Want to know all the filming locations for where the 2022 Netflix series Wednesday was filmed?
Based on The Addams Family, Wednesday was naturally going to have a gothic and dark vibe to it yet it captured our hearts in a way we weren’t anticipating as we fell in love with Wednesday Addams’ unique personality all over again and the series became a sensationally successful hit.
Wednesday took the world by storm as it became the most-watched ever new Netflix series on the streaming platform – with 341.2 million hours of watch time globally in the first week alone!!
It is currently the third most popular show on Netflix (after Squid Game and Stranger Things series 4) and has already surpassed the one billion watch hours!
Even months later, everyone is still talking about Wednesday and eagerly waiting for Season 2 to drop!
Whilst Jenna Ortega – the actress playing the character Wednesday was already successful and known for her roles in series such as You and Jane the Virgin, she became an icon thanks to her incredibly stellar performance as Wednesday. Her acting, her beauty, the works.
And with a star-studded cast that also included Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams – Wednesday’s mother and Luis Guzmán as her father Gomez Addams, Christina Ricci (who played Wednesday Addams in the 1991 The Addams Family and the sequel Addams Family Values!) as teacher Marilyn Thornhill, Gwendoline Christie (from Game Of Thrones) as Principal Larissa Weems, and of course with legend Tim Burton the man behind the show – we knew it was going to be spectacular.
The series follows deadpan spooky teenager Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) as she enrols at a brand new school: Nevermore Academy after she gets expelled from her previous high school for dropping some piranhas into the school swimming pool to teach the water polo team a lesson.
Wednesday gets sent to Nevermore: the supernatural boarding school for ‘outcasts’ where her parents attended and met each other.
The outcasts have a mixture of supernatural abilities such as gorgons, psychics, werewolves, warlocks, shapeshifters and mermaids.
Nevermore Academy is an old castle situated in Vermont, USA in the middle of the forest near the quiet ‘normie’ town of Jericho. The fascinating storyline focuses on Wednesday’s quest to work out how to save Nevermore.
From a monstrous killing spree to her psychic abilities Wednesday is certainly kept on her toes trying to navigate life around Nevermore and in her own words Wednesday tells her parents ‘Over the past few weeks I’ve been hunted, haunted and the target of an attempted murder.”
So let’s see where Wednesday was filmed, and if we can visit the filming locations for ourself!
Where Was Wednesday Filmed?
The show was set in Vermont USA, but filming wasn’t done in the USA. So where was Wednesday filmed and how did they find all the spooky Gothic backdrops for the series that were so on point with The Addams Family?
The Eastern European country of Romania actually served as the striking backdrop for the gothic castles, ornate buildings creepy forests we see in all eight episodes of the first season of Wednesday.
The setting needed to capture a dark and mysterious ambience, and so Romania was the perfect and obvious choice for filming.
Romania has long held a great reputation for haunted sites, castles and creepy legends – it was after all here where Dracula was created!
Jenna Ortega – the actress who played Wednesday said “I didn’t know much about Romania. I was very happy when I heard that we were going to spend several months there for the shooting of the series. All I knew about the country was its connection to Dracula, its many castles and things like that …. What was very cool was that we shot in real castles. It was so beautiful. Everything looked photoshopped, sometimes I couldn’t believe that these were real natural settings. It was very much in keeping with the aesthetics of the series. So it was very appropriate”.
The whole cast of Wednesday travelled to Romania for filming. Filming was done in many stunning locations around Romania, from garden to palaces, castles, train stations and lakes.
Lots of the filming took place in the capital Bucharest, with 70 sets in various locations around the city. Romania seemed the perfect location for filming, and as Director Tim Burton put it: “It was amazing to come here to Romania because it just weirdly fit into the Addams Family world. Trying to make Romania look like Vermont was an interesting challenge, but we felt like we found lots of new locations.”
Most of the filming took place in the winter of 2021/2022 which made the spooky backdrop even more bleak, with the cast having to contend with very cold temperatures.
“I have to say that for me, in Romania, it was too cold. I remember one day when I had to shoot on location. It was snowing that day. It was also raining in the scene, so we had a rain machine. For the purposes of the scene, Wednesday had to be knocked out and laid on the ground. I was wearing several layers of clothes, one on top of the other, but I was still very, very cold. But I wasn’t supposed to shake or move, because my character was knocked out. But it was so cold, the rain turned to ice and hit my face. Like tiny hailstones…” recalls Jenna Ortega.
By mixing incredible filming locations in Romania with dark themes, Director Tim Burton has managed to make his transition to the world of Netflix effortless.
