View across Charles Bridge to the Prague Castle ()

Plenty of films have been shot across Europe, but iconic castles are hard to miss. Here are some incredible castle filming locations that you can visit.

Schloss Waldenburg, Germany

Castle (Schloss) Waldenburg, in Saxony, has one of the moodiest, most authentic wood paneled interiors from medieval Europe. It has been used for numerous German period films and shows, but you may recognize it best for its use in “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” In the film, the dark hallways, staircases and parlors of Madame Desgoffe-und-Taxi’s (Tilda Swinton) Schloss Lutz were filmed in the interior of Castle Waldenburg. When young Gustave (Ralph Fiennes) and Zero (Tony Revlori) steal the painting, it is from above the fireplace in Waldenburg’s shadowy library.

Castle Waldenburg was built in the 1100s and has undergone numerous updates and remodeling since that time. The town and castle were ruled over by the Hohenlohe dynasty, who’s descendent, Prince Felix zu Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst, still owns the property. Inside the castle are museum spaces dedicated to its history. In addition, there are two restaurants on the grounds offering both café fare and fine dining. When not in use for events or film projects, the interior rooms of the castle can be toured with an informational app. You can also do a virtual tour on the website at www.schloss-waldenburg.de.

Schloss Waldenburg interior (Martin Geisler, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

Schloss Frohnburg, Austria

Situated on the southern outskirts of Salzburg, Castle Frohnburg shot to fame in the 1960s as the Von Trapp family villa in the movie, “The Sound of Music.” The bright yellow façade, gated entrance and scenic tree-line access road provided an elegant depiction of the family’s country estate in five scenes. When Maria (Julie Andrews) sings “I Have Confidence,” she makes her way along Frohnburg’s yellow wall before being awestruck at the iron gates and rushing across the entry courtyard.

Built in the late 1600s, Castle Frohnburg was used by counts and barons as one of the many country estates built just outside of Salzburg. After World War II, it was confiscated by the U.S. government, but later acquired by the Republic of Austria. Since then, it has been used by the Mozarteum University as the location of the Orff Institute for the study of elemental music & dance. It is not open to the public, but you can walk Maria’s path along Hellbrunner Allee to the gates at number 53.

Front of Schloss Frohnburg (Luckyprof, CC BY-SA 3.0 AT <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/at/deed.en>, via Wikimedia Commons)

Prague Castle, Czechia

The Prague Castle complex, or Pražský hrad, sits atop a steep hill and the many stairways on its western edge were used for multiple scenes in “Spider-Man: Far From Home” when Peter (Tom Holland) and his class visit Prague. Later in the film, Peter and MJ (Zendaya) share a charged moment on the beautiful stone Charles Bridge that connects the city’s old town section with the castle-side of the Vitava River. “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol” was also filmed at Prague Castle. In the film, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) sneak into the Kremlin and pass through a courtyard, two severely stark rooms and an ornate hall. In reality, these were all filmed inside the Prague Castle.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Prague Castle is the largest castle complex in the world. It was first built in 880 and became a seat of power for princes, kings and, later, Holy Roman Emperors. It is currently the official residence of the Czech president. A walled village grew below the castle, which is connected to the old town of Prague via the Charles Bridge. Like Peter and MJ, you can walk across the bridge and explore the Prague Castle grounds. There are also ticketed options, so you don’t need to sneak around like Ethan Hunt to enter the castle buildings and exhibitions.

View across Charles Bridge to the Prague Castle ()

Doune Castle, Scotland

This Scottish castle has been in many films and shows, but it was “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” that put it on the film industry map. Originally it was one of many castles slated for filming, but when the National Trust for Scotland revoked their permission for all but Doune, it became the filming location for nearly all the castle scenes in the movie. It was later used as Winterfell in the “Game of Thrones” pilot episode and Castle Leoch in the “Outlander” series.

Doune Castle is now maintained by Historical Environment Scotland as a tourist destination, and tickets can booked online at historicenvironment.scot. You can explore on your own, pretend to heckle the guards or present your own Trojan rabbit at the front gate, dance with the knights in the great hall, or escape temptation in the kitchens like our favorite Monty Python actors.

Duone Castle Exterior ()

Castello Tramontano, Italy

This Italian filming site is not simply the Castello (castle) Tramontano, but also the entire ancient town (Sassi) of Matera that stair-steps down the hills below it. The ancient look of the slightly unkempt stone buildings stacked upon each other has been used in many films set in biblical landscapes. It is where Jesus (Jim Caviezel) carries his cross and is crucified in “The Passion of the Christ,” it doubles for Bethlehem in “The Nativity Story” and, most recently, is a stand-in for Jerusalem in “The Book of Clarence.”

Castello construction began in 1501 by the Count of Matera to assert feudal control, but he was assassinated by overtaxed and disgruntled townsfolk in 1514 and the castle was left to ruin. It is still closed for repairs that began in 2008. The town below the castle is largely made of cave-dwellings dug into the hillside which are reported to have been occupied since the Paleolithic. The deep interiors are not apparent from the stacked house-like exteriors, a look that helped to create the town of Themyscira in “Wonder Woman.” The tiny streets were also subject to the opening shot car chase in the James Bond film “No Time to Die.” You can visit Matera, stay in a cave house hotel and wander the streets in the footsteps of Daniel Craig and Gal Gadot, up the winding stairs and alleyways for a view from the Castello Tramontano.

Village of Matera, Italy ()