International film and TV series shoots at sun-drenched beaches, cities, or cultural sites in Greece have been filmed in our country since the '50s and continue to attract movie fans from around the world.

These days, the picturesque Greek island of Hydra has been transformed into a sprawling movie set as filming for the Hollywood production "The Riders", starring Brad Pitt, hits full swing.

Hydra's historic harbour has become the center of the action on several other occasions, starting with Sophia Loren & Alan Ladd who starred in "Boy on a Dolphin" (1957) and "Phaedra" (1962), directed by Jules Dassin, starring Melina Mercouri and Anthony Perkins.

"Daisy Jones & the Six" (2023), inspired by the rock band Fleetwood Mac, also features Hydra Island and captures its unique car-free atmosphere, like the "So long Marianne" TV series (2024), dramatising the true love story between Leonard Cohen and Marianne Ihlen during their time on the island in the 1960s.

Skopelos and Skiathos in the Sporades islands, along with the nearby Pelion beaches, are the fabulous settings for "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again" (2008) starring Meryl Streep & Pierce Brosnan.

The green Ionian Sea island of Kefalonia featured in 2001 in "Captain Corelli's Mandolin", starring Nicolas Cage and Penelope Cruz.

The Aegean Cycladic neighbouring islands of Amorgos, Ios, and Naxos were the settings for the famous movie directed by Luc Besson, titled "The Big Blue" (1988), an anthem to the Greek sea, with extensive underwater scenes, advertising the wonderful Aegean and its seabed at its best.

Also in the Cyclades, "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider The Cradle of Life" was filmed in Santorini's breathtaking Oia town, its caldera and at the Ammoudi Bay (2003), starring Angelina Jolie, with some underwater scenes.

"Zorba the Greek" was filmed in Crete (1964), featuring Antony Quinn dancing his famous syrtaki and was based on the Nikos Kazantzakis novel "Life and Times of Alexis Zorbas". It was a blockbuster hit, winning three Academy Awards, showing the beautiful Venetian harbour in Chania town, Stavros village - where Zorbas' dance scene was shot - and the Akrotiri Peninsula.

Back in time, "The Guns of Navarone" (1961), nominated for six Academy Awards, was an epic war film shot on Rhodes Island, starring Gregory Peck, David Niven, and Anthony Quinn, along with Irene Papas.

"Escape to Athens" was an adventure comedy, starring Roger Moore, Telly Savalas, and David Niven, and was also filmed extensively in 1979 across Rhodes Island, like the thriller movie "Paschali's Island" (1988) with Ben Kingsley, Charles Dance, and Helen Mirren.

The cosmopolitan Corfu island has also seen the likes of celebrity secret agents such as James Bond in the 1981 film 'For Your Eyes Only'. The film features historic and breathtaking Corfu and the gigantic Meteora rocks with the monasteries in Greece's mainland, Thessaly.

"The Durrells", the British comedy-drama TV series, based on Gerald Durrell's three autobiographical books about his family, was also filmed in Corfu (2016-2019).

"Maestro in Blue" is a drama TV series filmed on the tiny Ionian Sea islands of Paxos, Antipaxos, and Corfu. The series, which is continuing in the next season, features iconic locations, highlighting Corfu's old town, traditional island stone houses, olive groves, and turquoise waters.

Last but not least, Nia Vardalos, the famous Greek-Canadian writer, producer, and actress, launched in 2009 her "Life in Ruins" movie, playing the role of a tourist guide. This time, filming took place in some of the most famous UNESCO archaeological sites in Greece, such as the Acropolis in Athens, ancient Olympia, and Delphi, promoting the rich culture of Greece, as well as our profession.

The movie location list of Greece is not exhaustive; these are just some internationally well-known highlights.

It's now time you start researching the exact shooting spots and planning your next trip to our beautiful country with its excellent certified tourist guides to show them to you!