The Game of Thrones crew have literally been all over Spain while filming the world’s most popular TV show. The map below shows how many corners of this beautiful country they have conquered. It’s also a pretty good inspiration for a roadtrip in Spain,
A casual viewer doesn’t necessarily notice the important role Spain has in the show, but one quick glance at the still-growing list of scenes filmed there shows exactly how many characters have visited the country so far.
For example, it’s in Spain where they filmed Meereen’s fighting pit (Plaza de Toros in Osuna), Horn Hill (Castell de Santa Florentina), the home of Samwell Tarly, and the Tower of Joy (Castillo de Zafra in Guadalajara), outside of which a young Ned Stark and his companions fought with Ser Arthur Dayne and his fellow Kingsguards in Bran’s visions.
Some of the Dothraki Sea scenes were filmed in the badlands of Bardenas Reales in the Navarre region. You can also visit the fictional Dorne and Essos while in Spain. If you walk across Cordoba’s Roman Bridge, you’ll have stood on the Long Bridge of Volantis.
Last, but not least; if you’re looking to visit parts of King’s Landing and Braavos, look no further: Spain is the place to go.
Expand the side panel with location info by clicking on the symbol on the upper left corner of the map!
We’ve done some of our location guides in alphabetical order but since there are so many locations all over Spain, we figured it was easiest to group them according to region and showcase in the order that we did our trip. This is just one way of seeing them and you can certainly pick and choose which locations you want to see, rather than traveling to as many as possible like we did.
The easiest way for us to get to Spain was to fly to Barcelona but obviously there are flights to many of the major cities near locations – Bilbao, Madrid, Seville and Malaga. From there, we definitely recommend renting a car. There are some locations that can be reached by public transportation, but many do require driving yourself, especially the more remote ones – which often happen to be also the most incredible ones.
Girona
In its sixth season, Game of Thrones spent quite some time in the city of Girona. The city’s old town is full of influences from Girona’s past – Roman, Arabic, Christian as well as Jewish – and it’s easy to see why its look was appealing to GoT’s location scouts.
The capital of the province of the same name, Girona is one of the major cities in the region. There was a citadel here already in Roman times and its long history with Roman as well as Arabic, Christian and Jewish influences can still be seen in its architecture – which explains why it was the perfect location for Game of Thrones and its medieval setting. Girona was used both for scenes in King’s Landing and Braavos. There are several locations throughout the older parts of town but luckily for those wanting to visit, they are all within an easy walking distance of each other.
Pro tip: There isn’t a whole lot of parking space in the older part of town and the streets are narrow and hard to navigate. For a stress-free experience, leave your rental car at the hotel and take a taxi to your first location and then walk from there.
Monestir de Sant Pere de Galligants
Built in the 10th century, this ancient monastery has served as the Archaeology Museum of Catalonia since 1857. The entrance fee is a mere 6 euros and in addition to seeing a location, you get a tour into the history of Catalonia.
Game of Thrones fans may recognize the main hall of the monastery as the Citadel in Oldtown, where Sam and Gilly arrive in the last episode of season 6. Not much was changed for filming and we were pleasantly surprised that the location was so easily accessible. All the museum displays are to the sides and the hall itself looks very much like it did during filming, just minus the desk of one very put out maester.
This location is the northern-most one in Girona and therefore an easy place to start your tour. The next several locations are easy to find when you follow a route starting at the monastery.
Plaza by Monestir de Sant Pere de Galligants
Once you come out of the museum through the main entrance, turn to your left and walk onto the bridge. This is where Arya is attacked by the Waif (disguised as an old woman) in episode 6×07. The river, the Titan of Braavos and even much of the city is CGI, but you can easily recognize the bridge as well as the wall of Monestir de Sant Pere de Galligants.
Plaça dels Jurats
Keep walking across the bridge and through the archway and you will find yourself in Plaça dels Jurats. Even though the stage and set decorations are missing, you might recognize this as the location of the Braavosi theater, where Arya returns several times during season 6 to watch a play about Westerosi characters very familiar to her.
Carrer de Ferran el Catòlic & Banys Arabs
There are stairs leading up from Plaça dels Jurats. Go all the way up those stairs and at the top you find a pretty little park and an archway leading you to Carrer de Ferran el Catòlic. The archway is familiar from the seventh episode of season 6, where Arya pays a ship’s captain to take her back to the Seven Kingdoms. When you go through the arch you end up in front of the entrance to Banys Arabs, the baths through which Arya runs while escaping the Waif in the next episode, 6×08. She then comes out of the baths through the main entrance and continues walking through the market on Carrer de Ferran el Catòlic, only to be jumped by the Waif.
