A movie lover’s travel guide for 2025
Already planning your getaways for the year? Hop aboard the set-jetting trend and let Hollywood be your personal travel agent
01/01/2025
Amid the bright lights of Tinseltown, the annual awards season is already heating up. But as Palme d’Or winner Anora, musical hit Wicked and this year’s other contenders jostle for a place on the podium, we suggest taking the opportunity to plan your own cinema-inspired adventure. From the African savannah to Europe’s hottest racing circuits, here are a selection of topical destinations that could give you a chance at snapping, if not winning, a best picture award of your own.
The webmaster does his sticky thing in Spider-Man: Homecoming
New York
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
After a deliberate lull last year, Marvel’s superhero machine is back firing on all cylinders in 2025. As well as Thunderbolts* and Captain America: Brave New World, Marvel’s first family will take centre stage in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which whisks us back to 1960s New York. Celebrate the occasion with a trip to iconic MCU locations such as 177a Bleecker Street (Doctor Strange), Central Park (The Avengers) and the Staten Island Ferry (Spider-Man: Homecoming). Or embrace the ’60s spirit and take a trip to Flushing Meadows, site of the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Reed Richards would approve.
Lily-Rose Depp and Emma Corrin take a gentle stroll in Nosferatu (Aidan Monaghan/Focus Features)
Romania
Nosferatu
FW Murnau’s Expressionist vampire classic Nosferatu may be more than 100 years old (much like its undead protagonist), but Robert Eggers’ 2025 remake breathes new life into the story. In solidarity with Count Orlok (Willem Dafoe), head out to traditional vampire country in Transylvania. You, like Nicholas Hoult’s ill-fated solicitor, Thomas Hutter, can take a fateful trip to the vampire count’s ancestral home, even spending the night in one of the region’s many Gothic castles for the most authentic experience. Just be sure to lock your door at night...
President Erika Sloane (Angela Bassett) takes an important call in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Paramount Pictures/Entertainment Pictures/ZUMAPRESS)
Malta
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Tom Cruise’s continent-hopping action extravaganza reaches its climax this year with the eighth and possibly final instalment, and shooting has taken the production from the Lake District to Norway, South Africa to Malta. Malta is fast becoming a go-to destination for Hollywood, so even if you don’t fancy recreating one of Cruise’s extreme stunts (fair), then you can always take a trip to Fort Ricasoli to relive your Gladiator II or Napoleon fantasies, or race through the streets of Valetta à la Jurassic World Dominion. Also, don’t miss a visit to the Basilica of St Dominic, whose rooftop Cal Lynch and Moussa leap across in Assassin’s Creed.
Vivian Ward (Julia Roberts) goes on a shopping spree in in Beverly Hills
Los Angeles
Pretty Woman
One of the most iconic romantic movies of all time, Pretty Woman celebrates its 35th anniversary this year. The film that made a household name of Julia Roberts also showcased the entire spectrum of what greater Los Angeles has to offer – from the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard to the luxurious trappings of Beverly Hills. So, head up to 90210 and spend a few nights at the Beverly Wiltshire – perhaps the presidential suite? Make reservations at Wolfgang Puck’s CUT, and even take in a performance of Verdi’s La Traviata. And if you even think of skipping a shopping spree on Rodeo Drive, that would be a big mistake. Huge.
Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) is in the driver’s seat in F1
Hungary, Italy, Holland, Japan and Mexico
F1
Netflix’s Formula One: Drive to Survive has led to a swell in motorsports fandom, and summer blockbuster F1 is set to capitalise on that interest with a film that sees Brad Pitt’s veteran driver come out of retirement to mentor a rookie up-and-comer. Shooting across the entire spectrum of iconic racetracks, the film features the Hungaroring in Hungary, Italy’s Monza Circuit near Milan, Circuit Zandvoort in the Netherlands, Suzuka International Racing Course in Japan, Mexico’s Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez and many more. For the set-jetters among you, this is a prime excuse to take in a handful of the world’s most iconic locations, while also being the perfect petrolhead pilgrimage.
Oxen pull a wagon in Out of Africa
Kenya
Out of Africa
Few films are as known for breathtaking locations as Sydney Pollack’s 1985 classic Out of Africa, which turns 40 this year. Follow in the footsteps of Meryl Streep and Robert Redford and take in Kenya’s stunning natural beauty, from the Great Rift Valley to the Maasai Mara. And if you want to pull out a picnic blanket and recreate that iconic poster shot, look no further than Meru National Park. You can even visit the house of the real Karen Blixen (upon whose autobiography the film is based), which has been converted into a museum at the foot of the Ngong Hills and is stocked with numerous props from the film.
Wes Anderson with some of his imaginary friends
London
Wes Anderson: The Exhibition
If you’re looking for a cinematic excuse to visit The Big Smoke this year, then the symmetrically-framed pastel hues of Wes Anderson might be enough to lure you to Britain’s bustling capital. Situated at The Design Museum in Kensington, this delightfully quirky exhibition – which opens in November – looks back at the auteur’s whimsy-imbued oeuvre with a combination of sets, costumes and props, many taken from Anderson’s personal collection.
