Where Was The Day Of The Jackal Filmed?

The Short Answer

The 1973 film was shot mainly on location in France, above all Paris and the French Riviera, with studio work at Boulogne Studios near Paris and Pinewood Studios in England. Additional scenes were filmed in London, Vienna and the Italian cities of Genoa and Ventimiglia. Director Fred Zinnemann favored real locations over sets, even filming during an actual Bastille Day parade.

The Day of the Jackal follows a hired assassin, played by Edward Fox, as he prepares to shoot President Charles de Gaulle in 1963 Paris. Rather than build sets, the production travelled to the actual places the story describes, which gives the film a documentary feel that critics still praise.

That realism came at a cost. Handheld cameras rolled during the real Bastille Day parade on the Champs-Élysées, and some spectators confused the actors playing police with the genuine article. The production also secured permission to shoot inside normally restricted government buildings, including the Ministry of the Interior, thanks to the French producer's connections.

Every Location At A Glance

Location	Where	What was filmed	Access
Hôtel Negresco	Nice, France	Jackal stays here and learns his cover is blown; calls contact in Paris	Ticketed
Prater Park (Riesenrad)	Vienna, Austria	Meeting with OAS leaders at 'Pension Kleist'	Free to see
British Museum (Reading Room)	London, United Kingdom	Jackal reads Le Figaro newspaper	Free to see
Somerset House	London, United Kingdom	Jackal obtains false birth certificate	Free to see
La Bastide de Tourtour	Tourtour, France	Hotel where Jackal meets Colette	Ticketed
Château du Saussay	Ballancourt-sur-Essonne, France	Colette de Montpellier's residence	Private property
150 Rue de Rennes / Place du 18 Juin 1940	Paris, France	Jackal's assassination attempt on de Gaulle from hotel window	Free to see
Gare d'Austerlitz	Paris, France	Train arrival scene	Free to see
Archives Nationales (Hôtel de Soubise)	Paris, France	Standing in for Élysée Palace	Free to see
Ventimiglia border area	Ventimiglia, Italy	Border crossing back into France	Free to see
Hotel Colombia area / Genoa	Genoa, Italy	Jackal collects custom rifle and fake ID	Outside only
Veynes train station	Veynes, France	Train station scene (as Tulle)	Free to see
Place Vauban	Paris, France	Biker stops to place phone call	Free to see

Filming Locations Map

13 locations. The map loads when it scrolls into view.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Location By Location

The Jackal stays at this seafront hotel in Nice and learns his cover identity has been blown, prompting a panicked call to his contact in Paris. Both the exterior and interiors appear on screen. The Negresco remains one of the most famous hotels on the Promenade des Anglais and is open to guests, so fans can walk in, take a drink, or even book a room where the assassin once plotted.

The Vienna amusement park stands in for the fictional Pension Kleist, where the Jackal meets the OAS leadership to accept the contract. The giant Ferris wheel, later famous from other spy films, anchors the scene. The Prater is fully open to the public year round, with no ticket needed to enter the park itself, making it one of the easiest locations on this trail to visit.

In one of the film's London sequences, the Jackal sits in the Reading Room of the British Museum casually reading Le Figaro. The famous domed hall has been closed to general public access since 2013, so visitors cannot recreate the shot inside. The museum around it, however, remains free and open, and the Reading Room dome can still be viewed from certain angles.

Somerset House on the Strand is where the Jackal obtains a false birth certificate, a key step in building his cover identity. The neoclassical courtyard and galleries seen in the film are still there. Today the building hosts exhibitions and public events, and the courtyard is freely accessible, so fans can stand in the same space with no ticket required for most areas.

This historic property in the hilltop village of Tourtour in Provence served as the hotel where the Jackal meets Colette de Montpellier. It operates as a hotel today, or is privately held, and access may be restricted depending on the current arrangement. Travellers hoping to see it should check ahead, though the village itself, often ranked among France's prettiest, rewards the detour.

The château near Ballancourt-sur-Essonne in the Essonne region south of Paris plays the residence of Colette de Montpellier, whose involvement in the plot turns fatal. It is a private château with limited public access, so filming location hunters generally have to content themselves with an exterior view. Check locally before travelling, as occasional events may open the grounds.

This Paris address near Montparnasse station is where the Jackal rents a room and fires his custom rifle at de Gaulle from a hotel window in the film's climax. The square and street are ordinary public space, freely walkable at any hour. Visitors standing at Place du 18 Juin 1940 can look up and imagine the window, with the Montparnasse tower now dominating the skyline.

Austerlitz station in eastern Paris appears in a train arrival scene as the manhunt closes in. It remains an active terminus serving regional and intercity routes, so it is fully open to the public with no ticket needed to enter the concourse. Its location on the Left Bank makes it an easy add-on to a walking route taking in Place Vauban and the Rue de Rennes site.

The elegant Hôtel de Soubise in the Marais district stood in for the Élysée Palace, the presidential residence, because the real palace was far harder to film. It houses the National Archives and a museum, both open to visitors for an entry fee. Film fans can explore the very interiors where the film's political drama unfolds, then wander the historic district around it.

