Chasing Game of Thrones in Spain

There is still some time to go for the final season of Game of Thrones and while I anxiously await and despair simultaneously the end of this fantastic piece of TV, I thought of putting together a few Game of Thrones filming locations in Spain that I recently visited.

Dubrovnik is the first place that comes to mind when you think Game of Thrones and it has clearly established itself as the go to location to relive some of the iconic scenes from the series. I am one of those who got pulled to the medieval town because of that reason, but let me tell you that there are far greater number of locations spread throughout Spain where you can spot everything from Highgarden, Dorne to Dragonstone.

I have already written about Girona, a city near Barcelona, which was the backdrop for the city of Braavos. In this post I will be focusing on Game of Thrones filming locations in south of Spain or the Andalucia region of Spain. In particular, the ones I visited are located in and around Seville and Cordoba, two major cities of Andalucia. So if you are a fan and planning a holiday in these cities (which I would anyway recommend you do), add these to your itinerary as it is quite easy to visit all these filming locations.

And as always, SPOILERS ALERT.

Real Alcazar of Seville serves as Dorne

What could be better than south of Spain to showcase the tropical setting of Dorne? The lush gardens and stately rooms of Sunspear castle that appear repeatedly in Game of Thrones belong to the absolutely breathtaking Real Alcazar, the Royal palace of Seville. The lush gardens of the Alcazar feature heavily in many scenes from the series. Patio de las Doncellas, Assembly rooms and Baths of Lady María de Padilla are some of the other prominent areas of Alcazar that have featured in the show.

Atarazanas, Seville

Atarazanas is a medieval royal shipyard in Seville. Its low lying archways can easily serve as dungeons which they have at least in two scenes that I was able to spot – when Bronn sets up a meeting of Tyrion with Jamie and the other one in which Cersei meets Qyburn to see the “dragon killing” machine.

However, Atarazancas is not open to the public. So how did I get a view of the inside? Through some broken windows. Yes, there was no way I was going back without getting a peek.

If you want to do the same then walk along Calle Dos de Meyo which borders Atarazancas and look through the broken windows. Its archways are actually quite pretty and I wish they’d open it for us common folk.

Also read: Game of Thrones filming locations in Dubrovnik

Castillo Almodovar del Rio

Remember when in Season 7 the Lannister army marches to capture the seat of Highgarden? The castle depicted as Highgarden really is Castillo Almodovar del Rio located in the Cordoba region of Andalucia.

If travelling between Seville and Cordoba, it can be reached by taking a detour on A-431. The castle suddenly appears around a bend in the road giving the exact same view as in the episode when the army is seen approaching the castle. Keep an eye out for it.

Roman bridge, Cordoba

The Roman bridge of Cordoba is a 2000 year old arched bridge which used to be the only entry point to the old town of Cordoba in yester years.

In Game of Thrones, it served as the foundation for the long bridge of Volantis (and then heavily modified). Go back to Season 5 and think of Tyrion and Varys crossing the bridge of Volantis to escape Westeros.

Italica, near Seville

This was ONE location I was MOST excited about in the entire holiday. Why? Because that iconic scene where Danaerys rides her remaining two dragons and arrives in King’s Landing to meet Cersei at a former dragon pit was shot here.

So Why is it last in this list then? Because without any kind of prior warning, we were told by the guard at Italica that it was closed for the day we visited. No reason given. A failure of epic proportions (at least that’s what it felt like then).

Italica was an important Roman city of Spain established nearly 2000 years ago and is located just a twenty minute drive outside Seville. The ruins here are spread out over a large area comprising of houses and baths but at centre stage is a 25,000 seater amphitheatre which is precisely where the Westeros Kings and queens decided to meet.

We were given directions to a location from where we might spot the amphitheatre but as you can see below all that was visible was dense foliage and nothing more.

 

That’s it. This is just a start and I have made it one of my smaller goals to visit more of the locations, not just for Game of Thrones, but because my love affair with Andalucian part of Spain has only just started and it wouldn’t end just now. And so, this list is only going to grow longer.

Have you visited any Game of Thrones locations in Spain? Let me know in the comments below.