This 19th century villa was at one time a hotel before becoming private property. The filmmakers did an aerial reconnaissance around the entire lake to discover this property, which sits majestically atop a multi-acre beautiful lawn that slopes to the shoreline. The second villa, even more luxuriant, plays itself, so to speak, and is situated forty minutes away, near the popular tourist village of Balatonfured. The first, located on the northern shore of the lake, is "story set" on the Black Sea in Bulgaria, where suave agent Bradley Fine (Jude Law) flees from gunmen after a botched assignment and makes his way to an escape speedboat. Two lakeside villas served as unique practical locations in the film. The palace's sidewalks were also used for filming, including a scene where Susan jumps on a moped and gives chase to a would-be assassin through the streets of Budapest.įilming featured shooting at the picturesque Lake Balaton, the largest inland lake in Europe, located an hour-and-a-half drive from Budapest, Hungary.
Reportedly, the film has been the first movie allowed to film inside, and the production took full advantage, showcasing the crystal ice chandelier and exquisite high-ceilinged lobby where Raina Boyanov (Rose Byrne) makes a grand entrance with Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) and a bodyguard in tow. It opened as flagship luxury hotel in 2004. The Four Seasons took painstaking effort to restore the building, including the beautiful mosaics, using materials from Venice that comprised the originals. The palace was damaged in 1944 when retreating Nazis blew up the Chain Bridge, and it stood in disrepair for decades. Situated on the east bank of the Danube River, overlooking the Chain Bridge and Castle Hill on the Buda side, the Gresham Palace was built in 1906, and remains one of the finest examples of Art Nouveau/Secessionist buildings. The venue is widely regarded as one of Europe's most elegant hotels. The production filmed in the lavish interiors of the Four Season's Gresham Palace in Budapest, Hungary.