Lukáš and I put off Jonášek’s first flight until he was almost two, but today flying is the easiest way for us to travel. Being nervous about flying with children is completely understandable, but with the right preparation you can handle it without any stress.

The key is knowing the rules, because they differ from one carrier to another. While full-service airlines charge roughly a tenth of the adult fare for an infant ticket, low-cost carriers charge fixed fees — with Ryanair it’s €25 per leg. On top of that, every child needs their own travel document.

Below you’ll find a complete overview of 14 areas you need to sort out before your trip. I’ve put together everything from buying tickets and stroller rules to clearing liquids at security and tips for keeping little ones entertained on board.

TL;DR

• The infant fee is not zero: With low-cost carriers you pay a fixed amount (Ryanair €25 per leg, Wizz Air around €27), while full-service airlines charge 10% of the adult fare.
• Liquids at airports: Since 1 October 2025, some European airports with new CT scanners allow up to 2 litres per person, but many terminals still enforce the old 100 ml rule — always check which terminal you’re departing from.
• New European seating rules: The revision of EU 261/2004 was approved on 13 July 2026, but the guaranteed free seat for a child under 14 next to their parent won’t take effect until mid-2027.
• Oxygen masks dictate your seat: With Ryanair, an adult holding an infant on their lap must sit by the window, because that’s the only place with two oxygen masks.
• Digital boarding passes: Since 12 November 2025, Ryanair issues boarding passes exclusively through its mobile app.
• Every child needs their own passport: Even a week-old newborn must have their own travel document, and the photo must always match the child’s current appearance.
• Safety on board: The most reliable protection against turbulence for a child under two is a certified car seat, not a parent’s lap.

14 Things You Need to Know About Flying with Children

Once you decide to buy your tickets, a whole set of small decisions awaits you. This guide works as the main pillar of the whole topic of flying with children, so for each big area you’ll find the essential core plus the specific rules.

1. From What Age Can a Baby Fly

Airlines have their own rules on how old a baby must be to be allowed on board. While KLM has no minimum age and you could theoretically fly right after birth, some carriers won’t carry a baby at all within 48 hours of delivery. Between 48 hours and seven days, you’ll then need a special medical form. Carriers like Wizz Air or easyJet set the limit strictly at 14 days of age.

Pediatricians, however, see things a little differently and commonly recommend waiting at least two to three months before the first flight. The reason isn’t the flight itself or the cabin pressure, but above all a newborn’s immature immune system. Airport halls are full of people from all over the world, and the enclosed cabin space poses an unnecessary risk of infection that’s best avoided in the first weeks.

If you are flying, a common childhood cold becomes a huge issue. Blocked sinuses mean the child can’t equalise the pressure in the middle ear, which can cause serious pain during descent. Before the flight, always consult your pediatrician about a suitable nasal spray, and for little ones keep a good nasal aspirator ready in your carry-on.

The minimum age at individual airlines, pediatricians’ recommendations, and tips on where to go for your first trip are covered in detail in the article From What Age Can a Baby Fly.

2. Documents, Passports and the New Bureaucracy

Every child must have their own travel document to cross borders, even if they were born just a few weeks ago. For travel within your home region a national ID card may be enough (where accepted), which is cheaper and quicker to obtain. But if you’re heading to Egypt, Turkey or anywhere outside your free-movement zone, you’ll need a full passport for the baby.

The biggest catch lies in how the child looks in the photo. The law is clear that the document holder must resemble the photo, and with toddlers that changes at lightning speed. If your passport photo shows a sleeping one-month-old baby and you’re flying with a two-year-old full of curls, it’s better to replace the document in advance. Officers at the airport can turn you away and refuse boarding over a striking mismatch in appearance.

From spring 2026 the European rules are also changing. The EES (Entry/Exit System) has been fully operational since 10 April 2026 for trips outside the Schengen area, and the good news is that children under 12 are not fingerprinted — only a photo of their face is taken. Late in the year (Q4 2026 is expected) the ETIAS system will come into force, where children under 18 don’t pay the fee but each must have their own approved application. If you’re flying with a child on your own or you have different surnames, always carry a written consent from the other parent for travel, and to be safe a copy of the birth certificate too.

A consent template, signature verification, and the difference between an ID card and a passport can be found in the separate guide Consent for a Child to Travel and Documents for Children.

3. The Infant Ticket and the Tricky Birthday

Plenty of parents are under the illusion that a child under two without their own seat flies completely free. The reality is that the infant fee often catches you off guard. Full-service network airlines usually charge around 10% of the adult fare, which is a great deal on long-haul flights. Low-cost carriers, however, have hard fixed fees for every flight leg.

With Ryanair you pay a fixed €25 per leg for a lap infant, so a return ticket for the baby comes to €50. In practice it commonly happens that the ticket for your child is more expensive than your own discounted seat. Wizz Air charges around €27 per leg, but if the adult fare is cheaper, the fee is fairly reduced to that level.

Watch out especially for a second birthday celebrated during your holiday. Airlines don’t care how old the child is when you buy the ticket, but how old they are on the day of boarding. If your child turns 2 during your trip, they must have their own seat booked for the return flight. Airlines differ in how they handle this, so check with your carrier before booking whether you might have to pay the full adult fare at the airport.

A complete overview of infant fees and a calculation of when it pays off to buy a separate seat can be found in the article Airline Ticket for a Child.

4. The Solo Parent and the One-Infant Rule

If you’re planning to travel with children on your own without another adult, you need to know one absolutely uncompromising aviation rule. One adult may only be responsible for one infant under two years of age. It’s pure physics and safety in emergencies, when an adult simply can’t safely secure two small children on their lap at once.

This means that if you’re a solo parent with twins under two, forget about lap-only tickets (both children on your lap). You simply won’t be checked in at the desk. In that case either a second adult must fly, or you must buy a full seat for the second child and place them in a certified car seat approved for aviation use.

The age of the accompanying person also varies by carrier. With Ryanair the companion must be at least 18, while with Wizz Air 16 is enough. Special rules also apply to unaccompanied older children. Some carriers offer this service for schoolchildren aged 6 to 11, but low-cost carriers like Ryanair, Wizz Air or easyJet don’t offer an unaccompanied minor service at all — passengers can only fly alone with them from age 16.

How to handle twins, travelling with grandma, and different surnames is covered in the article Solo Parent and Twins on a Plane.

5. Where to Sit and the New European Rules

Seating families together on a plane was a nerve-racking game for years, but things are finally changing. The European Parliament and the EU Council approved the final text of the passenger rights revision on 13 July 2026. Under the new law, a child under 14 must be seated next to their accompanying adult free of charge. Because of a transition period, though, we’ll realistically only see this legal certainty from mid-2027, so for now you must pay close attention to individual carriers’ rules.

After pressure from regulators, Ryanair scrapped the mandatory family seating fee on 25 June 2026. If you choose random seat assignment, the system will place children under 12 next to an adult for free. There’s one crucial catch, though, because families relying on random allocation almost always end up in the back of the plane, since the front rows get snapped up by paying passengers.

If you’re flying with a lap infant, never choose an aisle seat. With Ryanair there’s a hard rule that an adult with an infant must sit exclusively by the window, purely for safety reasons. Only above the window seats are there two oxygen masks. This rule shatters the traditional internet advice to never pay for seats at all, because if you want to be sure the whole family flies together, you simply have to buy that window.

How to avoid being split up for free and what to do when it happens anyway is covered in the article Where to Sit with a Child on a Plane.

6. Taking a Stroller on the Plane and Airport Traps

A stroller falls under the category of baby equipment and travels with you free of charge with the vast majority of airlines. At home we have a compact travel stroller, the Joolz Aer, and we’re extremely happy with it for flying because it’s incredibly easy to handle. Always check in advance, though, how many pieces of equipment your carrier will actually let you bring.

The most common practice is the so-called gate-check, where you take the stroller all the way to the boarding gate, fold it there, and staff take it down to the hold. If you’re flying on holiday with certain carriers, watch out for their conditions of carriage. Some explicitly state that they’re not liable for damage to unwrapped strollers. A protective bag for the stroller or wrapping it properly in shrink film is then absolutely essential.

If your stroller comes out on the belt at your destination damaged, never leave the airport hall. All international flights are covered by the Montreal Convention, and you must report the damage immediately at the baggage claims desk, where they’ll issue a PIR report. You then have an obligation to lodge the claim in writing directly with the airline within 7 days, otherwise your right to compensation lapses.

All three check-in scenarios, airline rules, and how to claim for damage can be found in the article Stroller on the Plane.

The full claims process, including deadlines, is in the article Damaged or Lost Stroller.

7. Car Seat and Safety on Board

Most parents choose lap travel with a supplementary infant belt for children under two. In terms of saving money that’s completely understandable, but the US FAA strongly warns that the safest place for such a small child is a certified car seat secured on its own seat.

