From the Castle of Mendoza to the stunning scenery of La Pedriza, Manzanares El Real has a lot to offer. Film set to the romances of Castillian Spain, Spaghetti Westerns and Spartacus, it combines magnificent sixteenth century architecture with breathtaking mountain and lake scenery, and a village to boot with all the traditions and festivals of a people proud of their heritage.

www.manzanareselreal.org/tourism/
Google map: bit.ly/Zk5eqL

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On the 63rd floor of the Lebua Hotel in Bangkok, Sky Bar offers up breathtaking views over the city. There is no entrance fee so you can get away with just going to appreciate the scenery, while some may recognise it from the opening scenes of Hangover 2.
Drinks are around 500 baht, and after the heat and hustle below, sipping a cocktail among the skyscrapers is a great way to end the day.
Head there early evening to catch the sun setting over the Chao Praya River.

www.lebua.com
The Dome at lebua 63rd floor, 1055/42 Silom Road Bangrak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand
+66 2 624 9999
Google map: bit.ly/13mTTZR

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In one of the early scenes in the film 'Once', Glen and Marketa are seen chatting over a cup of tea in the window of Simon's Place Coffee Shop on George's Street. Later they cross the street to Waltons music shop. The café is located within George's Street Arcade, one of Dublin's oldest indoor markets, dating back to 1894. Simon's Place attracts a bohemian mix of artists, students and musicians and is always at its busiest during lunchtime hours - it's not unusual for queues to spill out the door. The café prides itself on its freshly made soups and thickly cut ‘doorstep’ salad sandwiches - get here early if you plan to dine-in for a bite.

22, South Great George's Street, Dublin 2
+353 1 679 7821
Google map: bit.ly/XqR1Eb

* Fiona is our Been there local for Dublin. You can follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/FionaHilliard and read her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/trails/been-there-locals.jsp. She also has her own blog: www.traveledits.com

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No Dublin-based film would be complete without a shot of the capital's cultural quarter, Temple Bar. In the final few moments of the movie 'Once', Glen and Marketa take a walk through the sun-dappled cobbles. It's a bittersweet scene. On the one hand, they're celebrating the completion of their album but ultimately they know they will soon be going their separate ways. If you choose to stick around, you’ll easily while away an hour or so checking out the latest exhibition in the Gallery of Photography on Meeting House Square.

The Gallery, Booshop and Darkrooms are open Tuesday to Saturday 11am-6pm, Sundays 1-6pm.
Gallery of Photography, Meeting House Square, Temple Bar,
Dublin 2
+353 1 671 4654
Google map: bit.ly/YCR0hQ

* Fiona is our Been there local for Dublin. You can follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/FionaHilliard and read her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/trails/been-there-locals.jsp. She also has her own blog: www.traveledits.com

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Waltons music shop on South Great George's Street features in several key scenes in the film 'Once'. The most important of course is when Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova sit down at one of the pianos and perform 'Falling Slowly' for the first time. Staff at Waltons regularly receive requests to allow fans of the film to recreate the famous scene.
Waltons was founded in the early 1920's and is a music school as well as a musical instrument shop. Although you may not be able to drag a piano all the way home, a tin whistle from Waltons makes for a quirky little musical souvenir.

www.newschool.ie/
69 South Great Georges St, Dublin 2
+353 (0)1 475 0661
Google map: bit.ly/XNX8BL


* Fiona is our Been there local for Dublin. You can follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/FionaHilliard and read her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/trails/been-there-locals.jsp. She also has her own blog: www.traveledits.com

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Between Phoenix and the Grand Canyon,Prescott is a perfect place for a break. It's charming and historic, with antique shops, good museums, a brewery/restaurant, and the saloons of old Whisky Row. Try to book the comfortable Tom Mix room at the Hotel Vendome, where the cowboy movie star stayed while making his many silent films featuring Tony, The Wonder Horse. Nearby are lakes and trails galore - we wished we'd had longer to explore it all.

www.vendomehotel.com/
Hotel Vendome, 230 South Cortez St., Prescott, Az 86303
+1 928 776 0900

www.visit-prescott.com/
Google map: bit.ly/TioAFu

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Springfield, Oregon was recently confirmed to be the real life small town inspiration for the Simpsons. You won't find any bright yellow people here but you will find Springfield museum where you can find out about the social history of the town. This includes mention of the rivalry that existed with near neighbour Eugene - better known to Simpson's fans as Shelbyville. You can also pick up a guide to the main street of the town which points out some gems including the archetypal railroad station and a lovely art deco Buic dealership.

