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MAPPED: 17 real-life Game of Thrones locations you can visit in Spain

Feeling a sense of loss after the final episode of Game of Thrones?

Published: 21 May 2019 14:02 CEST
MAPPED: 17 real-life Game of Thrones locations you can visit in Spain
You can visit the Basque island where Games of Thrones' Dragonstone is located. Photo: HBO

Then now is the time to explore some of the real-life locations of the Seven Kingdoms, right here in Spain. 

From the wind-swept Atlantic beaches of the north to impressive castles and Roman ruins of the west and south, there's a whole host of locations where the hit series was filmed.

Here's a list of the locations across Spain that appear in Game of Thrones. 

The Basque Country

San Juan de Gaztelugatxe in Bermeo


Photo; Carlos Olmedillas / Flickr

The Little islet topped with a hermitage and linked to the mainland by an ancient arched footbridge doubles up as Dragonstone and first appears in Season 7 when Jon Snow first meets Daenerys 

Itzurun beach in Zumaia


Photo; Eleder Jimenez Hermoso / Flickr

The spectacular beach at Itzurun with its craggy cliffs and vast sandy stretch crashing with Atlantic waves appears on screen as the landing point for Daenerys Targaryen when she finally returned to the shores of Westeros, Dragonstone to be exact, with her army of the Unsullied.

Extremadura

Filming took place in three locations in Extremadura, Spain’s landlocked western region bordering Portugal.

Caceres


Photo; César Alonso Ferreras / Flickr

The medieval walled city of Caceres, a Unesco World Heritage site , doubled as King’s Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms.

Malpartida


 Photo; Jesús Pérez Pacheco / Flickr

The unusual rock formations in wetlands the Natural Park of Los Barruecos outside the town of Malpartida served as the site for the Battle of the Dragon, in episode 4 of Season 7. 

Watch here: 

 

Trujillo


Photo; Extremadura Turismo 

The picturesque walled town of Trujillo became the Casterly Rock, the ancestral home of the Lannisters and apprared for the first time in Season 7, when  scenes were filmed in the courtyard of its imposing castle, a fortification boasting 17 defence towers.

Catalonia

Girona’s Cathedral of Saint Mary 


Photo: Davidlohr Bueso/Flickr

The cathedral in Catalonia's second city of Girona served as the exterior of the Sept of Baelor

Whereas the cobbled  streets of Girona's Old Town and Jewish quarter variously starred as locations in Braavos, Oldtown, and Kings Landing. 

Castell de Santa Florentina


Photo: Castell de Santa Florentina

This castle in the Catalan seaside town of Canet de Mar, an hour north of Barcelona on the Costa Brava, became Horn Hill, the palatial family home of Samwell Tarly.

Navarra

Bardenas Reales Natural Park


Photo: Bruno Barral/Wikimedia
 

The semi-desert natural park in Navarra, renowned for its unusual rock formations, appeared in Game of Thrones as the Dothraki Sea, home to wandering hordes of khalasars.

Castila La Mancha

Castle of Zafra


Photo: Castila La Mancha Tourism

The Castle of Zafra appeared in Season 6 as the Tower of Joy, outside which a young Ned Stark and his Kingsguard clashed swords with Ser Arthur Dayne and other Targaryen henchmen in one of Bran Stark’s visions.

This remote fortification located in the Sierra de Caldereros, is accessed by a dirt road leading from the village of Hombrados, one-and-a-half hour drive from Madrid. 

Andalusia

Spain’s southern region of Andalusia provided numerous locations for Game of Thrones during season 5 and 6 boosting tourism to the region. This continued in Season 7  and 8, with revisits to old favourites and adding new locations.

Seville's Alcázar


Photo; Archigeek / Flickr 

The Alcázar of Seville first appeared on screens in season 6 as Sunspear, the capital of Dorne, and its Water Gardens.

Osuna's bullring


Photo: AFP 

The bullring of Osuna, a town not far from Seville, became the fighting pits of Meereen

Seville's Reales Atarazanas


Photo; Sandra Vallaure  / Flickr

Seville’s Royal Dockyards share the limelight after serving as a new location in season 7.

