If you can tear your eyes away from the barnstorming battles, fire-breathing beasts and occasionally illogical plot points, Ryan Condal’s House of the Dragon also provides an eye-popping tour of medieval Europe, taking us from ancient hilltop towns to misty valleys, sun-dappled forests and craggy cliffsides. As season two continues to air, we shortlist nine stunning locations you can actually visit—some scattered across Spain and Portugal, and others just a stone’s throw from London.
St Michael’s Mount, Cornwall
The stand-in for Driftmark, the ancestral seat of House Velaryon, in the first season of House of the Dragon, is this Cornish island, which feels as though it’s been plucked straight out of a storybook. Take the winding path through the beach in low tide (or a boat in high tide, when the isle is entirely cut off from the mainland) and climb up to the 12th-century castle that sits at its peak for sweeping views across the bay. Then, continue with your jaunt through Westeros with a drive to the nearby Kynance Cove and Holywell Bay, the picturesque beaches which became the setting for the War for the Stepstones in the show’s first instalment.
Cáceres, Spain
Established in 25 BC, this ancient Spanish city—with its maze-like cobblestone streets, terracotta-tiled roofs, 15th-century fortresses, bell towers, and distinctive blend of Roman, Islamic, Italian Renaissance and Gothic influences—transformed into King’s Landing for the seventh season of Game of Thrones as well as both seasons of House of the Dragon. You can spend hours exploring the old town, ducking into its cavernous cathedrals, peeking into its lavish palaces, feasting on jamón ibérico and torta del casar at one of its streetside restaurants, and admiring the Plaza de San Jorge, where Aemond and Aegon come to blows at the end of the first instalment. “That medieval town is stunning,” Olivia Cooke, the show’s very own Queen Alicent told Vogue of the location in the run-up to the second season, adding that she specifically asked to leave House of the Dragon’s studio lot in Watford (where most of the interior scenes are filmed) and shoot some sequences on the ground there, too. “For that to be your set every day—I felt incredibly grateful.”
Monsanto, Portugal
Less than two hours away from Cáceres, across the Portuguese border, sits this fairytale village, a hilltop hamlet with steep, moss-covered streets and quaint stone cottages set between gigantic prehistoric boulders. Soak up the magical atmosphere, tuck into a traditional broad bean stew, and then hike up to view the Chapel of São Miguel, the Church of Santa Maria do Castelo and the stunning Castle of Monsanto, all recognisable landmarks from Dragonstone.
Santa Clotilde Gardens, Spain
The lush gardens of the Red Keep, where King Viserys walked with his proposed-bride-to-be, the then-12-year-old Laena Velaryon, early on in the first season of House of the Dragon, are actually these immaculately landscaped, sun-soaked gardens in Lloret de Mar, in the northeastern corner of Spain. Just an hour and a half from Barcelona and perched on the edge of the Mediterranean, they make for a spectacular day trip, in which you can take in the sea views and then get lost amongst the hedges, discovering hidden statues, fountains and ivy-strewn villas.
Cave Dale, Peak District
Follow in the footsteps of Matt Smith’s Daemon Targaryen—as he, er, disposes of his first wife, Lady Rhea Royce, in the Vale in the fifth episode of House of the Dragon’s first season—with a ramble through this misty limestone valley in Derbyshire. Stop for a pint in the idyllic village of Castleton afterwards, and then trek up Mam Tor, the rolling hills of which Rhea can be seen riding through in her final moments on screen.
Trujillo, Spain
With the addition of several shaded market stalls peddling everything from plush textiles to animal skins and silver flagons—plus the bronze statue of conquistador Francisco Pizarro atop a horse digitally removed and replaced with a roaring dragon—this beautifully preserved medieval town’s central square, Plaza Mayor, becomes House of the Dragon’s King’s Landing. Pop inside the Church of San Martín de Tours, stop by the Palace of Orellana-Pizarro, and then make your way up to the 10th-century castle, which stood in for the battlements of the Westerosi capital in the seventh season of Game of Thrones. Conveniently, for fans, the historic city is only a half-hour drive from Cáceres, too.
Bourne Woods, Surrey
The site of countless epic battle sequences, from Gladiator and Napoleon to The Witcher, these bewitching woods—just an hour from London, and a commutable distance from House of the Dragon’s studio lot—recently played host to the fiery battle at Rook’s Rest (the one which resulted in the tragic death of Princess Rhaenys and the burning of King Aegon). Take one of the designated walking trails through the forest, gazing up at the turning leaves and listening out for birdsong, and finish with a hearty roast in the nearby market town of Farnham.
La Calahorra, Spain
Pentos, the free city where we find Daemon and his then-wife, Laena Velaryon, in episode six of House of the Dragon’s first season, is, in reality, Castillo de La Calahorra, the imposing 16th-century fortress which casts a shadow over this whitewashed and terracotta-roofed village in Granada. Sitting on the edge of the Sierra Nevada, it’s one of the first Italian Renaissance castles built outside Italy, with giant cylindrical towers, grand marble staircases and an exquisitely detailed inner courtyard. It’s well worth booking a tour.
Anglesey, Wales
Another stand-in for the coast of Dragonstone, the shores of this island in north Wales—and the craggy, windswept Llanddwyn beach, in particular—are as dramatic as it gets. When asked about their favourite locations to film in for House of the Dragon’s second instalment by Vogue, Emma D’Arcy name-checked the region, saying, “We were very lucky to have shot in north Wales for about five weeks this season. I love it there. I want to live there. I think about it a lot. It was just amazing—he weather, the people, the locations. I would have happily shot the rest of the job in north Wales.” We can certainly see why.
This article first appeared on Vogue.co.uk
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