The coastal road near the French border at Ventimiglia in Liguria is where the Jackal crosses back into France during his journey. The area is public and easily reached by road or rail along the Riviera coast, sitting close to the Monaco frontier. Travellers can drive or take the scenic coastal route and pass the same Mediterranean landscapes seen in the film.

In Genoa's historic port city, the Jackal collects his custom-made rifle and a false identity document from a shady contact. The specific hotel may vary and the scene is best matched by exterior views rather than an exact address. Genoa itself is a rewarding stop, with a medieval centre, the old port and a working harbour atmosphere that has drawn film productions for decades.

This small station in the Hautes-Alpes, in rural southern France, doubled as Tulle for a train station scene during the manhunt. It is still an active station serving regional lines, so access is public and free. Getting there requires commitment, as Veynes sits deep in the Alps, but for completists it offers one of the film's most untouched locations.

This quiet square near Les Invalides in Paris is where the motorcyclist courier stops to place a phone call, one of the small procedural beats that give the film its tension. It is an ordinary public square, open at all times and a short walk from the Hôtel des Invalides. Fans can combine it easily with the nearby Rue de Rennes and Austerlitz locations in one day.

Where It Is Set Versus Where It Was Filmed

The story takes place in France in 1963, during the OAS plot to assassinate President de Gaulle. The film was shot largely in the real France where the events unfold, in Paris and the south, with additional location work in the UK, Austria and Italy. Studio interiors were completed at Boulogne Studios near Paris and Pinewood Studios in England. Some UK locations, such as the British Museum Reading Room, have closed or changed substantially since filming wrapped.

The Studio Side

Two studios supported the production. Boulogne Studios in Boulogne-Billancourt, on the western edge of Paris, was one of France's major film facilities at the time. Pinewood Studios in Iver Heath, England, handled the British studio work. Neither is open to the general public as a visitor attraction tied to this film, though Pinewood's site remains an active production campus.

Tours That Visit These Locations

No dedicated walking tour covers this 1973 thriller's locations, so most fans explore the Paris, Nice and London sites independently. Travellers who enjoy film history more broadly may prefer a guided option, such as this private car tour in Budapest, which visits Heroes' Square, the Chain Bridge, Liberty Square and Szabadság híd, and can be adapted to film and television interests.

Private Car Tour, Budapest, 2.5 Hours

Hollywood film spots in Budapest 2.5 hour private car tour

A private 2.5 hour car tour of Budapest movie locations priced at $89.9 per group, taking in Heroes' Square, the Chain Bridge, Liberty Square and Szabadság híd with a driver guide, and it can be tailored toward film and TV spotting for cinema-minded travellers.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Was The Day of the Jackal filmed in Paris?

Yes, extensively. Paris locations include Place du 18 Juin 1940 on Rue de Rennes for the assassination attempt, Gare d'Austerlitz, the Hôtel de Soubise standing in for the Élysée Palace, and Place Vauban. The production even filmed during the real Bastille Day parade using handheld cameras.

Can you stay at the hotel from the film in Nice?

Yes. The Hôtel Negresco on the Promenade des Anglais, where the Jackal learns his cover is blown, is a working luxury hotel open to guests. Non-guests can typically visit the public areas.

Is the British Museum Reading Room open to visitors?

No. The Reading Room, where the Jackal reads Le Figaro, has been closed to general public access since 2013. The wider British Museum remains open and free to enter.

Where was the Vienna scene filmed?

The meeting between the Jackal and the OAS leaders takes place in Vienna's Prater amusement park, home of the Riesenrad Ferris wheel. The park is public and open to all.

Can you visit the château where Colette lives?

The Château du Saussay near Ballancourt-sur-Essonne is private with limited public access, so visits are generally restricted to exterior views. The Hôtel de Soubise, another interior location, is fully open as a museum and archives.

Which studios were used for the film?

Boulogne Studios in Boulogne-Billancourt near Paris handled French studio work, and Pinewood Studios in England completed the British portions. Neither offers public tours connected to the film.

The Day of the Jackal remains one of the great location-shot thrillers precisely because Zinnemann insisted on real streets, real stations and real ceremonies. Most of the trail is free to walk: Paris alone offers five sites reachable on foot or by metro in a single day, while Nice, Vienna, Genoa and the Hautes-Alpes reward the dedicated traveller. Only the studios and a couple of private properties stay off limits.

Sources

The Short Answer

Every Location At A Glance

Filming Locations Map

Location By Location

Hôtel Negresco

Prater Park (Riesenrad)

British Museum (Reading Room)

Somerset House

La Bastide de Tourtour

Château du Saussay

150 Rue de Rennes / Place du 18 Juin 1940

Gare d'Austerlitz

Archives Nationales (Hôtel de Soubise)

Ventimiglia border area

Hotel Colombia area / Genoa

Veynes train station

Place Vauban

Where It Is Set Versus Where It Was Filmed

The Studio Side

Tours That Visit These Locations

Private Car Tour, Budapest, 2.5 Hours

Frequently Asked Questions

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