You definitely can feel Tim Burton’s presence in Wednesday – from the gargoyles at Nevermore, to the small shrunken head in Principal Weems’ Office that resembles Beetlejuice.
Where Was Wednesday Filmed:
‘Wednesday’ Filming Locations
If you’re a long-time Addams Family fan – or a newbie who became obsessed with Wednesday, it’s probably made you want to book a trip to Romania asap!
Here are the Wednesday filming locations in Romania so you can plan your trip and check off all these fabulous locations!
The great thing is that several of the filming locations are open to the public and so you can visit several of the filming locations from Wednesday!
Bușteni, Romania
Many exterior shots for the filming for Wednesday were filmed in Bușteni, a small mountain town in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania 130km north-west of Bucharest.
Bucharest
Bucharest – the capital of Romania situated a 2 hour drive from Busteni was also used for filming Wednesday.
Casa Monteoru, Politehnica University and The Botanical Gardens are all situated in Bucharest and were used for filming.
You can easily get a train from North Railway Station in Bucharest to Busteni Train Station. The train takes 1 hour 35 minutes.
Plus the most important question – can we visit the Wednesday filming locations so we can start planning a set-jetting trip to Romania like now! Let’s find out here!
Wednesday Filming Locations To Visit When In Romania
Nevermore Academy
Cantacuzino Castle, Busteni
First stop on the Wednesday filming location tour has to be Nevermore Academy – the show’s main location!
All the exterior shots for the fictional Nevermore Academy were shot at the beautiful Cantacuzino Castle (Castelul Cantacuzino) in Busteni, Romania.
Built in 1911, the stunning Cantacuzino Castle is a Neo-Romanian Castle that was built for Prince Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino – the former Mayor of Bucharest and Romania’s former Prime Minister in the late 1800s/early 1900s.
Cantacuzino Castle fitted perfectly as the setting for Nevermore Academy, however it does look a lot more welcoming and beautiful in real life than compared to its spooky appearance in Wednesday!
The appearance of Cantacuzino Castle’s roof was digitally edited by the Wednesday production team with CGI special effects to make it look more gothic, like an old haunted castle, and to resemble the atmosphere and look of the Addams Family mansion.
Cantacuzino Castle wasn’t used for filming of the interior shots of Nevermore Academy – several different histories homes in Bucharest were used to film the interiors of Nevermore. More about them coming up!
Can You Visit Nevermore Academy In Real Life?
Yes you can!
Until the 1930s Cantacuzino Castle was the summer home of Prince Cantacuzino, however it has since undergoing restoration and is now to the public!
Inside the castle are several works of art and sculptures displayed, as well as painted ceilings, marble and oak staircases, stained glass and Italian ceramic flooring. Everything is simply magnificent.
Across the grounds there is an adventure park for children, a courtyard, fountains, a sculpture garden, a grotto, a church and two restaurants.
Cantacuzino Castle and its grounds are open daily from 10am-6pm/7pm to visitors and is definitely worth a visit! Tours last around 45 minutes and the grounds are even available for weddings!
In addition, you can stay overnight at the Vila Castel Cantacuzino!
To reach Cantacuzino Castle from Bucharest on public transport is easy – just take the train from Bucuresti Nord (North Railway Station) to Busteni.
The journey takes under 2 hours, and then you’ll just need to walk 15 minutes (1.3km) from the train station to Cantacuzino Castle.
Jericho Train Station
Gara Regala (Royal train station) in Sinaia
Sinaia is a picturesque mountain town on Romania’s Bucegi Mountains in the Busteni region. It is popular for skiing in the winter and was once home to the Romanian Royal Family of King Mihai I.
Gara Regala (the Royal Train Station) is Sinaia’s train station and at one time was exclusively reserved for the Royal Family and its guests.
Viewers will recall early on in the series when Principal Weems shapeshifts, appearing as Rowan at Jericho train station.
To reach Gara Regala Sinaia from Busteni is easy on public transport – just take the non-stop train in the direction of Bucuresti Nord which takes just 8 minutes.
Interior Of Nevermore Academy Including Principal Larissa Weems Office & The Mezzanine
Palatul Monteoru / Casa Monteoru (Monteoru House)
Most of the interior shots of Nevermore Academy were filmed in Palatu Monteoru (Monteoru House) in Bucharest.
Palatul Monteoru is a Neo-Gothic historic house built in 1874 that is situated in Victory Avenue (Calea Victoriei 115) in the heart of Downtown Bucharest that is open to the public.
