Visit Westeros IRL With These 'House of the Dragon' Filming Locations

Many aspects of a fantasy show such as HBO's House of the Dragon are carefully crafted in CGI, but the filming locations are often left untouched. The popularity and commercial success of the predecessor show Game of Thrones has skyrocketed tours of Croatia and the U.K. just to catch a glimpse of what "Westeros" looks like.

Where was House of the Dragon filmed? Let's find out if any of the locations are the same as Game of Thrones, and which locations will be new to fans and first-time viewers alike.

According to Express UK, the main Game of Thrones Studio Tour takes place at Linen Mill Studios in Banbridge, Northern Ireland, where much of the show was filmed. However, a key difference is that House of the Dragon moves away from Northern Ireland as a primary filming location. Instead, the "home base" for the show is now The Warner Bros Leavesden Studios in England.

Scenes for House of the Dragon were reportedly shot outside the U.K. too, notably in Monsanto, Portugal, at the Castle of Monsanto. The gorgeous medieval fortress is built out of granite with an overlook of a rocky shore, perfect for any medieval-inspired fantasy setting.

In addition to Portugal, scenes for House of the Dragon were filmed in Cáceres, Spain. Oprah Daily notes that Cáceres isn't a new location to the HBO show, and has been used to portray King's Landing in Westeros since Game of Thrones. The House of the Dragon cast was spotted filming in Cáceres in October 2021.

Filming for House of the Dragon also took place in La Calahorra, Grenada, Spain. The location boasts small castles in the Italian Renaissance style, but Grenadan newspaper Ideal says filming at this location was primarily completed at night. Explosions, flares, and other pyrotechnics were spotted in connection with the production.

Some of the earliest leaked set photos from House of the Dragon took place in St. Michael’s Mount in Cornwall, England, on Holywell Beach. The photos featured a now-iconic first-look photo of cousins Rhaenyra and Daemon having a conversation. In addition to the beach, a 12th-century castle belonging to the St. Aubyn family is rumored to depict Driftmark, the home of the Sea Snake.

House of the Dragon moved the show's "home base" to Leavesden Studios, which are located just outside London. According to The Hollywood Reporter, "much of the show's action" would take place at the Studios, which reportedly stand in for the Red Keep. The Red Keep is located in the heart of Westeros, and the studios built a set as a "united playscape of interconnected rooms and staircases, where directors can stage action that seamlessly flows from one room to another."

Fans will get to see what the full version of House of the Dragon's Westeros looks like on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.