57 Movies Set in Europe to Watch Before You Travel
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There are countless movies filmed in Europe, but this list encapsulates wanderlust for the countries across the pond. Movies set in Europe that paint a picture of the cities and towns across a magnificent continent. Films that make you want to buy a plane ticket and fly across the Atlantic! Alright, I’ll stop yabbering on about movies set in European cities!
I leave for Europe in two short weeks, so I hope this list inspires you as much as it does me! I’ve pulled these film descriptions from IMDB.
A note: I could have added some beloved films like Mary Poppins; however, it was filmed on a sound stage in Los Angeles. I stuck to movies filmed in Europe instead of replicated elsewhere. I also only listed movies that had characters traveling in Europe. Else I’d be listing every movie made it Europe!
Movies Set in Austria
Austria, a German-speaking country located in Central Europe, is characterized by mountain villages, baroque architecture, Imperial Hofburg history, and Alpine terrain. Having now been to Vienna, its Danube River capital, which plays host to several beautiful palaces and Salzburg, home to Mozart and fantastic views of the Alps, I can say yes, the hills are really alive with music! It is an excellent place to film movies that take place in Europe!
The Sound of Music (1965)
A woman leaves an Austrian convent to become a governess to the children of a Naval officer widower.
Head to Salzburg, and there are tours built around the Sound of Music, featuring filming locations such as Hellbrunn Palace! It’s been one of my favorite movies set in Europe since childhood.
Rated: G
Forever My Love (1962)
The romantic “Sissi” trilogy condensed into one film. Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria falls in love with young princess Elisabeth.
Since my visit to the Sisi Museum in Vienna, Austria, I’ve been a bit obsessed with Sisi, aka the Empress Elisabeth of Austria.
Rated: PG
Before Sunrise (1995) + Its Sequels
A French grad student named Celine (Julie Delpy) meets an American boy named Jesse (Ethan Hawke) on the Budapest-Vienna train. They get off the train in Vienna and hang out for a while.
Rated: R
Movies Set in Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a Western European country. Bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and France. Though I haven’t been there, I look forward to it one day!
In Bruges (2008)
Guilt-stricken after a job gone wrong, hitman Ray and his partner await orders from their ruthless boss in Bruges, Belgium, the last place in the world Ray wants to be.
Rated: R
Movies Set in the Czech Republic
Another place I’ve yet to travel to! Though if you can guarantee one Matthew Goode, I’m sure I can find a plane ticket in the next two minutes! The Czech Republic includes the historical territories of Bohemia, Moravia, and Czech Silesia.
Chasing Liberty (2004)
Anna wants to be like other eighteen-year-old girls her age. But she’s the President of the United States’s daughter and always guarded. In Prague, he breaks a promise to her, which leads her to run away with a stranger to see Europe.
If you haven’t already guessed, Chasing Liberty is a favorite of mine. It’s a must on my list not only because I’m nostalgic for it but also because it covers several beautiful locations and is a classic European road trip movie!
Rated: PG-13
Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019)
Following the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man must step up to take on new threats in a world that has changed forever.
Filming also occurred in England, Italy, and New York.
Rated: PG-13
Last Holiday (2006)
Upon learning of a terminal illness, a shy woman decides to sell off all her possessions and live it up at a posh European hotel.
Rated: PG-13
Movies Set in Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country consisting of the Jutland Peninsula and numerous islands. Copenhagen, the capital, is home to royal palaces and the colorful Nyhavn harbor. It is also home to the Tivoli amusement park, which inspired Walt Disney, and the iconic “Little Mermaid” statue. The writer Hans Christian Andersen’s hometown is also in Denmark. Denmark is another one to add to the bucket list, as it’s a fantastic place for movies in Europe!
Copenhagen (2014)
While trying to track down his grandfather in Denmark, a surly Canadian strikes up a friendship with a teenage waitress who agrees to serve as his translator and guide.
Rated: Not Rated
Movies Set in England
England, the birthplace of Shakespeare and Stonehenge, is a country in the British Isles bordering Scotland and Wales. The capital, London, is the home of Parliament, Big Ben, and the 11th-century Tower of London. It features other large cities such as Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, and Bristol, as well as the university centers of Oxford and Cambridge.
The Parent Trap (1998)
Identical twins Annie and Hallie, separated at birth and each raised by one of their biological parents, later discover each other for the first time at summer camp and make a plan to bring their wayward parents back together.
While this occurs in the USA and England, it’s a great travel movie!
Rated: PG
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001 + the sequels, but I won’t count those)
An orphaned boy enrolls in a school of wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family, and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world.
Rated: PG
Notting Hill (1999)
The life of a simple bookshop owner changes when he meets the most famous film star in the world.
