Where was House of the Dragon filmed? The castle and all the filming locations
Posted by Ra Moon
Back for the highly anticipated second season, House of the Dragon was filmed in the United Kingdom, Portugal, and Spain.
This is the best and most complete guide to all the filming locations of the series that you can find - we are updating and expanding this spoiler-free report as new locations are revealed.
This is the best and most complete guide to all the filming locations of the series that you can find - we are updating and expanding this spoiler-free report as new locations are revealed.
Focused on the fascinating Targaryen dynasty at its height, the Game of Thrones saga returns to Westeros, featuring great locations all over the map.
Set 172 years before the birth of Daenerys, writer Ryan Condal and director Miguel Sapochnik took on the challenge and responsibility of bringing the world of one of the greatest television series of all time back to life in this epic prequel.
You'll find the locations in order of appearance, with the new season two updates below in the report.
The House of the Dragon locations
If Game of Thrones was headquartered in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the new show is based in England.
Several sections of King's Landing were built practically in massive sets at the Warner Bros. Leavesden Studios near London.
The set of the Red Keep, the court residence in King's Landing, was built with all the rooms in the same place, like a real palace, instead of having separate pieces in different sound stages.
The set allows the filmmakers to shoot in any direction and includes the grand staircase, the arched courtyard, the Council quarters room, and the Throne Room.
The Throne Room was redesigned to reflect the changes and evolution through the centuries.
The Iron Throne looks more like a "carpet of a thousand swords", to more closely match the description that appears in George R.R. Martin's books.
All the costumes and props (weapons, banners...) are custom-made for the show.
The House of the Dragon City
In GoT, the cities of Dubrovnik in Croatia and Girona in Catalonia were primarily used as King's Landing.
In the new series, a couple of towns in Extremadura, Spain, also featured in GoT's Season 7 are returning for exterior shots of the capital.
The main square of the picturesque town of Trujillo swapped the modern cars and the statue of local conquistador Francisco Pizarro for medieval carts, stalls, and a dragon's monument.
Image courtesy of HBO - Map
In the first episode, "The Heirs of the Dragon", there is a pivotal scene filmed in another city near Trujillo.
The brutal Prince Daemon's City Watch night scene took place at Santa Maria Square, where is located the cathedral, in Cáceres Old Town.
Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this city boasts one of the best-preserved medieval walled towns in the world.
Image courtesy of HBO - Map
-Dracarys! The cremation ceremony where Rhaenyra orders dragon Syrax to light the pyre was filmed at St Catherine's Tor near Hartland Quay in Devon, UK.
The sequence starts with a view of Screda Cove. The walls of King's Landing and the Red Keep in the background were digitally added to the scene.
The jousting tournament was filmed at the studios with plenty of CGI thrown in.
Image courtesy of HBO - Map
The King's Landing gardens that appear for the first time in the second episode, "The Rogue Prince", were filmed at Santa Clotilde Gardens in Lloret de Mar, Catalonia.
Completed in 1926, this elegant Noucentist estate is located on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
Image courtesy of HBO - Map
The scene on the bridge leading up to Dragonstone was filmed at the studios using a new technology similar to Stagecraft, first seen in The Mandalorian.
The close-ups with the actors were filmed on set with 3D images of the location projected onto ultra-high-resolution screens. The rest is all CGI.
As seen in Game of Thrones, this location is inspired by the Gaztelugatxe islet on the Bay of Biscay in the Basque Country.
At its summit stands a small chapel, connected to the mainland by a narrow stone bridge and a winding staircase of over 200 steps.
Image courtesy of HBO and Claude Attard - Map
King Viserys great hunt in the third episode, "Second of His Name", was filmed in a large set built at Caesar's Camp in Aldershot, located between the counties of Surrey and Hampshire in southern England.
Image courtesy of HBO - Map
The Sea Snake's army meeting in the Stepstones was shot at Kynance Cove in Cornwall, as the local press reported.
Image courtesy of HBO - Map
The Stepstone's battle against the Triarchy forces led by the Crabfeeder was filmed at the Eldon Hill Quarry in the Peak District National Park in Derbyshire.
Image courtesy of HBO - Map
In the fourth episode, "King of the Narrow Sea", after sneaking out of the castle after dark, Rhaenyra and Daemon attend a play in the streets of the city.
This scene was filmed at the House of the Sun or of the Solis, located in Caceres's old town.
The tavern in the third episode of season two, "The Burning Mill," was also filmed here.
Image courtesy of HBO - Map
The scene in the Vale of the fifth episode, "We Light the Way", was filmed at Cave Dale, a valley in the Derbyshire Peak District near Castleton.
The castle in the background was CGI'd into the scene.
Image courtesy of HBO - Map
The House of the Dragon Castle
The High Tide castle, the ancestral seat of House Velaryon on the island of Driftmark, was filmed at St Michael's Mount in Cornwall, the beautiful southwest region of England.
This Cornish counterpart of the famous Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy is a historic rocky island crowned by a medieval church and a castle.
