Alcatraz Island

San Francisco brings together historical monuments and natural sites that reflect the city's unique history and geography. The Golden Gate Bridge, a 2,737-meter-long suspension bridge completed in 1937, is one of the region's most recognizable structures. Alcatraz Island, a former high-security federal prison operating from 1934 to 1963, is located in the bay and is visited by ferry. The Painted Ladies, seven Victorian houses built between 1892 and 1896, exemplify San Francisco’s characteristic residential architecture with their colorful facades facing Alamo Square Park. The city also includes Fisherman's Wharf, a historic port district developed from late 19th-century Italian fishing piers, and the Fillmore, a performance hall from the 1910s that contributed to the development of the West Coast music scene. Twin Peaks provide viewpoints at 928 feet (283 meters), while Lands End features rocky cliffs and hiking trails at the western tip of the peninsula. The Cable Cars, a mechanical transportation system operating since 1873, run on three lines through San Francisco's sloped streets.

Cinema transforms real places into legendary sets, and some filming locations have become as famous as the movies themselves. From Hobbiton in New Zealand, with its round-door houses built for Tolkien adaptations, to the Nabataean temple of Al Khazneh in Jordan, memorable from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, these sites showcase the intersection of fiction and reality. Film enthusiasts can walk beneath the hundred-year-old beech trees of The Dark Hedges in Northern Ireland, a scene from Game of Thrones, seek out Platform 9 ¾ at King's Cross Station in London, or explore the Tunisian landscapes that brought Tatooine in Star Wars to life. Other destinations include Alcatraz prison in San Francisco, the deserted island of Monuriki in Fiji, where Cast Away was filmed, or the streets of Salzburg that hosted The Sound of Music. These locations offer visitors the chance to relive iconic scenes and understand how filmmakers utilized authentic sites to craft unforgettable cinematic worlds.

This guide lists real locations where multiple Netflix productions have been filmed around the world. From New York prisons turned into filming sets to medieval fortresses in Spain, and historic palaces in Eastern Europe, these natural settings have allowed creative teams to bring their stories to life. The collection includes sites as varied as Highclere Castle in England, which hosted the filming of Downton Abbey, the Duomo in Milan seen in Master of None, and the Ikoyi Bridge in Lagos appearing in Sense8. It also features the Georgia Aquarium used for Stranger Things, Washington Square Park in New York for Jessica Jones, and the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest for espionage productions. These authentic locations offer visitors the chance to see the original settings of their favorite series.

This collection brings together penal institutions that have marked the history of incarceration worldwide through their architecture, detention conditions, or roles in major historical events. From the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba, established in 2002 for holding individuals suspected of terrorism, to high-security facilities like Red Onion in Wise County, Virginia, these sites document the evolution of penal systems across continents. Among the institutions transformed into memorial sites, Diyarbakır Prison in Turkey stands out for its conversion into a cultural center and museum since 2019. Its 24 dormitories spread over two floors, its cells, and corridors allow visitors to explore this chapter of Turkish penal history. In Argentina, Mendoza Prison, built in the early 20th century, reflects the prison practices of that era and the development of the regional judicial system. Other facilities remain operational and raise questions about prisoners' rights and incarceration conditions. Gldani Prison in Tbilisi caused national protests in 2012 after images exposing systemic abuses were released, leading to major reforms in the Georgian penal system. Ciudad Barrios Prison in El Salvador continues to function as a correctional center in the eastern region of the country. These sites, spread across multiple continents, provide documented insights into penal practices in various political and social contexts. From Rwanda to North Korea, passing through Colombia and the United States, they help understand the evolution of judicial and correctional systems while raising current issues related to detention and rehabilitation.