Oh, you’re wonderful, Julia Roberts, in every film I see you in! You can also visit the little shop seen in this film on a trip to London.
Rated: PG-13
Pride & Prejudice (2005)
Sparks fly when spirited Elizabeth Bennet meets single, rich, and proud Mr. Darcy. But Mr. Darcy reluctantly finds himself falling in love with a woman beneath his class. Can each overcome his or her own pride and prejudice?
How can I not add at least one Jane Austen to my list of movies that take place in Europe list?
Rated: PG
The Holiday (2006)
Two women troubled with guy-problems swap homes in each other’s countries, where they each meet a local guy and fall in love.
Rated: PG-13
Paddington (2014)
A young Peruvian bear travels to London in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone at Paddington Station, he meets the kindly Brown family, who offer him a temporary haven.
Rated: PG
Paddington 2 (2017)
Paddington (Ben Whishaw), now happily settled with the Brown family and a popular member of the local community, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy’s (Imelda Staunton’s) 100th birthday, only for the gift to be stolen.
Rated: PG
National Lampoon’s European Vacation (1985)
The Griswolds win a vacation tour across Europe, where the usual havoc ensues.
Rated: PG-13
If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969)
A tour guide is taking a busload of American tourists across Europe. The group of travelers includes a World War II veteran, a wife, and her cynical husband, young lovers, an Italian-American meeting his relatives for the first time, and Samantha Perkins, the beautiful but old-fashioned department store buyer traveling on her own. (The film also covers Belgium, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands)
Rated: G
Best Movies Set in France
There is a LOAD of movies set in France! With its medieval cities, alpine villages, and Mediterranean beaches, what’s not to love? Paris, its capital, houses art museums, including the Louvre, monuments like the Eiffel Tower, and royal palaces like Versailles. Renowned for its wines, Parisian cuisine, and chateaus alike!
Monte Carlo (2011)
Three young women vacationing in Paris find themselves whisked away to Monte Carlo after one of the girls is mistaken for a British heiress.
Monte Carlo is one of my guilty pleasure movies. It reminds me of all the slightly cheesy Mary Kate and Ashley adventure movies I used to watch growing up, but this time, it stars Selena Gomez and Leighton Meester. Making it a European road trip movie you need to watch ASAP!
Rated: PG
Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998)
The Brothers Grimm arrive at the home of a wealthy Grande Dame who speaks of the many legends surrounding the fable of the cinder girl before telling the “true” story of her ancestor.
Rated: PG-13
Chocolat (2000)
A woman and her daughter open a chocolate shop in a small French village that shakes up the rigid morality of the community.
Rated: PG-13
Funny Face (1957)
An impromptu fashion shoot at a book store brings about a new fashion model discovery in the shop clerk.
Rated: Not Rated
A Good Year (2006)
A British investment broker inherits his uncle’s chateau and vineyard in Provence, where he spent much of his childhood. He discovers a new laid-back lifestyle as he tries to renovate the estate to be sold.
Rated: PG-13
Julie & Julia (2009)
Julia Child’s story of her start in the cooking profession is intertwined with blogger Julie Powell’s 2002 challenge to cook all the recipes in Child’s first book.
Rated: PG-13
Ratatouille (2007)
A rat who can cook makes an unusual alliance with a young kitchen worker at a famous restaurant.
Though an animation, it’s a lovely and family-friendly movie set in Europe!
Rated: G
The Da Vinci Code (2006)
A murder inside the Louvre, and clues in Da Vinci paintings, lead to the discovery of a religious mystery protected by a secret society for two thousand years, which could shake the foundations of Christianity.
The Da Vinci Code movie is one I can watch again and again, and I still love its fast-paced thriller narrative!
Rated: PG-13
French Kiss (1995)
A woman flies to France to confront her straying fiancé but gets into trouble when the charming crook seated next to her uses her for smuggling.
Rated: PG-13
Midnight in Paris (2011)
While on a trip to Paris with his fiancée’s family, a nostalgic screenwriter finds himself mysteriously going back to the 1920s every day at midnight.
It’s so steeped in classic Parisian life that it’s one of the best movies set in France, in my opinion!
Rated: PG-13
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
Two con men try to settle their rivalry by betting on who can swindle a young American heiress out of fifty thousand dollars first.
I didn’t know about this film until recently, and it has become one of my favorite movies set in Europe! They recently had a remake of it called The Hustle, but I wasn’t much of a fan, so make sure to watch the original.
Rated: PG
Movies Set in Germany
Germany is a Western European country with a landscape of forests, rivers, mountain ranges, and North Sea beaches. Berlin, its capital, is home to art and nightlife, the Brandenburg Gate, and many WWII-related sites. Munich is known for its Oktoberfest and beer halls, including the 16th-century Hofbräuhaus. Frankfurt, with its skyscrapers, houses the European Central Bank.
