Napoleon was mainly filmed in England and Malta, with additional scenes in Morocco and a minor portion in France. Production designer Arthur Max found enough neoclassical architecture in England to double for French locations, from Boughton House in Northamptonshire to Lincoln Cathedral, which stood in for Notre-Dame during the coronation scene.
Ridley Scott's 2023 epic tells a story set mostly in France and on campaign across Egypt, Italy and Russia, yet almost none of it was shot in France. Instead, the production relied on English stately homes, cathedrals and woodlands, plus around three weeks in Malta and desert work in Morocco.
Principal photography ran 62 days from February 2022, spanning counties including Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, West Sussex, Hampshire and Surrey, along with several London landmarks.
Victim's Ball scene (Beauty Room, Marble Hall, Carved Room, Little Dining Room, Grand Staircase); meeting between Napoleon and generals; David's studio
Northamptonshire, Kettering, United Kingdom Ticketed
Filmed here: Napoleon's chateau, military barracks, apartments on Rue De Mail
Known as the 'English Versailles', Boughton House near Kettering played Napoleon's chateau as well as military barracks and apartments on the Rue De Mail. The production chose it after scouting across England, Scotland and Wales. Today the house operates as a historic house and museum with ticketed entry; visitors should check opening hours and tour times before travelling, as access is seasonal.
Location 02
Petworth House
West Sussex, Petworth, United Kingdom Ticketed
Filmed here: Victim's Ball scene (Beauty Room, Marble Hall, Carved Room, Little Dining Room, Grand Staircase); meeting between Napoleon and...
Petworth in West Sussex hosted the Victim's Ball scene, staged across the Beauty Room, Marble Hall, Carved Room, Little Dining Room and Grand Staircase, plus the meeting between Napoleon and his generals and David's studio. It was the biggest production ever filmed there, with 13 principal cast, 120 supporting artists and 200 crew over two days in March 2022. The National Trust property is open to visitors, with some rooms viewable alongside post-filming exhibits.
Location 03
Fort Ricasoli
Malta, Kalkara, Malta Private property
Filmed here: Siege of Toulon
This historic fort in Kalkara, Malta stood in for the Siege of Toulon, continuing a screen career that includes Gladiator. The production spent roughly three weeks in Malta in May 2022 shooting here. Fort Ricasoli is not generally open to the public, so travellers hoping to see it will mostly have to settle for views of its exterior from the surrounding area of Kalkara.
Location 04
Lincoln Cathedral
Lincolnshire, Lincoln, United Kingdom Ticketed
Filmed here: Napoleon's coronation (substitute for Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris)
Lincoln Cathedral doubled for Notre-Dame in Paris during Napoleon's coronation, chosen because the real Notre-Dame was still undergoing restoration during production. The cathedral remains a working place of worship and visitor attraction, with entry reported at around £11. Film fans can walk the nave and surrounding cloisters and picture the scale of the coronation sequence staged here.
Location 05
Bourne Wood
Surrey, Farnham, United Kingdom Free to see
Filmed here: Battle of Austerlitz
Bourne Wood near Farnham in Surrey served as the setting for the Battle of Austerlitz, one of the film's largest battle sequences. It is a Forestry England site, open to the public and free to explore on foot, making it one of the easiest Napoleon locations to visit without tickets. The woodland is popular with walkers and has a long history of use for film shoots.
Location 06
Old Royal Naval College
London, Greenwich, United Kingdom Free to see
Filmed here: Paris streets during Terror; Painted Hall for Napoleon assuming power
Greenwich's Old Royal Naval College portrayed Paris streets during the Terror, while its Painted Hall stood in for Napoleon assuming power. The grounds are publicly accessible, and the Painted Hall can be visited for £15. Its baroque architecture has made it a repeat stand-in for historical European settings, and it sits within easy reach of other London filming sites from the production.
Location 07
Somerset House
London, United Kingdom Free to see
Filmed here: Marie Antoinette execution square
Somerset House in central London was used for the scene of Marie Antoinette's execution. The courtyard and exterior are publicly accessible, with free entry to some areas and regular public events, so travellers can walk straight into the square where the guillotine once stood on screen. Its position on the Strand makes it an easy add-on to any film location walk through the capital.
Location 08
Merzouga Desert
Drâa-Tafilalet, Merzouga, Morocco Free to see
Filmed here: Egyptian campaign battle scenes
The Egyptian campaign battle scenes were filmed in the Merzouga Desert in Morocco's Drâa-Tafilalet region, standing in for Napoleon's campaigns in Egypt. This is a remote desert area with challenging terrain, generally reached through organised tours rather than independent travel. Visitors who make the trip get sweeping dunes that read convincingly as North Africa on screen, and a very different experience from the English locations.
Where It Is Set Versus Where It Was Filmed
The story of Napoleon is set primarily in France, with campaigns in Egypt, Italy and Russia, but the film was shot mainly in England, with additional work in Malta, Morocco and a brief portion in France. English stately homes and cathedrals did most of the heavy lifting as Paris and French palaces, while Malta's forts and Morocco's desert covered the military campaigns.
Tours That Visit These Locations
Most Napoleon locations are individual historic sites visited independently, but travellers heading to Malta, where the Siege of Toulon was filmed at Fort Ricasoli, can join a film-focused walking tour in nearby Mdina that covers the island's long screen history.
Mdina Film Walking Tour
Malta: Mdina Film Walking Tour featuring GoT
This Mdina walking tour explores Malta's film locations, including streets featured in major productions, and makes a practical pairing for visitors who have come to the island where Napoleon staged its Siege of Toulon sequence.
Mainly in England and Malta, with additional scenes in Morocco and a minor portion in France. English locations included Boughton House, Petworth House, Lincoln Cathedral, Bourne Wood, the Old Royal Naval College and Somerset House, while Fort Ricasoli in Malta stood in for the Siege of Toulon.
Can you visit the Napoleon filming locations?
Many of them, yes. Boughton House, Petworth House, Lincoln Cathedral and the Old Royal Naval College are all ticketed attractions, Bourne Wood is public Forestry England land, and Somerset House's courtyard is publicly accessible. Fort Ricasoli in Malta is not generally open to the public.
Why does Lincoln Cathedral stand in for Notre-Dame?
The real Notre-Dame in Paris was still under restoration during production, so Lincoln Cathedral was used to stage Napoleon's coronation instead. It remains open to visitors, with entry reported at around £11.
Which Napoleon location was the biggest shoot?
Petworth House in West Sussex. The Victim's Ball and other scenes brought 13 principal cast, 120 supporting artists and 200 crew to the property over two days in March 2022, making it the largest production ever filmed there.
Was Napoleon filmed in France at all?
Only a minor portion. Despite the story being set primarily in France, the production shot almost everything in England, Malta and Morocco, relying on English neoclassical architecture to double for French settings.
How long did filming take?
Principal photography ran 62 days, starting in February 2022. The Malta portion, largely at Fort Ricasoli, lasted about three weeks in May 2022.
Napoleon proves you do not need to cross the Channel to walk through the Emperor's world. A single trip can pair Boughton House and Lincoln Cathedral with free roaming at Bourne Wood, while travellers extending to Malta or Morocco can reach the sites of the film's battle campaigns.