The scenes in Principal Larissa Weems Office were shot at Palatul Monteoru (also known as Casa Monteoru), as well as other scenes such as the mezzanine area with the marble staircase and the upstairs circular railing just outside Larissa Weems Office (where The Nightshades sing the siren song to get the Nevermore students to safety away from Joseph Crackstone in the final episode, and when Xavier gifts Wednesday with a phone) and the ball scenes such as when Tyler first sees Wednesday coming down the staircase in her dress, and when Wednesday and Bianca are talking during the ball.
Many ornate rooms in Casa Monteoru also featured as Wednesday and her peers walked through Nevermore.
Interiors of Nevermore Academy (Stained Glass Window & Staircase)
Casa Niculescu-Dorobantu
Casa Niculescu-Doborantu is another Neo-Gothic historical house in Budapest featured in interior scenes of Nevermore Academy in Wednesday. It is just a 5 minute walk from Palatul Monteoru on Strada General Gheorghe Manu 9-17.
Its stained-glass window, columns and ornate staircase feature in the series and it is open to the public.
Greenhouse For Botany Classes With Ms Thornhill
Bucharest Botanical Garden (Gradina Botanica Dimitrie Brândza)
The greenhouse where Wednesday and her peers have their botany classes with Ms Thornhill in Nevermore is filmed in the Bucharest Botanical Garden (Gradina Botanica Dimitrie Brândza). It is located less than a 10 minute drive (2.7km) from both Casa Niculescu-Dorobantu and Palatul Monteoru
The garden was created in 1860 and named after the botanist Dimitrie Brândza who founded the Botanical Garden.
The Botanical Garden is home to a wide variety of botanical species and plants, and is situated in the Cotroceni district of Bucharest, covering an area of almost 45 acres. It is open to the public.
Other filming locations where Wednesday was filmed include:
Nancy Reagan High School
Politehnica University of Bucharest
The school Wednesday is expelled from in the first episode of the show before she moves to Nevermore Academy is Nancy Reagan High School.
The scenes for this were shot in the Universitatea Politehnica, a research institution in Bucharest. The Universitatea Politehnica is just a 5 minute drive from The Botanical Garden.
Nancy Reagan Swimming Pool
Bazinul de Înot Dinamo – Tolea Grințescu
The scenes for the Nancy Reagan High School swimming pool were filmed in a different location to the Bucharest Polytechnic University.
Bazinul de Înot Dinamo (Dinamo Swimming Pool) is the swimming pool where Wednesday drops two bags of piranhas onto the water polo team in episode one.
Dinamo Swimming Pool is located in Downtown Bucharest a 15 minute drive from the Universitatea Politehnica.
The Abandoned Gates Mansion
Conacul Olga Greceanu, Dâmbovița
In episode 6 Wednesday discovers the abandoned house where Garrett Gates and his family once lived.
The filming location of the abandoned Gates Mansion is Conacul Olga Greceanu, located in the countryside in the county of Dâmbovița, 45km north east of Bucharest.
It is an old stately home and a historical Romanian landmark, although for Wednesday extensive work was done to give it an abandoned house feeling, as well as building the driveway and the iron gates, a new entrance and the garage.
The address for Conacul Olga Greceanu is Strada Eroilor 186, Bălteni. Whilst it is located a lot closer to Bucharest than Busteni is, you will need to drive here from Bucharest as there is no public transport. The drive should take around 50 minutes.
Poe Cup Boat Race
Romanian Lakes Of Sterbei and Brănești
The lake scenes in Wednesday of the annual Poe Cup Boat Race competition were filmed across two of Romania’s lakes – Sterbei and Brănești, located to the east of Bucharest.
Jericho
Buftea Studios
The Buftea Studios, also known as the Bucharest Film Studios is where the remaining sets for Wednesday were constructed and took place.
The scenes set in Jericho town, including the town square, the Weathervane Coffee Shop and Pilgrim World, as well as the scenes at the Sherrif’s house and quad were filmed here with minimal CGI enhancements.
Buftea Studios has worked across television and film for more than 60 years, and several other projects such as the films The Devil Inside, The Voyagers and Around the World in 80 Days series were filmed here.
Buftea Studios are 20km north west of Bucharest and makes for a great place to visit. It takes around 30 minutes to drive there from Downtown Bucharest.
Is Jericho a Real Place?
Though there is a real-life Jericho in Vermont, the entire town used in the filming of Wednesday was built at the Buftea Studios in Bucharest.
The train station and lake scenes however were set on location and not in the studios.
Hopefully now you know all the places where Wednesday was filmed that you just need to plan your trip!