Movies and series filming locations in Provence & Côte d’Azur

Bathed in a unique quality of light, Nice – the pearl of the Bay of Angels – has attracted filmmakers from around the world for over a century. As early as 1919, two producers bought up the Victorine estate, then a horticultural farm, to create the French Hollywood… Since then, the Victorine Studios have been the stage for movies that have marked the history of cinema, from Marcel Carné’s Children of Paradise (1945) to François Truffaut’s Day for Night (1973), Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief (1955), or the more recent Brice de Nice (2005), in which a quirky surfer played by Jean Dujardin appears on Place Rossetti and the little Plage des Bains Militaires, desperately awaiting the wave of a lifetime… Nearby, the beautiful harbour of Villefranche-sur-Mer was immortalized in Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece To Catch a Thief (1955), starring the unforgettable Grace Kelly and Cary Grant.

A preserved natural haven lapped by azure waters, Antibes has seduced many international filmmakers including Guy Hamilton, who directed the 1971 James Bond movie Diamonds Are Forever. In the opening scene, shot on the private beach of the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, at the tip of Cap d’Antibes, Sean Connery tries to force a young woman to reveal the whereabouts of his sworn enemy… In 1986, Prince directed and starred in the musical Under the Cherry Moon, set against the unique backdrop of Antibes-Juan-les-Pins. Francis Veber filmed The ComDads (1983), starring comedy duo Gérard Depardieu and Pierre Richard, just nearby in Vallauris Golfe-Juan. Vallauris was also the backdrop for Picasso (1954), a short film by Luciano Emmer that shows the artist painting his War and Peace series in the town’s chapel and sketching the rooftops in charcoal.

If there’s one regional town that the whole world associates with cinema, it has to be Cannes! Every year, international stars and film critics walk the legendary red carpet adorning the steps of the town’s Palais des Festivals, the venue for the Cannes Film Festival. An impressive building, the Palais stands guard over the iconic Croisette and its luxury hotels overflowing with Riviera chic and sophistication. In the background, the Bay of Angels unveils a sublime panorama where azure skies meet turquoise waters. Just forty kilometres away, in Saint-Raphaël, you’ll find a museum dedicated to one of the most popular figures in French cinema: Louis de Funès, the legendary hero of Don’t Look Now… We’re Being Shot At!, La Soupe aux Choux and the Gendarmes saga.

“Douliou douliou Saint-Tropez” – Raymond Lefèvre’s catchy song from the Gendarmes film series has been a summer holiday favourite for generations. The public was first introduced to Ludovic Cruchot, the sergeant played by Louis de Funès, in 1964. His adventures spanned the port, beaches and even the terrace of Saint-Tropez’s legendary Café Sénéquier. But of course, it was Roger Vadim’s cult film And God Created Woman (1956) that first propelled this ancient little fishing village into the limelight – along with Brigitte Bardot of course… Another iconic landmark: the village’s red and ochre bell tower, featured in the opening sequence of the French TV series Sous le Soleil. The show ran from 1996 to 2008 and the adventures of Caroline, Laure and Jessica were exported to 178 countries, further enhancing the town’s international renown.

Did you know that cinema was actually born in La Ciotat? It was here – their father owned a holiday home in the town – that Auguste and Louis Lumière filmed their first moving picture Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station and The Sprinkler Sprinkled. And it was here too, at the Eden Theatre, that people first paid to see a film in March 1899. Hailed as the world’s oldest movie theatre still in operation, now a listed monument, the theatre hosts an eclectic line-up of concerts and movie masterpieces… Running since 2025, the Netflix series All for Light also features iconic locations in La Ciotat, including the Port Vieux and Halle Lumière.

Nestled in the heart of the Luberon, the villages of Cucuron, Bonnieux and Lourmarin are the very epitome of Provence’s envied lifestyle. Cucuron’s vast lake lined with plane trees is redolent with tranquillity and authenticity; Bonnieux, perched on a rocky spur, unveils steep lanes and spectacular views over the valley; and the lively, elegant village of Lourmarin boasts a Renaissance château and shaded café terraces. All three villages shot to fame thanks to British author Peter Mayle – his international bestseller A Year in Provence (1989), showcasing the local sunny scenery, colourful markets and stones façades, helped forge Provence’s idyllic on-screen image. It was also the inspiration for the BBC TV series shown in 1993.

The eminently cinegenic city of Marseille has provided the stage for countless film shoots. Don’t miss a visit to Château de la Buzine – the inspiration for Marcel Pagnol’s novel My Mother’s Castle that later became his home. Other must-sees: Taxi (1998), produced by Luc Besson, in which the entire city becomes a playground for Daniel’s Peugeot 406, and Château d’If, where Pierre Niney donned Edmond Dantès’ cloak in The Count of Monte Cristo (2024). Other iconic city locations are also big screen regulars: the Calanques fjords, Les Baumettes jail, the old lanes of the Panier quarter, the Orange Velodrome stadium featured in Tom McCarthy’s 2021 Stillwater with Matt Daemon, and the Prefecture shown in the series Transatlantic (2023), relating the story of the Resistance network formed by American Varian Fry in 1940.