How to vacation like “The White Lotus” in Italy and Thailand
Summer’s revving up, you’re craving an Aperol, gazing longingly at the sun hat stuffed in the back of your closet (the special one, the one reserved for seeing and being seen on the beach)...and you just finished binging The White Lotus season 2. Season 3 can't come soon enough, so the next step is clear: this summer season you simply must treat yourself to a luxury resort vacation in Italy. Or maybe Thailand?
You’re not alone if you closed the Netflix tab and opened a new one to search for tickets to experience for yourself the Mediterranean scenery that (almost) upstaged Aubrey Plaza and Jennifer Colidge. But it's not just The White Lotus that's inspiring trips: a travel trend called "set-jetting" is becoming increasingly popular, with over 60% of surveyed travelers saying they had booked a trip after seeing a destination on TV or in a movie.
Since Italy is consistently one of the most-booked European countries for Daytrip's private car service and Thailand is one of the most popular in Asia, The White Lotus seems like an ideal vehicle for taking a much closer look at how you can plan the ideal TV- or movie-inspired vacation this summer.
Where was The White Lotus filmed?
If it's been a while since you watched season 2, let's go through a little refresher. F. Murray Abraham, Michael Imperioli (our Sopranos king), and the gang take up residence for an unhappy week at a resort in Taormina, on the Italian island of Sicily. While much of the season is filmed within the grand San Domenico Palace in Taormina, a Four Seasons resort that houses the fictional White Lotus, the show also takes us across the island and into stunning Italian landscapes as well.
And if you're not up on your Hollywood gossip, season 3 will be set in Thailand. Though we won't see the finished episodes until 2025, the showrunners have been kind enough to reveal the season's filming locations so you can scope them out ahead of time. This time the cast will return to a Four Seasons, this time in Koh Saui, an island just of Thailand's distinctive isthmus.
What to do in Sicily for a White Lotus season 2 itinerary
Taormina, Sicily
The site of the hotel in the show, this town simply bursts with natural and historical wonders.
Tanya is seen flaunting a Monica Vitti-inspired outfit as she winds through the town’s roads on the back of Greg’s vespa. Meanwhile, in Episode 2, Bert, Albie, and Dominic venture to the Greek Theatre just a short distance from the hotel. But Taormina’s film bona fides go back much farther: it was one of the most central filming locations for The Godfather trilogy by Francis Ford Coppola.
Here, you’ll be able to observe the mammoth Mount Etna in the distance and enjoy views of Calabria’s coastline. Walking through the ruins that remain from the 3rd century BC, you’ll be enchanted by the history of drama and orchestra that took place in its very confines.
Noto, Sicily
Harper and Daphne head out on a girl’s trip (for better or for worse) to Noto, south-east of the island.
Noto is known for its Baroque architecture, including the Palazzo Ducezio and the cathedral on Corso Vittorio Emanuele. Imitate Daphne and Harper’s street style and stroll through the limestone piazza and pass gorgeous balconies.
Palermo, Sicily
While the girls spend their day trip out and about in Noto, the neoclassical hotel in which they spend the night is actually located in Palermo.
Villa Tasca is a 16th century villa open to guests, so if you feel like recreating Harper and Daphne’s jaunt to the southwest of Palermo, it’s very much possible to book a stay in one of the fresco-endowed rooms. Villa Tasca is now listed on Airbnb for minimum three-night stays.
While in Palermo, be sure to visit Castello degli Schiavi. The 18th-century Baroque villa was made most famous by The Godfather I and The Godfather II, and is now on the map for appearing in Episode 3 of The White Lotus season two.
The patriarchal Di Grasso family visit the estate on one of their tours throughout Sicily, and it’s also worth a visit simply for its stunning facade and neighboring citrus groves.
Cefalù, Sicily
The beach scene that opened season 2 of The White Lotus and immediately gripped the world was filmed in Cefalu, on the northern coast of the island.
It’s home to one of Sicily’s finest beaches and a UNESCO-listed cathedral that combines the town’s unique Byzantine, Arabic, and Christian heritage.
Medieval alleyways lead to a picturesque harbor while bath houses and a 13th-century palace line the town.
How to travel around Sicily
Depending on whether you want to keep your grand The White Lotus tour to a one-day circuit around Sicily, or want to stay in certain towns along the way, there’s a number of ways you can plan it. That said, driving to the locations is your best bet to navigate Italy’s roads and reduce travel time. Plus, you’ll be able to travel at your own pace, spending however much time you’d like at various stops. In short, Daytrip provides door-to-door (or piazza-to-piazza) service in a private car, with your itinerary totally customisable by you.
Want to travel from Taormina to Palermo? Daytrip has routes available with multiple stops along the way including Mount Etna, Chiesa di San Nicolo and Messina, so you can mix up the trip with non-Netflix locations. These aren't the only options, though; there are plenty more sightseeings stops you can add along routes from Palermo to Noto or Trapani to Cefalu.
What to do in Thailand for a White Lotus season 3 itinerary
While we're all waiting in anticipation to see what the storyline for the third season brings, we do know a little about where it will be taking place. Scout out these locations in Thailand to start forming your fan theories ahead of time, or get prepped for satisfying "I've seen that!" moments during your watch-through. Here's the filming locations we know about already.
Phuket, Thailand
A good part of the filming action has apparently been taking place in Phuket, one of the better known cities in Thailand if for no other reason than its distinctive name. But it has plenty more to distinguish itself too: as one of the oldest cities in the country but still relatively quaint, it has an amazingly well-preserved Old Town.
Built in a unique Sino-Portuguese architectural style that reflects its prosperity over many centuries, the hustle, bustle, and grandeur of this quarter should also neatly reflect the chaos in the White Lotus characters' loves (if previous seasons are any indication, at least).
Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok should be more energetic still: Thailand's capital city clocks in at around 17 million inhabitants and is one of the world's top travel destinations. Its incredible growth in recent decades has resulted in a cityscape that has been described as "haphazard”—but we call it full of personality. Unsurprisingly, you can see and do just about anything here, from closing international finance deals to indulging in the city's 24-hour party scene. There's no telling what kinds of trouble this season's characters will get themselves into.
But it's not all business: the showrunner has said that one of this season's themes will be Eastern religion and spirituality, and there's plenty to do on this front near Bangkok as well. Only an hour away, Ayutthaya is a truly grand wonder of the world. Once one of the world's largest cities and a capital of the Kingdom of Siam, it is now uninhabited but retains a sense of royalty and Buddhist peacefulness. Highlights of the still-massive site include Wat Mahathat, the next temple over, an iconic Buddha head stuck in the roots of a Banyan Tree, and Wat Lokaya Satha, a 137-foot (42-meter) statue of the Buddha in repose. This is a can’t-miss stop if your’e heading from Bangkok to Pattaya, a coastal resort city that we’d hazard a guess may also come up in the next season of The White Lotus.
How to travel around Thailand
Picking car-based transportation here is another good choice, if for no other reason than to guarantee access to refreshing air conditioning (standard in all Daytrip vehicles).
Arriving by cruise ship? Daytrip has private car transfers from Laem Chabang Port to Bangkok ready to go on your schedule. Flying into Bangkok but need to get to Phuket? Simply request a custom route that suits your agenda. And once you're in Phuket, afternoon explorations to Erawan can help you discover still more temples as well as equally majestic natural wonders like Tham Khao Luang Cave.
Hopefully this scratches at least some of the travel itch for our White Lotus fans, but similar itineraries can be planned around any of your favorites shows—after all, Daytrip operates in over 120 countries!