The reason isn’t potential crashes, but strong turbulence, which is by far the most common cause of injury to children on board. During a sudden drop, an adult simply can’t physically hold onto a child on their lap. If you buy the child their own ticket, you can bring a car seat approved for aviation use on board, which is always placed on the window seat so it doesn’t block a potential evacuation.

An alternative for children from one year weighing between 10 and 20 kilograms is the certified CARES harness. This system slips over the aircraft seat back and creates a five-point harness. It’s accepted by Ryanair, Lufthansa and Emirates, for example, but individual carriers’ rules keep changing, so always confirm in writing with your airline whether you can use it.

How to recognise aviation certification, what the CARES harness can do, and how to handle a seat at your destination is in the article Car Seat on the Plane.

8. Free Baggage for Children

What exactly you get for your money differs dramatically depending on the type of airline. While with Lufthansa a lap infant is often entitled to their own checked bag up to 23 kg (depending on the fare purchased), with low-cost carriers the situation is much stricter.

Ryanair allows only one small bag up to 5 kg for a lap infant, and since 12 November 2025 requires digital boarding passes in the app exclusively, so you should devote the space you save to a reliable power bank. Wizz Air allows one small piece of baggage for the baby, but with a very specific rule for strollers. This Hungarian airline absolutely bans the carriage of any electric and motorised strollers, even in the hold.

The most generous, on the other hand, are the Nordic and Dutch airlines. KLM, for example, gives babies without their own seat a bag with a generous allowance of 12 kg. If you need exact figures, take a look at our other articles Ryanair Baggage: Dimensions, Weight and Fees or Wizz Air Baggage, where we break these limits down to the last centimetre.

A complete table of what a child gets free of charge with each carrier is in the article Baggage for Children on a Plane.

9. What to Pack in Children’s Carry-On

You pack the carry-on backpack for the worst possible flight scenario, when you hit a three-hour delay or your checked suitcase doesn’t arrive at your destination. Most parents dutifully pack two complete sets of spare clothes for the child, but they regularly forget one absolutely critical thing.

Always pack an ordinary spare T-shirt and leggings for yourself in the backpack. On travel forums the same horror scenario comes up again and again, where parents spent a twelve-hour flight in clothes completely covered in vomit from an eight-month-old who got sick right after takeoff. A rolled-up adult T-shirt takes up almost no space and, in a crisis, will literally save your sanity.

Don’t forget to pack at least two empty resealable Ziploc bags, in which you can hermetically seal wet and dirty things. Don’t count nappies by the day — estimate consumption for the journey itself plus a reasonable buffer for delays. You can buy nappies literally everywhere in the world, and in the backpack they just needlessly steal precious space. For details on how to choose the right carry-on backpack, check out our guide Carry-On Backpack: How to Choose the Right One.

A complete list by the child’s age, from baby to schoolchild, is in the article What to Pack for Children on a Plane.

10. Food, Drink and the Liquids Limit at the Airport

This is currently the biggest information trap out there. European airports are gradually rolling out new CT scanners that scrap the annoying 100 ml liquids limit. Since 1 October 2025 this relaxed regime applies at some terminals, where you can bring one container of liquid of up to 2 litres per person — but crucially it only applies at terminals with the new scanners.

Be very careful if you’re flying on holiday to Turkey, Egypt or the UK. Many terminals are not affected by the change at all and still enforce the strict 100 ml limit in a single one-litre bag. It’s usually not the airline that decides which terminal you use, but your destination — so always double-check before you set off.

The good news is the exemption for families. Baby food, purée pouches, formula milk and water in a thermos to prepare it are exempt from the 100 ml limit in the quantity needed for the journey. This exemption is governed by the airport’s own rules, not the airline. Security may ask you to open a bottle, show the contents, or exceptionally even taste it. Be cooperative with them — it’s part of their job. More on what’s allowed on board is in the article What Can and Can’t I Take on a Plane.

Exactly what gets through security and how much liquid they’ll allow is covered in the article Food and Drink on a Plane for Children.

11. The Airport Step by Step

Once you arrive in the departures hall, you head to the check-in desk, where they weigh your suitcases and put a baggage tag on your stroller or car seat. You then take the stroller to security, where you have to empty it completely.

At larger airports, look for a special priority lane for families with small children, the so-called fast track. It saves you a lot of time in the queue, and staff there understand that folding a stroller simply takes time. If you handed your big stroller in right at the check-in desk, many airports let you borrow a free airport buggy in the transit zone and take it all the way to the boarding gate.

In the transit zone, then, try to tire the child out as much as possible. Many airports offer well-equipped play areas and quiet rooms with a microwave and changing tables. Don’t let the child sit at the gate with a tablet — let them watch the bustle on the apron instead, so they board the plane full of impressions and ready to sleep.

Play areas, quiet rooms, buggies and fast track are covered in the article Prague Airport with Children.

12. Ear Pain During Takeoff and Descent

The physics in the cabin can trouble even adults, let alone children’s ears. The pressure in the plane doesn’t equalise automatically, and the higher pressure starts pushing on the eardrum, which causes that sharp pain. It surprises many parents, but the descent tends to be much worse and more unpleasant for the ears than takeoff itself.

The most effective weapon is swallowing, which opens the Eustachian tube. For infants, plain breastfeeding or drinking from a bottle works best. For older toddlers, drinking through a straw or chewing on favourite crackers does the trick. If the child has a cold or blocked sinuses, the pain multiplies, so always consult a pediatrician in advance about using a suitable nasal spray.

Never try to give your child sleeping remedies for a long flight that a friend recommended. The International Paediatric Sleep Association strongly prohibits giving melatonin to children under two and permits it in older children only after consulting the treating physician. Instead, get quality children’s headphones with a volume limiter for the flight, which will dampen the monotonous engine noise. Also don’t forget to pack basic fever medication, which we write about in our guide Travel First-Aid Kit: What Belongs in It.

What works by age and when it’s better to postpone the flight is covered in the article Ear Pain on a Plane in Children.

13. How to Keep a Child Entertained on a Plane

The biggest mistake new parents make is firing off all their entertainment trump cards before the plane even leaves the ground. On board, apply the iron rule of rotation and dole out activities in thirty-minute chunks at most.

First explore the safety card together, then pull out the first small toy. A great trick is to wrap new little items from the stationery shop in plain wrapping paper, because the unwrapping itself takes up plenty of time. Nothing that plays tunes, beeps, or is made of hundreds of tiny loose pieces belongs on a plane.

And now the most important thing: drop all the guilt about the tablet. Even child-development experts agree that screens on a plane won’t do any harm, so the rules from home can go out the window for those few hours. But keep the tablet in reserve as your heaviest weapon, for the moment when the child really can’t take any more, is tired, or when you hit a delay on the apron. Download the content to the device in advance, because airport Wi-Fi tends to be unreliable.

Specific tips by age and the activity-rationing rule are in the article How to Keep a Child Entertained on a Plane.

14. Flight Delays, Cancellations and Family Rights

When a plane is delayed by more than three hours, EU Regulation 261/2004 kicks in, guaranteeing financial compensation. For families with children, though, there’s one huge and highly disputed grey area. Some airlines claim that a lap infant without their own seat has no entitlement, while legal interpretations say that if you paid any fee for the child, the entitlement arises. Practice varies, airlines often reject claims, but the advice is clear: always submit a claim for the infant and don’t be brushed off the first time around. More on the claims process is in the article AirHelp Review: Claiming Flight Compensation.

With family travel, the risk that the whole holiday falls apart because of a child’s illness the night before departure is also extremely multiplied. Good cancellation insurance is an absolute must. If your child falls ill at two in the morning and you fly at six, you won’t manage to cancel the tickets in the system in time. In that case you need a no-show confirmation from the airline and a doctor’s report on unfitness to travel, otherwise the insurer won’t reimburse you anything.

💡 Tip: If you’re flying to more distant destinations, you’ll save yourself a lot of hassle by choosing the right car seat at the rental company, because the laws in the destination country can differ dramatically. In Spain, for example, children under 135 cm must be in the back seat, and the fines are uncompromising.

When an entitlement to compensation arises and how to submit a claim is covered in detail in the article Flight Delays with Children.

Practical Summary and Indicative Prices

To give you a better idea of how much a ticket for your youngest child will cost, I’ve put together an overview of fees at the most common carriers. These amounts apply to an infant under two travelling on your lap without their own seat. Always verify the prices at the time of your specific booking, because airlines like to quietly change them.

