• HOME
  • DESTINATIONS
    • DESTINATIONS A‑Z
    • EUROPE
      • AUSTRIA
      • BELGIUM
      • CZECH REPUBLIC
      • DENMARK
      • FINLAND
      • GERMANY
      • GREECE
      • ICELAND
      • IRELAND
      • ITALY
      • NORWAY
      • RUSSIA
      • THE NETHERLANDS
      • SWEDEN
      • UNITED KINGDOM
    • NORTH AMERICA
      • CANADA
      • USA
  • FILM REVIEWS
    • FILM REVIEWS A‑Z
    • ENGLISH FILMS
    • GERMAN FILMS
    • TV / DVD SERIES
    • BEST OF FILM LISTS
  • FILM PEOPLE
  • ABOUT
    • WORK WITH ME
filmfantravel.com
  • HOME
  • DESTINATIONS
    • DESTINATIONS A‑Z
    • EUROPE
      • AUSTRIA
      • BELGIUM
      • CZECH REPUBLIC
      • DENMARK
      • FINLAND
      • GERMANY
      • GREECE
      • ICELAND
      • IRELAND
      • ITALY
      • NORWAY
      • RUSSIA
      • THE NETHERLANDS
      • SWEDEN
      • UNITED KINGDOM
    • NORTH AMERICA
      • CANADA
      • USA
  • FILM REVIEWS
    • FILM REVIEWS A‑Z
    • ENGLISH FILMS
    • GERMAN FILMS
    • TV / DVD SERIES
    • BEST OF FILM LISTS
  • FILM PEOPLE
  • ABOUT
    • WORK WITH ME
Share
You are reading
My Travel Year in Review: 6 Film Fan Destinations for your Travel Bucket List 2018
Home
CANADA

My Travel Year in Review: 6 Film Fan Destinations for your Travel Bucket List 2018

December 30th, 2017 Sonja AUSTRIA, CANADA, CINCINNATI, DELFT, DESTINATIONS, EUROPE, THE NETHERLANDS, USA, VIENNA
My Travel Year in Review: 6 Film Fan Destinations for your Travel Bucket List 2018
(Last Updated On: 8th November 2020)

As 2017 comes to a close, I'm looking back at all the beautiful film-inspired travel destinations I was able to discover this year. Maybe you will find one or more destinations among these that will make it onto your travel bucket list for 2018? If so, I would be happy to hear about your plans in the comments section below… Happy New Year and have fun discovering the world through movies in 2018!

1. April and June: Iceland – inspired by The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
Me in Iceland. Photo: Sonja Irani

In February 2017, I got really lucky and won the first prize at a travel trade fair prize draw: A flight voucher from Icelandair worth 800 Euros!

I quickly decided to use this voucher for a trip to West Canada (to trace the filming locations of The Revenant) and the USA.

Iceland. Photo: Sonja Irani

And since I had to change planes in Iceland anyway, I decided to build in two stopovers to see some of the stunning and unique nature that Iceland is so famous for!

My first stopover in Iceland was at the end of April 2017, the second one at the beginning of June 2017.

Iceland is an expensive travel destination, but for a short stopover (I stayed for about 3 days each time), it was totally possible to see the highlights of Iceland!

Read more about my experiences and travel tips for Iceland by checking out my Iceland posts. 

Iceland. Photo: Sonja Irani
Film Location Iceland

Iceland has served as a filming location for many famous films and series (from Game of Thrones to Thor: The Dark World).

But it was the adventure drama The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) that inspired me the most to visit this unique Nordic island.

Read more about the filming locations of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty in my Film Review.

Reykjavik, Iceland. Photo: Sonja Irani
2. May 2017: Cincinnati, USA – inspired by The Ides of March (2011) 

Me in Cincinnati. Photo: Sonja Irani

While in the USA and Canada, I discovered food tours as a new, fun way to see and learn more about a city.

In Cincinnati, I took part in the The Sweet Stroll Tour, which included both sweet treats and the history background of Cincinnati’s currently most up-and-coming neighbourhood “Over-the-Rhine”.
Cincinnati Skyline. Photo: Sonja Irani

Film Location Cincinnati

In recent years, both the "Over-the-Rhine" quarter and Cincinnati in general have become pretty popular filming locations. For example in George Clooney's The Ides of March (2011), Carol (2015), and most recently The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017).

Read more about Cincinnati in my post Spotlight on Cincinnati: All you need to know before you visit Cincinnati, USA

For more info on “Over-the-Rhine” and my sweet food tour read my review about the Sweet Stroll Food Tour.

Got a taste for the USA? Here are all of my USA posts.

Cincinnati Sweet Stroll Tour. Photo: Sonja Irani

3. May 2017: West Canada and the Canadian Rocky Mountains – inspired by The Revenant (2015)

Me in Canada. Photo: Sonja Irani

In May, I also visited Canada for the first time. My main mission here was to trace the film locations of The Revenant. The trapper drama that received several Oscars, was largely shot in the beautiful natural scenery of Alberta and British Columbia.

May was the best time to visit as it was not yet high season (meaning fewer crowds of visitors), but warm and bright enough to discover the stunning natural highlights.

