Where was House of the Dragon filmed? The locations you can visit country by country

House of The Dragon filming locations stretch far and wide - here's the ones you need to know about.

Game of Thrones enthusiasts welcomed the premiere of House of The Dragon with open arms this August - having been counting down to the moment, since its prequel was announced in 2019 - the same year the preceding show concluded. 

Created by George R. R. Martin and Ryan J. Condal for HBO, the show is based on Martin's 2018 novel Fire & Blood. Charting the rise and fall of House Targaryen plus new House of Velaryon and enemy the crab feeder - many will be delighted to see the show headed up by an all-star House of the Dragon cast. The filming locations spanned a multitude of countries - so read on for a full roundup of all the locations you can visit, country by country.

Where was House of the Dragon filmed?

House of The Dragon was filmed across locations in the UK, Spain, Portugal, Iceland, and Croatia. Predecessor Game of Thrones was similarly filmed in Iceland and Croatia, with additional production taking place in Malta and Northern Ireland. 

Northern Ireland is considered the home of the original production and A Game of Thrones Studio Tour is now open at Linen Mill Studios in Banbridge, where most of the filming took place. In contrast, House of The Dragon saw much of the interior shooting moved to The Warner Bros Leavesden Studios.

UK - filming locations

In the UK, House of The Dragon was filmed in Cornwall, Surrey, and Derbyshire. 

In Cornwall, Holywell Bay beach, Kynance Cove, and St Michael's Mount were used. According to BT.com, St Michael’s Mount stands in for Driftmark - the ancestral seat of House Velaryon. Meanwhile in Surrey, filming took place at Caesar's Camp on the Surrey/Hampshire border. In Aldershot, a large set was erected in a woodland area, featuring a range of tents and the Targaryen sigil banner. 

In Derbyshire, Matt Smith was seen filming the show in the Peak District - specifically in the village of Castleton. This location was reported to stand in for central Westeros now Northern Ireland is no longer used. Cast members were also reportedly spotted in Cave Dale, Eldon Hill Quarry and the Market Place.

Spain - filming locations

In Spain, filming took place in Cáceres and Trujillo. Cáceres was also featured in Game of Thrones, where it acted as King’s Landing - home of the Lannisters.  

Cáceres Old Town stands in the western region of Extremadura. Founded by the ancient Romans, Cáceres retains evidence of subsequent occupation by a variety of cultures. The central location of Ciudad Monumental displays a mixture of Gothic and Renaissance architecture, ancient cobbled medieval streets, and plenty of fortified houses and palaces. 

45km east of Cáceres, medieval Trujillo was also previously used in Game of Thrones. With many medieval and renaissance buildings, the town is a tourist hotspot. Twitter became awash with fans who’d spotted House of The Dragon sets being constructed, and actors filming at the location. 

Portugal - filming locations

In Portugal, Monsanto and Penha Garcia took centre stage when film crews arrived for House of The Dragon filming.  

Monsanto is protected by building regulations, ensuring it retains a preternatural charm. Granite cottages sit among giant boulders in random fashion. Tiny streets carved out of rock rise up a steep hill through the town, to a height of nearly 800 meters. The hilltop filming location features more boulders, and a ruined medieval castle. 

Penha Garcia - another picturesque village - was reportedly used as a filming location. However, it is unclear at this time exactly which scenes the area was used for, or which localities from the series they acted as.  

Iceland - filming locations

In Iceland, filming took place at the Svínafellsjökull glacier area. The area is rich with glaciers, waterfalls, and active volcanoes. 

According to The Express, this area was also used in season 2 and 7 of Game of Thrones. In scenes where Jon Snow and the Night Watch capture Ygritte, and in season 7’s battle with the army of the dead, the area is prominent. Svínafellsjökull is an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull - the largest ice cap in Europe. It is popular for glacier hiking, photography, and for those looking for raw and natural beauty.  

Croatia - filming locations

It is currently unclear which areas of Croatia were used for filming House of The Dragon.  

However, Dubrovnik, Split, and Sibenik were frequently used in Game of Thrones filming. It could be surmised that as previous locations have been returned to for continuity, the same locations could be used again for House of The Dragon. 

When was House of the Dragon filmed? 

Filming began in late April 2021, and was confirmed by HBO to have concluded in February 2022.

Casting began in July 2020 with Paddy Considine the first cast member to be announced. The casting of Olivia Cooke, Matt Smith and Emma D'Arcy soon followed. Filming began in April 2021, with Cornwall being the first location used. Production in Spain took place  between April 11–21, before moving to Portugal. The dates for filming at other locations remain unclarified. 

House of the Dragon: Behind-the-scenes filming

In behind-the-scenes video footage, Paddy Considine and Matt Smith spoke about filming “riding the dragon” scenes. Smith said “they’ve got great big wind machines, rain, the lot. They put you on a plinth that’s about 20 foot in the air and they strap you into it”. He jokingly added “I was born to do it”.

About who is the most evil and the most good in the show, Smith said “Otto is the most evil. He’s the most machiavellian. He’s the most serpentine. He’s a puppet master”. Smith is referring to Rhys Ifans who plays Otto Hightower. Both actors agreed that Considine’s character King Viserys l is the “most good” of the characters. 

Related House of the Dragon features

• How old is Alicent Hightower when she marries Viserys?
• How many dragons are in House of the Dragon?
• When is House of the Dragon set?
• When did House of the Dragon come out? Release date

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