Cheap Travel Insurance Europe

Beach holidays, coach tours and historical monuments have all featured in holidays for many years but a new fascination is steadily creeping into the mix; visiting locations where films were shot.

Europe has a diverse range of cultures and offers a backdrop for any genre of film, making it the destination of choice for many directors. And this means fans are able to visit the site and have their photo taken in the very same spot seen in the film.

A popular film to hit the cinemas, Mission Impossible, was shot mainly in London, the Czech Republic and Scotland. In Prague the Natural History Museum features heavily, the same venue which also appeared in the Bond film Casino Royale. In London, a pub in Southwark was chosen for the final scenes, the same place incidentally that Samuel Pepys is believed to have sat watching the Great Fire of London.

Star Wars has a huge cult following and whilst the desert scenes were primarily filmed in Tunisia, some of the architecture was taken from locations in Italy and Spain. Episodes I and II both featured a baroque palace, the Palazzo Reale in Caserta, close to Naples for Queen Amidala's residence. Its classical design makes it popular with movie-makers and it also appeared in Mission Impossible III as well as Angels and Demons.

However, rather bizarrely, the exterior of the palace is provided by Spain, the Palacio Espanol in Seville and the surrounding area, the Plaza de Espana, also is recognisable from the scene where Anakin and Padme walk over a canal bridge. Eagle eyed buffs may find this background looks rather familiar; the same location was used in Lawrence of Arabia.

Every country across Europe boasts its own film pedigree so whether you are a fully-fledged fanatic or just interested in seeing what's close to where you are staying it's possible to include a film-set trip in your holiday. And with cheap travel insurance Europe is a great destination for whatever kind of break you want, whether it's some time on a beach or a sight-seeing tour, or maybe a bit of both, the eclectic mix of history and culture provides something for everyone.