Airline	Infant fee (0-2 years)	What’s included free in the ticket
:—	:—	:—
Ryanair	€25 / £25 per leg	2 pieces of equipment (stroller + car seat)
Wizz Air	approx. €27 per leg	1 piece of equipment (stroller or car seat)
Smartwings	Reduced fare (depending on the specific flight)	Stroller, cot and car seat
Lufthansa / SWISS	10% of the adult fare	Checked bag up to 23 kg + 2 pieces of equipment
British Airways	10% of the adult fare	2 pieces of equipment
easyJet	Fixed fee (per current price list)	Up to 2 pieces of equipment (including a baby carrier)

Where to Next

If you’ve already sorted out your tickets and you’re wondering exactly where to head with the family, get inspired by our itineraries and tips from places we’ve fallen in love with. Travelling with children has a completely different dynamic, so we’ve put together practical guides to popular destinations for you:

• Lofoten with Children
• Croatia with Children
• Rome with Children
• Paris with Children
• New York with Children

• Bassinet on a Plane: How to Get One
• Flying with a Toddler: The Toughest Age and How to Handle It

• Travel Insurance for Children and Cancellation Due to Illness
• Motion Sickness and Illness in Children on Trips
• Child Alone on a Plane: From What Age
• The Best Airlines for Families: A Comparison

Frequently Asked Questions

The rules for taking a stroller on an airplane vary enormously from one airline to the next. Lukáš and I usually travel with a compact Joolz Aer and mostly fly Ryanair, which has more generous conditions. With other carriers, though, you can run into strict size and weight limits.

Most airlines treat a stroller as a free item for your child, but the catch is always in the details. Wizz Air, for example, never lets a stroller into the cabin, and Smartwings requires a hard case if you ever want to file a damage claim. Any damage must always be reported in writing within seven days.

Further down you’ll find out when to check in your stroller and how handing it over right at the aircraft door works. I’ve also added practical packing advice and a tip on borrowing a free airport buggy at Prague Airport.

TL;DR

• Strollers usually fly free: In airline jargon they fall under the label “baby item,” and the vast majority of carriers charge you nothing at all for one.
• They rarely make it into the cabin: Even with the tiniest compact model, staff can force you to hand the stroller over to the hold on a full flight.
• Wizz Air has hard bans: This carrier never allows a stroller into the cabin and completely prohibits all electric-powered models.
• Smartwings requires a hard case: If you hand over an unpacked stroller, you automatically lose any right to a claim if it gets damaged.
• Claims have a strict deadline: A destroyed or damaged stroller must be reported to the airline in writing within 7 days of collecting it from the belt.
• Prague Airport offers free buggies: Right after security you can borrow an airport buggy and check in your own stroller comfortably.
• A baby carrier doesn’t count as luggage: A soft fabric carrier is worn on your body, so it doesn’t eat into your precious cabin-bag space.

10 Things to Know Before Your First Trip With a Stroller on an Airplane

And now let’s take a closer look at it all.

1. Which Way Will the Stroller Actually Travel (Check-In or Gate-Check)?

At the airport you basically have two main options for what to do with your stroller. The first is to check it in right at the desk, handing it over with your big suitcases as soon as you arrive in the departures hall. Staff will attach a baggage tag and you take it to a special oversized-luggage counter. You’ll then see it again only at your destination on the belt in the arrivals hall.

This solution makes a lot of sense when you’re travelling with a large two-part off-road pram. It also works well if your child is safely tucked into a carrier and you need your hands free at the airport. You do lose your rolling nap-bed while waiting for departure, but you avoid the awkward folding of the stroller on the belt at security.

The second and by far most common option is the so-called gate-check, where you keep the stroller with you the whole time at the airport. At check-in you simply say you’ll take it all the way to the aircraft, and the agent puts the necessary tag on it. You then go through security with the stroller, your child can sleep peacefully in it, and you only fold it up just before the aircraft door.

💡 Tip: If you go for the gate-check, don’t forget to ask the crew during boarding exactly where they’ll return your stroller after landing. Sometimes it’s waiting right at the aircraft exit, but very often it comes out at the special oversized-luggage counter in the arrivals hall, where you might wait a full hour for it.

2. The Holy Grail: A Cabin Approved Stroller

Keeping the stroller with you the whole time, folding it into the overhead bin and rolling straight off after landing sounds like every parent’s absolute dream. Lately, though, airlines have been drastically cutting back on this option. It doesn’t matter at all whether the manufacturer calls your model a cabin stroller — what always decides is the hard centimetres and the current rules of the specific carrier.

The fundamental problem is the capacity of the overhead storage. Even if your stroller meets the allowed dimensions down to the millimetre, you never have a hundred-percent guarantee that you’ll actually get it into the cabin. If the flight is fully booked and the bins are full, gate staff will take the stroller from you at the boarding gate and send it down to the hold, no exceptions.

Some airlines have exact dimensions for cabin strollers, but these limits can change and you always need to verify them before departure with the specific company. For example, British easyJet requires a maximum size of 56 × 45 × 25 cm plus a purchased large cabin bag, while Air France only allows extremely compact models up to 15 × 30 × 100 cm. Always double-check these figures on the official website.

💡 Tip: Smartwings only allows a stroller on board if it measures up to 55 × 40 × 23 cm and weighs no more than 8 kg, and you should always verify these limits to be safe. The key catch is that such a stroller then replaces your standard cabin bag and must be carefully packed in a case.

3. The Tricky Rules of Budget Airlines and Wizz Air’s Bans

Flying with small children is unusual in that airlines give you several pieces of baby equipment for free. But every carrier has completely different maths and different age limits for these perks. Ryanair, for instance, allows two free items — a stroller plus a car seat or a cot. This generous benefit applies to children up to 11 years old, though you should always verify it in their current conditions.

If you’re flying with Ryanair and want to take the stroller into the cabin, you need to have priority boarding. You then take the stroller instead of your cabin bag, and it must fit into the metal measuring frame at the gate. Hungarian Wizz Air does things differently and offers only one free baby item for children up to 14 years old — and I’d recommend checking this limit too before you book your ticket.

Wizz Air is also known for its very strict bans on baby equipment on board. This carrier never lets a stroller into the cabin — a mandatory gate-check always applies. They also uncompromisingly ban the transport of any modern electric-powered strollers, which are allowed neither in the cabin nor in the hold.

💡 Tip: The Spanish budget airline Vueling has even stricter rules and lets no stroller at all into the cabin, not even the most compact model on the market. If you fly with them, you always have to count on handing over your stroller at the boarding gate.

4. A Stroller Bag Isn’t Just Pointless Cosmetics

Plenty of parents arrive at the aircraft, fold the stroller and quickly toss it to the ground crew. That’s a huge and very expensive mistake. Airport staff handle baby equipment exactly like ordinary suitcases, so it often gets thrown onto carts, falls off belts and scrapes along the dirty floor of the hold.

The Czech airline Smartwings has a very tough clause in its terms of carriage which clearly states that the carrier bears no responsibility for damage to unpacked strollers. A hard travel case, a special bag, or at least a thorough wrap in strong shrink film really isn’t a question of aesthetics — it protects your wallet from a rejected claim.

You can conveniently carry your case or bag folded in a backpack or in the basket under the stroller. You can pick up film for a couple of euros at any hardware store, and you wrap the stroller in it just before handing it over at the aircraft. That saves you a long argument at the claims desk at your destination.

💡 Tip: Some parents use a large opaque stroller bag to hide extra light items inside it, like nappies or winter jackets. These tricks circulate on online forums, but no carrier officially confirms them, and you run the risk of strict staff making you open the bag on the spot.

5. Correct Tagging and the Riddle of Two-Part Prams

For the airline to even start dealing with a lost or damaged stroller, you have to reliably prove it actually travelled with you. This is where a lot of people go wrong already at check-in. The agent has to stick a barcode on your stroller and then hand you a small stub with a number — the so-called tag. Keep this stub carefully, because it’s your only proof that you handed the item over.

If you pack your stroller into a large transport bag, be extremely careful where staff stick the tag. They often attach it directly to the stroller’s handle, and then you zip the whole thing into the black case. That’s wrong, because the tag has to be visible from the outside so the loaders can easily scan it. Have the stroller tagged first, then pack it, and stick the tag on top of the bag.

Many prams for newborns come in two separable parts, typically the chassis and the carrycot itself. If you’re not packing them into one big shared bag, you must request two tags at check-in so each piece is labelled separately. If you only get one tag for the chassis and the carrycot goes missing en route, you’ll have no way to prove to the airline that you handed over two pieces.

💡 Tip: Just before you hand the stroller over at the gate, photograph it thoroughly from several angles. Today’s smartphones save the exact time and location in the photo, so if it’s destroyed you get bulletproof evidence of the perfect condition it was in when you handed it to the carrier.

6. Security and Free Airport Buggies

Going through security with a stroller and a small child tends to be the most stressful part of the whole journey. Before you reach the belt, you have to empty the entire basket under the stroller, because no stray toys, rain covers or water bottles can be left in there. Then you have to pick up your child and fold the stroller completely so it can go through the X-ray machine.

It always depends on the limits of the specific airport. In Prague, for example, the frame limit for X-raying a stroller is set at 60 × 40 cm, although this size can change and it’s worth verifying. If your folded stroller is bigger, staff have to inspect it by hand and run it through a special explosives detector, which slows the whole procedure down a bit.

Prague Airport offers families with children one absolutely brilliant service. If you check in your big stroller right at the desk, you can borrow a free airport buggy in both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. You’ll find them right after security, you can wheel your child around the shops in them, and you leave them right at the boarding gate.