Cordoba


Photo: AFP
 

The Roman bridge that crosses the Guadalquivir river in Cordoba was built in the early first century BC and became the Long Bridge of Volantis in the HBO series. 

Almodovar del Rio


Photo; Javier Lastras  / Flickr

The small city located in Córdoba province on the banks of the river Guadalquivir is crowned by a 1300-year-old Moorish castle which became Highgarden, the seat of House Tyrell, seized by Jamie Lannister during Season 7.

Italica, Santiponce


Photo; Telèmac / Flickr 

The Roman ruins of Itálica in Santiponce near Seville appeared screen as the backdrop to several epic scenes after authorities granted special permission to film at the archaeological site. It was the site of the tense Season 7 finale when Cersei was presented with a white walker.  
 
 
Almería
 

Photo: mathes/Depositphotos
 
The Alcazaba fortress in Almería doubled for scenes in the Water Gardens, the private retreat to House Martell, rulers of Dorne. 

And the coastal city was also chosen as a location for scenes in the outskirts of Meereen,  largest and northernmost of the cities in Bay of Dragons/ex Slaver’s Bay.

Filming also took place in the Tabernas desert, just north of Almeria, for scenes in the Dothraki Sea. 

Valencia

Peniscola

Photo: tizianella/Depositphotos

Scenes from the first episode of Season Six were shot in Peniscola, the stunning medieval fortified hillside town overlooking the Mediterranean.  Fans can spot Paseo de Ronda, Plaza Santa María and the Ramp of Felipe II, as the location for scenes in the city of Meereen. 

And by the time you have finished exploring all the sites of the Games of Thrones locations in season 1 to 8 , the prequel will most likely be finished – some scenes will also be filmed on location in Spain.

READ MORE: Ten potential Spanish filming locations for the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel

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FILMS

Berlinale to host outdoor festival for film fans in June

Organisers of the Berlin film festival said Monday that pandemic conditions in the German capital had improved enough for them to hold a planned outdoor edition in June.

Published: 10 May 2021 15:23 CEST
Berlinale to host outdoor festival for film fans in June
An empty area outside the Berlinale Palast in March 2020. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Paul Zinken

The coronavirus outbreak forced the Berlinale, one of Europe’s top cinema showcases, to push back its usual February event and split it into two parts.

It held an all-online edition for critics and industry buyers in March and will now press on with an exclusively outdoor festival for the general public June 9th-20th.

“The Berlinale is pleased to be able to give audiences the enjoyment of an open-air cinema experience at 16 venues in total at the Summer Special,” it said in a statement.

It said Berlin’s falling infection rate “as well as positive signals by government offices” had led to the decision.

“Audiences will be getting a very special, collective festival experience – something we’ve all been missing for such a long time,” organisers said.

The June edition “is geared towards re-igniting the desire to go to the cinema, and to contributing to the revival of cultural activities with an audience”.

READ ALSO: Germany holds virtual Berlinale film fest

The programme will be made up primarily of movies shown online at the March edition, including the winners of its Golden and Silver Bear prizes, which will be awarded at a gala ceremony on June 13th.

Existing open-air cinemas throughout the city as well as a specially created site on Berlin’s historic Museum Island will serve as venues and comply with pandemic hygiene rules.

Ticket sales will begin on May 27th.

The global coronavirus outbreak has dealt a body blow to the cinema industry and created major complications for film distribution and production for over a year.

Cannes, the world’s top film festival, usually held in May, has been postponed to July 6-17 this year due to the pandemic and was cancelled outright last year.

The Berlinale, now in its 71st year, awarded its Golden Bear top prize in March to the biting social satire “Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn” by Romania’s Radu Jude.

The city of Berlin on Monday reported a seven-day coronavirus incidence just over the 100-mark, meaning cinemas, restaurants and other facilities remain closed.

However, officials are hopeful that an accelerating vaccination campaign and tightened lockdown measures will bring infections down soon, allowing for an at least partial reopening.

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