House of the Dragon has returned for its second series after a two-year wait, and the reign of House Targaryen over the Seven Kingdoms is as chaotic and spectacularly scenic as ever.
The HBO fantasy series and Game of Thrones prequel premiered on Monday (17 June) for an eight episode run as rival factions vie for the Iron Throne.
A star-studded cast including Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy as ice-blonde Targaryens are backdropped by otherworldly destinations new and old for the eagerly anticipated second series of George RR Martin’s book Fire & Blood.
Where its Game of Thrones predecessor was shot mainly in Ireland, Croatia and Iceland, the acclaimed spin-off stayed a little closer to home for its revival of Westeros.
Although several scenes were filmed at Warner Bros Leavesden Studios in Watford – originally the home of Harry Potter – cameras rolled on location across the UK last summer.
With rural destinations in England and North Wales ripe for a road trip, here are the epic settings breathing fire into HBO’s deadly fantasy drama.
Where is House of the Dragon filmed?
Season one
Spain
Caceres
The fortified palaces, Renaissance architecture and cobbled streets of Caceres in western Spain took the baton from Dubrovnik as the capital of Westeros. Filming at the Unesco World Heritage Site included the Old Town and the Plaza de Santa Maria – overlooked by a 15th-century Gothic cathedral and some fitting gargoyles.
Trujillo
The main square of Trujillo also captured medieval moments in King’s Landing for season one. With well-preserved Roman ruins and Moorish hilltop castles just east of Cacares, it’s no surprise that the town of terracotta stone was previously seen in Game of Thrones.
Santa Clotilde Gardens, Lloret de Mar
In Catalonia’s Lloret de Mar, the botanical gardens of Santa Clotilde doubled as the gardens of the Red Keep, with panoramic views over the Mediterranean Sea. Built in Italian Renaissance style in 1926, the Girona gardens are a maze of staircases, groomed lawns and flora that…
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