The Holiday Filming Locations in England & USA: FULL List + Map!

No other genre of film is more escapist than a Christmas rom-com. But what about Christmas rom-coms that are literally about escaping? Nancy Meyers’ soppy seasonal movie The Holiday (2006) certainly fits the bill. And ever since the film was released 14 years ago, people have been googling and researching all of The Holiday filming locations so they too can have a Christmas escape just like the leading ladies.

Iris (Kate Winslet) is an English journalist living in a quaint cottage in Surrey and Amanda (Cameron Diaz) is a Hollywood big shot living in a swanky mansion in LA. When the strangers both suffer heartbreak and desire a change of scenery, the women each list their properties on Home Exchange and agree to swap houses for the festive period.

California girl Amanda jets off to Surrey where she receives a masterclass in quintessentially English countryside living. Iris is happy to live it up in Hollywood and establishes an eclectic circle of showbiz pals. Naturally, both distinct locales feature heavily in this list of The Holiday film locations. So, let’s take a look at some real-life The Holiday locations in Surrey, England and California, USA!

The Holiday Filming Locations in England & USA

Where was The Holiday Filmed?

The Holiday Filming Locations in England

1. Queen’s Walk/South Bank in Lambeth, London

We’re starting this list of The Holiday filming locations in London, just after Iris leaves her office Christmas party blind-sided and devastated. She walks, teary-eyed, along the South Bank of the River Thames with the Houses of Parliament lit up like a Christmas tree in the background. Iris doesn’t live in London though, so she’ll be heading towards a train station…

2. The Square in Shere, Surrey

Most of the scenes set in Iris’ unnamed hometown were shot in a gorgeous little old village called Shere in Surrey. On her way home from work, Iris briefly walks past the address 2 The Square and Amanda also drove along this road on her way to Iris’ cottage.

Meyers chose to shoot in this village because it’s pretty, yes, but also for logistical reasons. It’s only an hour away from London and the town was more than happy for her to cover the place in fake snow for weeks and basically do whatever she wanted. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004), and The Wedding Date (2005) also shot scenes in this village.

3. Random Field in Shere, Surrey

I’m about to break some hearts with this entry. Just up the hill from St James’ Church (where Amanda’s driver stops when she arrives in Surrey) and along the road from the White Horse Tavern is a very random, ordinary field. Or so I’m told, I can’t actually find the *exact* location on Google Maps.

And *this* is The Holiday cottage location. Yup, the production team spent three weeks building entire exterior of Iris’ dreamy country cottage, down to the bushes, brick wall and front gate. The Holiday film location for the cottage was all a set-piece. Honeysuckle Cottage in Holmbury St Mary inspired Rosehill Cottage, but for some reason, the production team decided not to shoot here. And the cutesy interiors for Rosehill Cottage? That fireplace in the kitchen and teeny copper bathtub? All shot in a studio.

4. Great Wolford, Warwickshire

As Amanda drives from London to Rosehill Cottage for the first time, the roads in the film are actually leading into the village of Great Wolford in Warwickshire. So, not Surrey where most of the other English The Holiday movie filming locations are set. I can’t be sure why, but Great Wolford does look cute from a distance and is surrounded by fields which make it look more isolated than anywhere in Surrey.

5. Church lane in Shere, Surrey

Church Lane is the very snowy, slippery path that Amanda has to walk along wearing heels and dragging two suitcases to reach Rosehill Cottage.

6. Church Street in Godalming, Surrey

Heading into town for the first time driving a red mini cooper (on the wrong side of the road, sat in the wrong side of the car…), Amanda speeds from Mint Street onto Church Street, the main shopping street in Godalming, Surrey. It’s not really the ideal road for driving at a speed above 10 mph.

Godalming and Shere both represent this unnamed Surrey village where Rosehill Cottage is situated. Godalming is just as idyllic but a bit busier and bustling than Shere, so it makes sense that Meyers would shoot this shopping scene there instead.

