European capitals in movies

Want to visit some of the big capitals of Europe? By all means do, but before you get there, it’s not a bad idea to see the city through the yes of a movie camera – by watching movies and enjoying the locations before seeing them first hand!

We present to you some cities and movies for that purpose…

LONDON:

London is a place of great ambiguity: one can see it as the social capital of UK, with stunning high society homes (Oscar Wilde, Jane Austen), or one big slum, housing the less fortunate from the lower end of society (Charles Dickens, Arnold Bennett). Perhaps the best way to go in this case is the middle way, and find something that shows London in neither extreme, but as a real, constantly changing city.

Love actually (2003)

A great romantic comedy with overtones of serious drama, the movie shows London in a positive light, and in a wide variety locations – from posh Oxford street to residential houses in West London.

GROSVENOR CHAPEL

A wedding happens here…

OXFORD STREET

Alan Rickman tries to buy a necklace here…

GABRIEL’S WHARF

Liam Neeson has a epiphany of a sort here

Find a flight to London here!

ROME:

The eternal city – centuries passed, kings, rulers and dukes came and went, countries were born and died, ward were fought – yet, the city stood and still stand at the same place. Like a island in the eye of the storm, it has been a constant in the turbulent history of Europe, and has “battle scars” to prove it – architecture raging from the antique times, to the Middle Ages and all the way to the modern era.

Roman Holiday (1951)

A sweet and lovely romantic flick (but not sappy) with a great cast, the movie features Rome at its best. One wonders who is more charming, Audrey Hepburn or the city? Many great moments and locations to see.

THE MOUTH OF TRUTH:

One of the best comic moments in the movie

VIA MARGUTTA

Gregory Peck character lives here

PALAZZO COLONNA:

Duty or love? This palace represents duty for Princess Ann (Audrey)

Find a flight to Rome here!

BARCELONA:

Thanks to Gaudi’s endlessly innovate and imaginative architecture, the city looks and feels organic, monumentally alive, growing and changing shape every moment. While not as popular as London or Rome for movie locations, it still has a few aces to show.

VICKI CHRISTINA BARCELONA (2008)

A Woody Allen movie from his later period, interesting character study with a solid cast and gorgeous locations.

CASA MILA:

Vicky and Christina have a stroll on top of this stunning house

TIBIDABO:

Antique museum park

HOSPITAL DE SANT PAU

Vicky takes language classes here

Find a flight to Barcelona here!

AMSTERDAM:

The Venice of the North, Amsterdam is a combo of a aesthetically pleasing, clean and highly urban city and a rowdy, liberal and free wheeling place. Surprisingly not that popular with the movie crowds as a movie location – what a shame as it is a city with much to offer.

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER (1971)

The last Bond movie with Sean Connery, a fun, fast moving movie romp with the buxom Jill St. John as the obligatory eye candy Bond girl. Also boasts a famous opening song by the incomparable Shirley Bassey.

MAGERE BURG

Bond passes by it while cruising the Canal Ring

Reguliersgracht

Bond girl Tiffany Case lives in this charming street

Find a flight to Amsterdam here!

That is it for now, tune in next week for more! 🙂