A Cinematic Summer in Europe
By Viv Smith (SetJetters CMO & CoFounder)
The European summer vacation has long been the goal - or envy - of vacationers around the world. From college students breaking free from the American homeland for the first time, to Australians escaping their winter, or the Europeans themselves exchanging their city apartments for coastal towns.
The images of blue waters, white floppy hats, and locals smoking a cigarette on a terrasse are so familiar that even if you haven’t been to Europe in summer, it’s as if you’ve somehow already been there.
Perhaps this is because the most effective marketing campaign for a European summer has been movies. There’s the song filled Swiss alps of Sound of Music, the quirky Parisian streets of Amélie, those clear blue Greek waters of Mamma Mia!, the Italian villas from Under The Tuscan Sun and those lazy pool days (and delicious fruit!) that we can’t stop thinking about from Call Me By Your Name; the list is endless and probably dates back to the aptly named Roman Holiday in 1954 (email me if there’s an earlier film set in European summer!)
So, I found myself in Europe this August and I was curious to see what happens if I pursue this cinematic travel inspiration.
Seville, Spain
I started in Seville, opened the SetJetters app, and discovered a movie to please me and my Dad! Game of Thrones scenes in the Alcazar of Seville and Lawrence of Arabia and Star Wars scenes in the Plaza de España.
Simply following the SetJetters map to these scenes brought me to two incredible buildings. The Alcazar of Seville has a history to rival that of Game of Thrones. Built by the Christians for their King Peter of Castile on the site of an Abbadid Muslim fortress in 1248, the building retains its Islamic architectural motifs with intricate tiled designs and domed ceilings while also incorporating Christian decorations and design elements. It has lush, beautiful gardens that are a delight to walk around (bring a little picnic) and it’s here where you’ll snap some satisfying Game of Thrones ShotSyncs.
The Plaza de España was built much later in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exhibition and is a landmark example of Regionalism Architecture. Unlike the Alcazar, it’s free to walk around the plaza and there are several easy to get ShotSyncs from Star Wars and Lawrence of Arabia.
Paris, France
Paris is overwhelming to the first time visitor (even to someone who lived there and speaks the language!). The queues to the Louvre are long and hot. The restaurants near the tourist attractions are sadly not the best samples of French cuisine, but will charge you as if they are. And there’s just so much history, art, and culture packed into its numerous museums and galleries that it’s hard to know where to start.
So, if you’re a movie buff, the SetJetters app gives you a place to start - and takes you off the beaten path for a reprieve from the tourists!
The scenes I visited lead me to the Place Collette named after the French author Gabrielle Collete (there’s an English film about her that’s worth a watch). From here you can walk to the Louvre and although that’s a must see, the Wonder Woman scene shows you a quieter side of the famous pyramids. From there you can follow the Mission Impossible trail past The Comédie-Française - the oldest active theater company in the world (founded in 1680) and arrive in the Palais-Royal for some much needed shade! Here you’ll find the famed Le Grand Véfour restaurant where Napoleon courted Joséphine.
Berlin, Germany
Berlin in the summer is wonderful and the Germans are the masters of daytime partying! There are riverside markets, cafés, hang out spots and nightclubs that are open 24/7 with outdoor gardens, koi ponds, and tea huts!
The scenes I was most interested in here were those from Atomic Blonde. I started in the well-known Alexander Platz - a transport hub and shopping center, and walked 10 minutes down Karl-Marx Allee to the Cafe Moskau and the Kino International Cinema.
These two buildings are fascinating, living relics from former East Germany. Built by the same architect in the 1960s, the Café was a symbol of Soviet solidarity with Moscow, and the cinema was the showcase of East German movies, now the home of the Berlinale.
Komiža, Croatia
Once you’ve finished with the museums, the galleries and the busy streets of Europe’s large cities, a Dalmation island is just what you need to relax! I visited Komiža (on the western side of the island of Vis) for a music festival, part of the appeal being its remote location on an island in the Adriatic sea. It took a flight, a bus, a ferry and another bus to get here, so I was totally surprised when the SetJetters app popped up red pins all over the island!
Vis served as the Greek Island home of Donna in Mamma Mia 2. There are some scenes in the town of Vis when you first get off the ferry from Split but the ones that I wanted to see required hiking boots - or a boat would have been quicker but that’s a choice your wallet makes!
The hike from Komiža takes about an hour and half (if you’re stopping to take photos) and has you walking through idyllic olive gardens with views of stunning coastline and bright blue, clear water. You arrive at a small bay and the scenes will take you out onto the concrete pier (they built a wood extension for the movie) and up onto the old road for more great views!
Want to discover more European Movie Locations?!
Check out this blog from TravelHerStory for another 55 recommended scenes, and of course zoom around Europe on the SetJetters app and explore the red pins!
We’re curious to know where our SetJetters went this summer, drop us a line on Instagram (@setjetters) or post your summer ShotSyncs on the SetJetters app. Let us know if we’ve missed your favorite European movie scene and we’ll get it in the app!
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Download for free on Android or Apple stores, and we look forward to seeing your photos from your favorite movie locations.
