10 Must-Watch Movies Filmed in Greece

Top 10 Movies Filmed in Greece

OPA!  Are you dreaming of visiting Greece to walk around the ancient sites and see the azure waters surrounding the iconic Greek Islands or did you just return from your Greece vacation but already want to go back?

The entire country of Greece is affectionately referred to as a fairytale movie set style location.  In preparing for our own "2023 Greek Island Hopper Group Adventure" we compiled the ten must-watch movies filmed in Greece that will instantly transport you to the ancient sites, clear blue skies, white sandy beaches, and stunning landscapes that continues to uphold Greece’s stature as a top-rated travel destination.    

The scenes you’ll see in these movies, whether filmed all in one location or using multiple sites along with some “Hollywood imagery” will offer a glimpses and tastes of the beautiful Greek geography and culture.

​What's your favorite movie filmed in Greece?  Let's count them down... 

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Mama Mia

1) Mamma Mia (2008)
Starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Bronson, Amanda Seyfried
​The story of a bride-to-be trying to find her real father told using hit songs by the popular 1970s group ABBA.
Filmed on the island of Skiathos
FYI, the popular sequel - "Mamma Mia - Here we Go Again" was actually filmed on the Croatia island of Vis apparently due to reports about too much "red tape" from the Greek Government concerning filming in the Greek Islands.

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Lara Croft Tomb Raider

2) Lara Croft Tomb Raider, the Cradle of Life (2003)
Starring Angelina Jolie and Gerrard Butler 
Adventurer Lara Croft goes on a quest to save the mythical Pandora's Box. 
​​Filmed on the island of Santorini

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Bourne Identity

3) The Bourne Identity (2002)
Starring Matt Damon and Chris Cooper
​A man is picked up by a fishing boat, bullet-riddled and suffering from amnesia, before racing to elude assassins and attempting to regain his memory.
Filmed on the island of Mykonos

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Sisterhood of Traveling Pants

4) The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) 
Staring Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera and Blake Lively
Four best girlfriends hatch a plan to stay connected with one another as their lives start off in different directions: they pass around a pair of secondhand jeans that fits each of their bodies perfectly.
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Filmed on the island of Santorini.

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Sisterhood of Traveling Pants 2

5) The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008) 
Staring Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera and Blake Lively
A sequel to the very popular first movie, the girlfriends, now older and in college find that it may take more than a shared pair of jeans to help them stay in touch as their lives go in different directions.

​Filmed on the island of Santorini.

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For your Eyes Only

6) For Your Eyes Only - James Bond Thriller (1981)
Staring Roger Moore
James Bond is assigned to find a missing British vessel, equipped with a weapons encryption device and prevent it from falling into enemy hands.
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Filmed on the island of Corfu and Meteora located on mainland Greece.

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My Life in Ruins

7) My Life in Ruins (2009)
Staring Nia Vardalos and Richard Dreyfus
A disgruntled tour guide in Greece gains an unexpected new outlook on life thanks to one of the people on what she intends to be her last tour.
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Filmed in Mainland Greece - Athens, Olympia, Delphia and Epidaurus 

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Summer Lovers

8) Summer Lovers (1982)
Starring Peter Gallaher, Daryl Hanna, Valerie Quennessen and Barbara Rush
A young American couple and a French woman engage in a threesome in the Greek Islands.
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Filmed in on the island of Santorini

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Shirley Valentine

9) Shirley Valentine (1989)
Starring Pauline Collins and Tom Conti
A fed-up English housewife travels on holiday to Mykonos alone and begins a passionate holiday love affair with a Greek waiter named Costas.
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Filmed in on the island of Mykonos

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Greek Tycoon

10) The Greek Tycoon (1978) 
Starring Lee Thompson, Anthony Quinn and Jacqueline Bisset
Based on wealthy Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis's rocky marriage to Jacqueline Kennedy, the former wife of John Kennedy, the President of the United States. 
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Filmed in Mainland Greece in Athens and on the island of Mykonos 

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Other popular movies include
-Zorba the Greek (1964)
-Never on a Sunday (1960)
-Guns of Navarone
-Boy on a Dolphin (1957 and first American movie filmed in Greece)
-Before Midnight (2013)
-300 (2006)
-Big Fat Greek Wedding…very popular but not filmed in Greece but very fun

Click here for more info on Greek Travel