Image courtesy of HBO and Gabrielle Ludlow - Map
St Michael's Mount has a small tower, but the production designers CGI'd the Neo-Gothic tower of Butrón Castle in Gatika, Basque Country, to the scene.
Image courtesy of HBO and Andrew Whitman - Map
Also in episode five, "We Light the Way", Rhaenyra and Ser Laenor take a stroll on Holywell Bay’s beach in Newquay, near St. Cuthbert’s Cave.
This location also appears in other episodes as the beach at Dragonstone castle.
Image courtesy of HBO - Map
The castle in Pentos where Daemon and his wife, Laena Velaryon, are staying in the sixth episode, "The Princess and the Queen", is the 16th-century La Calahorra Castle in Andalucía, Spain.
This Renaissance fortress with the beautiful interior square courtyard was also featured in the 2016 Assassin's Creed movie.
Image courtesy of HBO - Map
The scenes in the streets of King's Landing from episodes eight and nine, "The Lord of the Tides" and "The Green Council", were filmed in Cáceres.
The Dragonpit exterior was filmed at St. George's Square, removing San Francisco Javier church digitally.
Image courtesy of HBO and Hernán Piñera - Map
The scene pictured from the season finale, "The Black Queen", was recorded at the 12th-century Castle of Monsanto in Portugal, near the Saint Michael Church Ruins.
Image courtesy of HBO - Map
The second season new locations
The beach in the first episode, "A Son for a Son", was filmed in Porth Y Cwch in North Wales.
This is a picturesque small harbor located on the Llŷn Peninsula, near the village of Aberdaron.
Image courtesy of HBO - Map
The Flood Harbor in Driftmark, where the Sea Snake's ship is being repaired, is another massive set built in the studios, taking between 16 and 18 weeks to complete.
The showrunners can shoot in 360 degrees and all the elements are real, including the ship, only the extensions out to sea are virtual.
In the second episode, "Rhaenyra the Cruel", the public funeral was also filmed in Cáceres.
The Ovando Palace and the Arco de la Estrella (star arch) are featured in this scene.
The conflict between Brackens and Blackwoods in the third episode, "The Burning Mill," was filmed in the area of Penmachno Roman Bridge in Gwynedd, North Wales.
Image courtesy of HBO - Map
The outer gate of Dragonstone in the dragon egg barbecue scene was filmed at the Trefor Granite Quarry on the Llŷn Peninsula in Wales.
From a distance, it could appear as a medieval stronghold or even a fortress from an alien world.
Image courtesy of HBO and Gordon Hatton - Map
In the fourth episode, "The Red Dragon and the Gold", the Greens are at Duskendale, the seat of House Darklyn.
This scene was filmed at the old stone pier below Penmon Priory in Anglesey, Wales. The city in the background is all CGI.
Image courtesy of HBO - Map
The Battle at Rook's Rest was filmed in Bourne Woods.
In order to film the biggest scene House of the Dragon has ever done, the showrunners looked for an open space with a tree line and a ridge for the CGI castle.
Located near Farnham in Surrey, on the outskirts of London, this coniferous forest has been used as a location for many productions, including the famous Gladiator movie battle.
Image courtesy of HBO - Map
The dragon's head scene in the fifth episode, "Regent," begins in the main square of the town of Trujillo in Extremadura.
The next shot was filmed in Cáceres, and the final sequence of the parade, with the hanging rat catchers, was recorded on the King's Landing set at Leavesden Studios.
Image courtesy of HBO and Google Maps
The scene with Daemon on Caraxes' back meeting Lord Bracken and his men was filmed on location in the Ogwen Valley near Pont Pen-y-benglog in Snowdonia.
The basis for the establishing shots of the landscape around Harrenhal Castle and the Lake of the Gods Eye was also filmed in this area.
Image courtesy of HBO - Map
The staircase, ramp, and exterior of Harrenhal Castle were filmed at the Dinorwig Slate Quarry.
Most of Harrenhal, including the Godswood with the heart tree, was shot on sets built in the studios.
Situated near the villages of Llanberis in North Wales, the Bloody Gate of the Eyrie was also shot in this location.
Image courtesy of HBO - Map
The bridge called The Twins, home of House Frey, was created using CGI and the close-ups were shot in the studios.
However, this location was inspired by the Llyn Vyrnwy Dam in Powys, Wales, built in 1888 to supply water to Liverpool.
Image courtesy of HBO and Llywelyn 2000 - Map
The beach scene with the pine forest where Addam makes a new friend was filmed at Llanddwyn Beach in Anglesey.
This is the same beach that appears at the beginning of the seventh episode, "The Red Sowing".
Image courtesy of HBO - Map
The main cast is headed by Milly Alcock and Emma D'Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Paddy Considine as King Viserys I, Olivia Cooke as Lady Alicent Hightower, and Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond.
There are 14 dragons with different colors and personalities, created following the indications of George R. R. Martin.
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NOTICE: If you’re using this information on your website, please credit and link to this page as a source.
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Ra Moon
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