Where Was ‘The Perfect Lie’ Filmed? Inside Netflix’s Dutch Thriller’s Real Life Locations

‘The Perfect Lie’ has quickly become one of the buzziest new arrivals on Netflix, and viewers are just as obsessed with its scenery as they are with its secrets. The Dutch mystery series, also known by its original title ‘De Eetclub,’ dropped worldwide on September 10, 2026, and it did not take long for fans to start asking where exactly those gorgeous villas and moody coastal towns actually are.

Based on Saskia Noort’s bestselling novel, the show follows Karen as she relocates with her family to the wealthy village of Bergen, only to be pulled into a glamorous dinner club whose members are all hiding something. Between the canal views, the beach houses, and the dinner parties gone wrong, the Netherlands itself practically functions as its own character, and that is exactly what fans want to dig into now.

‘The Perfect Lie’ Filming Locations Across the Netherlands

Production on ‘The Perfect Lie’ took place primarily across three Dutch provinces, North Holland, South Holland, and Utrecht. Principal photography for the first season reportedly began in June 2025 and wrapped roughly six months later in December of that year. Since the story is set in the Netherlands, the creative team behind the series chose to shoot on location in a string of real towns and villages rather than relying on soundstages.

That decision seems to have paid off, since the series has already been praised as one of the most visually polished Dutch productions Netflix has released, with reviewers noting that no expense appeared to be spared in making the show look genuinely cinematic. The mix of upscale villas, quiet beach towns, and historic city streets gives ‘The Perfect Lie’ a layered, almost travelogue quality that fits its story of wealthy friends hiding ugly truths behind pretty facades.

Because the novel and the show are both set in the fictionalized version of Bergen, a real affluent Dutch village, the production leaned heavily into authentic Dutch geography rather than swapping in a stand in country, which is fairly rare for a Netflix international original.

Bergen and the North Holland Filming Spots

A major portion of ‘The Perfect Lie’ was filmed in the province of North Holland, in the northwestern part of the country. Amsterdam served as a prominent production base for the series, and its famous canal network, which has earned the city the nickname the Venice of the North, likely appears in the background of several outdoor scenes. Eagle eyed viewers may also spot recognizable Amsterdam landmarks such as the Van Gogh Museum, the Rijksmuseum, the Royal Palace of Amsterdam, and Dam Square.

In the municipality of Bergen itself, the cast and crew set up in the seaside resort town of Bergen aan Zee, which is known for its beaches and dunes. The crew also filmed extensively in the nearby village of Schoorl, which sits within the Bergen municipality, including key scenes shot at the Beach Restaurant Prince George on Strand Camperduin.

Additional pivotal sequences were filmed in the municipality of Huizen, as well as the port town of IJmuiden, located within the municipality of Velsen. These coastal and small town settings give the show its distinct sense of place, reinforcing the idea that Karen and her new friends live in a world that looks idyllic from the outside even as it slowly falls apart.

Fans who have already binged the seven episode season have pointed to the seaside imagery as one of the show’s strongest visual signatures, with the contrast between sunny dunes and dark secrets becoming something of a recurring talking point online.

Other Dutch Towns that Doubled for Key Scenes

Beyond North Holland, the production also traveled south to the province of South Holland to capture additional footage. Crew members were spotted filming important scenes in The Hague, the provincial capital, while the seaside resort of Katwijk aan Zee and the town of Voorburg also hosted parts of the shoot.

The team behind ‘The Perfect Lie’ rounded out its location list with stops in the province of Utrecht, filming key portions of the series in the village of Lage Vuursche and the town of Zeist. Both areas are known for their leafy, upscale character, which fits neatly with the show’s portrayal of a wealthy social circle whose lives look flawless on the surface.

Spreading production across three provinces meant the crew could pull from a wide range of Dutch architecture and landscape, from dense city canals to quiet wooded villages, without ever leaving the country the story is actually set in.

That geographic variety also helps explain why ‘The Perfect Lie’ has been described by early reviewers as looking unusually expensive for a Dutch streaming series, since the show is constantly shifting between distinct, visually rich backdrops rather than reusing the same handful of sets.

Why the Real Locations Matter for the Story?

The choice to shoot on location across so many authentic Dutch towns is not just a production detail, it directly supports the show’s central theme of appearances hiding darker realities. Karen’s story begins when she and her family move to Bergen in search of a fresh start, only to be welcomed into an exclusive dinner club made up of couples who seem to have life figured out.

That illusion shatters after a fire breaks out in one of the group’s luxurious villas, killing their friend Evert, while his wife and children narrowly escape. As Karen starts digging into what really happened, she discovers that the friendships holding the group together are built on a foundation of secrets and lies, and the real Dutch settings ground that unraveling in something that feels tangible rather than staged.

Because the show is adapted from Saskia Noort’s novel and follows the same fictional version of Bergen, using genuine Dutch villages and coastal towns lets the series lean into a sense of everyday realism even as the plot turns increasingly twisted.

With all seven episodes now streaming, viewers finishing the season for the first time are already comparing notes on which small town backdrop unsettled them the most, and honestly, which real life Dutch dinner club location would you least want to get an invitation to.