The original Swedish adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s thriller is soaked in its own country: this is Stockholm and the cold, pine-dark counties around it, from Lisbeth Salander’s Sodermalm streets to the fictional island where the Vanger family keeps its secrets. Even the one scene set abroad was faked closer to home.
Where was The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo filmed?
The 2009 film was shot almost entirely in Sweden – in and around Stockholm, particularly the Sodermalm district, and out in the Sodermanland and Uppland countryside for the Vanger estate and the fictional town of Hedestad. A couple of scenes used Almeria and Malaga in Spain as stand-ins.
It’s a very Swedish film in look as well as language: grey Baltic light, birch forests and the tight old streets of Stockholm’s islands do a lot of the storytelling.
Every location, explained
Sodermalm, Stockholm – Lisbeth’s city
Lisbeth Salander’s world is Sodermalm, the hilly island district of Stockholm: Lundagatan (where the car-fire scene was shot), Gotgatan and Skanstull all feature, with Gamla stan’s Stortorget appearing in the old town.
The Vanger mansion – Nacka
The Vanger family estate is around Erstavik in Nacka, just outside Stockholm, its grand isolation perfect for the family’s buried history.
Hedestad and Hedeby – Sodermanland
The fictional town of Hedestad and its island were built from real Sodermanland locations, including Sjostugan near Gnesta and the town of Nykoping, which provided the Tuna motel.
The bridge – Uppland
The key bridge scenes used Hjulstabron, a bridge in the Enkoping area of Uppland, linking the island community to the mainland.
Spain doubling for elsewhere
The desert-like “Australia” scene was shot at Tabernas in Almeria, Europe’s only true desert and a classic film double, while the closing sequence used Malaga.
Planning a visit
Stockholm runs official “Millennium tours” of Sodermalm covering the Larsson trilogy’s locations – Lisbeth’s neighbourhood is compact and very walkable. The countryside locations around Gnesta and Nykoping are an easy train ride south, and Tabernas in Almeria is a destination for spaghetti-western fans as much as thriller ones.
