The perfect vacation following in the footsteps of Christopher Nolan’s "Odyssey" Between islands, coastal destinations and natural landscapes that evoke the most famous episodes of Odysseus’ journey.

Changing locations as much as possible was a priority for Christopher Nolan while filming The Odyssey, his latest film and undoubtedly the most anticipated of 2026. The goal was to give viewers a sense of the complexity of Odysseus' journey – played by Matt Damon – back to Ithaca.

For fans of cinema and classical mythology, the locations chosen by Nolan could potentially become travel destinations – in an itinerary through islands, coastlines and natural landscapes that recall some of the most iconic places from Homer's poem: from the kingdom of Ithaca to the lands of the Cyclopes, from the islands of the sirens to the Mediterranean settings that formed the backdrop to Odysseus' legendary return after the Trojan War.

The Greece of The Odyssey

A large part of the scenes in The Odyssey was filmed in Greece, on the southern peninsula of the Peloponnese. For example, the parts that tell the episode of the Cyclops Polyphemus are set in the Cave of Nestor, a natural cavity near Voidokilia beach, in the southern region of Messenia.

Among the Greek locations chosen for filming are also Almyrolaka beach, on the southern coast of the country; the medieval castle of Methoni, a fortress built in the thirteenth century in the namesake port town, in the extreme southwest of the country; and Acrocorinth, the imposing acropolis of the ancient city of Corinth, near Athens, in southern Greece.

The other locations of The Odyssey

The Italian parts of The Odyssey are set mainly in Sicily. The island of Lipari, in the Aeolian Islands, was chosen as the setting to recreate Odysseus' encounter with the sirens – one of the most famous and well-known passages of the poem.

Among the other Sicilian locations featured in The Odyssey are the island of Vulcano, in the Aeolian Islands archipelago, off the northeastern coast of Sicily; the Pietra Lunga and Pietra Menalda rocks, Pietra del Bagno and the islet of Basiluzzo, all located northeast of the island of Panarea; and the island of Favignana, in the Egadi Islands archipelago, off the western coast of Sicily, near Trapani.

As usual, Nolan carried out filming under the strictest secrecy. For example, little or nothing is known about the scenes shot in Iceland. In the case of Scotland, however, some locations have emerged. These include the Culbin forest, a large wooded area overlooking the Moray Firth, a fjord located in the northeastern part of the country.

Other scenes filmed in Scotland involve the coastal town of Burghead, in northeastern Scotland; the ruins of Findlater Castle, perched on a cliff along the Aberdeenshire coast, also in the northeast of the country; and Buckie harbour, an important fishing centre located on the eastern coast of Scotland.