The hit series Game of Thrones is known for its beautiful and sometimes historic filming locations. For example, the series was filmed in several historic castles around the world.
Famous castles from Game of Thrones: Winterfell Castle
The fictional Winterfell Castle is known from Game of Thrones as the home of the Starks. It is located in the middle of the north of Westeros, exactly halfway between the Riverlands in the south and the Wall in the north.
- Doune Castle: This is a late medieval castle in the Scottish Highlands. It was used as the filming location for Winterfell in the pilot episode of GoT.
- Castle Ward: Old Castle Ward in Northern Ireland was chosen as the filming location for all other scenes set in and around Winterfell. The castle was built in 1610 and was originally intended as a tower castle for the Ward family to live in.
- However, the family moved to a nearby manor house shortly afterwards and the Old Castle continued to be used economically as a slaughterhouse, stables for livestock, a mill, etc.
The Red Keep
The Red Keep stands on one of King’s Landing’s hills and is the seat of the royal family. It was built in the series by Aegon I and Maegor I Targaryen.
- Lovrijenac Fortress: This fortress is also known as the “Gibraltar of Dubrovnik.” While the exterior of the Red Keep was primarily created using computer animation, the scenes set inside the castle were filmed at Lovrijenac Fortress.
- If you would like to visit this fortress yourself, you will find it west of Dubrovnik in Croatia, outside the old city walls. It is located on a rock almost 40 meters above the sea.
Castle Schnellwasser
Castle Schnellwasser is the seat of the Tullys. The castle is located in the Riverlands, directly on the Trident.
- Gosford Castle: This castle is actually located in Ireland and was only built and completed in 1859. During World War II, the castle was placed under state control and converted into a prisoner-of-war camp.
- The company had the castle renovated and 23 luxury apartments built inside.
- The castle changed hands twice in the 20th century, first when the state bought it from the Acheson noble family and later, in 2006, when it was sold to the Gosford Castle Developments company.
Dragonstone Castle
Dragonstone Castle was the first place the Targaryens settled in Westeros. After the fall of the Targaryens, Dragonstone Castle passed into the possession of the Baratheon family. Dragonstone Castle is located on an island in Blackwater Bay.
- Gaztelugatxe: The filming location for Dragonstone is in Spain. More precisely, it is on the small rocky island of Gaztelugatxe in the Bay of Biscay (near Bilbao).
- While the long, zigzagging stone staircase actually exists, the footage of Dragonstone Castle is entirely computer-generated. The island is actually home to the small chapel of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe.
Sunspear and the Water Gardens
Sunspear is the palace of the noble Martell family of Dorne. It is located on the southeast coast of Westeros. The Water Gardens serve as a retreat for the Martell family outside the city and are not far from Sunspear.
- Alcázar of Seville: Built by the Moors in the Middle Ages and later significantly expanded by the Christians, this palace still serves as the residence of the Spanish royal family when they visit the city of Seville.
- The exterior of Sunspear Palace was created on a computer, while large parts of the palace’s interior were filmed at the Alcázar. The gardens of the Alcázar underwent only minor computer modification to depict the Martells’ water gardens.
- Both the palace and the gardens are accessible to tourists as part of guided tours.