West Canada. Photo: Sonja Irani

The Rocky Mountaineer in West Canada. Photo: Sonja Irani

Film Location West Canada

The West Canadian landscape has served as a backdrop in several well-known movies. Among them are classic ones such as Doctor Zhivago (1965 – where Canada stood in for Siberia as filming in Russia was not possible at that time due to the Cold War) and more modern films such as Brokeback Mountain (2005).

Read more about the filming locations of The Revenant in my Film Review.

West Canada. Photo: Sonja Irani

4. September 2017: Delft, The Netherlands – inspired by Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003)

Me in Delft. Photo: Sonja Irani

Inspired by the settings of the beautiful art film Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003), I  headed to the picturesque Dutch town of Delft in September 2017.

For more info about what you can discover in Delft and surroundings, check out my Netherlands posts.

Film Location Delft

Even though Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003) has mostly been shot elsewhere (namely Belgium, Luxembourg and Amsterdam), the city of Delft is the main and real-life setting of the story. It was also the real-life home of the Delft painter Johannes Vermeer (portrayed in the film by Colin Firth).

Read more about the film in my film review post All About Art – 3 Picture Perfect Films

Read more about how you can trace the film’s settings and the footsteps of Johannes Vermeer in my post 7 Fun Ways to Trace the Settings of “Girl with a Pearl Earring” in Delft, the Netherlands.

5. October 2017: Vienna, Austria – inspired by Woman in Gold (2015)

Me in Vienna. Photo: Sonja Irani

In October, I embarked on my first ever visit to Austria. This of course involved visiting Austria's famous capital city Vienna. After all, this was where Woman in Gold (2015) had largely been filmed.

Read more about what to do in Vienna in my two Vienna posts.

Vienna. Photo: Sonja Irani

Film Location Vienna

Watching Woman in Gold, I was really impressed with the Jugendstil architecture you could see at every corner in Vienna. And I wasn't disappointed when I went there myself.

There were so many things to see, I actually had to do a real power sightseeing marathon over the three days I was there. The Vienna Pass proofed to be very handy for my mission.

For more info about the filming locations of Woman in Gold, check out my Film Review.

To trace the settings of other films that were shot on location in Vienna, check out my post Vienna Film Locations Walk.

Vienna. Photo: Sonja Irani

6. November 2017: St Petersburg, Russia – inspired by War & Peace (2016)

Me in St Petersburg. Photo: Sonja Irani

My last trip in 2017 was my first ever trip to Russia! In November 2017, I went on a guided tour to the city of St Petersburg – Russia's "gateway to the West".

As I went on a guided tour by ferry, I didn't have to worry about getting a visa, which you normally need in order to travel to St Petersburg as Russia is not part of the European Union.

The ferry journey from Stockholm was quite long and included four nights sleeping on the ferry.  However, the great thing about this "slow travel" was that we made several-hour long stopovers in two other great cities on the Baltic Sea: Helsinki, the capital of Finland, and Tallinn, the capital of Estonia.

St Petersburg at night. Photo: Sonja Irani

Film Location St Petersburg

St Petersburg has served as an imperial filming backdrop in films like Russian Ark (2002),  Anna Karenina (2012), James Bond: GoldenEye (1995), the British TV mini series War & Peace (2016) and the up-coming feature film Siberia (2018).

Read more about visiting St Petersburg in my two St Petersburg posts.

St Petersburg. Photo: Sonja Irani

Over to you: Which film fan destination is on your bucket list for 2018? Let me know in the comments below! 

Unless otherwise credited, all photos by © Sonja Irani | filmfantravel.com

Facebook Twitter Google+ LinkedIn Pinterest
2 Comments
  1. Allee
    10th November 2018 at 8:22 am Reply

    I really appreciate this post! I’ve not been to Russia yet but would love to one day.

    1. Sonja
      17th November 2018 at 7:49 pm Reply

      Hi Allee! St. Petersburg was a great introduction to Russia! I loved the fact that there was so much culture and history and it was a really budget-friendly destination, too! I would recommend to go on a guided group tour so you don't have to worry about the (complicated) Russian visa process. I hope, you can go on day! I'm sure you will like it! 🙂

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Sonja

Sonja

I am an ex London expat now living back in Germany. Having worked part-time in a cinema since my school days, the cinema (or in 2020 rather Netflix & co) is my second home. If you don't find me there, I am probably travelling the world in order to trace my favourite film locations and film settings. On filmfantravel.com, I combine these two passions by sharing my best tips about film-inspired travel. Join the journey on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @filmfantravel!

You may also like...
12 Film-Inspired Travel Ideas for 2017
Sonja
AMSTERDAM

12 Film-Inspired Travel Ideas for 2017

January 28th, 2017
My 2018 in Review: 18 Travel Ideas for your next Film-Inspired Trip
Sonja
CZECH REPUBLIC

My 2018 in Review: 18 Travel Ideas for your next Film-Inspired Trip

January 10th, 2019
Join the journey!
Facebooktwitterlinkedininstagram
About Me

Hi! I'm Sonja from Bremen, Germany. I'm a full-time English to German Marketing Translator, Linguistic Reviewer and Tour Guide on a part-time mission to discover the world through movies and series.

