Set in Paris, Filmed in Budapest
zita kisgergely
THE NIGHTINGALE, starring Elle Fanning and Dakota Fanning, is continuing a long tradition. It’s the latest production filming in Hungary but set in France.
Budapest’s District V often gets to play Paris.
Directed by Michael Morrisa, The Nightingale features Dakota and Elle Fanning–together in a film for the first time–who get to play sisters on screen in Nazi-occupied France. Based on the novel written by Kristin Hannah, the film’s screenplay was written by Dana Stevens.
According to the Budapest Reporter, parts of district V (Museum Boulevard, Henzslmann Imre Street and the lovely Károly Gardens) have morphed into 1940s Paris for the film. It was reported that a couple shop fronts have been transformed into a period French-style café and bookstore while the public toilets in the gardens has become a newsstand.
Thanks to Budapest’s eclectic architecture, filmmakers are able to recreate a range of cityscapes from various historical eras. District V in downtown Budapest, with its authentic turn-of-the-century buildings, expansive boulevards and café culture, is a popular choice as a filming location for movies fully or party set in Paris.
Szentendre, a town just outside Budapest.
But Budapest is not the only place in Hungary able to recreate the Gallic vibe. The Nightingale has also utilized the old-world charms of Szentendre, a picturesque artists’ town also on the banks of the Danube located just outside of Budapest. With its cobblestone streets, colourful houses and bohemian character, we’ve written about the appeal of Szentendre before, and couldn’t imagine a better place to recreate a French village outside France.
The production team left nothing to chance, painstakingly recreating the exterior and interior of the street including a pharmacy, pastry shop and street market. From the vintage cars parked outside to the glass and ceramic containers in the medicine cabinets, even the smallest details were taken care of to create the illusion of wartime France.
The Fanning sisters are also producing the film which is expected to benefit from the 30% local film incentive
Other films where Budapest has stepped in for Paris:
Maria (2025)
Starring Angelina Jolie, this film recounts the highs and lows of opera icon Maria Callas’ life, cut short at the age of 53.
Budapest stood in for some of the film’s key locations. The Hungarian Opera House and the Budapest Academy of Music were both used for critical scenes, as was the Fine Arts Museum and the old TV headquarters at Szabadság Square.
Modì, Three Days on the Wing of Madness (2024)
Directed by Johnny Depp, the film covers just two days in the life of artist Modigliani against the backdrop of war-torn Paris during World War One.
Tellingly, the production also took advantage of Károly Gardens in district 5 to portray Paris of the time for its outdoor sequences.
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. Photo via Imdb.
Mrs Harris Goes to Paris (2022)
A cleaning lady in 1950s London saves up to buy the couture dress of her dreams from Dior in Paris.
Filming took place over 40 days in Budapest where the grandeur of Andrássy Boulevard was utilized as well as the nearby Operetta Theatre.
Radioactive (2020)
Starring Rosamund Pike, this biographical drama made use of Budapest streets and buildings to capture the early 20th-century life of Marie Curie.
Once again, a street in district V–Zoltán utca just near the Hungarian Parliament building–was transformed into Paris. The Ethnographical Museum doubled as a Sorbonne University lecture hall and Bródy House was used as the set for Marie’s apartment.
Bel Ami. Photo via Prime Video.
Bel Ami (2012)
Starring Robert Pattison, the film chronicles the manipulative rise of a young man in Paris of the 1890s.
Budapest was once again chosen as a filming location for the exterior shots due to the architectural similarity to Paris of the time.
Monte Carlo (2011)
A teen comedy starring Selena Gomez, the feature was filmed primarily in Budapest to replicate both Paris and Monaco.
Some of the locations used include the Hungarian State Opera House, the interior of Ervin Szabó Library, as well as exterior city shots along the Danube River.
Munich (2005)
This Steven Spielberg film depicts a team of undercover Israeli agents who hunt down those behind the 1972 murder of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics.
Budapest stepped in to depict the various global locations covered in the film. For Paris, the fifth district was again used, this time the intersection between Aulich and Báthory Streets.
Sources & further information
Modi, Three Days on the Wing of Madness
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