Game of Thrones is back! The long-awaited final season of the most epic series of our generation is here after fans had to wait almost 20 months to know the outcome of one of the most successful medieval fantasies in the history of television. The last 6 episodes will at last decide the fate our favourite characters and we’ll find out who ends up occupying the iron throne.
Even if you don't follow the series, you’ll probably be aware that the HBO team behind Game of Thrones has chosen several Spanish locations to shoot various scenes. Below you'll find an overview of all the places in Spain that appear in Game of Thrones. If you've seen seasons 5, 6 and 7 of the series then read on, and there is only one teeny-tiny spoiler for the new season… Get ready to visit Westeros in Spain!
1. Game of Thrones in Andalucia
Andalusia was one of the first locations in Spain where Game of Thrones was filmed when, back in the autumn of 2014 while shooting the 5th season, a film crew moved into the Alcázar in Seville to give shape to the kingdom of Dorne, which until then had not appeared on screen. In addition, they recorded aerial shots of the Roman Bridge in Cordoba, which served as the Long Bridge crossing over the river Rhoyne and joins the two areas of the free city of Volantis in the series. The culmination of this shooting took place in Osuna, where one of the most iconic scenes of the 5th season was shot. The bullring of this Sevillian town was transformed into Daznak’s Pit, located in the fictitious Meereen, where Daenerys Targaryen rules and is ambushed by the sons of the harpy. Drogon comes to her aid and this is the first time we see Daenerys flying on one of her dragons.
After filming these locations for the fifth season, tourism in the city of Seville increased by 25% and in Osuna by 75%. In fact, Osuna is now home to the only Game of Thrones museum in Europe.
Andalusia was also the site of many Game of Thrones location in season 6 when the Alcazaba of Almeria was turned into both Meereen and the kingdom of Dorne. In addition, the Torre de Mesa Roldán in the town Carboneras was the site of the surrender of the Masters of Yunkai, Volantis and Astapor, who were attacking Meereen. Daenerys spends a good part of the 6th season in the city Vaes Dothrak, in Dothraki territory, and this was brought to life on screen using the Tabernas Desert and the Paraje El Chorrillo, both in the Spanish province of Almeria.
For the 7th season, Andalusia was once again fundamental, with the Almodóvar del Río castle in the province of Córdoba becoming Highgarden, the fortress of house Tyrell that suffered attack from the Lannister troops. Meanwhile, in the city of Seville, the Game of Thrones team used the unique architecture of the Royal Shipyards of Seville to represent the dungeons of the Red Keep, the most important building in King’s Landing where Cersei, Jaime and Tyrion have all been. Finally, filming moved to the Ruins of Itálica in Santiponce, seen on screen as Dragonpit, where many of the main characters meet in search of an armistice. And… spoiler alert! We recommend you go below if you don't want to know anything about the eighth season… this location seems to be the only one in Spain that will be seen in the new season (end spoiler).
2. Places from Game of Thrones in the Basque Country and Navarre
Game of Thrones showed Dragonstone, the island of house Targaryen, in Season 2 of the series, but it wasn't until they visited northern Spain that one of the series' most iconic images was produced: Daenerys' dragons flying over the island monastery of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe. The staircase leading to this tiny islet in Bermeo, next to the Itzurun beach in Zumaia and Muriola beach in Barrika, recreate the fictional birthplace of Daenerys and the place from which she plans to take the iron throne. Since the premiere of the 7th season, thousands of tourists have come to the Basque Country asking for "Dragonstone".
In addition to the Basque Country, the Game of Thrones team had already dropped by Navarra a year before, when they used the Bardenas Reales as the Dothraki Sea where Daenerys is imprisoned to be given as a gift to Khal Moro.
3. Extremadura in Game of Thrones
The 7th season of GoT also used several enclaves from Extremadura for filming. The crew first moved its cameras to the city of Caceres, where places such as the Plaza de los Golfines, Plaza de Santa María, Arco de la Estrella and the Palacio de los Becerra were turned into the streets where Euron Greyjoy strutted on his return to King’s Landing. Not far from there, about 28 miles away, the film crew and several actors moved to the Castle of Trujillo to recreate the Daenerys’s siege of King’s Landing in the last episode of this 7th season.
Extremadura was also host to one of GoT’s fiercest battles to date. In the stunning landscape of the Barruecos in Malpartida de Cáceres, the team spent several days filming the battle for the episode "The Spoils of War", in which for the first time the Lannister army, led by Jaime Lannister, discovers the ravages that a dragon can cause in battle.
4. Game of Thrones in Catalunya
The medieval aura that surrounds certain areas of Catalunya was captured for season 6 of the series when several Catalonian locations were chosen. We start with the city of Girona, which appears in almost every episode of this sixth season, first as the city of Braavos, where Arya Stark is training to be one of the faceless men. We see Arya begging near Girona Cathedral, watching a theatrical performance in Plaça dels Jurats, strolling through a market in Passeig Arquològic and running for her life in the areas of the Arab Baths and the Pujada de Sant Domènec.
Some other memorable moments are when we saw Girona's cathedral as the Great Sept of Baelor in King's Landing where Queen Margaery was to begin her walk of shame, and the monastery of Sant Pere de Galligants as the library of Oldtown where Sam Tarly arrives to become a master. Also, the home of the house Tarly, Horn Hill, was represented on screen by the Castle of Santa Florentina in Canet de Mar.
5. More Spanish Game of Thrones locations
For the 6th season, the crew spent a few days in the city of Peñíscola in the autonomous community of Valencia. Few of the tourists who frequently spend their summer holidays in this coastal town know that they are actually standing in Meereen. Throughout season 6, Daenerys is in Vaes Dothrak while Varys and Tyrion try to rule a troubled Meereen, with the Masters of Yunkai, Volantis and Astapor plotting to overthrow the Mother of Dragons. Several scenes of Tyrion, Varys, Missandei and Grey Worm were shot in various areas of Peñíscola, including the Plaza de Santa María and the garden of Peñíscola Castle.
Finally, the last place on our list of Game of Thrones locations in Spain is the little-known Castle of Zafra in Molina de Aragón, Guadalajara. When shooting started here for seasons 6 and 7, little was known about what role this castle would play as just one of the main characters, Bran, was spotted filming there. However, what was to happen in this castle would shock and excite GoT fans the world over. Zafra Castle is Dorne's Tower of Joy, where Bran, in one of his visions, attends the birth of Jon Snow and discovers a secret that his father kept for years: Jon is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen, his real name is Aegon Targaryen and he is the legitimate heir to the iron throne!
So what are you waiting for? Get up off the sofa, stop watching TV, and get out there to visit all the real-life places in Spain where Game of Thrones was filmed!