Spain: HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, made history last month with the most viewed premiere in the network’s history reaching almost ten million views on release. Game of Thrones famously had several filming locations across Spain such as the Almodóvar del Río, Andalucía, which represented Highgarden the home of House Tyrell (featured image, credit: Sergi Ferrete). Its prequel also has multiple important filming sites across the country.
Cáceres, the capital of Extremadura, inherits Dubrovnik’s title of representing the capital of Westeros, Kings’ Landing. A UNESCO world heritage site, the picturesque renaissance town represents a slightly newer, shinier King’s Landing centuries before the events of the main show.
Credit: Manuel Torres Garcia
Nearby, Extremadura’s Trujillo Castle will once again feature in the HBO series after appearing in Game of Thrones as Casterly Rock, the home of the ruling Lannister family. The regional market town contains a plethora of medieval and renaissance churches, and its plazas are a popular tourist attraction.
In Andalucia, Granada’s Castillo de la Calahorra is another interesting site for filming, with reports of the majority of shoots taking place at night, likely depicting a battle. The castle itself still contains jail cells where imprisoned Moors were kept and is now a national museum located less than an hour’s drive from the Alhambra, with its rich Moorish culture.
Credit: Jorge Fernández Salas
Spain has a long history as a popular filming destination due to its varied terrain. From Clint Eastwood´s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly in 1966 to Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones. From Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond in Die Another Day to Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.