💡 Tip: Baby food and milk are exempt from the usual liquid limit, and you can take the amount you need for the journey. Prague’s Terminal 2 has had looser liquid rules since the end of 2025, but Terminal 1 still keeps the strict 100 ml limit, so always read the current regulations on the airport’s website.

7. The Nightmare of a Destroyed Stroller and Strict Deadlines

When your stroller comes out on the belt at your destination with a bent wheel or a cracked frame, don’t panic — but do act fast. On international flights you’re protected by the so-called Montreal Convention, which sets the airline’s liability limit for a destroyed bag. This limit is around 1,519 SDR, which comes to roughly 2,175 US dollars, though the exact amount depends on current exchange rates and rules, so always double-check any limits.

The key rule is that once you spot the damage, you must not leave the airport’s transit zone. Find the claims desk and have your boarding pass and baggage tag ready. Staff will fill out a so-called PIR (property irregularity report) with you on the spot, and you carefully keep your paper copy with the reference number.

But here we hit a huge bureaucratic trap that plenty of exhausted parents miss. You must report the damage to the airline in writing within 7 days of collecting the bag. Those seven days are a relentless hard deadline, and if you miss it, the carrier will most likely reject your otherwise legitimate claim outright.

💡 Tip: If you have an extremely expensive premium stroller from a limited edition at home, whose value far exceeds the carrier’s limits, seriously consider whether to take it on the plane at all. Experienced travellers often prefer to rent strollers right at their destination through specialised platforms.

8. A Lost Stroller and the Big Car-Seat Problem

You’re standing by an empty belt in the arrivals hall, all the other passengers have already left, but your stroller is nowhere to be seen. Again, the golden rule applies: don’t head out to the taxis, but go straight to the claims desk. There you present your tag and staff enter its number into the system. A courier will then deliver the lost item straight to your accommodation address, which you give in the PIR report.

A much worse situation arises if your child’s car seat goes missing along with the stroller. Across the entire European Union there are very strict rules for transporting children in cars. In Spain, for instance, children under 135 centimetres must always be in a certified seat, and in Italy that threshold is even 150 centimetres — otherwise you risk a huge fine.

Taxis are exempt from this obligation in many European countries, but that doesn’t solve your problem if you’ve booked your own rental car. You simply can’t get away from the airport safely and legally, and your holiday can get very unpleasantly complicated.

💡 Tip: Always actively ask at the claims desk whether they happen to have a spare car seat available to borrow. Many large international airports are well prepared for situations like this and will gladly help — it certainly costs nothing to ask.

9. Carriers, Backpacks and a Secret Trump Card for Kids’ Suitcases

If you know a stroller just won’t work at your destination, baby carriers and hiking backpacks are the rescue. A soft fabric carrier doesn’t count as cabin luggage at all — you simply put it on and walk through security with it. Your child can sleep comfortably in it and you have both hands free to handle passports and boarding passes.

With rigid framed hiking carriers the situation is a bit more complicated and always depends on the specific airline. easyJet and British Airways explicitly allow a carrier backpack on their list of free baby equipment, but with Ryanair it can be a problem. It comes down to the gate staff’s judgement, and you may end up being charged for the carrier as oversized luggage.

Ride-on kids’ suitcases like Trunki are a massive hit among families, but their dimensions often exceed the limits for a small under-seat bag. Ryanair, though, has a great exception and accepts these cases as free hand luggage for children aged 2 to 11, even if they don’t meet the exact size. With other carriers, though, definitely don’t rely on this leniency.

💡 Tip: Ryanair’s gate staff unfortunately often don’t even know about this exception for kids’ suitcases and try to charge for the bag. Look up this rule in advance on the airline’s official website on your phone and be ready to show it to them at the gate as clear proof.

10. How to Choose the Best Travel Stroller for the Airplane

Don’t worry so much about the brand — focus instead on the key practical parameters that will decide how calm you stay at the airport. Folded size is the absolute priority. Take the stated folded dimensions and carefully compare them with the rules of the airlines you fly with most often. Don’t rely on manufacturers’ marketing labels alone, because airline rules keep changing.

The second critical parameter is weight and the ability to fold one-handed. You often hold a tired child on your hip while standing at the airport X-ray with a nervous queue forming behind you. You need a stroller that you can fold in a flash with the press of one button and carry in one hand up the steps into the plane. That’s exactly why Lukáš and I chose our Joolz Aer, and we can’t praise it enough.

Chassis width is very often overlooked when choosing, which is a huge mistake. Old European towns, the narrow lanes of Rome or the historic lifts of Paris don’t forgive a single extra centimetre. If your stroller has too wide a rear wheelbase, you’ll get awkwardly stuck everywhere and travelling turns into a nightmare.

💡 Tip: For small babies under two, a fully reclining backrest that lies completely flat is an absolute must. Your child will spend long hours in the stroller waiting for delayed flights, and having to sit upright the whole time would be extremely exhausting for them.

Practical Summary and Approximate Prices

Airline rules change very fast, so I’ve put together a clear table of how things stand with strollers among the most common carriers in 2026. Always verify these details again on your airline’s official website before departure, because conditions can be adjusted.

Carrier	Free stroller?	Stroller in cabin?	What to watch out for most
:—	:—	:—	:—
Ryanair	Yes (up to 2 items, under 11)	Only occasionally (with Priority)	A child under 2 has no cabin bag of their own, just a bag up to 5 kg.
Wizz Air	Yes (1 item, under 14)	Never (always to the hold)	Absolute ban on electric and motorised strollers.
Smartwings	Yes (cot, car seat)	Yes (if it meets the size)	An unpacked stroller will never be covered for damage claims.
easyJet	Yes (up to 2 items)	Yes (with a large bag)	You can also check a rigid carrier backpack free, a huge advantage.

When deciding what to do with the stroller at the airport, a quick comparison of the three possible scenarios will help. It’s entirely up to you and what’s most comfortable for your family right now.

Check-in scenario	When it fits best	Main pros and cons
:—	:—	:—
At check-in	For huge off-road prams and two-part models with a carrycot.	Your hands are free, but you have to carry your child in a carrier.
Gate-check	For ordinary folding and sports strollers (the most common choice).	Your child rides to the plane, but you say goodbye to the stroller at the gate.
Into the cabin	For ultralight compact strollers meeting the strict dimensions.	No waiting at the belt, but on a full flight it may be taken from you.

Where to Next

Preparing for a family holiday doesn’t end with the stroller. If you’re wondering what other luggage you can take on board, I’ve written a detailed guide for individual airlines. Here you’ll find everything essential:

• Ryanair luggage: dimensions, weight and fees
• Wizz Air luggage
• easyJet luggage
• Smartwings luggage

If you’re packing your own backpack or still deciding on a destination, take a look at these useful articles too — they’ll make travelling much easier:

• What you can and can’t take on a plane
• Cabin backpack: how to choose the right one
• Croatia with kids
• Lofoten with kids

Frequently Asked Questions

Famous film locations are no longer just a niche hobby for a handful of enthusiasts running around New Zealand pastures in costume. Travelling to see your favourite shows has become a global business, worth an incredible 8 billion dollars in the United States alone. According to current data, more than 80% of young travellers now plan their holidays based on what they saw on screen the night before.

When you finish that breathtaking finale of your favourite series, what often lingers in your head isn’t just the story itself, but above all the urge to walk those places in person. People no longer want to just lie passively on a beach — they long to stroll the exact same cobbled street as their heroes, or sip a morning coffee in a café they know from TV.

Do you also feel like every second holiday now starts with you remembering a series on the plane? Here are 30 places the screen can take you, and I’ll tell you straight up where real magic awaits and where you’ll find nothing but disappointment and crowds.

Quick answer

If you’re after the absolute strongest film experiences, the biggest phenomenon right now is London’s Warner Bros. Studio with its Harry Potter sets, drawing millions of people every year. For fantasy lovers, New Zealand’s Hobbiton or Croatia’s Dubrovnik from Game of Thrones are a must, while romantics should head to Salzburg in Austria to follow The Sound of Music, or to the Irish island of Skellig Michael, where Luke Skywalker hid away.

TL;DR

• Most searched location: It’s not a natural wonder, but the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in London (110,000 searches a month).
• Free-access hits: The iconic steps to the art museum in Philadelphia from Rocky, or London’s Portobello Road from Notting Hill, don’t cost a cent.
• Advance booking essential: You simply won’t get into Hobbiton in New Zealand or Japan’s Ghibli Park without a ticket bought months ahead.
• Biggest trap: Disappointment often comes down to scale — what looks like a giant metropolis on screen is in reality often just one short street.
• Closed paradises: Thailand’s Maya Bay from The Beach is regularly closed completely for several months a year to protect nature.
• Top tip for visiting: Head to the most famous spots strictly early in the morning, ideally right at sunrise, otherwise you’ll be battling hundreds of other tourists in your photos.

