Locations from the Mission: Impossible Series You Should Visit

Can you remember which Mission film this traditional Chinese water town appeared in?
Can you remember which Mission film this traditional Chinese water town appeared in? | Carol Jeng / Unsplash
Gethin Morgan

Content and CRM Executive

For over 25 years the Mission: Impossible film series has thrown Ethan Hunt into perilous situations across the globe. To celebrate the seventh franchise entry, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023), we’re taking a look at the coolest destinations Tom Cruise has conquered, and the Culture Trips you can join to follow in his speedy footsteps.

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Sunrise on the Charles Bridge, Prague, Czechia

Prague, Berlin, Budapest and Vienna – Central Europe by Train

Central and Northern Europe have consistently provided some the series’ favourite backdrops, with multiple sequences set in London, Paris and, in Dead Reckoning, Norway. Perhaps its the tightly-packed cities, the classical architecture and scenic piazzas, or maybe it’s just that the roofs are easy for Cruise to parkour across. Our Best of Central Europe by Train itinerary crosses off multiple Mission locations in one fell swoop. We start in Berlin, featured in Mission: Impossible 3 (2006) and Fallout (2018), before heading to where it all started – Prague. The Czech capital is where most of the original was set back in 1996. You can see Liechtenstein Palace and the Old Town Square – where that famous restaurant scene takes place – as well as Charles Bridge, which is where Jon Voight falls into the Vltava river. You’ll see all of these destinations on our trip, before we continue to Vienna. The opera house here, which you’ll have time to visit, is the setting of one of the series’ most beloved action set pieces, starring Rebecca Ferguson’s ultra cool Ilsa Faust. We’ll end the trip in Budapest, where the opening of Ghost Protocol (2011) is partially set, although most of the scenes were actually shot back in Prague. The only city we’ll visit that the Mission films haven’t visited yet is Bratislava – your move, Cruise.

From US$2473

Next available from 13th Apr 2024

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Trip highlights and details

STARTS AT

Berlin, Germany

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ENDS AT

Budapest, Hungary

DURATION

10

GROUP SIZE

18

PHYSICAL RATING

Light

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STYLE

Discovery

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Shanghai skyline lit up at night

Shanghai – Icons of China by Train

In Mission: Impossible 3, the ‘Rabbit’s Foot’ MacGuffin that Ethan needs to save his wife Julia is in Shanghai. During an extended sequence the film brilliantly portrays the beautiful juxtaposition of new and old in China’s largest city. Starting atop the incredible Jinmao Tower, one of the cities largest skyscrapers, which Ethan daringly – and almost calamitously – leaps off the side of. We’ll take you to the top of the tower on our China Rail Trip, including a skywalk which, don’t worry, is far less dangerous than a Tom Cruise stunt. What follows is a thrilling nighttime chase through Bund, the city’s famous waterfront, which you’ll also get to visit. Later on, Cruise is guided on an adrenaline-fuelled sprint through a charming old traditional waterway village, portrayed in the film as a suburb of the city. In reality it was Xitang, 96km (60mi) away. We’ll take a day trip to a similar water village, called Zhujiajiao, where you’ll get to go on a canal boat ride and explore the area’s beautiful old town.

From US$2137

Next available from 9th Dec 2023

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Trip highlights and details

STARTS AT

Beijing, China

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ENDS AT

Shanghai, China

DURATION

10

GROUP SIZE

16

PHYSICAL RATING

Moderate

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STYLE

Discovery

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Flash Sale
Hassan II Mosque on the coast of Casablanca, Morocco

Casablanca – Epic Morocco Culture Trip

In Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015), having already spent time in London and Vienna, we jet-set off to Morocco, where Ethan is on the hunt for a mysterious supercomputer. After a daring heist beneath a power plant, Cruise’s hero is chased down the Marrakech Highway by bike-riding henchmen. Later on, Hunt and Simon Pegg’s Benji – still being chased by bikers – are involved in a death-defying, car-backflipping crash right in front of the Hassan II Mosque. The mosque is the largest in all of Africa, and Casablanca’s most famous landmark. You’ll have time to visit it at the start of our extensive 11-day Morocco trip, as well as on our continent-crossing Madrid to Marrakech Rail Trip.

From US$1897

Next available from 7th Oct 2023

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Trip highlights and details

STARTS AT

Casablanca, Morocco

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ENDS AT

Marrakech, Morocco

DURATION

11

GROUP SIZE

16

PHYSICAL RATING

Moderate

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STYLE

Discovery

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Basilica di San Pietro, Vatican City, Rome

Rome – Classic Northern Italy by Train

Arguably the series’ most playful and charming action sequence takes place in the Vatican City, again in Mission: Impossible 3, as Hunt impersonates a cardinal in order to infiltrate the city. Rome also plays a major part in the new film, Dead Reckoning Part One, so much so that the film’s premiere was held on the Spanish Steps in the Italian capital. It’s also the starting point of our grand rail adventure across Northern Italy. You’ll have a private tour of the city, which starts at the famous steps and goes on to visit the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum. It’s a worthy start to a trip with plenty of potential future Mission locations, including Florence, Milan and Lake Como.

From US$

Next available from 1st Jan 1970

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Trip highlights and details

STARTS AT

Rome, Lazio

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ENDS AT

Milan, Lombardia

DURATION

9

GROUP SIZE

14

PHYSICAL RATING

Light

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STYLE

Discovery

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Flash Sale
Photo taken atop the Setas, Seville

Seville – Madrid to Marrakech by Train

Most of John Woo’s Mission: Impossible 2 (1999) is set in Utah and Australia. However, one of the most impactful scenes in the series’ most bombastic entry takes place in Seville, where Ethan is sent to recruit Thandiwe Newton’s glamorous thief. The chemistry between the two is off the charts, which perfectly sets up the film’s love triangle situation between Cruise, Newton and Dougray Scott’s villainous Sean Ambrose. Seville is the perfect place to spark a fiery romance into life. The city is famed for its passionate, lively atmosphere, which gave birth to the thrilling art of flamenco dancing. You’ll get to see a stunning live flamenco performance in an authentic setting during your stay in Seville on our 12-day epic through the heartlands of Spain and across the pulsating cities of Morocco.

From US$2635

Next available from 5th Nov 2023

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Trip highlights and details

STARTS AT

Madrid, Spain

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ENDS AT

Marrakech, Morocco

DURATION

12

GROUP SIZE

16

PHYSICAL RATING

Light

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STYLE

Discovery

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