The island once served as a base for the Yugoslav army and remained largely undisturbed—until Hollywood arrived, that is, taking over the island for six weeks of filming.
The action centered on the village of Komiza to the west, particularly little Barjoska Bay, where a new road was built to bring the production to the rocky coast. You’ll see the island’s most famous landmark, Stiniva beach on the south coast, with its white pebbles and dramatic cliff entrance to the sea
Elsewhere, it’s Srebrna Bay that we see the young Donna exploring on a moonlit stroll with young Sam (Jeremy Irvine), and the 16th-century St Jeronim, sited on the tiny Prirovo peninsula, that steals the spotlight as young Bill (Josh Dylan) and Donna help the fisherman Alexio get to the wedding of his sweetheart Apollonia.
Vis harbor was used for the scenes where Donna first meets Bill after missing the boat to Kolokairi, and where Bill (Stellan Skarsgård) and Harry (Colin Firth) also fail to board in the present day, with little help from the customs officer Omid Djalili.
Courtesy of Universal Pictures
Limited accommodation options across the island meant the stars stayed either in yachts or in villas in the island’s main settlement, Vis town, on the east coast. Amanda Seyfried reportedly moved into the Palaca Jaksa, a 17th-century stone house that once served as HQ of the island’s wartime resistance fighters. Meanwhile, Andy Garcia, new to the franchise, was at the Villa Serena, a luxurious three-floor house.
In addition to the Croatian island of Vis, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again also took some filming closer to home, including the Hotel Bella Donna, which was built at Shepperton Studios, and the Great Hall of Oxford University’s New College, where we see the trio’s early performance of When I Kissed The Teacher.
Where to stay: Despite the increased popularity that Vis received after the release of the second Mamma Mia! movie, there are a significant number of holiday homes in comparison to hotels. That said, Hotel San Giorgio is sleek, greatly positioned and remains family-owned, while Marshal Hotel Heritage offers a mix of seafront bedrooms and apartments.