How to navigate this article

To make planning as easy as possible, I’ve marked each location with a special colour symbol that instantly tells you how tricky it’ll be to get there. The tag (verified 7/2026) means it’s hard data and prices valid for the current season that you can rely on.

🟢 Free access: A public space, street, forest or square you can head to completely free and with no planning. 🟡 Entrance fee: Classic tourist operation — you simply buy a ticket on site or online and walk in (castles, museums, national parks). 🔴 Booking required or limited: Without a ticket bought well in advance you’re out of luck, or there are strict visitor limits in place. ⚫ No access, exterior only: Private property or a hotel for guests only, where you’ll see it from the public pavement at most.

Fantasy and sci-fi: Middle-earth, Westeros and other planets

This category represents the absolute heavyweights of tourism, because studios and entire cities long ago figured out how to make billions from magic and outer space. If you want to see Middle-earth or Westeros with your own eyes, get your wallet ready and arm yourself with a big dose of patience, because the crowds of fans here tend to be endless.

1. Matamata (New Zealand): The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit

Say the words “film location” and most travellers instantly picture the green hills of New Zealand and the famous Hobbiton. This perfectly maintained little village sits on the Alexander family’s farm just outside the town of Matamata, roughly a two-hour drive from Auckland.

On site, you’ll wander among dozens of hobbit holes built right into the slopes — some at full scale, others deliberately shrunk to create optical illusions. The whole tour ends in style at the Green Dragon, where you can enjoy a draught beer or a non-alcoholic ginger drink.

💡 Tip: You can’t reach Hobbiton on your own — you have to take an organised bus from the visitor centre, and the whole tour is easy to book through GetYourGuide. Tickets vanish at lightning speed, so 🔴 booking months ahead is essential. The price is around 130 NZD per adult, roughly €75 (verified 7/2026).

2. Leavesden (United Kingdom): Harry Potter

Paradoxically, the most searched film location in the world isn’t a natural wonder at all, but the gigantic Warner Bros. Studio Tour London. These former aircraft hangars hide the original sets, props and costumes from all eight films about the bespectacled wizard.

Getting here is very easy by train from London Euston station to Watford Junction, from where a special themed bus takes you straight to the halls. The biggest wow moment is the walk down Diagon Alley and the enormous, detailed model of Hogwarts castle, which the filmmakers used for exterior fly-over shots.

💡 Tip: There are no tickets sold at the door, so 🔴 booking a specific time slot is an absolute must — the average purchase happens 49 days in advance. A basic ticket costs £58.50, or about €68 (verified 7/2026).

3. Alnwick (United Kingdom): Harry Potter

If you’d rather see the real castle that played Hogwarts in the first two films, you’ll need to head to northern England and the majestic Alnwick estate. This gorgeous historic building served the filmmakers for outdoor scenes — the very first broomstick flying lesson with Madam Hooch took place on its perfectly manicured lawn.

Just be aware that you won’t find any film interiors inside the castle, because the rooms look like a classic grand aristocratic residence with a rich history. The local guides are brilliantly prepared for fans, though, and regularly host fun broomstick flying lessons in the courtyard for adults and kids alike.

💡 Tip: The castle runs in 🟡 normal visitor mode, so you can buy tickets at the entrance with no trouble. Just double-check prices and opening hours online before your trip, as the grounds are often closed over winter.

4. Dubrovnik (Croatia): Game of Thrones

The old town of Dubrovnik, ringed by massive stone walls, became the perfect embodiment of King’s Landing. Tourists come here mainly to admire the Lovrijenac fortress, which played the Red Keep, and the famous Jesuit Steps, where the unforgettable walk of shame scene with Cersei Lannister was filmed.

The city is extremely overloaded, though — at peak times there’s an incredible ratio of 27 tourists to every resident, so local authorities have had to introduce very strict rules. Cruise ships have capped capacity, and in the summer heat the narrow white-limestone lanes become practically impassable.

💡 Tip: 🔴 From 2026, entry to the city walls requires booking a specific time slot. The entrance fee is €40, and it’s definitely worth heading here early in the morning, when the city is still breathable.

5. Banbridge (Northern Ireland): Game of Thrones

While Croatia’s Dubrovnik bursts at the seams under the onslaught of fans hunting sunny exteriors, for the real studio sets you’ll need to head north. A short drive from Belfast in the town of Banbridge, they’ve opened the official Studio Tour, located right where the series was actually filmed.

Unlike the packed city streets, here you can calmly examine up close detailed weapons, original costumes and above all the monumental Winterfell sets left behind by the crew. It’s an incredibly fascinating spectacle that shows you just how much painstaking handiwork lies behind every TV shot. Just south of Belfast, you’ll also find the Castle Ward estate, whose farmyard was used for the Winterfell exteriors in the first season.

💡 Tip: The attraction runs on a 🟡 classic entrance-fee basis, starting at £19 (about €22) (verified 7/2026), and tickets can conveniently be arranged in advance through GetYourGuide.

6. Skellig Michael Island (Ireland): Star Wars

This jagged chunk of rock, jutting dramatically out of the wild Atlantic waves, was made famous by The Last Jedi, where the island served as Luke Skywalker’s secret refuge. Getting here requires a fairly adventurous voyage from the port of Portmagee — the journey by small boat takes just under an hour, and the ocean will often toss you around properly.

On the island, a steep climb up ancient stone steps leads to the ruins of a 6th-century Christian monastery. Adorable puffins nest everywhere around you — so ever-present for the filmmakers that they preferred to digitally transform them into alien porgs rather than laboriously erase them from the shots.

💡 Tip: Access to the island falls into the category of 🔴 extremely limited bookings, as only 180 people a day are allowed in during the season from 9 May to 30 September 2026. What’s more, up to 40% of sailings get cancelled due to weather (verified 7/2026), and a boat ticket will cost you €100 to €130.

7. Alcázar Palace in Seville (Spain): House of the Dragon

The royal Alcázar palace in Andalusian Seville is an architectural gem that already played the exotic Water Gardens of Dorne in Game of Thrones and recently appeared in the prequel House of the Dragon too. Its stunning courtyard full of palms, fountains and intricate mosaics instantly transports you to the hot southern climate of Westeros.

The complex is incredibly vast, and every corner practically begs for a photo — but be prepared to wait for ten other people with the same idea to clear the shot. Luckily the gardens are big enough that even amid the crowds you’ll find your own peaceful patch of shade under the orange trees.

💡 Tip: It’s a UNESCO-protected monument, so 🔴 booking tickets online is strongly recommended to avoid queuing endlessly in the sun. The entrance fee is around €15.

Shows of the streaming era

Locations from Netflix, HBO or Amazon productions now experience enormous fan invasions practically overnight, right after the big premiere. Streaming is ruthless here: overnight it turns a sleepy village into a global attraction, hotels hike their prices and castles burst at the seams.

8. Jackson, Georgia (USA): Stranger Things

You’d search the map in vain for the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, because it actually lies in the state of Georgia and is called Jackson. You’ll find this picturesque town about an hour’s drive south of Atlanta, and its main square with the typical courthouse in the middle looks exactly like it does on your TV screen.

The local community has embraced the phenomenon perfectly, so the streets are full of shops with themed souvenirs, commemorative plaques and ever-present fans. People most often take photos in the inconspicuous alley where Steve fought Jonathan in the first season, or in front of the local library building.

💡 Tip: Getting around town is 🟢 completely free, and the locals benefit wonderfully from tourism. If you grab a coffee or lunch at a local bistro, you’ll support the community, who in return will happily point you towards more hidden locations (verified 7/2026).

9. Cantacuzino Castle in Bușteni (Romania): Wednesday

Romania experienced an unprecedented tourism boom thanks to the series Wednesday, whose creators picked the mountain town of Bușteni. The local historic Cantacuzino Castle served as the model for Nevermore Academy, and you can reach it very comfortably from Bucharest by direct train in under two hours.

In the courtyard, with its incredible view of the Carpathians, you’ll instantly recognise the spots where Wednesday fenced with Bianca — but the building itself may disappoint you a little. The filmmakers heavily reworked the original façade with digital effects, added gothic towers and a dark roof, and you won’t find any of the show’s interiors here at all, because those were built in studios.

💡 Tip: There’s a 🟡 standard entrance fee to the grounds and gardens, which you should check on site for the current season. Be prepared for the castle interior to look like a classic historic residence full of rare fireplaces and stained glass, not a gloomy school for outcasts.

10. Bath (United Kingdom): Bridgerton

Historical romances now draw crowds of visitors to Britain, and the hit Bridgerton turned the already popular Bath into an absolute sensation. This city full of honey-coloured Georgian architecture lies west of London, and you can get here comfortably by train in about an hour and a half.

The iconic crescent of houses at Royal Crescent needed practically no alterations for filming, and you can visit the famous Assembly Rooms, where the grandest balls took place, with your own eyes. The local tourist centre reacted to demand immediately and commonly offers location maps or afternoon teas in proper period style.

