Where is All the Light We Cannot See filmed? Filming locations of Netflix WW2 drama in France and Hungary

Netflix Second World War drama series All the Light We Cannot See follows a blind French girl and her father hiding internally in France as a Gestapo officer hunts for them a precious gem they have taken with them.

The four-part series is based on the novel of the same name by American author Anthony Doerr and adapted for the screen by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight.

All the Light We Cannot see was a major international production, with filming taking place from March to July 2022 at various European locations.

Where was All the Light We Cannot See filmed?

France

The majority of the series is set in the port city of Saint-Malo in the north of France, where Marie‑Laure and Daniel hide out during the war. In 1944 the city was the site of a major battle and was almost completely destroyed by American bombers prior to liberation.

Filming took place on location in Saint-Malo as well as at Villefranche-de-Rouergue, a commune in the south of France with a population of around 12,000. Villefranche-de-Rouergue was used for the main outdoor street scenes and the American bombing campaign in the series because it retained a similar look to wartime Saint-Malo, boasting a similar ancient central square to the one in Saint-Malo that was destroyed during the conflict.

Filming took place in Villefranche-de-Rouergue from 5-20 July 2022 and parts of the town were dressed for the production, with German language street signs, cars from the period, and, of course, tanks. An earlier project filmed at the commune is 2021 French crime drama Bruno Reidal, Confession of a Murderer, whilst Saint Malo was previously used to film some episodes of the Dutch Netflix crime drama Undercover.

Hungary

Several locations in Hungary also appear through the series - Festetics Palace, on the bank of Lake Balaton in the west of the country, was used for filming. It was built in the Baroque style in the mid-18th century and expanded over the following 150 years, and now serves as a museum. It previously featured as Little Palace in the Netflix fantasy series Shadow & Bone.

Zichy Castle, east of Lake Balaton, in Soponya, also features in the series. The grand castle also dates to the mid-18th century but has been abandoned since 1998 and is falling into disrepair.

Exchange Palace in Hungary’s capital, Budapest, is another grand filming location for the Netflix series. The early 20th century property operated as a stock exchange for decades before being converted as a TV studio and falling into disuse in 2009.

Germany

It was reported last year that much of the production would take place in Berlin, however, specific filming locations in the German capital have not been confirmed. Other projects shot there include, Stranger Things, John Wick: Chapter 4, and Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.