Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Shooting Locations That are So Easy to Love!

Green, colour-corrected, pastures of Innsbruck, the hippest pub-crawls in London, the most characteristic streets of Vienna, a royal haveli in Lucknow and the quirky Paris! Live your travel dreams through Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, as he takes you across all these epic locations, weaving the story through these spectacular visuals. Check out these ADHM shooting locations that you should be adding to your bucket list now!

London, UK

From Amrish Puri feeding pigeons at Trafalgar Square (mandatory DDLJ reference), to the pub-hopping, jet-flying, Bollywood-dancing culture of modern London—movie representations of this city have come a long way! Live through the happening nightlife of London’s suburbs, as you follow Ranbir and Anushka dine at posh restaurants, party at unique nightclubs (silent disco anyone?) and ride in the iconic black taxis around London’s hippest districts.

Places to Visit: Live the AHDM life in London and go pub-crawling across town. Some places to check out are Ministry of Sound, Studio 338, Queen of Hoxon, Egg London, Cargo, among others.

Paris, France

Paris, ah, Paris! Much to our delight, ADHM goes beyond the usual Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees route, and explores the quirky, whacky and artsy side of this romantic city. From the unique boutique hotel Ranbir and Anushka stay at, to the cobbled streets of Paris’s quarters that they prance around, ADHM depicts Paris like never before in Bollywood, and the city’s alternative vibe will tempt you to get there now.

Places to Visit: Paris’s artistic quarters are worth a visit for the bohemian-chic lifestyle ala ADHM. Visit Belleville, Pigalle and Montmartre for some reasonable places to eat, many free museums with great works of art and a vibrant nightlife.

Innsbruck, Austria

Remember the perfectly picturesque pastures from Yash Chopra’s movies, with heroines in flimsy chiffon saris dancing gracefully? Well, guess what? Ae Dil Hai Mushkil revisits the Bollywood of Yash Chopra, and relives the dreams of many Indians, as they depict the fairy-tale-like beauty of the Austrian hills at Innsbruck. We love the cozy wooden lodges, the absolutely stunning view of the Alps, the long-shots of the green valley and the very filmy dance on the hilly terrain.

Places to Visit: When you get time away from all the chiffon-sari-dancing, visit Innsbruck’s famous Herzog-Friedrich-Strasse for the popular Golden Roof, the charming Old Town, the Innsbruck Cathedral and Hofburg. You can also visit the tallest hotel in Innsbruck, The Adlers Design Hotel, where the stars of ADHM stayed.

Mandawa, Rajasthan

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As the Ae Dil Hai Mushkil story moves forward, and hearts are broken, the location moves to Mandawa, Rajasthan, depicted as Lucknow in the movie. Here, a wedding takes places in truly royal yet mad Bollywood style. Thankfully, Johar was clued in enough to realise the common points between Rajasthan and Lucknow—read the beautiful architecture, heritage properties and the unmistakable tehzeeb.

Places to Visit: Situated around 190 kms from Jaipur, Mandawa is known for its forts and havelis, where the sequence in ADHM is shot. Visit this lesser known destination for its Shekhawati culture, its 18^th Century Mandawa Fort, which has been converted into a heritage property, and for numerous beautifully maintained mansions.

Vienna, Austria

As Aishwarya Rai makes an entrance, the location moves to the fascinating city of Vienna. Known for its vibrant cultural scene, happening nightlife, lively open markets and hotels, Vienna  perfectly complements Aishwarya’s stunning looks. With quaint cobbled lanes, historic palaces and a culture that  seamlessly fuses  modern and traditional, Vienna is one of Europe’s most culturally versatile cities that you must add to your itinerary.

Places to Visit: Some of the top experiences in Vienna include the magnificent Royal Palace of Schloss Schönbrunn, and the Kunsthistorisches Museum, amongst many others. Known as the City of Music, catch an opera performance at the Staatsoper, Musikverein or  the Konzerthaus. Relive moments from ADHM as you dine at the wonderfully exquisite wine bars or Vinothek or feast at the rustic taverns Heurigen.

If you are a Bollywood fan and a hopeless romantic Bollywood style, this Ae Dil Hai Mushkil travel trail is totally bucket list worthy for you. So when are you living it up?