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Set-Jetting Travel: Visit Iconic Filming Locations in Style
Words by Julie Hunter
June 29, 2026
Whether it’s the Ghostbusters firehouse in New York City or the Spaghetti Western deserts of Southern Spain, set-jetting allows travellers to feel part of their favourite film or TV show by stepping directly into the location.
We dive into this popular travel trend to see how it’s shaping luxury travel and explore the best filming locations to visit for a taste of movie magic.
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What is set-jetting?
‘Set-jetting’ is the term used to describe the travel trend of visiting destinations featured in films, TV shows or streaming series. Also called film tourism, it’s driven by the desire to experience places seen on screen.
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How set-jetting is shaping modern luxury travel
Set-jetting has become a significant part of modern luxury travel, whether it’s taking an entire holiday dedicated to film sightseeing, or simply a smaller moment within a broader journey.
The rise of streaming platforms like Netflix and Apple TV has introduced once niche or lesser-known locations to global audiences, creating what many now call the ‘Netflix effect’. Destinations featured in shows like Emily in Paris and The White Lotus often experience a surge in interest from travellers eager to step into the worlds they have watched unfold on screen.
For luxury travellers in particular, this trend goes beyond sightseeing. Audiences often form emotional connections with a destination before they even arrive, associating it with a mood, lifestyle or aspirational experience portrayed on screen. They want to experience the history, culture, cuisine and natives of an area associated with a movie, as much as snap a photo at the filming location.
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Experience iconic set-jetting destinations
From the arid plains of New Mexico to the vine-covered valleys of Tuscany, every great story starts with a memorable setting. Here are our favourites.
Monaco and the French Riviera: Bond, Formula 1 and more
For authentic glamour, look no further than Monaco and the French Riviera. Not only is this sparkling region home to the iconic Monaco Grand Prix – and therefore regularly featured in Formula 1: Drive to Survive – but its wealth and landscapes make for a glitzy movie backdrop.
Elsewhere, the new season of The White Lotus was filmed in St. Tropez, featuring Château de la Messardière as its luxury hotel setting. James Bond is also an admirer of the region, with Casino Royale and GoldenEye both featuring the legendary Casino de Monte-Carlo.
The dramatic Swiss Alps and theatrical mountain passes go hand-in-hand. The Furka Pass is a true bucket-list destination and hosted one of cinema’s most iconic alpine car chases in Goldfinger, where James Bond raced his legendary Aston Martin DB5 against a Ford Mustang.
A few hours south, the Grand Saint Bernard Pass featured in the opening scenes of The Italian Job (1969), as a bright orange Lamborghini Miura cruised through this historic slice of the Swiss Alps.
Northern Italy and Tuscany: where culture becomes cinema
Any film shot in Tuscany is guaranteed to look incredible, including classics like Under the Tuscan Sun and Life is Beautiful. In Gladiator, the wheat-filled hills of the heavenly Val d’Orcia represented the Elysian Fields, and remain a popular set-jetting location today. Nearby, Florence provided the setting for the opening to the 2016 thriller, Inferno.
Other regions in Northern Italy offer equally scenic landscapes, such as Emilia-Romagna and the historic city of Modena, which was the backdrop for the 2023 blockbuster, Ferrari. Over in Lombardy, a frantic road chase unfolded alongside Lake Garda in Quantum of Solace.
England has a rich history of film tourism locations. One that embodies British country life and upper-class history is Highclere Castle, the grand country estate better known as Downton Abbey.
Meanwhile, parts of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) were filmed at the famous Goodwood Estate, whose historic motor circuit and stately grounds have long made it feel like a real-world film set.
New Mexico: stark, beautiful landscapes from modern TV classics
The US state of New Mexico is synonymous with epic filmmaking, from classics like The Man Who Fell to Earth and Superman to modern blockbusters, such as 3:10 to Yuma and Oppenheimer.
Arguably the greatest television series of all time, Breaking Bad, and its spin-off, Better Call Saul, were both filmed in and around Albuquerque, New Mexico’s largest city.
California wine country: a lifestyle that’s world-famous
For movies centred around wine and American adventures, head to California wine country. In the acclaimed Sideways, two middle-aged friends embark on a soul-searching trip through the vineyards of Santa Barbara County.
A few years later, Napa Valley took centre stage in 2008’s Bottle Shock, which tells the underdog tale of California’s breakthrough on the global wine scene.
Utah and the American West: evocative, epic, enduring
Set-jetting in Utah and the wider American West lets you step straight into cinema history, from the sunbaked highways of Monument Valley in Forrest Gump to the rugged Zion National Park landscapes of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
Elsewhere, parts of the dramatic Arches National Park near Moab were used in the opening scenes of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and the futuristic frontier of Westworld.
Here are a few tips to help you squeeze every last drop of enjoyment from set-jetting:
Quality over quantity
To experience film tourism at its best, avoid trying to tick off as many filming locations as possible, which can become rushed and diluted. Instead, focus on a handful of the most important locations and explore at a slower pace.
Timing is crucial
For the most pleasant experience, wait until filming and release hype subsides. While iconic filming locations will always attract fellow set jetters, nothing ruins a visit to an iconic location more than hundreds of people with selfie sticks.
Drive to your destination
For the most immersive set-jetting experience, we recommend driving routes over static sightseeing. Many iconic scenes were shot across wide landscapes, so travelling between locations is as much a part of the cinematic experience as the destinations.
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See the world in a new light as part of a HunterMoss tour
Whether it’s tracing 007’s tyre tracks on the Furka Pass or cruising through the vineyards seen in Sideways, we often weave in iconic movie and TV show locations as part of our curated driving tours across Europe and the United States.
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