Where is House of the Dragon filmed?

Westeros: a world of dragons, incest and iconic pointy furniture. The original Game of Thrones (GoT) TV series was a game changer when it came to set-jetting, prompting waves of visitors to head to Croatia, Malta and Northern Ireland to see where it was filmed. However, prequel series House of the Dragon (now onto its second season) has given us a new take on the Seven Kingdoms. Filmed in largely fresh locations, many offer a little sunlight in contrast with all that candlelit tension.

One returning locale is the cobbles and Moorish buildings of Cáceres’ Old Town in Spain’s Extremadura region, which doubles for fictional capital King’s Landing. Visitors can take in the Aztec-inspired murals on the walls of the domed Palacio Toledo-Moctezuma, once home to the last Aztec empress Isabel Moctezuma, whose story is every bit as remarkable as anything George RR Martin has penned.

One unusual filming location is found over the Portuguese border in the village of Monsanto. Its streets are interlaced with giant boulders and lie strewn across a hill crowned with castle ruins said to have once belonged to the Knights Templar. A 15-minute drive away lies the 13th-century Penha Garcia castle, which also features in the series.

If GoT is forever connected to Northern Island, its prequel has made a showcase of the western fringes of Great Britain. Cornwall features often, with the legend-laden island of St Michael’s Mount and its 12th-century buildings standing in for House Velaryon’s ancestral seat of Driftmark. Elsewhere, the National Trust beach of Kynance Cove at the county’s southern tip formed the setting for the Velaryon camp as it prepared for the War of the Stepstones in season one, a fight whose backdrop was filmed in the dunes and headlands of Holywell Bay (once a Poldark regular).

Season two, however, has gone big on Wales. The north-western county of Gwynedd provided several locations, with filming having taken place at the Yr Eifl granite quarry (the exterior of Dragonstone castle), Dinorwig quarry (the cursed Harrenhal castle) and the glacial Ogwen Valley, where filmmakers have taken full advantage of the sweeping views of Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park.

At Wales’ north-western tip lies Anglesey, whose rocky outcrop at Llanddwyn beach is believed to host a key scene from the latest series. Beaumaris beach has also found itself getting a Westeros makeover as the setting for a cavalry charge. Meanwhile, secluded Porth y Cwch cove is the location for one of the series’ most tear-jerking moments, involving the embattled Rhaenyra Targaryen. Wild Wales is in many ways a spiritual match for Westeros: rugged, epic and a land where a fierce red dragon always flies high.

Season two of House of the Dragon is available to watch on Sky Atlantic and Now.