Few blockbuster movies double as travel itineraries, but Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is the rare exception. Nolan built his sprawling adaptation of Homer’s epic without relying on green screens, so nearly every windswept cliff and sunbaked ruin on screen actually exists somewhere on this earth. In other words, you can actually visit these locations with a bit of planning. For instance, you can stand where Matt Damon’s Odysseus stood, where Anne Hathaway’s Penelope waited, where Tom Holland’s Telemachus paced anxious halls. Over 91 days of shooting across six countries, Nolan and his crew chased authenticity the way Odysseus chased home. As a result, it is a real-world itinerary as sweeping as The Odyssey itself. Here are 10 of the 14 stops worth booking for the adventure of a lifetime.
The Real-World Odyssey: 10 Filming Locations from Nolan’s Latest Epic
1. Aït Benhaddou, Morocco
Your journey begins where Troy once burned, although the actual location was in modern-day Turkey. This UNESCO-listed ksar near Ouarzazate, with its earthen walls and mudbrick towers rising from the desert, has doubled as the ancient world for decades. Indeed, this historic location has appeared in everything from Lawrence of Arabia to Gladiator. Nolan chose it for the same reason his predecessors did. In some detail, the light here turns the clay structures gold at sunset, and the silhouette against the Atlas Mountains needs no digital assistance. Wander the narrow alleys at dawn, before the tour buses arrive, and you will understand immediately why this place keeps getting cast as history’s grandest cities, most recently as the burning Troy of The Odyssey.
2. Essaouira, Morocco
From Troy, you follow the story west to the Atlantic coast. Essaouira’s beaches served as the discovery site of the Trojan Horse and the launch point for Odysseus’s long voyage home. The wind here is relentless, which explains why the city has become a haven for windsurfers and kitesurfers rather than sunbathers. Walk the fortified ramparts of the old medina first, then head down to the sand as the tide pulls out. You will feel the same restless energy that likely drew Nolan’s location scouts here in the first place. Incidentally, if you wanted to visit the location of Calypso’s home, you’d have to go to the White Dune, in the western Sahara Desert. The White Dune is approximately 30km (18.6) from the Moroccan city of Dakhla.
3. Voidokilia Beach, Greece
Greece, naturally, gets the most emotionally loaded task in The Odyssey. After all, it is the very country Odysseus spends the whole story (and movie) trying to reach. Voidokilia Beach, tucked into the Messinia region of the Peloponnese, forms a nearly perfect horseshoe cove that looks almost too symmetrical to be real. Swim here in the late morning, when the water turns turquoise against the pale sand, and you will see why this spot needed no enhancement to look mythic. Bring good shoes, though, because the short climb to the overlook above the bay is steep and rewards patience. By the way, Voidokilia Beach is where Odysseus and his crew land, before entering Nestor’s Cave.
Related: San Simeon: Where to Stay Near Hearst Castle
4. Nestor’s Cave, Peloponnese
Just above Voidokilia sits Nestor’s Cave, the eerie limestone chamber reportedly used for the film’s Cyclops sequence with Polyphemus. Stepping inside, you notice the temperature drop first, then the way sound behaves differently in the enclosed space. Local legend already linked this cave to Homer’s epic long before Nolan arrived, so the choice feels less like invention and more like confirmation. Bring a flashlight, since the cave’s interior stays dim even at midday, and watch your footing on the uneven rock.
5. Methoni Castle, Greece
Not far down the coast, the Venetian fortress of Methoni rises directly out of the sea, its stone walls built in the thirteenth century to withstand exactly the kind of siege warfare depicted in the film’s Troy sequences. However, in the movie, this was the location of Odysseus’ palace, particularly in its climatic fight scene. You can walk across the stone causeway that connects the fortress to the mainland, then continue out to the small octagonal tower at its farthest point. Sunset here draws photographers from across the region, and once you see the fortress silhouetted against the Ionian Sea, you will understand the appeal instantly. Give yourself at least two hours to explore properly.
