The hit series House of the Dragon is coming back to HBO Max for its second season on Sunday, and millions of viewers around the world will rejoice. In the almost two years since the first season premiered, during the long wait for a new season, thousands and thousands of fans have traveled to the many filming locations of the show across Europe, in a sort of pilgrimage for some.
Luckily for all fans who are travel junkies, House of the Dragon was shot on location in multiple regions across Spain, England, Wales, and Portugal and there are so many unique places to explore, particularly those that would fly under the radar of mainstream tourism. Take a look at all the filming locations for the show; our friends at Omio created instructions to do so, as well as an interactive map that can be seen on their website:
Specifically, the outdoor locations were House of the Dragon was filmed that you can visit are:
- The UNESCO-protected historical center of Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain posed as King’s Landing, with many locations appearing on screen in both seasons, as did the nearby town of Trujillo
- Castillo de La Calahorra, Granada, Spain is the stunning set for Pentos
- The beautiful Santa Clotilde Gardens, Spain featured in episode 2 of season 1
- The impressive St Michael’s Mount, Cornwall doubled as High Tide on Driftmark
- Dragonstone is played by multiple locations: Monsanto, Portugal, Trefor Quarry, Wales, and San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, Basque Country, Spain
- Holywell Beach and Kynance Cove in Cornwall appeared as the Stepstones in season 1
- Other places in Wales were the show filmed include Penmon (where Corlys and his men were seen sailing to war), Beaumaris (where Aegon’s cavalry was seen filming), Dinorwic Quarry (where another battle scene was filmed), Llanddwyn Beach, and Porth y Cwch
- Bourne Woods, Surrey, England hosted a Green encampment before a big battle
- Cave Dale and Eldon Hill Quarry, England, were the location of the Vale in season 1 and will appear again in season 2
Many fans (including myself) love visiting these locations -- many of which need very little in order to "become" Westeros on screen -- claiming that visiting these places makes them feel closer to the characters, almost as if they were a part of the fictional world themselves. People often take photos and videos recreating iconic and unforgettable scenes from the show... sometimes even in full cosplay, almost making locals wonder whether filming has begun again.
As can be imagined, these breathtaking filming locations have seen an immense rise in fan tourism lately. Sadly, a few places, like the Spanish island of Gaztelugatxe (on-screen Dragonstone), have been through a disastrous case of overtourism that has negatively impacted the life of locals as well as the ecosystem; and the local authorities have since had to put in place some precautions to control the harm done by overtourism. On the other hand, other places like Caceres have embraced the new influx of tourists; the city even hosted a City of Dragons festival in 2022, to promote the on-screen King’s Landing and welcome more and more tourists. Needless to say, wherever you choose to go, it’s important that you do so with respect and to try to have as little negative impact as possible.
If you are itching to plan your trip to any of HOTD’s filming locations, check out Omio’s interactive map so that you can easily plan your trips and hop from one location to the other.
If you’d rather not plan your own adventure instead and have everything taken good care of on a well-rounded, off-the-beaten path adventure, the luxury travel experts at Abercrombie & Kent have a couple of itineraries that touch upon some popular Game of Thrones filming locations (among other places), like this one, where you can visit the Dubrovnik set of King's Landing with a tour by a guide who worked as an extra on the show, and they also offer the possibility to tailor an itinerary and choose which locations to visit.
Lastly, if you can’t travel at this moment, you may be lucky enough to find a House of the Dragon-related event near you! Many cities around the world are participating in an immersive promotional campaign by flying Targaryen flags to declare their allegiance to the Black Council or the Green Council, including New York City.
Are you ready for House of the Dragon season 2 to premiere? And most importantly, what banners will you be flying?