How to Visit Christmas Film Locations from 'Home Alone 2' to 'The Holiday'

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The festive season usually involves re-watching your favorite Christmas film, but what about spending the holiday visiting the sites of said movies instead?

Well, any readers interested in doing so are in luck because there are a number of filming locations that people can go see in real life if they wanted to.

How to Visit Christmas Film Locations from 'Home Alone 2' to 'The Holiday'

Comp, Xmas Movies
In this combination image, Emilia Clarke in "Last Christmas" (2019), Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, and Daniel Stern in "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" (1992), Kate Winslet and Jack Black in "The Holiday" (2006)... Universal Pictures/Fox Entertainment/

From Home Alone 2: Escape From New York to The Holiday, and even Love Actually, there's plenty of Christmas film locations that really exist.

Here are just some of those festive spots.

1. 'The Holiday': Iris's Village and Amanda's Home

In The Holiday, Amanda (Cameron Diaz) and Iris (Kate Winslet) decide to swap homes for Christmas, with Amanda living in Los Angeles and Iris living in a quaint English town.

Well, for those interested in visiting either of these places you're in luck because both really do exist. Amanda's home is in San Marino, California, while Iris lives in the village of Shere, in Surrey.

Iris's home was purpose built for the film, so that is not a location that fans of The Holiday can visit, but the town was also a filming location for Four Weddings and a Funeral and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.

2. 'Home Alone': The McCallister Family Home

The 1990 classic Home Alone sees Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) get left at home during Christmas by his family, and he has to use all his wits to stop a duo of burglars intent on entering his home.

The McCallister family home is situated at Lincoln Avenue in Winnetka in Illinois.

3. 'Home Alone 2: Lost in New York': The Plaza Hotel

In a similar turn of events, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York sees Kevin once again get separated from his family during the holidays, but this time he travels to New York City and books himself a suite at The Plaza Hotel.

For those looking to visit the location, The Plaza Hotel is located on 5th Avenue in New York City, and the film itself featured scenes filmed inside a Central Park suite.

4: 'Elf': The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

In Elf, Buddy (Will Ferrell) is a human who was raised by Santa's elves and after becoming an adult he decides to travel to New York City to look for his biological father, a journey that takes him all around the Big Apple.

One of the places that Buddy goes to is 30 Rockefeller Plaza, where the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is located, as he wants to see the enormous Christmas Tree.

This attraction is able to draw in crowds without its association to Elf, but it is still a good spot to celebrate the classic film.

5: 'Love Actually': Selfridges

Another location that gets visitors every day is the Selfridges store in London, which features in Love Actually and is located on Oxford Street.

The department store was used as a filming location for the scene where Harry (Alan Rickman) tries to buy jewellery for the woman he is having an affair with, but store clerk Rufus (Rowan Atkinson) takes so long to gift wrap it that he abandons it.

6. 'Die Hard': Nakatomi Plaza

Ah, Die Hard the film that every year creates debate over whether or not it can be considered a Christmas film.

In this instance it will be, and the film follows John McClane (Bruce Willis), an NYPD detective who has to fight his way through Nakatomi Plaza tower when it is taken over by villain Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) on Christmas Eve.

Now, Nakatomi Plaza isn't a real location but it is a place that can be visited by fans of the film as it is Fox Plaza, a 34-storey building situated in Century City, in Los Angeles.

7. 'Last Christmas': Phoenix Garden and the Christmas Store

Last Christmas is a more recent festive film that features several locations that fans can visit if they so wish.

The 2019 film follows the romance between Kate (Emilia Clarke) and Tom (Henry Golding), and they spend time together in Phoenix Garden which is a real place behind the Phoenix Theater in Stacey Street, London.

Kate also works at a Christmas shop, and while that isn't real the storefront is located in London's Covent Garden. It's not a Christmas store, though, it is a Godiva Chocolates shop.

About the writer

Roxy Simons is a Newsweek TV and Film Reporter (SEO), based in London, U.K. Her focus is reporting on the latest TV shows and films, conducting interviews with talent, reporting news and doing deep dives into the biggest hits. She has covered entertainment journalism extensively and specializes in sci-fi and fantasy shows, K-pop and anime. Roxy joined Newsweek in 2021 from MailOnline and had previously worked as a freelance writer for multiple publications including MyM Magazine, the official magazine of MCM Comic Con. She is a graduate of Kingston University and has degrees in both Journalism and Criminology. Languages: English.

You can get in touch with Roxy by emailing r.simons@newsweek.com.


Roxy Simons is a Newsweek TV and Film Reporter (SEO), based in London, U.K. Her focus is reporting on the ... Read more