Viator Travel Blog

Sometimes you’ll find out that a story set in one place is actually filmed in another place entirely (or, worse yet, on a soundstage or studio with a green screen!) – but in some cases, the location is so important that it almost becomes a character in the story. Here are some of the best film and TV tours around the world that will let you get up close and personal with the destinations behind your favorite shows.

As we ride down Lower Wacker in downtown Chicago, Elwood from the Blues Brothers appears on the video screen, delivering his classic line, “Well this is definitely Lower Wacker Drive… If my estimations are correct, we should be very close to the honorable Richard J. Daley Plaza!”

Around 2 million Sound of Music fans from all over the world descend upon Salzburg every year to see the movie’s filming locations and soak up the classical music culture of the region. I was able to do so on The Original Sound of Music Tour in Salzburg, the same tour that Julie Andrews, the real Maria Trapp, actors from the film, and the real family members have gone on.

With a multitude of Hollywood superhero blockbusters in recent years, it’s safe to say that comics are no longer seen as nerdy. The Superhero Walking Tour of New York uses the scenery of the publishing capital of the world to show the progression of comics from paper to the silver screen – and shows a magnificent undertone of the capital that may otherwise be completely lost.

Located in Matamata on New Zealand’s North Island, Hobbiton is the film set used for The Shire in The Lord of the Rings trilogy as well as The Hobbit, of which the first part of premieres in Wellington this November.

This is just one of a few stops on the Waitomo Caves and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Hobbiton Movie Set Day Trip from Auckland, a tour that will help visitors understand why Peter Jackson chose New Zealand to film Lord of the Rings and why the country’s scenery is so renowned.

While Middle Earth may be a fictional combo of legend and lore, the actual setting for the Lord of the Rings couldn’t be more real. Shot on location in some of the most scenic corners of New Zealand, a swath of Lord of the Rings tours now allow fans to stand in the same location as the characters who once roamed these mythical peaks and pastures.

It’s every Harry Potter lover’s dream – to step into the Great Hall of Hogwarts, to climb aboard the Knight Bus, to see Professor Snape’s Potions classroom in real life.

And, at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – “The Making of Harry Potter,” these sorts of dreams become reality.

There are few better sources of inspiration than movies. The dramatic scenery, the complex character development, the range of raw emotions—all are elements of films which successfully make the viewer feel as if we’re there. When it comes to travel, movies give us the ability to soar across the world and experience foreign cultures without ever having to leave the comfort of our couch.

With this month’s release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, the eighth and final film in the beloved fantasy series, the world has Harry Potter fever for the very last time (tear…). What better way to show your spirit and soak up as much Potter as you can than on a Harry Potter-themed tour in England or Scotland? You’ll see filming sites, capture great photos and have plenty of time to brush up on your spell-casting vocabulary. Expecto patronum!

When we can’t head out on our own adventures, sometimes we have to settle for the next best thing: living vicariously through myriad programs designed to tap into our inherent wanderlust and desire to experience something outside of our own backyard.

There are plenty of shows on television (hello, Travel Channel) that give you insight into life and travels, but these are some of our favorites.