Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is the most travelling you can do from the comfort of your cinema seat. Like a James Bond film with a few extra air miles, Nolan’s Homeric tale takes in spectacular locations in Morocco, Greece, Italy, Iceland and Scotland – as well as the odd LA sound stage – as it follows Odysseus’ (Matt Damon) efforts to get back to Ithaca from Troy.
Filmed over 91 days in 2025, The Odyssey was shot entirely using IMAX cameras on the high seas, on mountains, in caves, and on beaches from Hjörleifshöfði in Iceland to Essaouira in Morocco. In Scotland, the forests of Moray played host to an army of Laestrygonians, while Ithaca was recreated off the coast of Sicily.
‘By the end, everyone was absolutely exhausted in a way that I have never experienced on a film,’ Nolan tells Empire. ‘When I got home, Ben [Affleck] was asking me about it. And I said, “Every location on this movie would have been the toughest location on any film I’ve ever done.’”
The good news for anyone looking to follow in The Odyssey’s footsteps is that we don’t have to do any of these things. Read on for a handy travel guide to the mythological epic – where to go, how to get there and where to stay.
The Odyssey movie locations to visit
Ithaca was filmed on Favignana island, Sicily
Odysseus and Penelope’s (Anne Hathaway) palace home, overrun with sleazy suitors in the story, was filmed on the Sony lot in LA and the island of Favignana, just west of Sicily. One of the few locations that also appears in Homer – Odysseus and his men stop on ‘goat island’ to replenish their supplies in the poem – Favignana’s hilltop castle stood in for the Ithacan palace exteriors. Every morning, cast and crew would walk (or occasionally chopper) 900 feet up to the 15th century Castello di Santa Caterina. ‘We went there and saw that it was a deeply impractical location,’ remembers Nolan. ‘But when we climbed up to the castle and saw the view, it just felt like Odysseus’ home.’
Travel tips: Catch a ferry from Trapani in Sicily to Favignana, and pick from one of the Airbnb options in Favignana town or try I Pretti Resort or Dimora Cala del Pozzo for a more luxe hotel experience. Monte Santa Caterina is only a couple of miles out of town.
Troy was built at Aït Benhaddou in Morocco
Movie history is everywhere in this 11th-century fortified village from Marrakech. Gladiator and Game of Thrones, Lawrence of Arabia, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time… you name it, a sword and sandals epic was probably filmed here. By February 2025, Christopher Nolan had ancient Troy rebuilt here and 2000 extras ready to recreate the city’s violent fall. The 360-degree set, overseen by production designer Ruth De Jong, spanned 2.5 acres and boasted the 48-foot tall Temple of Athena. ‘We needed [it] to be on an absolutely colossal scale and as immersive as possible,’ says Nolan.
Travel tips: Airbnb is your friend in Aït Benhaddou, although the traditional Moroccan riad Bagdad Café, 200 metres from the town’s UNESCO World Heritage kasbah, is a hit on Tripadvisor.
The Trojan horse was filmed at Essaouira, Morocco
Christopher Nolan’s vision for his Trojan Horse scenes dates back to the early 2000s when he was briefly aboard the movie Troy. He envisaged the Greeks duping their foes with a half-buried offering from the gods, and finally realised that vision on the sands of Essaouira on the Moroccan coast. This is also where Odysseus and his men set out for home. In Arabic, Essaouira means ‘little picture’. Not so little in IMAX.
Travel tips: Africa’s ‘Windy City’ is a laidback spot with a bohemian side and millennia of Mediterranean seafaring history behind it. Windsurfing is big here, and you can ride (actual, non-wooden) horses on the beach, if you’re not tempted by the souk in the famous medina. The town has its own airport with flights from across Europe.
The Cyclops’ cave was filmed in Messenia, Greece
The choice for Polyphemus’ cave, a well-appointed cavern for the discerning Cyclops, has mythological pedigree. The scene was filmed at Nestor’s Cave above the golden Messenia beach of Voidokilia. The King of Pylos, Nestor, was said to have hidden the oxen he stole from the god Helios here. You can’t visit the cave itself but there’s mythology everywhere around here – and now Hollywood lore, too.
Travel tips: Use the nearby town of Pylos as a base to explore this historic area of the Peloponnese. It features in the epic poem – and the movie – when Tom Holland’s Telemachus sails here from Ithaca looking for information about his dad. Expect beautiful beaches, coastal culture, Ancient Greek antiquities, and the local snack of choice, lalagia – crispy dough strips that come dusted with sugar and cinnamon.
The Laestrygonians were filmed at Culbin Forest in Scotland
Nolan has only filmed in Scotland once before – the prologue for The Dark Knight Rises – but the country’s east coast was a key location for his new blockbuster. Odysseus’ encounter with the Laestrygonians was filmed in the pine woodland of Culbin Forest. It’s situated on the Moray Firth coast, one of Scotland’s most distinctive natural landscapes. The locals are a much friendlier bunch, too.
Travel tips: Culbin is an hour’s drive from Inverness. Stay at The Crown & Anchor or Kimberley Inn in the picturesque fishing village of Findhorn. As well as Culbin Forest, it’s a great base to visit Brodie Castle, take in a few local whisky distilleries and explore the wider Moray coastline.
Circe’s hut was shot at Findlater Castle in Scotland
In The Odyssey, Circe (Samantha Morton) is a sorceress who lives alone on the remote island of Aeaea raising her pigs. In the movie, these scenes were filmed at Findlater Castle, 60 miles from Inverness. These castle ruins, once the seat of the Earls of Findlater and Seafield, sit on a 50-foot-high cliff overlooking the Moray Firth. This is a protected archaeological site and visitors should be careful to avoid accessing the ruins themselves. There’s a grassy viewing platform nearby and Sunnyside Beach – another filming location – offers great views up to the spot of Circe’s abode.
Travel tips: Put on your walking boots and Moray Coastal Trail or check out nearby harbour town of Cullen, which is famous for giving the world Cullen Skink, a haddock and potato soup far nutritious than any of Circe’s go-to recipes. Best places to stay? The Seafield Arms and The Royal Oak Hotel in Cullen or Cullen Bay Hotel in Buckie. There’s scenic camping options too.
Hades was shot at Hjörleifshöfði in Iceland
Iceland stood in for the water and ice planets in Interstellar, and it was back on Nolan’s call sheet for The Odyssey. A thousand hardy souls were involved in the 12-day Iceland leg of the shoot, including 450 local extras, Matt Damon, Zendaya and Elliot Page. Odysseus’ ship – modified Viking longboat the Draken – was moored in the small port of Landeyjahöfn, while Odyssey’s trip to the underworld was filmed in June perma-daylight on the black sands of Hjörleifshöfði, 50-odd miles west. ‘I knew early I wanted the landscape of Iceland to portray Hades,’ says Nolan says. ‘This journey north, further and further into the cold, couldn’t be further away from Odysseus’ home in Ithaca.’
Travel tips: This one’s for The Odyssey die-hard. You’ll need a car to make the three hour trip from Reykjavík to Landeyjahöfn, and there’s only a handful of accommodation options, but, like Christopher Nolan and co, you don’t come to this corner of Iceland for comfort. Movie fans will be rewarded not just with a trip to Hades, but Iwo Jima and the planet of Lah’mu too, because Flags of Our Fathers and Star Wars: Rogue One were also filmed here. Landeyjahöfn is a great base to visit the Westman Islands, a spectacular volcanic archipelago and home to the world’s largest puffin colony. The best accommodation options are out of town: try the new Hótel Lóa or the luxe-ier Seljalandsfoss Horizons.
Read ’s review of The Odyssey.
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