Carrer de Ferran el Catòlic & Pujada del Rei Marti
If you continue on Carrer de Ferran el Catòlic until it intersects with Pujada del Rei Marti, you will have traveled from Braavos to King’s Landing in just a few dozen feet! It is at this archway Jaime waits for Mace Tyrell and his army before storming to the Sept of Great Baelor to confront the High Sparrow.
Girona Cathedral
Once again, the next location is just a few steps away. Once you walk through the archway you’ll find yourself at the bottom of the steps up to Girona Cathedral – or the steps of the Great Sept of Baelor, if you will.
While the Sept has made several appearances throughout the seasons, from Ned Stark’s infamous execution to Cersei Lannister’s walk of shame, the location has varied throughout the seasons. It was only in season 6 that the crew chose Girona Cathedral as the location of the Great Sept of Baelor. It was here that Jaime and Mace Tyrell, along with the Tyrell army, came to stop Margaery from doing the same walk of shame that Cersei was subjected to, only to find that King Tommen had united with the faith and prevented his queen from going through the same ordeal as his mother.
The cathedral itself boasts the widest Gothic nave in the world, with a width of 22 metres (72 ft), and the second-widest of any church after that of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
Carrer del Bisbe Josep Cartañà
Your next stop is just behind the cathedral at Carrer del Bisbe Josep Cartañà. It can be a bit tricky to find but when you’re stood under the cathedral steps looking at the cathedral, take the street on the right side of the stairs, then turn left to Pujada de la Catedral. At the top of this street you’ll find the Art Museum of Girona. On the left hand side, almost in the corner of the museum and the cathedral, are some stairs and a small archway, which leads you to Carrer del Bisbe Josep Cartañà and just a few steps further, directly behind the cathedral is your location.
This is where Arya was sat begging after she lost her eyesight at the House of Black and White and where the Waif comes to train her in the first episode of season 6. Later on in episode 6×02, Jaqen H’ghar comes here to get her.
Carrer de Sant Llorenç
This narrow street of stairs is easy to find with Google Maps and once again, just a couple of minutes from the previous locations. It is here that Arya stumbles down the steps when she’s escaping the Waif in episode 6×08, leaving a trail of blood for her to follow – on purpose, as it turns out. The doorway through which she walks is closed by a gate and the door at the top of the stairs was a piece of set dressing, but the stairs are still a cool location to see.
There are still a few other locations along the streets of Girona, but they are used just for glimpses of Arya running away from the Waif. For a full lists of all spots used for the scene, check out MovieMaps.
Castell de Santa Florentina
An hour’s drive from Girona you can find Hornhill, the ancestral home of house Tarly. It is here Sam returns with Gilly and Baby Sam, only to receive a very chilly welcome from his father. Later on in the same episode 6×06, Sam finally decides to (sort of) stand up to his father and leaves Hornhill with Gilly – and the family’s heirloom, a Valyrian steel sword.
In real life Hornhill is called Castell de Santa Florentina. It’s a medieval castle but was expanded in the early 20th century, and it is this newer part that was mostly used for filming. There are very limited tour times throughout the day and you need to book your visit in advance, so make sure to check out the castle’s official website if you’re planning a visit.
There are a couple of ways to continue your route through Spain from the Catalonian locations. While you could stop in the national park Bardenas Reales on your way from Girona to Basque Country, we chose to spend one day just driving to Bilbao (and visiting the Guggenheim in the evening). This way, we started our day with the locations near Bilbao nice and rested in the morning.
Muriola Beach
This small beach just a 30-minute drive from Bilbao is not mentioned on most Game of Thrones locations guides, but it is definitely worth the visit. It is surrounded by majestic cliffs and the rocks jutting out of the ocean look an awful lot like dragon scales. Coincidence? We think not.
In the show however the beach was not used for Dragonstone scenes but rather, King’s Landing. This is where Davos and Tyrion land in episode 7×05 to sneak into the city unseen and later on Davos, Tyrion and Gendry are trying to leave as quietly as they came, when some guards start causing trouble that even fermented crab can’t fix.
The beach can disappear entirely during high tide so if you’re planning a visit, make sure to plan according to tide times.
Itzurun Beach
If you look at the map, the next logical destination when leaving Muriola Beach would be Gatzelugatxe and our initial plan was to drive straight there. Then we realized that the trouble with beach locations is that there are low and high tides, and as we learned with Muriola, it may not even be possible to visit during high tide. While Itzurun beach doesn’t disappear entirely, some of the spots where they filmed would’ve been impossible to reach during high tide. So, instead of taking the simplest route, we went to Muriola Beach during sunrise – about an hour before low tide which was enough for us – and then drove 1,5 hours straight to Itzurun to be there about an hour after low tide.