Google map: bit.ly/WGpShR

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Forget Monument Valley, far more B movie Westerns were made in Kanab, Utah. Walk down the wide Main Street with info about the Stars and Others and see the re-creation of stage sets and all the clichés. Also good souvenir shops selling Kanab sandstone.
Eat at the Mediterranean Table, an excellent Greek restaurant as the antidote to all those burgers and rubbish food. Or, if you are still hooked, they do a Cowboy Lunch at Frontier Movietown, 297 West Center Street where you can take part in your very own Western.
A good starting place for Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion Canyons as well as less known places of the South West.

www.visitsouthernutah.com/
The Mediterranean Table:
www.themediterraneantable.com
18 E Center Kanab UT 84741
+1 (435) 644 3200

Frontier Movie Town
www.frontiermovietown.com
297 W. Center Kanab UT 84741
+1 435644 5337
Google map: bit.ly/VPT1Yd

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It is not very often that one gets the chance to sleep in a troglodyte cave. Better still, the Hotel Marhala is a troglodyte cave hotel offering a very special stay. The hotel was excavated into the ground and offers some of the most unusual rooms to be found anywhere in the world.
The beginning of the film 'Star Wars' was filmed in the area. Luke Skywalker looking out over the barren, lunar landscape at the twin moons as he dreams of space travel.
The restaurant serves a delicious Tunisian brik, which is an egg stuffed fried turnover.

www.hotel-marhala-matmata.webs.com/
Hôtel restaurant Marhala Matmata ancienne 6070 Matmata Gabès Tunisie
+216 75 240 015

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If you want authentic high-quality cooking by one of France's greatest chef's, but for a fraction of the price, then make sure you book a table at Alain Ducasse's traditional bistrot in Paris, Aux Lyonnais. As the name suggests all dishes are traditional Lyonnaise fair, including Quenelles a la Lyonnaise, sauce Nantua (yum) and Tarte et île flottante aux pralines roses (even more yum). With set menus for lunch costing as little as 30 euros, this really was a gem of a find. Tucked down a quiet side street, the 1890 decor makes for a sumptuous setting that was clearly good enough for Hollywood, as it recently featured in Woody Allen's film Midnight in Paris.

www.auxlyonnais.com
32, rue Saint Marc, 75002 Paris, France
+33 (0)1 42 96 65 04
Google map: bit.ly/xIu3H0

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This year is the XXI Riga International Film Festival "Arsenals" is happening from 10th – 18th of September, Every time the selection of Arsenals films highlights some period in the history of cinematography, and offer audience an opportunity to get to know a particular world region and its culture - this year focusing on the cinema of Southeastern Asia: the programme will offer films from Thailand, the Philippines,
Malaysia, „disguising, wrapping and winding the Oriental essence, applying codes and masks as the sign of the festival this year”.
Arsenals is an event that takes over Riga in autumn since 1986 showing the most vivid
international cinema events and the latest and most interesting Baltic films. Several cinema-related events and works of art are also coming out to the streets and screenings of classical silent films accompanied by live music performed by professional musicians is a great tradition of this festival.

Since 1998 Baltic Film Competition is a special section of Arsenals and screens
films produced in the Baltic region in the last two years. Tihs is the film festival
which demonstrates and rewards the latest and best Baltic feature films, short films,
documentaries and animated films.

www.arsenals.lv/en/
Blaumaņa street 31/15, LV 1011, Riga, Latvia
+371 67210114
Cinema ‘Kino Citadele’ and cinema ‘KSuns’
A subscription ticket for five films - 12Ls; 10 films - 20 lats.
Google map: bit.ly/nrThMG

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As the title suggests, this groundbreaking film is about a young man accepting the fact that he is gay. Filmed in the GDR in 1989, the film is as sensitive as the storyline is brilliant, and it also provides a fascinating insight into life on the other side of the wall. It also has a special poignancy because the film premiered in East Berlin the very night that the wall fell.

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Clinging on for grim death to the back of the Elephant’s concrete behemoth shopping centre, the Charlie Chaplin is certainly an experience. Whether it’s one I would recommend to those of a delicate constitution is another matter, but for thrill-seekers, those intent on exploring the seamier side of London life and drinkers who can’t face going home after all other pubs in the area have long since closed, it’s the perfect venue for a bizarre night out. As soon as we walked through the door, it was clear this was no average pub. I nearly jumped out of my skin when greeted by a large mannequin with a zombie face who could have been an extra from Michael Jackson's Thriller video: surely this wasn’t Chaplin? A plaque on the corner of Walworth Road and East Street market announces that the great silent film era entertainer was born just down the road. The interior is quite run-down but there’s a pool table and a darts board. There’s also a complicated code for the ladies’ loo, which is a good bonding method with the scary, yet surprisingly friendly locals. A cat appears at closing time to shoo off stragglers complete the ‘American Werewolf in London’ ambience. You have been warned.