6. Acrocorinth, Greece
Above the modern city of Corinth looms Acrocorinth, a fortress site with roots stretching back nearly twenty-five hundred years. As for the movie, this was the setting for the homecoming of King Agamemnon, before his fatal demise. If you visit, the climb up is not gentle, but the payoff arrives in the form of a panoramic view stretching across two seas on a clear day. Ancient temple ruins dot the summit, layered beneath Byzantine, Frankish, and Ottoman additions that reveal just how many civilizations fought to hold this hill. History buffs could spend an entire afternoon tracing the different eras in the stonework alone.
7. Favignana Island, Sicily, Italy
Off Sicily’s northwestern coast sits Favignana, nicknamed “goat island,” which scholars have long associated with the spot where Odysseus and his crew stopped to restock supplies. The Odyssey production used the island’s hilltop fortress, Castello di Santa Caterina, for the exteriors of Odysseus and Penelope’s palace, and cast members reportedly climbed nine hundred feet each morning to reach the set. Take the ferry from Trapani, rent a bicycle once you arrive, and pedal the flat coastal roads that ring the island. The castle itself, perched dramatically above the Mediterranean, delivers exactly the panoramic drama you would expect from a royal Ithacan backdrop.
8. Castello di Santa Caterina, Favignana Island
While technically part of the same island stop, this 15-century castle deserves its own mention because of what Nolan himself said about it. He initially dismissed the Ithaca site as impractical, given the grueling climb required for every shot. Once he reached the summit and saw the 360-degree view of the countryside and sea below, though, he changed his mind completely. You should make the same climb, ideally in the early morning before the heat sets in, and you will likely reach the same conclusion he did. Please note that Castello di Santa Caterina is only accessible by foot.
9. Hjörleifshöfði, Iceland
Iceland enters the story for the film’s more otherworldly sequences such as the Land of Hades. For instance, Hjörleifshöfði, a volcanic promontory on the black sand coast, supplies exactly that atmosphere. Getting there requires commitment: you will need a car for the roughly three-hour drive from Reykjavík to Landeyjahöfn. What’s more, lodging options nearby remain sparse. Still, standing beneath the looming rock formation, with waves crashing against volcanic sand in every direction, you begin to understand why Nolan wanted no digital substitute for this landscape. Pack layers regardless of season, since the weather here shifts without warning.
10. The Moray Coast, Scotland
Finally, the story turns north to Scotland, where the forests and coastline of Moray hosted the film’s Laestrygonian sequences. In other words, it’s where the giant, silver warriors battle Odysseus and his crew. Findlater Castle, a ruin perched dramatically on the cliffs above the Moray Firth, anchors much of the area’s dramatic coastline, while Buckie Harbour once held the massive replica longship built for the production. Hike the coastal path near Cullen for sweeping views of the firth, then continue on toward the castle ruins themselves. Few filming locations on this list feel quite as moody, and that mood is precisely why Nolan’s team chose it.
Planning Your Own Odyssey
Visiting 10 of the 14 locations in a single trip would require roughly the same stamina Odysseus needed for his decade-long voyage home. Therefore, most travelers will want to pick a region and build outward. Morocco and Greece pair naturally, given their proximity and shared Mediterranean climate. Sicily works well as a standalone island escape, particularly for travelers who want beach time alongside the history. Iceland and Scotland, meanwhile, suit anyone chasing dramatic, weather-beaten landscapes rather than sun.
Whichever route you choose, book accommodations early, since interest in these sites has already surged following the release of The Odyssey. More importantly, slow down once you arrive. Nolan spent ninety-one days chasing authenticity across six countries because he believed real places carry a weight that no digital backdrop can replicate. Walk these same shores, climb these same fortress steps, and you will feel exactly what he was after.
Related: 12 Travel Superstitions for Good Luck on Your Next Trip
About The Author
Randy Yagi is an award-winning writer who served as the National Travel Writer for CBS from 2012 to 2019. More than 900 of his stories still appear in syndication across 23 CBS websites, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco. During his peak years with CBS, Randy had a reported digital audience reach of 489 million and 5.5 million monthly visitors. Additionally, his stories have appeared in the Daily Meal, CBS News, CBS Radio, Engadget, NBC.com, NJ.com, MSN.com and Radio.com. He earned a Media Fellowship from Stanford University and is a Bay Area Travel Writers (BATW) member.