💡 Tip: While strolling the streets is free, access to the Assembly Rooms is 🔴 limited to guided tours only, which you have to arrange in advance (verified 7/2026).

11. Doune Castle (Scotland): Outlander

Scotland has long benefited from the massive success of the Outlander phenomenon, which boosted visitor numbers at local landmarks by hundreds of percent. The ruins of Doune Castle, a short drive from historic Stirling, fantastically portrayed the seat of Clan MacKenzie, and today fans travel here from every corner of the world and queue in the courtyard as if at Disneyland.

What takes the visit to a whole other level is the fact that the audio guide was recorded by none other than the lead actor Sam Heughan, which lends the tour a wonderfully personal dimension. Visitor numbers here have risen by an incredible 366%, so the castle courtyard, where the rugged Highlanders trained in the series, is often packed to bursting.

💡 Tip: Entry to the castle runs in 🟡 normal mode, but given the final season of the show currently airing, be prepared for 2026 to be the most demanding year of all for Scottish landmarks when it comes to crowds (verified 7/2026).

12. Taormina (Italy): The White Lotus

The White Lotus works as the best possible catalogue of luxury holiday resorts, one that instantly shoots accommodation prices into the stratosphere the moment it airs. The second season was set in Sicilian Taormina, specifically in the gorgeous San Domenico Palace hotel, a renovated monastery perched high on a cliff.

The views from here over the sparkling Ionian Sea and smoking Mount Etna are absolutely breathtaking, but for a mere mortal, entry is more or less off-limits. The hotel’s security is very uncompromising and makes sure prominent guests enjoy their expensive privacy without onlookers.

💡 Tip: This 14th-century palace falls into the category of ⚫ inaccessible locations, unless you happen to be planning to spend thousands of euros a night here. Even so, Taormina itself is worth a visit, because its historic lanes and ancient theatre offer plenty of beautiful set-jetting experiences.

Classics that still draw crowds fifty years on

These aren’t hot new releases from this year, yet crowds still flock to them decades after their premiere, because no one can ever strip these places of their cult status. People come here to be moved, to sing their favourite song, or simply to run up the right set of steps.

13. Philadelphia (USA): Rocky

Few film locations in the world are as iconic as the wide staircase in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The 1976 film Rocky left an utterly indelible mark here, and when you arrive you’ll see dozens of tourists running up with their arms over their heads, humming the theme tune as they go.

From the top of the steps you’ll get a fantastic view of the skyscrapers lining Benjamin Franklin Parkway — a sight you simply never tire of. The bronze statue of Rocky himself, which stood right at the top in the third film, is now located at the bottom right beneath the trees, where long queues form for a photo.

💡 Tip: The steps and statue are 🟢 freely accessible to anyone all day for free. Private company tours do exist (costing around €320 for a group), but the official tourist site Visit Philly recommends soaking up the right atmosphere on your own (verified 7/2026).

14. Skopelos Island (Greece): Mamma Mia

The Greek island of Skopelos has become an absolute synonym for the summer musical Mamma Mia, and to this day it lures thousands of romantic souls. Getting here requires a bit more planning, because the island has no airport of its own, so you’ll have to fly to neighbouring Skiathos and take a ferry across.

The highlight of any trip is the Agios Ioannis Kastri chapel, dramatically perched on a lonely rock right above the turquoise sea. Climbing up means tackling roughly two hundred steep steps carved into the rock ⚠️ (different sources cite anywhere from 106 to 198), which in the summer Greek sun is no walk in the park.

💡 Tip: The rock itself and the little chapel are 🟢 freely accessible with no entrance fee. Inside, though, a big surprise awaits — the space is so tiny it only fits a few people, and the richly decorated wedding interior from the film was shot in a studio. We have a separate article on Skopelos with more tips.

15. Maya Bay (Thailand): The Beach

This renowned bay on the island of Phi Phi Leh shows the darkest side of uncontrolled film tourism. The Beach, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, brought in such masses of people that the anchoring motorboats and thousands of feet a day almost decimated the fragile local coral reefs.

The Thai government had to close the bay completely for several years so nature could catch its breath, and while you can now reach it by speedboat from Phuket, strict rules apply. Boats anchor on the far side of the island, you walk to the beach along wooden boardwalks, and swimming in the bay itself is absolutely forbidden — something the park rangers with whistles enforce without compromise.

💡 Tip: Entry to the island is subject to 🔴 tough restrictions — there’s a fee of 400 THB (about €10) per adult, and the limit is 300 people at once (verified 7/2026). The bay is also regularly closed completely from 1 August to 30 September. If you’re planning a trip, check out what else to see in Thailand.

16. Salzburg (Austria): The Sound of Music

The 1965 musical The Sound of Music is still a huge goldmine for Austria’s Salzburg, drawing generations of Americans and Asian tourists. The most famous Sound of Music location is without doubt the gorgeous gardens of Mirabell Palace, where the film’s Maria sang the famous Do-Re-Mi with the children and hopped along the stone steps.

These gardens are full of people trying to recreate that same choreography, while the film’s gazebo had to be moved by the city to Hellbrunn Palace, because fans kept climbing the fences of private property. The whole city lives on musical nostalgia, which you can see on every corner in the souvenir shops.

💡 Tip: You can walk the city locations 🟡 for free, but an organised 4-hour bus tour, which you can easily book through GetYourGuide, costs around €80 (verified 7/2026). You’ll find details about the sights on the official Salzburg Info website.

17. Forks (USA): Twilight

The Twilight vampire saga turned the rainy logging town of Forks in Washington State into an absolute pop-culture phenomenon, even though the film wasn’t actually shot here at all. The crew back then used locations in neighbouring Oregon and British Columbia, but that clearly doesn’t bother the fans one bit, and they come here to soak up the right gloomy atmosphere.

People take photos by the welcome sign, walk along the forested La Push beach, and local restaurants cheerfully serve them vampire burgers, while the annual festival for loyal fans regularly fills the town to bursting.

💡 Tip: Getting around town is 🟢 free, but if you’d like a VIP package for the local festival, be ready to shell out $825, roughly €715 (verified 7/2026).

18. Albuquerque (USA): Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad showed the desert city of Albuquerque in New Mexico in the rawest possible light, but tourists love it for exactly that. The city is brilliantly prepared for location tourism and the local city hall even offers a map for a self-guided tour completely free (verified 7/2026).

The biggest problem, though, became the White family home, where Walter angrily hurled a pizza onto the garage roof. The house is an entirely ordinary private residence, whose owners had to build a tall iron fence around the property after years of clearing real pizzas thrown by fans.

💡 Tip: You’ll see most of the exteriors 🟢 for free — you just need a car. For a deeper experience I recommend a themed guided tour (often available through GetYourGuide), which will cost you around €70–90 and show you spots you’d never find on your own.

Bond and action films

Bond locations have one thing in common: they either demand your fitness or your open wallet. Or both at once. They’re simply visually stunning.

19. Karlovy Vary (Czechia): Casino Royale

For fans in Central Europe, this is film luxury on the doorstep — the famous Grandhotel Pupp played the fictional Hotel Splendide in Montenegro in the Bond film Casino Royale. A couple of hours’ drive from major hubs will get you right to the spot where Daniel Craig parked his gleaming Aston Martin.

You can calmly stroll along the spa promenade, peek into the luxurious reception, or enjoy an excellent coffee in the restaurant where Bond dined with his fateful love Vesper. You won’t find the casino itself here, though, where the main card game took place, because those scenes were shot in the nearby Imperial Spa.

💡 Tip: A walk around the hotel is 🟡 open to the public, but for the full experience you should at least stop in for a coffee or a dessert. Karlovy Vary offers plenty more sights worth exploring.

20. Glen Coe Valley (Scotland): Skyfall

For that proper, rugged Bond atmosphere you’ll need to head north to Scotland, specifically to the Glen Coe valley, which lies roughly two hours’ drive north of Glasgow. The dark, often mist-shrouded mountain peaks here make an absolutely perfect backdrop for Bond and M’s journey to the old family estate.

The lay-by where the agent stops with the Aston Martin DB5 and gazes wistfully into the deep valley lies right beside the main A82 road. It’s basically just a small gravel rest stop, packed with cars during the summer season, so you’ll need enormous luck to grab a photo without other people’s camper vans in the shot.

💡 Tip: The road and valley are 🟢 freely accessible to anyone for free. I recommend heading here early in the morning, when Scotland has that perfect autumn atmosphere, because the mist mercifully hides the other tourists and gives your photos depth.

21. Petra (Jordan): Indiana Jones

Indiana Jones made the ancient Jordanian city of Petra famous probably more than any historical documentary on TV ever could. The route to the iconic Treasury (Al Khazneh) leads through a kilometre-long, narrow sandstone canyon called the Siq, and once the rocks part at the end, you’ll spot that stunning pink façade carved into the stone.