26 New Kent Rd, Elephant & Castle, London, SE1 6TJ
+44 207 703 6117
Nearest tube: Northern or Bakerloo Line to Elephant & Castle
Open until midnight
Google map: bit.ly/pXlWgI

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Charlie Chaplin learned to tap dance on the wooden board covering the shoot down to the cellar outside his uncle’s cavernous yet cosy Jolly Gardeners public house.
Chaplin’s dad used to tinkle the ivories at the 120-year-old inn and scenes from the film ‘Snatch’ were shot on location here
Situated in the historic Black Prince Road, London’s first German gastro-pub has 16 great German beers gushing from gorgeous ceramic draught taps and 32 bottled brews. There are lots of 'weiss' (white) wheat beers and I sampled a version called 'Hell'....which was heavenly.
The kitchen serves up lots of sausages, schnitzels and Bavarian specialities. Two big screens show the German Bundesliga and we watched a medley of Wimbledon matches and live performances direct from Glastonbury. I won’t even mention what a great atmosphere there was during the football World Cup…!

Zeitgeist @The Jolly Gardeners
49-51 Black Prince Road, London SE11
+44(0)207 840 0426
Google map: bit.ly/j19D2I

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You might have thought Boris Karloff was born in a creepy castle somewhere in Eastern Europe, but, in fact, if you go to East Dulwich you can see a blue plaque on the wall of the house where Frankenstein's monster was born William Henry Pratt on 23 November 1887.

Boris Karloff birthplace
36 Forest Hill Road, East Dulwich, London, SE22 0RR
Google map: bit.ly/kot5og

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St Barts Church is the oldest parish church in London and even though there is a small admission price of £3 from what I remember its simply stunning. It's not only atmospheric, old and beautiful but if you're a film buff like myself you'll easily recognise it from being in films like Four Weddings and a Funeral, Shakespeare in Love, Sherlock Holmes, The Kings Speech to name but a few. Check out this amazing church near Smithfield market. You wont regret it.

www.greatstbarts.com/
+44 (0)20 7606 5171
6-9 Kinghorn Street, London EC1A 7HW
Google map: bit.ly/a2urOq

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My girlfriend and I recently went on a Harry Potter bus tour of London. We weren't too sure what to expect when we booked except that we love anything to do with Harry Potter. The tour went round the locations used for filming in London and the tour guide Val was really entertaining. We learnt lots about London (both real and fictional) and also picked up stuff I'd missed in both the books and the films. It was a fun and worthwhile three hours. Would highly recommend.

britmovietours.com/bookings/harry-potter-london-tour/

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Monument Valley is found on the Utah/Arizona border. Set amongst the sandy desert its rugged peaks create one of the most recognisable horizons known in cinema history. Visit for yourself in the winter months when there are less tourists. Enjoy the vast amounts of space and early morning sunrises to appreciate the true beauty and colour of this fine Oscar winning landmark.

The Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park

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One of the most unforgettable scenes in film history is the opening of The French Lieutenant’s Woman where Charles Smithson first glimpses a mysterious cloaked woman. It’s 1867 and Sarah Woodruff is looking out to sea from the 13th century serpentine seawall known as the Cobb in Lyme Regis. Merryl Streep plays Sarah although a body double - a bearded man - was used in part of this scene.

The Cobb also figures in the BBC TV-film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion. Here the spirited Louisa Musgrove falls hard onto the cobblestones and is rendered unconscious.

Lyme Regis, www.lymeregis.org
Nearest station - Axminster, Devon

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If you have seen “Life Is Beautiful” and enjoyed watching the central character, Guido, attempting to woo his “principessa” then you have been transported to the Tuscan town of Arezzo.

Much of the backdrop for the first half of the film is the Piazza Grande, a large sloping square dominated by the Romanesque facade of the church of Santa Maria, the Palazzo della Fraternita and an arcade designed by Vasari, now occupied by antique shops and restaurants where you can watch fresh pasta being made.

However, if you look a little more closely you will notice a number of display boards dotted around the square, showing stills and dialogue from the film. Roberto Benigni, who scripted, directed and starred in the film, obviously picked his locations with care, and he won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 1999.

If you do decide to visit this classic film location you will also have the opportunity to visit one of Italy’s great fresco cycles, Piero della Francesca’s Legend of the True Cross, which adorns the walls of the church of San Francesco.

Eastern Tuscany; Tourist Information in Piazza della Repubblica (www.apt.arezzo.it)

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