Filming locations of 'House of the Dragon' in Spain
We already noticed it with Game of Thrones: the universe created by George R.R. Martin has a preference for Spain, at least in terms of film production. This must be the reason why House of the Dragon, the prequel to Game of Thrones produced by HBO, has once again chosen this Mediterranean country to shoot some of its most impressive scenes for both its first and second seasons. The series won the 2023 Golden Globe Award for Best Drama Series. Actually, its showrunner, Ryan J. Condal, explained that 'Spain was a good location to film the original series, so they wanted to film here again. These are the filming locations that portrayed the Seven Kingdoms of House of the Dragon in Spain.
Wonderful filming locations of 'House of the Dragon' in Spain
The gardens of Santa Clotilde, a walk worthy of royalty
Girona comes back as the stage for the Seven Kingdoms. In Game of Thrones, the production company moved to this city in Catalonia to capture sceneries such as Braavos, King’s Landing and Oldtown. However, we will not be discussing Girona this time, but the town of Lloret de Mar.
The gardens of Santa Clotilde in Lloret de Mar welcomed the film crew for the first and second seasons of House of the Dragon. These gardens can be easily spotted on the show, since they did not feel the need to make any changes in order to welcome this magical space into the fantasy world of George R.R. Martin.
After the release of the first season of House of the Dragon, this place began to offer the world's first tour based on the series, The Gardens of the Dragon. Through this guided visit, one can admire the vegetation, the fountains, and the views of the Mediterranean Sea, besides learning information and interesting facts about the Game of Thrones universe.
In fact, the gardens of Santa Clotilde could not be more fitting for a series about castles and dragons. The marquis of Roviralta comissioned their design to the architect Nicolau Marla Rubió I Tudurí in 1919, and the result was simply magnificent: a beautiful garden spreading around a central staircase, known as the 'Stairs of the Mermaid', over a cliff displaying a beautiful sight of the sea. It is just too easy to imagine the kings and queens of House Targaryen leisurely walking down these steps.
La Calahorra, the Castle of Pentos
If there is something a TV show based on the series of novels A Song of Ice and Fire could not possibly be lacking, that would be castles. And Spain has plenty of those. In Game of Thrones, they chose the castle of Santa Florentina in Barcelona and the castle of Zafra in Guadalajara to portray the fantasy land of the series. This time, HBO has chosen a castle in Granada. More particularly, the castle of La Calahorra, in the municipality of the same name.
In order to set the best scene, they hung paintings and ornaments inside the castle, where they shot some interesting scenes, as well as others outside the castle. The castle of La Calahorra emulates the castle of Pentos, one of the Free Cities, located in the bay of the Narrow Sea. Here we watch Daemon and Laena living together.
King’s Landing lands in Cáceres once again with 'House of the Dragon'
The city of Cáceres is also back in this new series. We saw it in Game of Thrones, as the streets of the city portrayed different locations of King’s Landing. This time, the old town of Cáceres has also been used as a filming location for the same fictional city. After all, even if House of the Dragon takes place 200 years before the storyline of Game of Thrones, they both take place in the same fantasy world.
The street of La Amargura, the dome of the palace of Toledo-Moctezuma, the square of Conde de Canilleros or the archway called Arcos de la Estrella have been some of the filming locations of House of the Dragon. They did add some props to adapt these places to the aesthetic of the Seven Kingdoms, though. For instance, the producers placed a fountain with lion statues, which is similar to the one in La Alhambra, in the square of San Jorge. What is more: the city council of Cáceres asked them to leave it there after finishing the shootings as a token.
When shooting the first season, as explained in the previous clip, Cáceres was used as a filming location for two whole weeks, which was not an easy task. However, the producers say both the team and the locals did their best, since they had already filmed there and people were used to it. The most polemic scene in the series, among others, was actually filmed in the town centre: Daemon and Rhaenyra's night out.
Trujillo had a dragon in its main square
On the seventh season of Game of Thrones, the members of House Lannister conquered the fortress of Highgarden just before Jaime forced Olenna Tyrell to drink poison. This fortress was none other than the castle of Trujillo, resting on top of a cliff.
But Trujillo, in the province of Cáceres, has one more role: it is also used for King's Landing. Its main square is particularly important, although they made a few changes. For instance, the statue of Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro was replaced with a sculpture of a dragon.
What about San Juan de Gaztelugatxe?
The stairs of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe are the most recognised Game of Thrones filming location in Spain. This setting was the castle of Dragonstone, a fortress that comes back in the prequel and earns more relevance.
However, although these emblematic stairs appear on the screen once again, the shooting didn't take place here, but they were replicated through technology. Even some promotional images that circulate thanks to the House of the Dragon second season, which picture the fictional banners waving in the hermitage of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, are a product of digital magic.
You can also read this article in Spanish and French.
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