FIVE GLOBAL CHRISTMAS FILM LOCATIONS TO VISIT

Christmas movies have a special charm about them, especially with their iconic locations that bring to life our favorite Christmas scenes. Whether it's the heart-warming romance of Love Actually or the adrenaline-fueled adventure of Die Hard, these iconic films have something for everyone. And if you're wondering where these magical movie scenes were made, look no further than this list of filming locations you can actually visit!

1. Home Alone (1990)
   This classic Christmas film takes place in the iconic home on Lincoln Avenue in Winnetka, a suburb north of Chicago. The nearby Station Park is where little Kevin McCallister visits Santa and buys a toothbrush (in fact a bakery dressed for the film). The church Culkin visits is the Trinity United Methodist Church in Wilmette, another northern suburb, though the interiors were shot to the west in Oak Park at the Grace Episcopal Church. The film even used Chicago O’Hare airport as a stand-in for Paris Charles De Gaulle!

2. Die Hard (1988)
   This action-packed Christmas film takes place in the 34-storey Fox Plaza in Century City, Los Angeles. This building was previously part of the 20th Century Fox backlot, but was sold in the 1960s to developers. It has appeared in many films, including as a dystopian simian future in the 1972 film "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes". Unfortunately, the scene where Bruce jumps out the window with a hose around his waist was filmed in a five-storey car park around the corner.

3. Elf (2003)
   This film tells the story of Buddy, a man-child who travels from the North Pole to New York City in search of his birth father.
   As a result, we get to see both NYC and Christmas as a whole through the eyes of a wide-eyed and optimistic wannabe elf. When Buddy sets out to find the biggest Christmas tree in the city, he lands at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, gazing up at Manhattan’s prized perennial. The dazzling tree is clearly a world-renowned attraction for a reason.

4. Scrooged (1988)
   This New York take on A Christmas Carol tells the story of Frank Cross, a greedy TV exec who gets visited by three Christmas ghosts. The glass-panelled skyscraper office he works in is the Seagram Building, designed by Mies van der Rohe no less, at 375 Park Avenue. The famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is another iconic filming location. The A&M Club Frank goes to is the Atlantic Grill on West 64th Street, but later we see him in Queens and even Long Island! And of course, he ends up experiencing the true spirit of Christmas in the end.

5. Last Christmas (2019)
   This squidgy-sweet romcom is a picture-postcard showcase for 21st-century London. The movie was filmed in Covent Garden market, in an area with Victorian shopping street Cecil Court and the collonaded St Mary’s Church in Marylebone. The pair enjoy a tryst in the community-built Phoenix Garden behind the Phoenix Theatre on Stacey Street, and we also see a bit of urban edge with Brick Lane and the recently hipsterised Brixton Market. The pair also head to the skating rink at Alexandra Palace on Muswell Hill in the north of the city. It's a film that has it all - romance, festive spirit, and a touch of history!