Exploring the North Wales Locations Featured in HBO’s Hit Series House of the Dragon

For any fans of House of the Dragon, the sight of Corlys Velaryon in a boat off the coast, or Westeros’ Dragonstone Castle, will come with an air of familiarity. That’s because the hit HBO prequel series to Game of Thrones, which was largely shot in Northern Ireland, has swapped the Emerald Isle for North Wales. From Anglesey’s shoreline to the slate landscape around Eryri and the rugged mountain ridges of the Ogwen Valley, the world of George R. R. Martin has found a new home in Cymru.

Investment from the Welsh Government and easier access to Warner Bros. soundstages in Hertfordshire were key to the production moving to North Wales for the show’s second and third seasons.

But more than that, the region offers a rich, natural backdrop for the battles that take place. Both varied and suitably dynamic, crews were able to utilise glacial valleys, rugged mountains and dramatic coastlines without having to travel too far. Indeed, one HBO exec told the BBC that the landscape of Cymru added a “vibrant dimension” to the show’s grand scale.

Filming in North Wales

Now in its third season, the fantasy drama television series, the second to be inspired by HBO’s groundbreaking Game of Thrones, has successfully built its own fanbase. In fact, it set a record for the studio’s biggest opening-day audience when it premiered in 2022.

Partly based on the book Fire & Blood and set around 200 years before the events of its predecessor, the screen adaptation has earned critical acclaim and a number of awards, including a Golden Globe.

Developing its own legacy outside the shadow of Game of Thrones, the HBO hit has not only inspired a range of food & drink products, working with the likes of Diageo, and released highly detailed prop replicas and figurines, but has even launched limited-edition make-up and cosmetics lines with L’Oréal and Revolution Beauty.

Its popularity has also led to the release of its officially licensed slot games, such as the new 5×4 slot from Blueprint Gaming that features familiar characters such as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower on its reels.

Now in development on its fourth and final season, showrunners Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik first brought the production to North Wales in 2024, when the crew spent five weeks on location at eight prominent sites across Gwynedd, Conwy and Anglesey. The exterior backdrops of Harrenhal and Dragonstone can be found at Dinorwig Quarry and Yr Eifl, while Anglesey’s beaches, including Beaumaris and Penmon Point, served as the base for House Velaryon’s naval operations.

For many of the general shots of characters on the move through the countryside, the production spent time in Eryri National Park. This played a bigger part in season 3 when locations such as the remote mountain lake, Ffynnon Llugwy, as well as Capel Curig and Nant Peris, were used. Llanddwyn Beach hosted the third season’s major seaside battle, and many of the woodland scenes were shot in Newborough Forest nearby.

A Real-Life Westeros on Our Doorstep

Now, as House of the Dragon heads towards its final chapter and the climactic battles of the Targaryen civil war, North Wales has established itself as a key part of Westeros’ realisation on screen. And while dragons may belong to fiction, the breathtaking real-world backdrop that brought them to life will remain a legacy for Cymru for years to come.