House of the Dragon: Cornwall to Spain

Three years into the war in the Stepstones, things are going badly for Daemon and the Velaryons: the enemy corsairs retreat into deep caves whenever Daemon attacks on his dragon. Kynance Cove, on Cornwall's Lizard peninsula, stands in for the Stepstones, east of Dorne, and for the Velaryon camp where the war council prepares its offensive. Episode 3 ends with Daemon chasing the enemy leader into the caverns and killing him. In real life the cove belongs to the National Trust, with four stacks rising from the sand: The Bishop, Gull Rock, Asparagus Island and Steeple Rock.

Visitor guidance: Reached on foot from the National Trust car park; Visit Cornwall recommends going out of season.

On screen this tidal island is Driftmark, seat of House Velaryon, and its castle is High Tide. In episode 5 Viserys and Rhaenyra sail here to arrange the princess's marriage to Laenor, and she tells him that once married they can be free to have lovers. In episode 7 the court returns for Lady Laena's funeral, and the same episode brings a duel in High Tide's hall and a Valyrian wedding. In real life the Mount is linked to Marazion by a granite causeway, passable between mid-tide and low water, and the castle has been the St Aubyn family home since around 1650.

Visitor guidance: Managed by the National Trust; walk the causeway from Marazion between mid-tide and low water.

Far from Cornwall, a Renaissance castle in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada plays a manse in Pentos. In episode 6, Daemon and Laena Velaryon visit the free city with their daughters Baela and Rhaena. Prince Reggio Haratis offers Daemon a portion of his lands in exchange for military help against the Triarchy. Daemon contemplates the offer, but Laena criticizes him for choosing an easy life over his rightful place at Driftmark. The castle was built between 1509 and 1512 and is one of the first Italian Renaissance castles outside Italy.

Holywell Bay is the beach under High Tide. That night, in episode 7, Rhaenyra and Daemon meet on the sand and become intimate, while Prince Aemond sneaks out to claim Laena's dragon Vhagar. The fight with his nephews and nieces that follows costs him his left eye, and he insists that gaining the dragon was a fair exchange. Visit Cornwall singles out the moonlit beach walk. The beach lies beside Holywell village, about three miles from Newquay, and a 5,000-year-old dune system, one of the largest in Britain, borders its east side.

Visitor guidance: Public beach beside Holywell village, west-southwest of Newquay.

For King's Landing the production moved to western Spain. The walled old town of Cáceres, a medieval setting that has hosted many shoots, was used for scenes in season 1 and returned in May 2023 for the season 2 street scenes. Episode 2 shows the capital after the murder of Aegon's son Jaehaerys: commoners offer condolences to Alicent and Helaena during the funeral procession, and Aegon has every ratcatcher, Cheese included, publicly hanged. Cáceres has been a UNESCO World Heritage city since 1986.

Location precision: Sources say the King's Landing streets were shot in Cáceres without naming them; the pin marks the walled old town.

Visitor guidance: The walled old town is a UNESCO World Heritage site; its main gate is the Arco de la Estrella.

Trujillo's hilltop castle was used in season 2 for the King's Landing background or general Westerlands scenes, and the town shared the episode 2 street scenes with Cáceres. The town was also used for King's Landing in season 1, and Game of Thrones had earlier used the same castle as Casterly Rock. The fortress dates from the 9th to 12th centuries and stands on the town's highest point, the Cabeza del Zorro hill, with an image of the Virgen de la Victoria, patron of Trujillo, at its entrance.