Watching a movie filmed on location with excellent cinematography is a wonderful way to do a little “armchair traveling.” You may even be inspired to travel and experience the places you have ogled over in real time.
With its snow-capped peaks, dazzling lakes, and traditional villages set in flower-studded meadows, Switzerland has much to offer as a film destination. Since 1917, when Eduard Bienz produced the movie Der Bergführer, international filmmakers have flocked to the pretty Swiss country for stunning backdrops to their stories. A few actors, producers and even musicians, Charlie Chaplin, Tina Turner and Eddy Mercury being the most famous, have made their homes in Swiss cities. There have been more Netflix series lately, like Crash Landing on You. And we are likely to see even more.
But I digress. Let’s look at some of the most famous movies set in Switzerland to bring out the wanderlust in you.
Table of Contents
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
In the sixth movie of the James Bond series, George Lazenby portrays the special agent 007 on a mission to hunt down Ernst Stavro Blofeld again. Marc-Ange Draco, the leader of a powerful crime syndicate, wants him to marry his daughter, Tracy, to protect her. In exchange, Bond will receive information to learn the whereabouts of Blofeld. Bond learns that Blofeld intends to destroy humanity by creating a deadly virus. Will 007 show loyalty to his country or follow his heart?
The main filming location for the movie was the Bernese Oberland around Lauterbrunnen and Murren south of Interlaken. Blofeld’s lair was filmed on the Schilthorn Mountain in the Bernese Oberland. His “allergy clinic” is the Piz Gloria, a revolving restaurant. Other Swiss landmarks recognized are the Jura Mountains and the Schilthorn Summit. The train scenes occur at a railway station in the village of Lauterbrunnen.
Star Wars Episode 111: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
It’s three years into the Clone Wars and the Jedi are fighting to defend the Republic against the brutal Separatist droid army. Anakin Skywalker is sent to spy on Chancellor Palpatine because the Jedi Council is wary of his intentions. But Anakin and Palpatine become close and Anakin is enticed to learn the ways of the Dark Side as Palpatine reveals his identity as Sith Lord Darth Sidious. Anakin becomes his new apprentice, Darth Vader. After a series of stunning events, the Jedi Order is destroyed and the Republic becomes the Galactic Empire.
Princess Leia’s home planet of Alderaan was filmed around the mountains in Grindelwald in the Jungfrau region of the Bernese Oberland. Footage of the area was digitally enhanced and used as a backdrop in various scenes.
Point Break (2015)
Point Break is an action thriller revolving around an FBI agent who cracks a group of extreme athletes suspected of committing secret corporate heists. The young agent goes undercover and risks his life to prove the athletes are the architects of serious crimes that are rocking the world’s financial markets.
Filmed in several countries around the world, one of the most dramatic stunts in the movie is a wing suit-flying sequence shot at the Walensee, one of Switzerland’s largest lakes. About one-third of the lake is in the Canton of Glarus and two-thirds are in the Canton of St. Gallen.
Youth (2015)
Youth is a comedy-drama about Mick and Fred, two old friends approaching eighty, vacationing at a luxury resort at the foot of the Alps. Fred is a retired composer and conductor and Mick is a still-active director finishing what he thinks is his last major project. They while away their time meddling in their children’s lives, Mick’s young writers, and the other hotel guests.
Fred has no desire to return to his music career until an emissary for Queen Elizabeth asks him to perform at Prince Phillip’s birthday. While pondering on the brevity of life, he must make a decision.
The movie was filmed in locations between France, Italy, the UK, and Switzerland. The primary shooting location was at the Hotel Flims and the Berghotel Schatzalp in the Canton of Graubünden to the west of Chur. The Davos Wiesen railway station was used for the train scenes, and other scenes were filmed in Kandersteg.
Want To Save This For Later?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a psychological thriller revolving around Mikael Blomkvist, a dishonored journalist who a wealthy industrialist asks to write a biography about his family. However, his real intent is to find out what happened to his niece who went missing 40 years ago. Blomkvist is disinterested until the industrialist offers to help clear his name. Together with a computer hacker, they dig up the family’s past dark secrets.
A few scenes in the movie were filmed on location in Switzerland. The computer hacker, Lisbeth Slander, stays in Zurich at the Dolder Grand on Adlisberg Hill. Additional scenes were shot at the Zurich airport and Zürich Hauptbahnhof, Switzerland’s largest railway station.
Goldeneye (1995)
The James Bond thriller Goldeneye is the story of a deadly satellite system that falls into evil hands. Agent 007 is the only one who can save the world from disaster. Bond goes to Russia to search for a space weapon called the Goldeneye’s stolen access codes. Bond goes up against a mastermind simmering with hate and Xenia Onatopp, an assassin whose ultimate weapon is a pleasure.
The opening teaser in the movie is a white-knuckle bungee jump that supposedly takes place at the USSR’s Arkangel Chemical Weapons Facility. But in reality, it was filmed at the Verzasca Dam (aka Contra Dam) in the Verzasca Valley, in Tessin, Switzerland.
Angels and Demons (2009)
Based on the Dan Brown novel Angels and Demons, symbolist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) goes to the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Geneva after finding out that antimatter from a secret laboratory was stolen by the Illuminati. The search follows the murder of a physicist. Langdon is joined by Father Silvano Bentivoglio and scientist Vittoria Vetra. Vittoria and Robert also search for a new destructive weapon that can kill millions. Clues lead them around the Vatican and the four alters of science, Earth, Water, Air, and Fire.
Although the story involves CERN in Geneva, the movie was filmed in Italy and Los Angeles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Switzerland have its own film industry?
Switzerland has a small but growing film industry that mostly produces movies for the Swiss TV Network
Where were James Bond films shot in Switzerland?
Scenes for James Bond movies were shot at the Furka Pass, the Hotel Aurora in Andermatt, Piz Gloria on the Schilthorn, Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald, and Val Verzasca dam.
Are there Disney movies set in Switzerland?
No, but Switzerland’s Château de Chillon along Lake Geneva’s shores inspired Prince Eric’s seaside castle in The Little Mermaid.
Which Hollywood films are set in Switzerland?
Hollywood blockbusters set in Switzerland include Goldfinger, The Spy Who Love Me, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Star Wars lll, Revenge of the Sith, Point Break (2015), Syriana, The Bourne Identity, and Angles and Demons.
