Where Was Glass Onion Filmed? (& Can You Visit?)
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2 years ago
Inside the sun soaked Knives Out sequel…
Netflix’s much anticipated follow up to Rian Johnson’s smash hit film Knives Out (2019) has finally landed, and audiences are loving seeing Daniel Craig back in his Southern Belle element. An anthology sequel similar in kind to HBO’s TV series The White Lotus, Glass Onion features an all-new star-studded ensemble cast including Janelle Monáe, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr, and Dave Bautista, along with flash cameos from many more Hollywood favourites. Craig returns as master detective Benoit Blanc who, on a private Greek island accompanied by a complicated billionaire friendship group, finds himself with another mystery to crack. But where was Glass Onion filmed? Where is that Greek island, and is it a real place? And, more importantly, can you visit the glittering resort that plays the role of Miles Bron (Norton)’s Greek mansion? Here are all of the Glass Onion filming locations you need to know.
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Where Was Glass Onion Filmed? (& Can You Visit?)
Where Was Glass Onion Filmed?
Glass Onion was filmed in Peloponnese, Greece – mostly in Amanzoe, a real hotel and resort that serves as Miles’ Greek estate (though the giant glass onion atop the roof isn’t real). In the film, the band of billionaires (and a couple of plus ones) travel by superyacht to a Greek island owned by Miles and inhabited only by his mansion. In reality, Peloponnese is a peninsula connected to the mainland in southern Greece, and only appears like a private island thanks to clever shots and editing.
Likewise, many of the scenes inside the property were shot on purpose-built sets in Belgrade, Serbia. That said, some scenes were shot on the Greek island of Spetses, specifically the sun-soaked scene as the unlikely friends await their yacht, which was filmed at the port of Dapia on Spetses’ northern coast.
Can You Visit The Glass Onion House?
Yes, Amanzoe is a real hotel resort that can be visited. For the full Glass Onion experience, check into Villa 20, where most of the filming at Amanzoe took place. Director Rian Johnson discovered the breathtaking property and knew it was the ideal location for a sun-kissed, Agatha Christie style mystery (or, in Johnson’s words, a ‘tropical getaway murder mystery’).
As well as filming, the setting doubled as accommodation for the cast and crew, many of whom brought their families along for the ride. ‘It felt like a summer vacation where we also made a movie,’ Johnson told Netflix.
That said, because much of Glass Onion’s filming used purpose-built sets, Amanzoe is sadly not home to many of the dramatic, art-filled interiors (including, as you may have guessed, Mona Lisa). However, as production designer Rick Heinrich told Conde Nast Traveller, despite it being private property and not even on an island, ‘nothing matched the Aman’.
‘It’s very epic, almost like the Colosseum, to approach the villa – which lends itself to the idea that people are about to kill each other,’ Heinrich added. ‘Such scale. And then it offered a concept for building the atrium behind that worked really well as well.’
Inside Amanzoe
Part of the Aman group, Amanzoe is characteristically luxurious. An expansive site sprinkled with UNESCO protected ruins, Amanzoe sites on the east coast of the Peloponnese – close to Porto Heli – with 360-degree views of olive groves and the shimmering Aegean sea enjoyed from cabanas, pavilions and villas with private pools.
Though it is admittedly not an island resort, Amanzoe is well-equipped to help you live out your Greek island hopping fantasy, with speedboats awaiting your arrival at the beach, raring to zip between nearby islands, including Spetses and Hydra.
Villa 20, where much of Glass Onion was filmed, is a large private compound created in harmony with the landscape and cascading down a hillside across six floors. Hosting up to 18 guests with 18 dedicated members of staff including a private chef, the villa features a whopping nine bedrooms, five kitchens, two heated infinity pools and a private spa to boot. There are three 100m2 master pavilions equipped with their own private swimming pools, two pavilions, and an additional four luxurious studio bedrooms. In short, Villa 20 is fit for royalty – or the exceedingly wealthy friendship group that Glass Onion centres on.
BOOK IT: Stays at Amanzoe start from €2,450 (£2,150) per night, with stays at Villa 20 starting from €40,000 (£35,179) per night, both excluding taxes and fees. Amanzoe reopens for the summer season on 1 April 2023. aman.com
Featured image: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022). (L-R) Edward Norton as Miles, Madelyn Cline as Whiskey, and Daniel Craig as Detective Benoit Blanc. John Wilson/Netflix © 2022.