All of the Castles, Gardens, and Villages Used as Filming Locations in “House of the Dragon”

Much like “Game of Thrones,” “House of the Dragon” — which only premiered a matter of days ago and already claims the title of HBO’s biggest series premiere ever, drawing in nearly 10 million viewers — boasts a bevy of otherworldly filming locations that can be visited in real life. Below, find six sites — including castles, gardens, and villages — throughout the U.K., Spain, and Portugal that can be seen throughout the series’ first season. 

In “House of the Dragon,” a tidal island known as St Michael’s Mount acts as the fictional island of Driftmark — which is the seat of House Velaryon — in the also fictional Blackwater Bay. The St Aubyn family has called both the castle and the chapel on St Michael’s Mount home since 1650, approximately. 

The picturesque English village of Castleton was transformed into The Vale of Arryn for “House of the Dragon.” It’s located in the High Peak district of Derbyshire and boasts a population of under 700 people, according to the 2011 Census.

Known as Pentos in “House of the Dragon,” La Calahorra is a municipality in Granada, Spain that is home to a medieval castle known as Castillo de La Calahorra. In the series, this town acts as a free city located across from Westeros. Just like the aforementioned Castleton, La Calahorra has a population of less than 700.

If the medieval city of Cáceres, Spain looks familiar, it’s probably because it was also used as a filming location in “Game of Thrones,” for exterior shots of King’s Landing. In 1986, Cáceres was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Jardins de Santa Clotilde — or the Santa Clotilde Gardens — encompasses nearly 40 acres of lush landscaping and boasts scenic views of the Mediterranean Sea. It was designed in 1919 by Nicolau Maria Rubió i Tudurí and named after the first wife of its founder, Raül Roviralta i Astoul. 

The Portuguese village of Monsanto acts as Dragonstone, the ancestral home of House Targaryen, in “House of the Dragon.” The show’s executive producer, Jocelyn Diaz, said in a statement, “there are prehistoric rock formations on top of the hill and it’s just amazing. But it’s very remote and you can only reach it by foot, which meant that everything, all the equipment, had to be taken to the set by helicopter.”