaucherous thrills. For example, the nearby Hoover Dam might inspire awe in your family (Vegas Vacation), and as long as your plans don’t include burglary, you can always take a tour of the major hotels (Ocean’s Eleven). The casinos can be a breath of fresh, air-conditioned air for tourists suffering the Nevada heat, but outdoorsy types might enjoy a bit of waterskiing on Lake Mead or take in a race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Viva Las Vegas). Just remember this: Whatever happens in Vegas will probably come back to haunt you later, so sightsee in moderation, folks.
London
London is known for a lot of things, from its rich theater tradition and many historical landmarks to its vibrant artistic culture. But the city’s about more than Big Ben, the West End, and rainy skies — as these films demonstrate, London offers a bustling cinematic metropolis of magical possibilities. Just ask Gwyneth Paltrow, who spent Sliding Doors playing a London resident who flits between parallel versions of her own life — or Hugh Grant, who showed the world just how easy it is to fall into an unexpected love affair with a movie star in Notting Hill. Heck, London even helped Woody Allen make tennis look exciting in Match Point. Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t things to look out for in the city, as demonstrated by An Education‘s smooth-talking Peter Sarsgaard.
New York
Nothing against any of the other boroughs, but if you’re looking to take a cinematic journey to New York City, you can get just about anything you need in Manhattan. There’s romance, of course, as exemplified by the classic rom-coms When Harry Met Sally and Manhattan — both of which juxtapose their characters’ relationships against glimpses of some of the city’s greatest landmarks, from major monuments (Manhattan‘s famous shot of the Queensboro Bridge) to local haunts (the classic When Harry Met Sally scene shot in Katz’s Deli). Sure, it isn’t all romance — as we see in the lives of the Hell’s Kitchen immigrants of In America — but there’s undeniably a certain magic in the air. After all, we’re talking about the city where, in Miracle on 34th Street, Santa Claus himself took the stand to prove his own existence.
Paris
Food and romance. That’s what Paris is known for and that’s what these movies have in spades. Amelie provides a whimsical, whirlwind tour of the City of Lights, featuring a candy-coated tour guide who proffers the concept of life’s infinite potential when optimism is held close to the heart. Yet, the exact opposite can be argued for Before Sunset. Richard Linklater’s brutally frank sequel to Before Sunrise unfolds across Parisian boat rides, taxi cabs, and lush apartments, whereupon Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy give an honest appraisal of true love lost. As for food, there has been no greater paean to the dishes of Paris than Ratatouille. Everything in this animated film is rendered in loving detail (down to the nooks and crannies of a loaf of bread), along with offering an utterly complete presentation of the city, from the sewage cobblestone to the panoramic night sky view of Paris, with the Eiffel Tower in tow.
Rome
Planning a visit to the Eternal City? First things first: you’ll need a way of getting around. Fortunately, you can rent a Vespa like Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday; during the course of the movie, their trek around Rome made stops at such famous landmarks as the Coliseum, the Spanish Steps, and the Pantheon. Next, you’ll want to take in the city’s gastronomical offerings. In Eat Pray Love, Julia Roberts sampled Rome’s finest wine, pasta, pizza, and gelato. After a night on the town, you’ll probably want to toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain, though splashing around like Anita Ekberg and Marcello Mastroianni in La Dolce Vita will probably attract police attention (or the attention of Josh Duhamel if you’re Kristen Bell in When in Rome). Finally, no matter what your faith, you should definitely make a sojourn to the Vatican, and while there are plenty of guides on hand to give you a tour, they probably won’t show you the hidden passageway that Tom Hanks discovered in Angels and Demons.
San Francisco
Going to explore San Francisco in the ’50s? Put away that DeLorean and pop in that laserdisc of Vertigo. Between the deception and murders, Alfred Hitchcock’s film is a veritable California postcard, with picturesque glimpses of the Palace of Fine Arts (a magnificent structure which lies in the middle of a lake) and Fort Point, the spot beneath the Golden Gate Bridge where Kim Novak made her dramatic suicide attempt. Vertigo hero James Stewart valiantly stalked the city’s boundless hills, but it took Steve McQueen and a particular Bullitt car chase to make those hills infamous. Jumping forward to more contemporary times, consider visiting The Rock, an explosive inside tour of the island prison Alcatraz, and Mrs. Doubtfire, which details the modern San Franciscan’s trials of love, relationships, and cross-dressing in order to see your kids in secret.
Tokyo
If you want to see the future, today, there’s no better way than to immerse yourself in the strange sensations of Tokyo. Gaze languidly at the sea of neon lights on the skyline like Scarlet Johansson in Lost in Translation, or visit one of the city’s numerous high tech karaoke bars or sushi restaurants like her partner in crime, Bill Murray. A motorcycle’s a great way to see the nightlife for the action inclined — or if you simply want to recreate the high-speed kicks of Kill Bill or Akira — while those with a taste for danger can always go Tokyo drifting (not recommended for legal purposes). Of course, the old city and its temples still offer their serene charms, so you can have your own Tokyo Storyand see how the generations have changed. Just don’t get trampled by giant radioactive monsters.
