From Copenhagen to Transylvania: Tracking Every Filming Stop of ‘Families Like Ours’
This guide uncovers every real-world backdrop behind Netflix’s new Danish miniseries Families Like Ours. Shot across six countries over twelve busy months, the production team chased authenticity instead of green-screen shortcuts.
From Denmark’s beloved bike lanes to the shadowy alleys of Prague and the bright banks of the Seine, each location tells part of a family’s flight from a drowning homeland. Knowing these places adds depth to the drama and sparks travel dreams even as it warns about rising seas.
A Journey Filmed in Real Time
A sinking nation makes a dramatic backdrop, but the real wonder of Netflix’s climate drama Families Like Ours is how its cameras travel. Director Thomas Vinterberg refused to fake the journey. He sent cast and crew across six countries to capture Denmark’s looming flood and the refugee road that follows.
In every stop—harbor, castle, subway, and seaside town—the series plants viewers in a living, breathing world. Knowing where the production rolled adds fresh context and turns each episode into a personal travel guide.
Denmark: Heart of the Story
Denmark anchors the story and the shoot. Copenhagen streets, with their pastel houses and bike lanes, show the calm before the storm. Crew members filmed at iconic spots like Tivoli Gardens, Kastrup Sea Baths, and cobbled alleys in Dragør.
The production also visited Aarhus and Bornholm to mirror the country’s rich coastal life. Extras—many locals—filled town squares to act as evacuees. Zentropa even placed employee portraits on a giant “Missing People” wall.
Filming here set an authentic tone, letting viewers feel the loss of a homeland built on cheerful hygge culture now under threat. Waves lap, memories linger. Forever cherished.
Prague, Czech Republic: Historic Streets on Screen
Prague in the Czech Republic doubles as a frantic evacuation hub. Cameras raced down Kaprova Street near the Staroměstská metro, tracked trams across Pařížská Boulevard, and lingered in Old Town Square. Baroque facades frame scenes of families clutching suitcases, creating sharp contrast between beauty and panic.
The crew also shot in Josefov’s narrow lanes and Wenceslas Square, bringing depth to crowd sequences that needed thousands of extras.
After dark, spotlights bounced off medieval stone, highlighting history’s weight on modern refugees. Prague’s layered architecture gives the show a timeless, global feel that audiences instantly recognize. Viewers sense urgency and marvel simultaneously.
Sweden: Nordic Scope and Studio Work
Sweden offered quiet Nordic scope and high-tech studios. Stockholm’s waterfront stood in for safer northern ports where evacuees hope to land. Interior sets were built at Film i Väst facilities, giving filmmakers total control over storm effects.
Outdoor shots captured pine forests and rocky islands that echo Denmark’s shoreline yet feel foreign enough to mark transition. Cities like Gothenburg and Örebro supplied modern train stations used for tense boarding scenes.
Swedish crews, famed for efficiency, kept production running through long summer daylight, reducing night shoots and saving budget. Their craftsmanship shines, blending nature, studio magic, and human emotion seamlessly throughout.
Romania: Transylvanian Terrain Adds Depth
Romania’s Transylvanian landscape brought rugged drama. Scenes of cramped shelters and ad-hoc camps were filmed near Brașov, using the looming Carpathian Mountains as a visual barrier. The team shot exterior shots at Bran Castle’s foothills, merging gothic lore with the show’s fear of the unknown.
Local villages supplied wooden barns and dirt roads perfect for depicting temporary refugee quarters. Romanian extras added linguistic diversity, underlining the series’ pan-European scope.
Low-cost permits and hospitable towns helped stretch the budget while delivering haunting vistas that amplify the characters’ sense of exile. Night fires flicker, shadows dance, highlighting resilience amid sweeping valleys everywhere.
Poland: Authentic Eastern European Touch
Poland supplied key street scenes that show cultural mixing along the evacuation route. Filmmakers used Kraków’s medieval alleys and the wide avenues near the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw to reflect both history and modern pressure.
Extras portraying Polish locals interact with Danish refugees, showing solidarity and tension. Production designers highlighted St. Mary’s Basilica silhouette at dawn, offering hope against pastel skies.
Smaller towns added train depots and rural roads where convoys pass. Poland’s cinematic tax incentive and location made logistics easy, proving vital during the long cross-border shoot. Crews praised kind hosts and dishes, boosting morale daily.
France: Final Frames and Parisian Flair
France closes the journey with scenes of fragile hope. Paris streets near the Eiffel Tower host emotional reunions, while cafés in Montmartre give characters a brief illusion of normal life.
The crew filmed sunrise shots along the Seine, watching golden light wash over packed barges repurposed as emergency housing. Interior moments were captured in quiet apartments in the 11th arrondissement, highlighting cramped yet comforting spaces.
Outside Paris, rural Normandy fields stood in for temporary camps, their wildflowers a reminder of renewal. France’s mix of grandeur and intimacy allows the series to end on an uplifting visual note amid lingering uncertainty.
Final Words
Families Like Ours proves that place shapes story. By filming in real locations across Europe, the series grounds its climate tale in tangible streets, towns, and rivers. Viewers feel the salt air of Copenhagen, the cobbles of Prague, the mist of Transylvania, and the romance of Paris.
These settings deepen emotion, turning a fictional flood into a shared memory. As climate headlines grow, the show invites us to cherish every corner of our planet—and to imagine how we might protect the homes we love.
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