The Monuments Men (2014)
An unlikely World War II platoon is tasked to rescue art masterpieces from German thieves and return them to their owners.
Some scenes, including flights and American war base footage, were filmed at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, England, as well as in Kent and East Sussex.
Rated: PG-13
Movies Set in Greece
Greece is a country composed of thousands of islands throughout the Aegean and Ionian seas. Influential in ancient times, it is often called the cradle of Western civilization. Its capital, Athens, retains incredible landmarks like the Acropolis Citadel and the Parthenon Temple. Picturesque beaches, such as the black sands of Santorini, offer colorful places to relax to visitors.
My Life in Ruins (2009)
A travel guide rediscovers her romantic side on a trip around Greece.
The film is set on location in Greece and Alicante, Spain, including Guadalest and Javea. This was the first time that an American film studio was allowed to film on location at the Acropolis in Athens.
Rated: PG-13
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005)
Four best girlfriends hatch a plan to stay connected with one another as their lives start off in different directions: they pass around a pair of secondhand jeans that fits each of their bodies perfectly.
Rated: PG
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008)
Following freshman year at college, best friends find it increasingly difficult to stay in touch. As their lives take different paths, it may take more than a shared pair of well-worn blue jeans to keep their bonds from completely unraveling.
The Greek portions of the movie were shot on the island of Santorini.
Rated: PG-13
I love both of these films so much. They are some of the best movies set in Greece, and they are the perfect coming-of-age stories for girls and young women!
Mamma Mia! (2008)
The story of a bride-to-be trying to find her birth father told using hit songs by the popular 1970s group ABBA.
Rated: PG-13
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018)
Five years after the events of Mamma Mia! Sophie prepares for the grand reopening of the Hotel Bella Donna as she learns more about her mother’s past.
Mamma Mia! and its sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again are two of my favorite movies set in Greece!
Rated: PG-13
Movies Set in Ireland
Ireland, an island in the North Atlantic, is the second-largest island of the British Isles, the third-largest in Europe, and the twentieth-largest on Earth. While it may not be as big as some of the other countries on this list, it is no less important. It is full of lush green fields and awe-inspiring sights such as the Cliffs of Mohr. Grab a Guinness and tour some castles! You’ll be hard-pressed not to love the Emerald Isle and these movies set in Ireland!
Leap Year (2010)
Anna Brady plans to travel to Dublin, Ireland to propose marriage to her boyfriend Jeremy on Leap Day, because, according to Irish tradition, a man who receives a marriage proposal on a leap day must accept it.
Matthew Goode AGAIN!?!? Clearly, there’s a correlation here on my movies set in European cities list! The Cliffs of Moher was used as a filming location in this film as well as in Irish Wish, Harry Potter, The Princess Bride, and many others.
Rated: PG
P.S. I Love You (2007)
A young widow discovers that her late husband has left her ten messages intended to help ease her pain and start a new life.
Rated: PG-13
Irish Wish (2024)
When the love of Maddie’s life gets engaged to her best friend, she puts her feelings aside to be a bridesmaid at their wedding in Ireland.
Available on Netflix
Rated: TV-G
Best Movies Set in Italy
Italy, located along the Mediterranean coastline, has been the seat of incredible empires. Its capital, Rome, is home to the Vatican and landmark art and ancient ruins like the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. Other major cities include Florence, Venice, the city of canals, and Milan, Italy’s fashion capital. It’s hard not to see why there are so many movies set in Italy!
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
When Dr. Henry Jones Sr. suddenly goes missing while pursuing the Holy Grail, eminent archaeologist Indiana Jones must follow in his father’s footsteps and stop the Nazis.
Rated: PG-13
Eat Pray Love (2010)
A married woman realizes how unhappy her marriage really is, and that her life needs to go in a different direction. After a painful divorce, she takes off on a round-the-world journey to “find herself.”
It is the quintessential movie set in Europe and inspired me to visit the very place Julia Roberts takes a bite of that slice in Naples!
Rated: PG-13
Letters to Juliet (2010)
Sophie dreams of becoming a writer and travels to Verona, Italy where she meets the “Secretaries of Juliet.”
I’ve dreamed of traveling to Verona, and if you have to, check out these amazing things to do in Verona, Italy.
Rated: PG
The Italian Job (2003)
After being betrayed and left for dead in Italy, Charlie Croker and his team plan an elaborate gold heist against their former ally.
Rated: PG-13
When in Rome (2010)
Beth is a young, ambitious New Yorker who is completely unlucky in love. However, on a whirlwind trip to Rome, she impulsively steals some coins from a reputed fountain of love and is then aggressively pursued by a band of suitors.
