Posted on February 07, 2008 by Fiona Hilliard

Argus Car Hire gives you the freedom to lose yourself in a world made famous by the movies.  With the Academy Awards just a few weeks away, we’ve drawn up a list of the most memorable film locations in cinema history that can easily be explored with car hire. 

1. Lord of the Rings (Kaitoka Regional Park, New Zealand)

Oscar Haul: (11 Oscars 2003)

A short 45-minute drive from Wellington City will take you to Kaitoka Regional Park which was the setting for Rivendell and the Fords of Isen in The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.  Visitors to the park will experience a distinctly otherworldly feel, with light filtering through gnarly trees and babbling brooks. 

2. Sound of Music (Salzburg, Austria)

Oscar Haul:  5 Oscars (1965)

Shot at real locations all around the city of Salzburg, those wishing to follow in the footsteps of Maria and the Von Trapp family will find plenty of sights in the city to capture their imagination.  The opening aerial scenes featuring the Salzkammergut Lake District, the castles at Fuchsl and the Mountain at Mellweg can be reached within a 12 mile drive of Salzburg, while the mountain where Julie Andrews makes her twirling debut is situated near the Bavarian village of Schellenberg, just a six mile drive from Salzburg. 

3. Pride and Prejudice (Derbyshire, Lincolnshire)

Oscar Haul: Nominated for 4 Oscars (2006)

Travel back in time to Jane Austen’s England where rolling countryside and dramatic scenery make for a memorable car hire excursion.  For an authentic Pride and Prejudice experience, be sure to visit Chatsworth in Derbyshire which was transformed into Pemberley for the film and Lincolnshire’s Burghley House, perhaps more familiar to fans as the elegant Rosings.  A journey through the Peak District and Derbyshire will no doubt transport visitors back to some of the movie’s most famous scenes. 

4. Chocolat (Various locations, France)

Nominated for 8 Oscars (2000)

Argus Car Hire invites you to fall in love with the sweet as chocolate countryside  that lit up the silver screen in 2000. Starring Johnny Depp and Juliet Binoche, the movie Chocolat was filmed at a number of spectacular locations around the Burgundy region of France.  The movies main setting in the medieval village of Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, close to Dijon is sure to melt your heart.

 5. Brave Heart (Scotland/Ireland) 

Oscar Haul: 5 Oscars (1996)

Braveheart, the story of legendary Scottish hero William Wallace was filmed on location in Ireland and Scotland in 1995.  In Scotland, scenes were filmed in and around the wild landscapes of Glen Coe, Glen Nevis and the Mamore mountains.  Meanwhile, in Ireland, Trim Castle doubled up as London and York, while Co. Kildare’s Curragh Plains provided the backdrop for scenes of the Battle of Stirling.  Dunsoghly Castle in Dublin was also used to portray Edinburgh Castle.
6. Under the Tuscan Sun (Florence, Tuscany) (2003)

Starring Academy Award nominee Diane Lane

Based on the book of the same title by American author Frances Mayes, the movie which tells the story of a woman who starts up a new life in Tuscany was filmed on location at a number of pretty destinations around Tuscany and Florence.  With Italy car hire, it’s possible to experience the amber sunsets and fascinating Etruscan sites made famous by the movie.  Meanwhile, a drive around Montepulciano, Siena will take you to the magical setting for the famous wedding scene.