Did you know that many scenes in Game of Thrones were filmed in Spain?
If you are a fan of the series Game of Thrones, you might have noticed that many of the episodes were filmed in Spain. Are you ready to follow in the footsteps of the Starks and the Lannisters? Spain enchanted the show’s directors with its castles, Arab vestiges and the enormous wealth of unparalleled scenery that Spain has to offer, so let’s check out the top GOT destinations!
Andalucía: Dorne and the Dothraki
Let’s start with the community of Andalusia, which features heavily in Game of Thrones. The Alcázar of Sevilla was used to create the Water Garden in Sunspear, Dorne, where the Martell family lived. These scenes happen in Seasons 5 and 6, notably in Episodes 2, 6, 7 and 9! The locations of these scenes include the Ambassador’s Hall, Mercury’s Pool, the Baths of Mari de Padilla and the Palace Gardens. Then we have the Roman Bridge of Córdoba, which appears in Season 5, reimagined as the Long Bridge of Volantis. The tower of Mesa Roldan, in the town of Carboneras, was used as a filming location for Season 6 and reimagined as a fort in Meereen (Khaleesi’s city). Make sure to watch Episode 9!
The vast and arid lands of Almería, in southeastern Spain, have inspired some scenes in the GOT series, with the Alcazaba de Almería as the set for the capital of Dorne, in the kingdom of the House Martell. You may notice that this is the same as the Alcazar of Sevilla, as the two locations were merged after filming. These scenes of Dorne are in Season 6. In season 6, the Tabernas desert and the area of El Chorrillo were used as the set for the city Vaes Dothrak, the Dothraki capital. If you’re looking to relive your GOT experience of seasons 5 and 6, head towards Andalucía.
País Vasco: Daenerys’ Birthplace
The directors were not going to skip the north of Spain with its stunning landscapes and rolling lush scenery! That’s where Daenerys’ dragons flew over the monastery on the island of San de Gaztelugatxe, next to Itzurun Beach and Muriola Beach in Barrika; Dragonstone is also the fictional birthplace of Daenerys. The spectacular island of Gaztelugatxe was the location of Daenerys Targaryen’s ancestral home, Dragonstone. Unfortunately, the real Gaztelugatxe has no castle but it was later added with special effects. In Navarre, they used the Bardenas Reales as the location where Daenerys was imprisoned before being presented as a gift for Khal Moro.
Catalonia: Capital of Westeros
Although the capital of Westeros was mainly filmed in the Croatian city of Dubrovnik, Girona’s Cathedral also serves as the Great Sept of Baelor. This acted as the center of religious worship for the Faith of the Seven and the seat of the High Septon of the Faith; it was also used by the royal family for ceremonies such as weddings. The Cathedral is also part of some key scenes that culminate in the destruction of the Great Sept when Cersei Lannister burns it down with underground barrels of wildfire. During this episode, the building collapses, killing everyone inside. Luckily, Girona’s Cathedral wasn’t actually destroyed!
Many of the Season Six episodes were filmed next to this cathedral when Arya Stark was begging and wandering blindly through the streets of Braavos. One of the scenes was filmed in front of the gardens behind the Cathedral, precisely on Bishop José Cartañà Street. The Braavos market was the street of King Ferdinand the Catholic, and the Arab baths of Girona were also used. The Castle of Santa Florentina is a medieval castle from the 11th century located in Canet, near Barcelona and it was used as the setting of Horn Hill of the House of Tarly in the Sixth Season. The castle can be visited from Tuesday to Saturday with tickets.
Extremadura: “The Spoils of War” and Casterly Rock
The Game of Thrones team first moved the cameras to the city of Cáceres, where the Plaza de los Golfines, the Plaza de Santa l’Arco de la Estrella, and the Palace became the streets where Euron Greyjoy found himself on his return to King’s Landing. The streets of Cáceres appear in the third episode of season seven. In the magnificent landscape of Los Barruecos, the crew spent several days filming the battle in the episode “The Spoils of War”, a battle between the Lannister army and Daenerys Targaryen’s army. Los Barruecos is stunning and has been a natural monument in Spain since 1996. It is a perfect place for the hit series.
Not far from there, around 45 kilometers away, the film crew and several actors traveled to Trujillo Castle to recreate Daenerys’ headquarters at the King’s Disambiguation in the last episode of this seventh season. The castle appears in the seventh episode, the last of the season, as the fortress of Casterly Rock, where Jaime Lannister and Bronn of the Blackwater watch the coming of the enemies.