Christmas is coming! With the festive season comes the idea of snuggling down on the sofa with a bowl of popcorn, a blanket over your knees, and hot chocolate in hand, to watch a Christmas movie. If you love Christmas films, have you ever thought about visiting the places that they are filmed? Maybe you recognise certain backdrops but have never made the trip to walk in the footsteps of your favourite festive characters? Now is the time to get outside and visit some of the best Christmas film locations in the UK. What a great way to Enjoy England for Less.

Let’s see where you could be heading.

Love Actually

Perhaps one of the most well known and loved Christmas movies set in the UK, is Love Actually. The all star movie from Richard Curtis sees an ensemble of well known actors like Bill Nighy, Keira Knightley, Liam Neeson and of course, Rowan Atkinson navigate the final few weeks before Christmas. Different stories intertwine with wonderful London as the festive backdrop. There are many filming locations that you can visit, including Grosvenor Chapel in Mayfair, where Peter and Juliet’s wedding takes place.

Other Christmas film locations in the UK from Love Actually include Heathrow Airport, Somerset House in the Strand, Trafalgar Square, Marble Arch, Canary Wharf and Chelsea Bridge. The St. Luke’s Mews off All Saint’s Road in Notting Hill is where Andrew Lincoln’s character shows Keira Knightley his iconic written cards. Don’t forget to visit Selfridge’s where Alan Rickman’s character buys the necklace!

A Very Yorkshire Christmas

Also known as A Very British Christmas in the States, A Very Yorkshire Christmas was filmed on location in the North of England. The perfectly quaint Yorkshire town of Knaresborough offers the perfect backdrop for festive falling in love. Starring Academy Award winner Rachel Shenton (who used to be in Hollyoaks!) you can visit the viaduct, castle and even the shops used in this film. Pickering train station also features in the film.

Photo by Illiya Vjestica on Unsplash

Last Christmas

Have you seen Last Christmas? The festive film set against a soundtrack of George Michael songs? It stars Queen Of Dragons herself Emilia Clarke and is a lovely and quite tear-jerky story. You’ll recognise plenty of the London locations, including the Strand, Regent Street, Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus and the Thames Embankment. Obviously, these are the perfect places to visit in London at Christmas time.

Get Santa

Santa needs breaking out of jail in the Screen Yorkshire funded Get Santa. Starring Jim Broadbent, Stephen Graham, Warwick Davies and Rafe Spall, the film was shot in a whole bunch of Yorkshire locations. These include Leeds, Keighley, Bradford, Wetherby and the beautiful Harewood House. Furthermore, the Cruck Barn at the Craven Arms in Appletreewick was transformed into the Elves control centre for the movie!

Photo by Rachel Penney on Unsplash

Father Christmas Is Back

One of the most recent additions to the Netflix festive line up is Father Christmas Is Back. You’ll recognise the actors which include John Cleese, Liz Hurley and Kelsey Grammer. You will see the narrow streets of Howden, the River Ouse flowing through York and other venues in North and East Yorkshire. In addition, Birdsall House in York plays a part.

Nativity!

If you haven’t seen Nativity!, you need to. It’s hilarious. The film stars The Office and The Hobbit trilogy actor Martin Freeman. It’s also filmed on location in Coventry and you can step into the shoes of the stars. You’ll be able to visit locations including Coundon, East Avenue, Stoke Park, Lower Ladyes Hill, Kenilworth, the Ricoh Arena and Spon Street. Furthermore, the newsroom of the Coventry Telegraph even plays a part. In addition, there are sequels starring David Tennant, Jason Watkins, Joanna Page, Martin Clunes and Ruth Jones. Without a doubt, there are lots of Christmas film locations in the UK to visit from this series of films.

christmas film locations in the uk
Photo by Solveig Smørdal Botn on Unsplash

The Holiday

With Hollywood stars Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law and Jack Black, The Holiday takes on the Christmas movie in a slightly different way. House swapping and falling in love takes centre stage and you can follow in the footsteps of the characters. Parts of the festive flick are filmed in the Surrey village of Shere with the Godalming railway station featuring too. Road scenes were shot in Worcestershire, Queens Walk in London is shown and Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire can also be seen.

The Snowman

Whilst it’s an animated film, The Snowman still features Christmas film locations in the UK. There are locations across the southern coast of England which are included as a sort of homage to the author, Raymond Briggs. You’ll see the characters flying over the chalky-white hills of the South Downs. The ones that, in reality, stretch for miles across the coastline of south east England. You’ll also see Brighton’s Palace Pier which is perhaps the most perfect place for a family visit. Furthermore, if you love the animated festive films, you’ll also see Buckingham Palace in the 1991 film Father Christmas.

In conclusion, as you can see, there are loads of Christmas film locations in the UK that feature in festive films. These are all places you can visit and see for yourself. Finally, pick your favourite Christmas films and see which scenes you can step into by visiting the locations.

EEFL Merry Christmas

Where have you visited that has been featured in a film? Share your experiences and tips in the comments.

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