Where was Mission: Impossible filmed?

This long-running action franchise has a simple, thrilling promise: the stunts are real and so are the buildings they unfold on. That makes it a dream for set-jetters, because the most heart-stopping sequences aren't green screen but genuine landmarks you can walk up to and stare at from the ground.

Two of those landmarks could hardly be more different. In Dubai, the series sent its agent scaling the mirrored flank of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building on earth, a tower you can ride to the top of for views over the Gulf and the desert beyond. In Vienna, the action shifts to the Vienna State Opera, where a tense set piece plays out during a performance inside one of Europe's grandest opera houses, all gilt, red velvet and sweeping staircases.

The two cities make a striking pair for fans: Dubai for sci-fi-modern spectacle and skyscraper observation decks, Vienna for old-world culture and a guided tour or an actual night at the opera. Pair Dubai with a desert excursion and Vienna with its coffee houses and palaces to turn a single film into two very different city breaks.