No matter where you live, your mind can visit beautiful places around the world when you watch magical travel movies. Such movies can not only help you to find new meaning in your life, but also give ideas about different cultures and civilizations. Furthermore, a travel movie can create your interest in a place where you never had been. Here we have compiled the greatest travel movies of all time. The summary of each movie has been discussed in the short reviews.
Top 10 Travel Movies that Inspire the Wanderlust
Amelie | 2001 | Montmartre, Paris
8.3/10 IMDb
This French film whimsically depicts the life of a waitress who encounters a lovely change in her life while helping others around her. This film was made under the direction of Jean-Pierre Jeunet and the screenplay by Guillaume Laurant. Audrey Tautou starred in the film.
This romantic comedy featured the nice neighborhoods of Montmartre, the palace of the Sacre-Coeur (with the white color dome) in Paris.
The film got five Oscar nominations and won two categories in BAFT awards.
Read Holey Artisan Victim Faraaz's Heroism is Now on the Silver Screen
The Motorcycle Diaries | 2004 | Latin America, Europe
7.8/10 IMDb
This Spanish biopic centered on the motorbike journey of the revolutionary leader Che Guevara at an early young age. Based on the autobiography of Che Guevara, Jose Rivera prepared the screenplay under the direction of Walter Salles.
This European film showed several wonderful places in Argentina, Chile, Peru, Leticia, Colombia, Caracas, and Venezuela through the road trip of Guevara and his friend.
The film won Oscar for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures and got an Oscar nomination for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay.
Read Best Environmental Films By Far: Explicit Projections to the Colossal Degradation of Nature
Brother | 1997 | St. Petersburg, Russia
8/10 IMDb
Aleksei Balabanov directed and scripted this Russian crime film. It follows an ex-soldier who got involved with a mob through his brother.
Sergey Bodrov and Viktor Sukhorukov were in the prime movie casts.
It was a great display of magnificent St. Petersburg during a lawless era just after collapsing the Soviet Union.
This film was a Russian blockbuster film in 1997 and got into Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival.
Read Greatest War Movies of All-times: Be the Witness of the Historical Warfares
Before Sunrise | 1995 | Vienna, Austria
8.1/10 IMDb
This first installment of the ‘Before’ trilogy is considered one of the best travel movies ever. According to the screenplay by Kim Krizan and the film's director Richard Linklater, it follows with completely stranger man and woman, who got an only Vienna night to know each other.
With Vienna landmarks in the background, this American film captured some great footage of Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy star in it.
This movie won Silver Berlin Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Read Greatest Business Movies for Entrepreneurs: Inspiration to Start Something New
The Lives of Others | 2006 | East Berlin, Germany
8.4/10 IMDb
Besides rescuing his neighbors from enemies, a spy is getting as much obsessed with their life as he is monitoring them. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck directed and scripted this German film with such a unique story. This film, starring Ulrich Muhe and Martina Gedeck, has some nice scenarios of the historical places in the east Burlin.
The mystery film won Best Foreign Language Film at the 79th Oscar Ceremony and Best Film Not in the English Language at the 61st BAFTA.
Read Best Olympic Movies of All Time: The Greatest Films Enlightening the Kingdom of Olympians
Cinema Paradiso | 1988 | Sicily, Italy
8.5/10 IMDb
This classic masterpiece, directed and written by Giuseppe Tornatore, exhibits the unbeaten friendship between a nostalgic filmmaker and a film projectionist.
This Italian movie, starring Enzo Cannavale, Antonella Attili, and Philippe Noiret, showed spectacular sightseeings in Sicily and Rome. The sequences set in Palermo along with the filmmaker’s flashback has given this film an aesthetic label.
The movie won Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. It also won a grand jury prize at the Cannes film festival.
Read Greatest Biographical Movies Ever Made in History
Harry Potter | 2001-2011 | England
IMDb: Average 7.7
You can go to King’s Cross Station to see Platform 9-3/4, Victoria Street/Candlemaker Row of Edinburgh and Leadenhall Market for Diagon Alley, The Glenfinnan Viaduct & The Jacobite Steam Train for Hogwarts Express. You can found each fragment of JK Rowling's creation scattered throughout England.
The group of directors includes Alfonso Cuaron, Chris Columbus, David Yates, Mike Newell, Michael Goldenberg, Steve Kloves.
Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, and Rupert Grint made a position in the heart of Potterheads by their unfaded performances in the film.
The first film won Oscar in three categories. Later, each of the third, the sixth, and the last part won Oscar in one category.
Read Best Sci-Fi Movies Ever: The Catalysts of Unleashing the Boundless Imagination
Lord of the Rings trilogy | 2001-2003 | New Zeland
IMDb: Average 8.8
You can go to Matamata town of North Island to see Hobbits shire, Kaitoke Regional Park of Wellington for Rivendell of elves, Glenorchy village of South Island for Isengard. You will feel as if you are walking in the middle earth of J. R. R. Tolkien's fairy tale.
Elijah Wood, Billy Boyd, and Dominic Monaghan became iconic figures by starring in the film under the direction of Peter Jackson.
The first film won Oscar in four categories, 2nd one won in two, and the final installment got in eleven.
Read Best Sports Movies of All-times: Where the Cinephilia Meets the Sports Mania
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara | 2011 | Spain
8.2/10 IMDb
This Bollywood blockbuster depicts a great change in life from a road trip of a group of reuniting childhood friends. Reema Kagti and this film's director Zoya Akhtar made the story. Farhan Akhtar, Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif, Kalki Koechlin, and Abhay Deol were among the major film casts.
As the movie was shot in Spain, the captivating beauties of Costa Brava of Catalonia, Seville of Andalusia, and Pamplona have come up here.
This film bagged several awards at Filmfare Awards, National Film Awards, and IIFA Awards.
Read Greatest Thriller Movies of All Times: Suspense that can mess with your mind
Into the Wild | 2007 | North America
8.1/10 IMDb
The original concept came from the book with the same title by Jon Krakauer. This philosophical fiction movie follows with Christopher McCandless who left everything behind and chose nomad life.
The famous actor Sean Penn directed and wrote this biography film. Emile Hirsch played the name role.
With the random journey of McCandless, the cinematography is filled with the fascinating landscapes of North America.
This American film got two Oscar nominations and won Golden Globe Award in two categories.
Read Greatest Animated Films Ever: The Animation movies that will never lose charm
In a nutshell
The dramatization, as well as the amazing display of great places, have made these best travel films ageless. During the pandemic situation, these travel films can quench the thirst of your wanderlust mind. Certainly, you will become more thrilled if you ever get the chance to visit the filming location of your favorite travel movie. Even at the end of the trip, you can't avoid the urge of going back there again.
Read Best Action Movies Ever Made in Film Industries Worldwide