Don’t expect any deadly traps inside the Treasury — Spielberg took plenty of creative licence there. The real interior is just one relatively small, empty square room, which tourists are also forbidden to enter for safety reasons, so you only look in from the doorway.

💡 Tip: Entry to the archaeological site works via a 🟡 paid Jordan Pass or a single entrance fee starting at 50 JOD (about €65).

22. Preikestolen (Norway): Mission: Impossible

Tom Cruise keeps pushing the limits of stunt work, and for the closing scene of Fallout he chose the famous Norwegian rock plateau Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock), even though in the film this location represented Kashmir. This huge, flat block of granite towers 604 metres straight above the fjord’s surface and offers views guaranteed to make your head spin.

Getting here requires decent physical fitness, because from the car park you face a two-hour hike over rocky terrain, and don’t expect any railings at the top — safety is purely up to you.

💡 Tip: The trek itself is 🟢 freely accessible and free, but be prepared for fairly expensive parking at the trailhead.

Anime pilgrimage and Asia

The so-called seichi junrei, or anime pilgrimage, is a massive and incredibly popular phenomenon in Japan that in recent years has been spilling over into the rest of the world too. Japanese animators are so obsessed with real-world detail that an ordinary staircase or level crossing suddenly looks like a sacred site, and fans behave accordingly.

23. Yotsuya District in Tokyo (Japan): Your Name

The global hit Your Name (Kimi no Na wa) managed to turn a completely ordinary staircase in Tokyo into a sought-after pilgrimage site. This location sits by the Shinto Suga Shrine in the quiet residential district of Yotsuya, roughly a 6-minute walk from the metro station of the same name (verified 7/2026).

When you arrive, you’ll see the typical red railing and steep steps where, at the very end of the film, the main characters Taki and Mitsuha finally meet. Fans come here to take photos mainly in the early evening, to capture that right melancholy atmosphere of the setting sun.

💡 Tip: The place is 🟢 freely accessible and free, but it’s in the middle of dense housing. Behave very quietly here and respect the fact that the steps lead to a sacred site. When visiting Tokyo, it’s a great stop off the main tourist trail.

24. Kamakura (Japan): Slam Dunk

The coastal city of Kamakura, just under an hour by train south of Tokyo, is grappling with one of the country’s biggest problems because of anime tourism. The basketball hit Slam Dunk made the local Kamakurakōkōmae level crossing famous, where in the opening credits a green Enoden line train passes and the Pacific Ocean shimmers in the background.

Hundreds of tourists a day block the road here trying to grab the perfect shot, which led to the fact that the city had to install security cameras 24/7 and even close the nearby public toilets due to vandalism (verified 7/2026). Local residents and police are understandably highly allergic to unruly fans.

💡 Tip: The crossing itself is a 🟢 public space, but remember that you must never step onto the road or the tracks and block normal traffic.

25. Ghibli Park (Japan): Studio Ghibli

While most anime locations draw on the real world, the creators of the legendary Studio Ghibli decided to build a world of their own. This unique park in Aichi Prefecture isn’t a classic amusement centre with rollercoasters, but rather a huge, interactive walk through the most beautiful sets from Hayao Miyazaki’s films.

You can explore Satsuki and Mei’s house from My Neighbour Totoro, peek into the hat shop from Howl’s Moving Castle, or wander through a mysterious forest. The attention to detail here is utterly incredible, and every prop feels as if it stepped straight out of the animated frame. If you can’t make it to Aichi, at least visit the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo’s Mitaka, which is smaller, older and just as magical for fans.

💡 Tip: A visit falls into the category of 🔴 strict bookings, with tickets often needing to be bought online 3 to 6 months in advance (verified 7/2026). You’ll find official information and sales on the Ghibli Park website.

26. Jiufen (Taiwan): Spirited Away

Outside Japan, Asian fans are drawn above all to Taiwan, specifically the mountain town of Jiufen, which lies a short distance from the capital Taipei. Its narrow lanes full of red lanterns, steep steps and traditional teahouses look exactly like the magical, spirit-inhabited town from the Oscar-winning film Spirited Away.

Although director Hayao Miyazaki officially denied that Jiufen served as a direct model, the visual resemblance is so striking that fans couldn’t care less and flock here from all over Asia. The most famous photo is taken here in front of the iconic A-Mei teahouse.

💡 Tip: The town’s lanes are 🟢 freely accessible, but if you want to sit down calmly for a tea and admire the view, set aside money for the fairly pricey but very authentic refreshments in the local establishments.

Czechia and Central Europe: a backdrop right around the corner

You don’t need to fly across the ocean to experience real film magic, because homegrown classics and European productions often top the search rankings and hold up surprisingly well against global hits. All you need to do is hop in the car or on a train and set off on a weekend trip.

27. Moritzburg Castle (Germany): Three Wishes for Cinderella

Christmas without Three Wishes for Cinderella is something almost no one in Central Europe can imagine. This beautiful baroque castle, surrounded by a large expanse of water, lies just outside Dresden in Germany, making it an absolutely ideal destination for a family day trip.

The staircase on the castle’s east side, where Cinderella lost her famous slipper, you’ll recognise straight away. There’s even a metal replica of the slipper itself here, which you can try to slip your foot into for a photo.

💡 Tip: The castle runs on a 🟡 classic entrance-fee basis, and in the winter season it regularly hosts a gorgeous themed exhibition full of original film costumes, for which it’s worth buying tickets in advance.

28. Kašperk Castle (Czechia): Angel of the Lord

The beloved Czech fairy tale Angel of the Lord made the majestic Kašperk Castle famous, proudly rising up in the forests of the Šumava mountains. It’s the highest-situated royal castle in Bohemia, and from the car park you have to walk roughly a kilometre along a very pleasant path through the forest.

When you step into the main courtyard, you’ll instantly recall all those funny scenes with the devil Uriah and the angel Petronel. The atmosphere here is far calmer than at the foreign mega-hits, and the views of the surrounding landscape are worth it even for those who happen never to have seen the film.

💡 Tip: The castle offers 🟡 classic guided tours for a standard entrance fee. The second part of the fairy tale then moved to Český Krumlov, where you can take a trip the very next weekend.

29. Prague, Košíře (Czechia): Cosy Dens

The cult film Cosy Dens (Pelíšky) has its firm, irreplaceable place in Prague’s Košíře district. The iconic two-storey villa where the Kraus and Šebek families lived out the end of the 1960s stands on the sloping Schodová Street, which you can reach on foot from the busy Anděl station.

It’s exactly the place where the famous noticeboard stood and from which the legendary one-liners rang out, but you need to bear in mind that the villa is now privately owned. You can calmly photograph it from the street, but definitely don’t try to ring the owners’ bell or peer over the fence into their garden.

💡 Tip: The location is ⚫ freely visible from the street, but inaccessible. If you’re planning a walk around Prague, combine it with other sights.

30. Polabí (Czechia): The Polabí series

This might surprise you, but according to search engine data, the query for locations from the Polabí series is one of the absolute most searched on the Czech internet (verified 7/2026). Czechs simply love their homegrown rural productions and love to follow in the footsteps of their favourite TV heroes.

This region offers a calm, flat landscape along the Elbe river, full of picturesque villages, cycle paths and old farmsteads. It’s a perfect example of how film tourism doesn’t have to be all about pricey plane tickets — you can just hop on a bike and head just outside town.

💡 Tip: The region is 🟢 freely accessible and offers great options for weekend trips combined with a taste of local beer or relaxed cycling.

Quick table: where to find what

Here’s a complete catalogue of more than 60 film locations neatly in one place. It’ll serve as a quick cheat sheet when you’re figuring out where to head next.