Turns out, even that wasn’t enough to reach the caves where they filmed Jon Snow going in to mine the dragonglass. There must some seasonal variation with how low the tide goes for the filming crew to ever get there. However, we were just in time to cover the rest of this gorgeous beach!
This is Dragonstone beach. Daenerys’ ancestral home was actually a combination of three different locations: the beach where she first arrives and where Jon and later also Theon land is here at Itzurun Beach. The long and winding staircase that leads up to the (cgi’d) castle was filmed at Gatzelugatxe (which we’ll get to in a minute) and whenever any of the characters are stood atop the cliffs, they have been magically transported into Northern Ireland. For a full list of all scenes shot here, check out our location map.
Gaztelugatxe
After succesfully sceneframing at Itzurun beach without getting our feet wet (except for me but that was for a selfie…) we drove back to where we came from and headed north of Bilbao to Gaztelugatxe. It is an islet of the coast that is connected to the mainland by a manmade footbridge. At the top of the islet stands a hermitage, a church called San Juan de Gaztelugatxe and in between the footbridge and the hermitage, there are stairs. Lots and lots of stairs. If you’re going to visit only one location in Basque Country, make it this one. And make sure to bring some seriously good shoes, lots of water and even more energy…
We’d obviously seen the steps on Game of Thrones and in pictures when researching the location and we were prepared for quite a climb going up and down them. What we were not prepared for was that simply getting to the base of the stairs was going to be an ordeal in itself.
Once you get to Gaztelugatxe, there’s a car park and a restaurant. From, there it’s about a two kilometer hike to the base of the stairs, which wouldn’t be that bad in itself, but it’s all downhill. A very steep downhill. You might think that going downhill is easy but you’d be wrong. Knees were hurting and pulses running wild by the time we got to the steps themselves. And the best part? Once we were done climbing up and down the stairs, we had to make it back to the car park, this time uphill… We had reserved a couple of hours for Gaztelugatxe, just to give us enough time for not only sceneframing but also just generally taking in the place. It ended up being an almost four-hour visit.
This location may not be the easiest to reach but man, is it worth the pain! The steps are exactly as impressive as you see them on screen, the ocean is churning all around you as you’re climbing and the views from the top are stunning. As mentioned before, these are the long steps that lead up to Dragonstone castle and there are several scenes filmed here, from Jon Snow first arriving to meet with Daenerys to her finally giving him permission to mine the dragonglass. Once again, for a full list of scenes, check out this location on our location map.
This place gets very crowded even in the off season so if you’re planning on visiting during a busier time, especially in the summer, make sure to book your visit in advance here.
Bardenas Reales
The national park of Bardenas Reales in the region of Navarra has sometimes been called the “Spanis Death Valley” due to it being a semi-desert region, but the more appropriate comparison is to the Badlands. Erosion has caused some other-worldly rock formations throughout the area, and the land is streaked with canyons and seasonally dry riverbeds.
There are a few scenes filmed in the area, from the Khalasar riding after they captured Daenerys to the Dothraki camp scene where she is brought before the Khal and reveales her identity. Since we were short on time, we decided to concentrate on the most impressive location and scene: the one where Daenerys addresses the Khalasar from on top of Drogon, naming the entire Khalasar as her bloodriders.
Our location map has the exact coordinates to the right place and it’s fairly easy to find your way there with Google Maps but there is one slight hick-up. The last bit of road that Google tells you to take does not exist anymore. Like literally, there is no road and even on foot your passage is stopped by a canyon. This is easily fixed though. When leaving the Bardenas Reales touris information center, instead of the actual location put in the coordinates 42.210943, -1.453622. Once you reach this spot turn left and drive all the way to the end of the road (about 1,4 kilometers) and you will find a nice even area to leave your car. From there it’s less than a hundred meters’ walk to the exact location.
Castillo de Zafra
This is one of those locations that just absolutely blew us away. In doing research we’d read that it would be a “remote location” and they weren’t kidding. It’s not near any big cities and the last 20-30 minutes of the drive there is on an unpaved dirt road. What’s great about Castillo de Zafra being so remote, is that it means you’re more then likely to get the place all to yourself. Don’t get us wrong, we have nothing against people, but sometimes they make sceneframing difficult. Nothing ruins the effect quite like a pair of legs emerging from behind the tablet.
