Book It Because You Binged It: 3 Euro Trips Inspired by Your Favorite TV Shows

You stare at the calendar, counting your precious vacation days. You open a dozen browser tabs with flight deals. You ask every friend for travel recommendations. And yet…decision paralysis hits hard! Where should you go next? The classic spots feel overdone, but picking somewhere new feels risky.

Enter a quirky travel trend that solves this problem: TV tourism.

This fun strategy uses your binge-watching habits as a vacation planning tool. Those shows you’ve been obsessed with for months? They’ve been preparing you for your next adventure all along.

Think about it: professional location scouts get paid big bucks to find the most camera-worthy places on earth. Your favorite characters don’t hang out in tourist traps. Rather, they roam through photogenic streets, eat at authentic local restaurants, and find secret spots that make viewers pause and screenshot.

Ready to let your remote control double as a travel agent? Here are three European destinations your Netflix queue has been quietly recommending!

Fall in Love with Paris

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Emily in Paris is a light, lovely look at the life and trials of a marketing executive from Chicago as she attempts to adjust to Parisian life. Sure, the series has tons of French cliches and slightly embarrassing etiquette-based mistakes (at least on Emily’s part), but its place in our hearts is undeniable! Just consider the outpouring of Parisian tourism since the show’s first season.

Of course, Paris didn’t need the help of a Netflix show, considering its longstanding reputation as one of the most romantic cities in the world! Sites like the Eiffel Tower were probably on your must-see list long before Emily graced our screens. But now that you’ve seen what you’ve seen on screen, you may also want to add some show-based stops to your Parisian tour.

Some of the most memorable shots from the series have taken place along the Seine, with some of Emily’s most conflicted and heartfelt conversations happening on the famed Pont Alexandre III. Maybe you’d prefer to get right into the heart of a scene you loved: why not head to L’Atelier des Lumières, the digital art exhibition where Emily, Gabriel, and Camille shared a tortured visit, or the Palais Garnier, the Parisian opera house where Emily and Thomas were all set to watch Swan Lake?

Step Into the World of Bridgerton

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Few Netflix shows have made more of a splash in recent years than Bridgerton, a regency-style raunchy release set in some of the most striking English cities, including Bath in Somerset, which was already famed worldwide for its perfectly preserved Roman Baths and Georgian architecture. Even a glance is enough to see why this is one of the most brimming tourist hotspots in the country…but where should Bridgerton fans head during a trip here?

Honestly, you’ll be disappointed if you expect to see every Bridgerton location during your Bath stay, as a lot of the show is also filmed in London-based locations like Greenwich Park. But there are plenty of Bath-based spots, too, including the Royal Crescent, a sweeping arc of Georgian buildings that look straight from the history books and which, in the show, is home to the fearful Featheringtons.

Why not visit Abbey Green to see the real-life Modiste clothing shop used externally and internally during filming? A mere two-minute walk from there, you’ll also find the Assembly Rooms, where the Bridgerton Ton regularly gathers and where you can enjoy free tours (as long as there are no private events there during your stay).

Chase Dragons Through Croatia

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If you fancy a slightly more exotic show-inspired trip in the sun, look no further than the Jewel of the Adriatic, Croatia! Or more specifically, its pearl Dubrovnik, where the renowned walled Old Town featured as King’s Landing in Game of Thrones.

As one of the best preserved Medieval cities in the world, Old Town has so much to see—and fans of the show will especially want to visit spots like Minceta Tower, the highest point in the city, which you may recognize as the spot Daenerys used in attempts to retrieve her precious stolen dragons. Bokar Fortress on the city’s western side is also well worth a visit.

Split is another Croatian location you’ll recognize from your Game of Thrones fandom. It’s easy to reach from Dubrovnik either by bus or car, but if you’re really making a vacation of it, then cruises in Croatia are an excellent way to see this gorgeous city. In Split, you can visit filming spots such as the UNESCO-listed Diocletian’s Palace, which is 1,700 years old and chosen as Daenerys’ throne room. Don’t miss Klis Fortress, where Daenerys seized the city of Meereen.

Ready to Travel?

Sometimes, you need a little vacation inspiration, and what better way to settle on the ideal travel experience than to follow in the footsteps of your favorite television shows? These European destinations can bring that fantasy to life—Happy Travels!

Featured image by Matthias Mullie on Unsplash