Dune: Part Three Filming Locations. The Real Deserts Behind Arrakis

Arrakis looks like nowhere on Earth. Endless dunes. 300-foot ridges carved by sandworms. A sky the color of rust. Here’s the amazing trivia: almost none of it is CGI. These are real Dune: Part Three filming locations, and you can fly to most of them yourself.

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune trilogy closes this December with Dune: Part Three. Like for the first two films, the crew built the “alien” planet of Arrakis almost entirely from real places. Here’s exactly where they filmed, what each spot looks like off-camera, and how to get there.

Dune: Part Three Filming Locations at a Glance

• Release date: December 18, 2026
• Director: Denis Villeneuve
• Based on: Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert
• Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Florence Pugh, Javier Bardem, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Anya Taylor-Joy, Robert Pattinson, and Charlotte Rampling
• Story: Picks up roughly 17 years after Dune: Part Two, as Paul Atreides reigns as Emperor
• Primary filming locations: Wadi Rum (Jordan), the Liwa Desert (Abu Dhabi, UAE), and Origo Studios (Budapest, Hungary)

Wadi Rum, Jordan: The Fremen’s Desert

Those jagged red cliffs, wind-carved canyons, and Fremen slipping between rock formations? The crew probably shot that scene in Wadi Rum, a protected desert reserve in southern Jordan. It’s one of three confirmed Dune: Part Three filming locations. The trilogy has returned here for all three films. It builds the rockier, more sheltered side of Arrakis — the sietches where the Fremen actually live.

It’s not just a Dune location, either. Wadi Rum’s otherworldly landscape has stood in for alien and desert planets for decades. You’ve seen it in Lawrence of Arabia, The Martian, and Rogue One, among others. Once you visit, you’ll understand why directors keep coming back.

How to visit: Wadi Rum welcomes visitors year-round. You don’t need permits or special access. Most travelers fly into Queen Alia International Airport near Amman, or King Hussein International Airport in Aqaba. From there, continue by car or transfer. It’s roughly 2 to 3.5 hours depending on your entry point.

Jeep safaris and overnight stays in Bedouin-style desert camps are the classic way to experience it. It also pairs naturally with a trip to Petra, just 1.5 to 2 hours away by road. Look into the Jordan Pass, which bundles visa costs with entry to Petra and other major sites.

Liwa Desert, Abu Dhabi, UAE — The Open Dunes of Arrakis

For the vast, open dune plains of Arrakis (those sweeping, planet-scale shots), production heads to the Liwa Desert. It’s the second of three Dune: Part Three filming locations. It sits on the edge of the Rub’ al Khali, or “Empty Quarter.” That’s one of the largest continuous sand deserts on the planet.

Here, dunes reach over 900 feet. The franchise’s relationship with the location has only deepened over time. The first Dune used it for just a handful of shoot days. Part Two spent nearly a month there and built an entire desert village on-site. For Part Three, Abu Dhabi returned again as a central production hub.

How to visit: Fly into Abu Dhabi International Airport. From there it’s about a 2 to 2.5 hour drive into the Liwa area. Prefer something faster? Book a helicopter transfer instead. The Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara sits in the dunes and makes an ideal base. Think 4×4 desert safaris, camel treks, and sunset views over the same sand the cast filmed on.

Visit between October and April for the most comfortable weather. Summer heat here is brutal: the cast has said as much about the shoot itself.

Origo Studios, Budapest — Where the Crew Built Arrakis

Every interior in the Dune trilogy lives at Origo Studios in Budapest, one of Europe’s largest soundstage complexes. It rounds out the three Dune: Part Three filming locations — the one you can’t actually walk onto. Crews built Paul’s Imperial court, the Bene Gesserit chambers, the Tleilaxu laboratory, and the Harkonnen Black Palace here. Villeneuve’s relationship with the studio goes back to Blade Runner 2049. Across three Dune films, it’s become something like the franchise’s off-world headquarters.

How to visit: Origo Studios doesn’t run public tours right now, so you won’t walk the actual sets. But Budapest itself is a legitimate “set-jetting” destination on its own.

The Hungarian Parliament Building, Fisherman’s Bastion, Matthias Church, and Andrássy Avenue have all appeared in major productions. It’s also an easy, safe, well-connected European city break with direct flights from major hubs. Combine it with the desert locations rather than visiting for Dune alone.

Dune: Part Three Filming Locations Compared

Here’s how the three confirmed Dune: Part Three filming locations stack up, side by side.

Bonus: Two More Dune Filming Locations (Not in Part Three)

Wadi Rum, Liwa, and Budapest are the confirmed Dune: Part Three filming locations. But the wider trilogy has used a couple of other striking backdrops, too. And neither comes with any travel complications:

• Norway — Kinn Island and the Stadlandet Peninsula, on Norway’s Nordfjord Coast, played Caladan (the Atreides’ home world) in the first film. Expect dramatic cliffs, moody beaches, and a coastline so remote it’s home to more goats than people.
• Italy — In Altivole, in Italy’s Veneto region, architect Carlo Scarpa designed the modernist Brion Tomb. The crew used it for the Emperor’s palace exterior in Part Two. You can visit it today.

Warner Bros. hasn’t confirmed either location for Part Three. But if you’re chasing the full Dune map, both are worth the detour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Want to Visit The Dune: Part Three Filming Locations?

Planning a trip to the real Dune: Part Three filming locations? A Jordan–UAE combo is exactly the kind of multi-country routing our agents handle every day. Same goes for pairing either one with a stop in Budapest.

Our travel agents are available 24/7 to book any trip. Just call them at 844-300-7983 and tell them where you want to go and when.

Interested in Other Filming Locations?

Check out The Odyssey Filming Locations in our guide to the 6 countries where Christopher Nolan shot his film.