7. Wattle and Daub in Godalming, Surrey

Amanda swigs a bottle of red wine (doesn’t she realise she has to drive herself back to Rosehill Cottage..?) while shopping for groceries. In reality, it’s Wattle and Daub homewares shop in Godalming which was dressed up like a posh corner shop. And no, I have no idea what ‘Wattle’ or ‘Daub’ mean either.

8. Cornwell Manor in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire

Graham, Iris’ brother played by Jude Law, takes Amanda out for lunch. They head to Cornwell Manor, a historic stately home in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire. Alas, just the exterior and gardens feature as filming locations. The interior was shot in California instead so you’ll have to read on to find out where exactly those scenes were filmed!

9. The Water Mill, Norley Lane, Wonersh, Surrey

How are there just so many gorgeous homes in The Holiday?! Yet another is Graham’s house where he lives with his daughters, Sophie and Olivia. Originally, I wasn’t sure of the exact address but thanks to Chris in the comments, now we do! It’s The Water Mill just outside of Wonersh in Surrey and I’ve pinned the exact location on the google map at the top of this post.

The Holiday Filming Locations in the USA

1. 2210 Neutra Place in Silver Lake, California

The Holiday opens at Jack Black’s character Miles’ house where he is composing a score to the next soppy, period-set, light-hearted romantic Hollywood drama. I’m not sure if the interior was constructed in a studio (like the rest of the houses in this film!), but the exterior is 2210 Neutra Place in the Silver Lake neighbourhood of LA.

2. 1883 Orlando Road in San Marino, California

Amanda’s Hollywood mansion, in real life, is 1883 Orland Road in San Marino. Unfortunately, this is just the exterior of Amanda’s house. The interior was built on a soundstage in Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City. Literally every room, all 8,000ft of it. I understand why they couldn’t find an idyllic cottage in driving distance to London, but I don’t fully understand how they couldn’t find a really generic, modern Hollywood mansion anywhere in LA.

We first see this The Holiday filming location when Amanda kicks out her cheating boyfriend, but it’s one of the main shooting locations so it appears throughout the movie.

3. 163 S Rockingham Avenue in Brentwood, California

Iris bumps into Arthur (or should I say, has a ‘meet-cute’ with Arthur), an ageing screenwriter who lives nearby. In actual fact, Arthur’s home was owned by Phyllis Diller at the time of the film’s release. She was an American comedy actress and she lived at 163 S Rockingham Avenue in Brentwood. Finally! An actual The Holiday filming location where the interior and exterior to one of the gorgeous homes is real! Rejoice!

4. The Grill on the Alley in Beverley Hills, California

Iris takes Arthur out for dinner and they head to The Grill on the Alley in Beverley Hills. It’s exactly the kind of restaurant someone like Arthur, a talent in Old Hollywood, would recommend. Upscale yet relaxed and it’s been around for decades.

5. Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills, California

The interiors to Cornwell Manor, where Graham takes Amanda out for lunch, is actually Greystone Mansion in Beverley Hills. It was designed in a Tudor Revival style surrounded by English gardens, so you can see why The Holiday chose to shoot here since, for whatever reason, they couldn’t shoot inside Cornwell Manor in Oxfordshire.

6. 11770 San Vicente Boulevard in Brentwood, California

Miles accompanies Iris to the local Blockbuster Video store so Iris can rent another Hollywood classic movie Arthur has recommended for her. Sadly, the video store has now closed (what a shocker) but it was based at 11770 San Vicente Boulevard in Brentwood. If you’ve watched The Holiday you will, of course, remember Dustin Hoffman’s cameo in this scene! It was totally spontaneous too, he just happened to be nearby.

7. 110 Navy Street in Venice, California

Bizarrely, Miles and Iris decide to go out for sushi on Christmas Day. Whatever floats your boat, I guess. The sushi restaurant they went to was called Chaya Venice at 110 Navy Street in Venice. Sadly, the restaurant closed its doors for the last time in November 2018 after 30 years! That’s a long time for a Los Angeles restaurant.

And those are all the top The Holiday filming locations in England and the USA! Have you watched The Holiday? Or visited any of The Holiday movie locations? Let me know in the comments below!

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