Read more about in ABOUT.

Current Location: Bremen, Germany
Newsletter

Become a film fan on Facebook!
Facebook
Join the journey on Instagram!

filmfantravel

#MarketingTranslator #Author #TourGuide
👩🏻‍💻 MA in Tourism Destination Development 
📍Bremen, Germany 
🎬 🌎 Blogging about #filminspiredtravel at:

Sonja | Film & Travel Writer


Christmas is almost over and although many things 
Christmas is almost over and although many things have been different this year, some things never change... Such as our favourite Christmas movies that we can watch over and over again... and that make us dream about future travel destinations! 😉 💭 

One of my favourite Christmas series to look forward to this year was the second season of the Norwegian romcom series “Home for Christmas” (OT: Hjem til jul) with @idaelisebroch_official and @felixsandman! The series was released on Netflix on 18 December 2020. 

When I was working as a tour guide in Norway this summer, I was lucky enough to pass by Røros - the UNESCO world heritage town that served as the setting and main film location for the series! 

Read more about the series and its film location Røros on my blog FilmFanTravel.com(link in my bio above)! 

Which Christmas movie has inspired your upcoming travels? 

Photo 1: Scene from “Home for Christmas” (2019-) filmed in Røros, Norway. © Netflix. Photo 2: Me at the same street in Røros, Norway in August 2020. © Sonja Irani / FilmFanTravel.com

#destinationroros #destinasjonrøros  #netflix #netflixshows #norway #roros #homeforchristmasnetflix #hjemtiljul #dreamchasersnorway #traveleurope #filminspiredtravel #filmlocation #filmlocations #movielocations #lovescandinavia #norway #visitnorway #bestofscandinavia #dreamynorway #norwaytravel #norwaytrip #onlyinnorway #rorørosregionen #godjul @visitnorway

Just like American Marketing Manager Emily in the 
Just like American Marketing Manager Emily in the new Netflix series “Emily in Paris”, I followed almost every fashion trend back in 2007. 😂🤷🏻‍♀️Here I am in front of the Eiffel Tower wearing a massive “link chain necklace”. Hey, it was fashionable at the time, okay? InStyle magazine said so! 😂🙈

Writing my newest film review about the American girl who makes the big move to Paris (link currently in bio), I realised that it has been exactly 10 years since my last visit to the city of love in 2010. So I really would like to go back in 2021.

Who else was inspired to put Paris on their post-pandemic travel list by watching “Emily in Paris”?

Photo 1: Scene from “Emily in Paris” (2020-). © Netflix. Photo 2: © Sonja Irani / FilmFanTravel.com

#emilyinparis #netflix #netflixshows #paris #france #citytrip #traveleurope #filminspiredtravel #filmlocation #filmlocations #movielocations #lilycollins #thisisparis #visitparis #ig_paris #parisianlife #hello_france #parisjetaime #parislife #exploreparis

Blarney Castle near Cork, Ireland in full autumn b
Blarney Castle near Cork, Ireland in full autumn bloom back in October 2016.

The castle’s unique attraction is to kiss the famous Blarney stone on top of the castle. What’s more... you apparently get the gift of eloquence afterwards. The catch: You have to lean over backwards - head first - to reach it! Apart from that, kissing a stone that millions others have kissed before is not exactly in line with the current Covid hygiene rules... 😂

As far as I know Blarney Castle itself has not yet been used as a filming location, but the website states that it’s open for bookings for TV and movie crews. Maybe something to look forward to in the year 1 or 2 AC (After Corona). 😂🙈 Let’s hope so because with Ireland being the main film location of major TV and movie productions such as “Game of Thrones”, “Star Wars” and “Vikings”, there is much to discover for film fans! 🤗
-
#blarneycastleandgardens #autumn #autumnleaves #filminspiredtravel #ireland #loveireland #irelandtravel #discoverireland #map_of_europe #visitireland #instaireland #irland #irish_daily #daily_ireland #images_ireland  #castle #castlesineurope #castlesinfall #colorsinfall #castlesofireland #autumncolours

21st of April 2017: Today thee years ago, I landed
21st of April 2017: Today thee years ago, I landed in Iceland and traced the film locations of “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty“ (2013), “Vikings“ (2013-) and co. Here I boarded a puffin bird watching boat tour from Iceland’s capital Reykjavik. An experience just like the ones you can see in the bird watching comedy “The Big Year” (2011). To read more about that tour, check out my current website link above. 
Who has been to Iceland so far? And who has got Iceland on their bucket list for future travel?

#DreamNowVisitLater #OnlyInIceland #Iceland #IcelandTravel #VisitIceland #FilmInspiredTravel #TravelBucketList #TravelEurope #GuidetoIceland #TravelTuesday #TravelFromHome #InspiredByIceland #DreamNowTravelLater #TourismTuesday #Puffin #Puffins #PuffinIceland #PuffinWatching


Load More…


Follow on Instagram


Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • IMPRINT
  • PRIVACY POLICY
© Sonja Irani 2021. All rights reserved.