Nerdy Film Locations: Game of Thrones and Spain

Several years ago, I spent Spring Break going around Spain, where I got to visit four Game of Thrones locations. With the third season of House of the Dragon coming on June 21st and keeping up with my previous posts about Nerdy Film Locations, I want to share where and how to go see some of the most famous places of the series in Spain:

Dorne aka The Alcázar of Seville

Visit the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe, which is also a World Heritage Site. It is also the place that is the location for the fictional place of Dorne from the popular tv show, Game of Thrones. It is in the city center and is very popular.

About three hours away from Seville is the Alhambra in Granada.

This is where the show originally wanted to film Dorne. However, the Alhambra is the biggest and most visited monument in Spain with about 9,000 visitors a day. It proved too expensive for the show to close it down for the several weeks needed to film and so they “settled” with The Alcázar of Seville. Still, visiting the four palaces and hearing the history of the Alhambra is well worth it and to see what could have been for the show.

The Tower of Joy aka Castle of Zafra

Rent a car and take a two and a half hour drive from Madrid to the castle that is the place for the famous Tower of Joy scene (well at least the exterior). It is a 12th-century castle located in Guadalajara. You have to go through a very rocky road uphill, take it slow but eventually you will see the castle. Reenact the scene from season 6 (I got to direct two other fans playing the parts, a geek’s dream come true). The castle is privately owned and unfortunately you cannot go inside the castle but there is tons of history. There is a board in Spanish that explains it. If you are a fan of the show and the books, it really is a thrill to see the chosen real life location for such an important event (R+L=J)!

Italica aka The Dragonpit of King’s Landing 

The Roman city and well-preserved amphitheater, the third largest in the Roman Empire at the time is the setting for several important scenes taking place in King’s Landing in Season 7. I went a month after they finished filming in the early winter, 2016. We din’t know who was there, what it was used for so I theorized it has something to do with Daenerys and her dragons. I wasn’t entirely wrong. They do pop in a few times but it was mainly used for all the main parties to meet in seemingly neutral ground. 

There are so many places in Spain that the show used to film. I was happy to have gotten to see three locations (and the one that got away, the Alhambra). All of them are historic in their own right, for centuries standing and has it’s own stories. For us fans, there is an added element to be where the show’s fiction becomes slightly real.

You can find past posts about nerdy locations in Paris here and New York City here.