Rated: PG-13
Ocean’s Twelve (2004)
Daniel Ocean recruits one more team member so he can pull off three major European heists in this sequel to Ocean’s Eleven (2001).
The film was also shot in the United States, The Netherlands, France, Monaco, and Sicily.
Rated: PG-13
Gladiator (2000)
A former Roman General sets out to exact vengeance against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family and sent him into slavery.
Unfortunely, a trip to the Colosseum does not include Russell Crowe.
Rated: R
Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
A writer impulsively buys a villa in Tuscany in order to change her life.
After having visited Tuscany myself, I can certainly see the appeal!
Rated: PG-13
The Tourist (2010)
Frank, an American tourist visiting Italy to mend a broken heart. Elise is an extraordinary woman who deliberately crosses his path.
Rated: PG-13
To Rome with Love (2012)
The lives of some visitors and residents of Rome and the romances, adventures, and predicaments they get into.
Rated: R
Summertime (1955)
A lonely American woman unexpectedly finds romance in Venice, Italy.
I haven’t heard many people mention this film so I highly recommend it on this movies set in European cities list!
Rated: Not Rated
Roman Holiday (1953)
A bored and sheltered princess escapes her guardians and falls in love with an American newsman in Rome. A classic when it comes to movies set in Europe.
It’s one of my favorite classic movies set in Europe! And clearly another theme here with Audrey Hepburn.
Rated: Not Rated
Angels and Demons (2009)
Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon works with a nuclear physicist to solve a murder and prevent a terrorist act against the Vatican during one of the significant events within the church.
Rated: PG-13
Inferno (2016)
When Robert Langdon wakes up in an Italian hospital with amnesia, he teams up with Dr. Sienna Brooks and they race across Europe together against the clock to foil a deadly global plot.
Rated: PG-13
Murder Mystery (2019)
A New York cop and his wife go on a European vacation to reinvigorate the spark in their marriage, but end up getting framed and on the run for the death of an elderly billionaire.
Available on Netflix
Rated: PG-13
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
In late 1950s New York, Tom Ripley, a young underachiever, is sent to Italy to retrieve a rich and spoiled millionaire playboy, named Dickie Greenleaf.
It’s one of the creepier movies that take place in Europe!
Rated: R
Movies Set in the Netherlands
The Netherlands, a country in northwestern Europe, is known for its landscape of canals, tulip fields, windmills, and cycling routes. Amsterdam, the capital, is home to the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, and the house where Jewish diarist Anne Frank hid during WWII. Canalside mansions and a trove of works from artists including Rembrandt and Vermeer remain from the city’s 17th-century “Golden Age.”
The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)
Best friends Audrey and Morgan unwittingly become entangled in an international conspiracy when one of them discovers that the boyfriend who dumped her was actually a spy.
The Spy Who Dumped Me is one of my favorite girl’s trip movies! The pairing of Kate McKinnon and Mila Kunis was genius, as they have incredible friendship chemistry! It’s a must on my list of movies set in European cities!
The movie was also filmed in Budapest, Hungary.
Rated: R
Queen (2013)
A Delhi girl from a traditional family sets out on a solo honeymoon after her marriage gets canceled.
The film was also shot in Paris and Delhi. It’s one of my favorite movies about a woman traveling solo and thriving!
Available on Netflix
Rated: Not rated
Movies Set in Spain
Spain, a country on Europe’s Iberian Peninsula, is full of fantastic food and music. The capital city, Madrid, is home to the Royal Palace and museums, which house works by European masters. Catalonia’s capital, Barcelona, is defined by Antoni Gaudí’s whimsical modernist landmarks, such as Sagrada Família and Casa Batllo.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
Two girlfriends on a summer holiday in Spain become enamored with the same painter, unaware that his ex-wife, with whom he has a tempestuous relationship, is about to re-enter the picture.
It’s one of my favorites on this list of movies filmed in Europe!
Rated: PG-13
Knight and Day (2010)
A young woman gets mixed up with a disgraced spy who is trying to clear his name.
Filming was also done in the Spanish cities of Seville and Cadiz, the Austrian city of Salzburg, and the Jamaican town of Port Antonio.
Rated: PG-13
Final Thoughts on Movies Set in Europe
And that’s it! My list of 57 Movies set in Europe and movies filmed in Europe!
What’s your favorite Europe trip movie? Did I miss yours? Let me know in the comments below.
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Lovely list. One detail missing: “Under the Tuscan Sun” was set in Cortona and Positano, not France.
Oops! Good catch, updated!
no before trilogy?
That’s a good call out! I don’t tend to watch romance, so I didn’t even think up that one.