‘One Day’ Filming Locations: Where in the UK and Europe the Hit Netflix Series Was Shot
The hit Netflix limited series One Day has garnered millions of views and jerked many a tear since debuting on the streaming service earlier this month.
The 14-episode romance, based on a 2009 novel by David Nicholls (previously adapted for a 2011 film starring Anne Hathaway), follows the relationship of Emma (Ambika Mod) and Dexter (Leo Woodall, recently seen in the second season of The White Lotus) across two decades, checking in with the pair on the same date each year and charting the various ups, downs, joys, and tragedies they undergo, both separately and together.
You can cover a lot of ground in 20 years, and the production did too, filming our would-be, should-be lovers in several scenic locales across the United Kingdom and Europe.
For fans interested in following in the footsteps of Em and Dex, we have gathered some of the key filming locations below.
If you haven’t finished the series yet, don’t worry—we won’t spoil the ending (even though the source material and the first movie have been out for more than a decade and the news of what happens on the Netflix series is all over the internet).
Edinburgh, Scotland
The series starts and ends in Scotland’s hilly capital city, where the central duo meet in the courtyard of the Old College at the University of Edinburgh on the night of their graduation party (this Frommer’s walking tour will take you there).
One Day shot scenes on campus and nearby streets, according to Netflix, as well as on the Vennel Steps, a spot famous for its striking view of Edinburgh Castle. Em and Dex share a kiss in front of that landmark.
They also hike to the top of Arthur’s Seat (pictured at the top of this post), a dormant volcano in Holyrood Park that overlooks Edinburgh.
If you’re planning a One Day pilgrimage to Edinburgh, do yourself a favor and pick dates that aren’t in August. Due to the city’s wildly popular arts festivals, Edinburgh is already plenty crowded that month as it is.
(View of Edinburgh Castle from the Vennel Steps in Edinburgh, Scotland | Credit: chrisdorney / Shutterstock)
England
London is a major setting in the series, with The Savoy hotel, King’s Cross station, and Primrose Hill all appearing onscreen. During the third episode Emma and Dexter have a golden-hour picnic in the latter area.
At another point in the show, Dexter goes to the grand home of Emma’s parents in Hertfordshire to the north of London. Britain’s Daily Mirror reports that filming took place at Benington Lordship, a “stately pile” not far from Hatfield House, which appears in the 10th episode, when Emma and Dexter attend the wedding of a mutual friend.
You might recognize Hatfield House from several other movies and TV shows, including One Day‘s fellow Netflix phenoms Bridgerton and The Crown.
(Naousa on the Greek island of Paros | Credit: Anibal Trejo / Shutterstock)
Europe
When Dexter jaunts to Rome in the second episode, the fountain in front of which he basks in the sun is the Fontana dell’Acqua Paola on the via Garibaldi. He later wanders through the bohemian Trastavere neighborhood.
The Rome hotel on the show was actually played by two different hotels near Piazza Navona, according to Condé Nast Traveller: the Bio Hotel Raphaël and the Campo de’ Fiori.
The Greek holiday Emma and Dexter take in the fourth episode was shot in the sunny fishing village of Naousa on the island of Paros.
And the 12th episode’s Paris interlude features scenes of the pair taking a stroll on rue Pierre-Semard and having a conversation on the Passerelle Emmanuelle-Riva, an iron bridge spanning Canal Saint-Martin.
Emma’s apartment while living in the French capital is on rue des Gobelins in the 13th arrondissement.
Related: Emily in Paris Filming Locations You Can Visit in Real Life