Having the place all to ourselves was only part of the charm. The castle is built on a heavily eroded sandstone outcrop and it juts out of the rock in a weird way, almost like it shouldn’t be possible for such a structure to stay on top the narrow rock. The views from the high elevation don’t suck either. Built in the late 12th or early 13th century, the castle was never conquered and it’s not hard to see why. I’d hate to be among the troops who had to try.
Thanks to its distinctive look, Game of Thrones fans will instantly recognize the entrance tower of the Castillo de Zafra as the Tower of Joy, where Lyanna Stark gave birth to a baby boy, the boy who would later be known as Jon Snow. The interior scenes were filmed in a studio, but the castle was used for exterior shot when Barn Stark sees in a vision how Ned Stark comes to find his sister, only to be confronted by Ser Arthur Dayne and a couple other members of Rhaegar Targaryen’s Kingsguard.
Castillo de Trujillo
First a word of warning about this location: it is not exactly car friendly. The streets of Trujillo are narrow and hard to navigate and there is very little parking. There is parking at the castle and there was plenty of room when we finally made it, most likely because unless you know the route, you will never make it there by car. Google Maps was utterly useless and kept suggesting roads that were not actual roads but more like sheep paths or something. We ended up leaving our car in a parking hall and our guide (thank god for her!) came to pick us up and drove us to the castle.
So here’s how to actually drive there, now that we know. If you’re coming from Madrid, you will most likely approach Trujillo along road EX-208 from the north. Once you reach a roundabout, you’ll take the first exit and continue along Avenue de la Coronacion. At the end of that road you’ll take a slight left to Calle Afuera which then changes into Calle Garcia de Paredes. The next bit is tricky: you’ll have to make a very sharp right turn (which is super easy on these narrow streets…) to Calle Estudio and then a very sharp left turn right after that into Calle Ballesteros. Drive along Calle Ballesteros as long as you can and at the end of the road, turn right Plaza de Santiago and then right after that right again to Calle Subida al Castillo. Follow this street until you reach the castle, and the parking area will be to your right.
Easy when you know it, right? If you plan on driving yourself to the castle, we suggest taking some time beforehand to familiarize yourself with the route. And even if you’re coming to this location from another direction, just drive up to that same roundabout and follow the route. Apparently it’s the only way to get to the castle by car.
The castle itself is where they filmed Bronn and Jaime getting ready for an attack by the Dothraki army and the Unsullied in last episode of season 7. It’s a short scene but the castle is an interesting place to visit and the views over Trujillo and the surrounding areas are magnificent.
Caceres
The old town of Caceres played the part of both King’s Landing and the Citadel of Oldtown on the show. It is through the streets of Caceres that Euron leads his captives Yara, Ellaria and Tyene on his victory march to the Red Keep in episode 7×03. Later on in episode 7×05 Sam leaving the Citadel with Gilly and the books he stole was also filmed here. For a full list of locations and the exact coordinates for each one, check out the location map.
Caceres is a quick stop en route to the next location. Park somewhere near Plaza Mayor (street parking is free in most places) and walk from there to the locations.
Los Barruecos
The natural monument of Los Barruecos is just a 20-minute drive from Caceres. The area is marked by large granite boulders and strewn with small rivers and ponds. The area was declared a natural monument in 1996 to protect its unique geology as well flora, fauna and some archeological remains found in the area.
This was the scenery of one of the most memorable scenes of season seven: the dragon attack on the Lannister army in the fourth episode. In the next episode, it is also here that Daenerys demands the fallen soldiers to either bend the knee or be burned alive by dragonfire, with Randall and Dickon Tarly refusing to bend the knee. There are several signs in the area to denote the exact locations where the action took place.
Italica Amphitheater
Just 20 minutes north of Seville is the town of Santiponce, which was built partly on the site of an old Roman city: Italica. The ruins of the Roman city are well-preserved though, and the most impressive site is the amphitheater. In its heyday it could seat 25,000 people which made it one of the largest in the entire empire.
In Game of Thrones, the amphitheater needed only a little enhancing with cgi to become the Dragonpit of King’s Landing. The central pit, used for holding bears and wild boars for gladiator fights in Roman times, was covered with a platform. To construct the platform, archeologists had to be consulted to make sure no harm came to the historical site.
The Dragonpit makes its first appearance in the final episode of season seven, when the great houses of Westeros and the two queens finally meet and Cersei is shown a wight in an attempt to convince her that the threat coming from the North is very real. Later on, in the series finale, the remaining high lords and ladies of Westeros convene here again, to decide the fate of Tyrion Lannister and, ultimately, to choose a new ruler for the realm.