Title	Country	Specific place	Mode	Approx. price	Note
The Lord of the Rings / The Hobbit	New Zealand	Matamata (Hobbiton)	🔴	130 NZD (€75)	Sold out months ahead
Harry Potter	United Kingdom	WB Studio Tour London	🔴	From £58.50 (€68)	No tickets at the door
Harry Potter	United Kingdom	Alnwick Castle	🟡	Check on site	Hogwarts exteriors
Game of Thrones	Croatia	Dubrovnik (city walls)	🔴	€40	Timed-slot entry only
Game of Thrones	Northern Ireland	Banbridge (Linen Mill Studios)	🟡	From £19 (€22)	Original Winterfell sets
Game of Thrones	Iceland	Mývatn (Grjótagjá cave)	🟢	Free	Swimming forbidden
House of the Dragon	Spain	Seville (Alcázar as Dorne)	🔴	Around €15	Online booking recommended
Star Wars	Ireland	Skellig Michael	🔴	€100–130	Limit 180 people a day
The Witcher	Poland / Hungary	Ogrodzieniec Castle / Tata	🟡	Check on site	Castle played the Battle of Sodden
Narnia	Czechia	Tisá Rocks	🟡	Around €2	Gateway into snowy Narnia
Dune	Jordan	Wadi Rum	🟡	Entry + jeep	Arrakis exteriors
Interstellar	Iceland	Svínafellsjökull glacier	🟢	Free	Mann’s planet
Blade Runner 2099	Czechia	Mělník / Mayrau mine	⚫ / 🟡	Museum entry	Premiere 2026
Stranger Things	USA	Jackson, Georgia	🟢	Free	Hawkins square
Stranger Things	USA	Rome, Georgia (Creel House)	⚫	No access	Private home
Wednesday	Romania	Bușteni (Cantacuzino Castle)	🟡	Check on site	Interiors don’t resemble the show
Dark	Germany	Brandenburg (Lanke Castle)	⚫	Hotel guests only	The show’s Waldhotel
Dark	Germany	Harz (Einhornhöhle)	🟡	Check on site	Cave interiors
Bridgerton	United Kingdom	Bath (Assembly Rooms)	🔴	Check on site	Ball scenes (guided tours)
Outlander	Scotland	Doune Castle	🟡	Check on site	Castle Leoch
White Lotus (S1)	USA, Hawaii	Four Seasons Resort Maui	⚫	Hotel guests only	Enormous prices after airing
White Lotus (S2)	Italy, Sicily	San Domenico Palace, Taormina	⚫	Hotel guests only	Luxury palace
White Lotus (S4)	France	Château de la Messardière	⚫	Hotel guests only	New locations for 2026
The Crown	United Kingdom	Belvoir Castle / Burghley House	🟡	Check on site	Stand-ins for Windsor
Emily in Paris	France	Paris (Place de l’Estrapade)	🟢	Free	Apartment and restaurant
Wuthering Heights	United Kingdom	Yorkshire (Old Gang Mill)	🟢	Free	Farm ruins for new adaptation
Wuthering Heights	United Kingdom	Kent (Knole House)	🟡	Check on site	Played Gretna Green
Rocky	USA	Philadelphia (Rocky Steps)	🟢	Free	Commercial tour costs around €320
The Sound of Music	Austria	Salzburg	🟡	From €80	4-hour bus tour
Braveheart	Scotland	Stirling (Wallace Monument)	🟡	Check on site	Boosted tourism by 300%
Mamma Mia	Greece	Skopelos (Agios Ioannis Kastri)	🟢	Free	Wedding chapel with steps
The Beach	Thailand	Maya Bay (Phi Phi)	🔴	400 THB (€10)	Closed 1 Aug / 30 Sep
Twilight	USA	Forks, Washington	🟢	Free	Festival VIP package €715
Breaking Bad	USA	Albuquerque	🟢 / 🟡	€70–90 with guide	Free map also available
The Godfather	Italy / Sicily (Savoca)	🟢	Free (spend at the bar)	Bar Vitelli still operates today
Friends	USA	New York (Bedford St / Grove St)	🟢	Free	Iconic apartment exterior
Notting Hill	United Kingdom	London (Portobello Road)	🟢	Free	Blue door and bookshop
Casablanca	Morocco	Casablanca (Rick’s Café)	🔴	Restaurant meal prices	Café built after the film
Casino Royale	Czechia	Karlovy Vary (Grandhotel Pupp)	🟡	Guests / restaurant	The film’s Hotel Splendide
Skyfall	Scotland	Glen Coe Valley	🟢	Free	Iconic road from the film
No Time to Die	Italy	Matera	🟢	Free	Opening chase through the lanes
Mission: Impossible	Norway	Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock)	🟢	Free (parking fee)	Closing scene from Fallout
The Bourne Identity	Czechia	Prague (Kampa)	🟢	Free	Park played snowy Zurich
Indiana Jones	Jordan	Petra (Al Khazneh)	🟡	From 50 JOD (Jordan Pass)	The famous Treasury
Resident Evil	Czechia	Prague (Karlín)	🟢	Free	Premiere autumn 2026 (verified 7/2026)
Your Name	Japan	Tokyo (Suga Shrine, Yotsuya)	🟢	Free	Staircase from the final scene
Slam Dunk	Japan	Kamakura (Kamakurakōkōmae crossing)	🟢	Free	City battling massive overtourism
Demon Slayer	Japan	Tokyo (Asakusa / Sensō-ji temple)	🟢	Free	Starting point for Taishō-era scenes
Studio Ghibli	Japan	Ghibli Park (Aichi Prefecture)	🔴	Check online	Book 2 to 3 months ahead
Spirited Away	Taiwan	Jiufen	🟢	Free	Mountain town full of lanterns
Goblin (Dokkaebi)	South Korea	Gangneung (Jumunjin breakwater)	🟢	Free	Most famous K-drama location
Crash Landing on You	Switzerland	Iseltwald (Lake Brienz)	🟡	Pier fee	Village installed a turnstile
Parasite	South Korea	Seoul	🟢	Free	Staircase in a poor neighbourhood
Polabí	Czechia	Polabí	🟢	Free	One of the most searched CZ queries
Angel of the Lord	Czechia	Kašperk Castle / Český Krumlov	🟡	Check on site	Krumlov featured in part two
Odznak Vysočina	Czechia	Ledeč nad Sázavou	🟢	Free	The series’ police station
Cosy Dens	Czechia	Prague (Košíře)	⚫	No access	Iconic villa is private
Three Wishes for Cinderella	Germany / CZ	Moritzburg / Švihov Water Castle	🟡	Check on site	Moritzburg often has an exhibition
Winnetou	Croatia	Plitvice Lakes / Paklenica NP	🟡	Check online	Variable seasonal entry
Bergdoktor	Austria	Wilder Kaiser (Ellmau)	🟢/🟡	Free / commercial tours	An absolute phenomenon in Germany
Ranczo	Poland	Jeruzal	🟢	Free	Square with church and bench
Camping Paradis	France	Martigues	🟡	Campsite accommodation prices	Real seaside campsite
Sandokan (2025)	Italy	Calabria	🟢	Free	New adaptation smashing searches

What disappoints people most at film locations

The gap between what you see on screen and harsh reality is probably the most common source of frustration for any location tourist. Filmmakers love using so-called composite locations, so what looks like one continuous place on TV was in reality shot across three different spots.

A great example is the dark German hit Dark, where the famous entrance to the Winden cave doesn’t exist at all, because it was just a wooden set built in a forest not far from Berlin. If you wanted to see those winding interiors, you’d have to drive hundreds of kilometres to the Harz mountains, where filming took place in the real Unicorn Cave, while the exterior set itself was demolished long ago.

Another huge shock tends to be the sheer scale of the buildings and cities, because computer effects can inflate a space incredibly. When you arrive in Croatia’s Dubrovnik expecting a gigantic King’s Landing, you’ll discover you can cross the entire old town at a leisurely pace in fifteen minutes, and there’s no giant Red Keep towering over it, since the graphics team only added it in post-production.

The same goes for Romania’s Cantacuzino Castle, which played Nevermore Academy in Wednesday, but its real façade looks far more ordinary. The filmmakers added a dark slate roof and gothic turrets on the computer, so on site fans often spend a lot of time hunting for the right angle to make the building at least somewhat resemble their favourite school for outcasts.

As if that weren’t enough, the season and the natural light that comes with it play a huge role. If you head to Iceland’s glaciers in the middle of summer, you won’t see the frosty, inhospitable wasteland full of snow from Game of Thrones, but bright green grass full of grazing sheep and a car park crammed with camper vans to bursting.

Film tourist etiquette

Being a film tourist isn’t just about blindly ticking locations off a list, but above all about being a considerate guest in someone else’s environment. In their excitement, people often forget that the famous house from the screen isn’t a public museum, but a perfectly normal home where real people live, longing for peace and privacy.

The owner of the house from Breaking Bad in Albuquerque, USA, had to build a massive iron fence around her entire property after years of clearing away the real pizzas that fans kept throwing onto her roof. These days she commonly sits on her porch, angrily shooing away tourists who shamelessly try to climb the fence and photograph her through the windows straight into her living room.

Blocking normal traffic is also a huge problem, something the Japanese city of Kamakura is currently dealing with because of the popular anime Slam Dunk. Hundreds of tourists a day step straight onto the tracks here to grab the perfect shot of the passing train, risking their lives and forcing the city to install security cameras and pay for a constant security presence.

Crowds of fans can even paralyse entire cities, as we know from overcrowded Dubrovnik, where tourists commonly stop in the narrowest lanes and shout film quotes at each other. Local residents then can’t get home with their shopping, which is why the city had to introduce strict bookings for the walls and drastically limit the number of cruise ships in the port.

The best thing you can do for a location is spend a little extra money there. A coffee at the café on the corner, a local guide — and suddenly you’re not just a locust that takes a selfie and vanishes.

Where to go next

If this phenomenon of travelling to see the screen has captivated you and you want to dive even deeper, we’ve prepared more specialised guides for you. In them you’ll find specific tips and itineraries for the most sought-after places on the planet.

• Set-jetting and the White Lotus effect
• Harry Potter Studio London
• What to see in Dubrovnik
• Skopelos, the Mamma Mia island
• Emily in Paris: 15 places in Paris

Frequently asked questions