Royal Alcazar of Seville
It’s not hard to see why the royal palace of Seville was chosen as the location for Sunspear and its water gardens. The palace’s intricate architecture and moorish influences fit perfectly with the southern location of Dorne and the extensive gardens with their water features emboy the Water Gardens perfectly. The Dorne storyline might not have been a fan-favorite, but do not let that keep you away from this beautiful location.
Filming here took place for several episodes of season 5. Both the Mudejar Palace and the gardens were used for filming and you can find the full list of all scenes and where they were shot in our location map.
The Royal Alcazar is a very popular tourist attraction so plan accordingly. You can buy tickets online, which will save you a lot of time standing in line but be prepared for some waiting anyway. We were there on a Sunday in the off-season, and a half an hour before the doors even opened, the line for tickets was already snaking around the palace. Even once you get inside, you’ll most likely have to navigate through throngs of people, so patience is key here.
Reales Atarazanas
The royal shipyards of Seville were unfortunately closed for repairs when we were in town, but we’re including them anyway for future reference. The shipyards were used as the location for the dungeons of the Red Keep in season seven. It is here Qyburn introduces his new dragon-slaying weapon to Cersei in episode 7×02 and in 7×05, Bronn brings Jaime down to the dungeon for a secret meeting with Tyrion.
Osuna bullring
An hour’s drive from Seville is the small town of Osuna and in Osuna you will find Plaza de Toros, the bullring fight that became the Great Pit of Daznak on Game of Thrones. The arena is no longer used for bull fights and is open only a couple of days a week. There are even a few reviews on Tripadvisor that claim it was closed when it was supposed to be open, so be sure to contact the local tourist information office to confirm opening times if you’re planning a visit.
In the penultimate episode of season 5, Daenerys has (somewhat reluctantly) reopened the fighting pits of Meereen. As queen, she is forced to attend a fight at the Great Pit of Daznak. All goes well until the Sons of the Harpy suddenly attack and all hell breaks loose. Daenerys – and the day – is saved by Drogon landing on the arena, roasting some Sons of the Harpy alive and finally taking off with Daenerys riding him for the first time ever. The Osuna bullring was pretty heavily enhanced with CGI for these scenes but it’s still definitely recognizable. The scene include 650 extras, most of them locals, and there is a plaque on the wall with all of their names.
While you’re in Osuna, be sure to also visit the local museum. There are two rooms entirely dedicated to Game of Thrones paraphenalia, all of which is donated by local fans. One of our favorite displays was the wall with photos of all the “sightings” of the actors around filming.
Roman bridge of Cordoba
The city of Cordoba is about an hour and 45 minutes from Seville (or a little over an hour from Osuna) and is also worth a visit for Game of Thrones fans. The roman bridge across the river Guadalquivir was used as the base of the Long Bridge of Volantis that can be seen in episodes 5×03 and 6×07. It was heavily CGI’ed and everything that happens actually on the bridge was filmed in the studio as clearly there are no buildings on the real bridge. The part that is there is still easily recognizable and it’s a nice stroll across the river.
Castillo Almodovar del Rio
“Tell Cersei. I want her to know it was me.”
One of the most iconic scenes of season 7 – and possibly of all of Game of Thrones – is when Jaime and the Lannister army sack Highgarden and bring an end to what is left of House Tyrell in the third episode. Before dying however, Olenna Tyrell manages to get the last word in what can only be described a mic drop of epic proportions. The room where Jaime and Olenna have their final conversation was created in a studio but it is modeled after the throne room of Castillo Almodovar del Rio. The rest of the scene – Olenna standing on the balcony and Jaime walking through the conquered Highgarden were filmed right there in the castle. Upon entry you will receive a map that details every spot in the castle where filming took place.
Funnily enough, though easily recognized as Highgarden, Castillo Almodovar was used for a short scene also as Casterly Rock. Earlier on in the same episode, as Grey Worm and the Unsullied enter the Rock through the sewers, they are in fact in the dungeon of Castillo Almodovar!
The castle is only about a 20-minute drive from Cordoba and for a mere 8€ entrance fee you can explore the entire castle, from the dungeon to the highest walls. Once again the views from the castle’s high vantage point are breathtaking and there are several interesting exhibits in the castle’s chambers as well.
Please be kind and notice: This page is still under construction. We recently returned from an amazing roadtrip through Spain that we did in collaboration with the Tourism Board of Spain and will keep adding more locations and photos as soon as possible!