House of the Dragon has returned to screens with its third season, and the new episodes draw on 8 filming locations across the United Kingdom. The places, spread mainly across Wales and southern England, are now likely to attract fans of the Game of Thrones prequel looking to visit the real landscapes behind Westeros.
The series, which is based on Fire and Blood, began on Sky on 22 June 2026, in line with the United States release. The locations include forests, coastal paths, historic castles and former military sites that the production used for battle scenes, strategic gatherings and dragon landings.
Surrey, Anglesey, Snowdonia, Conwy, Duxford and Leavesden all feature in the production, alongside other British landscapes that help give the show its medieval scale. The settings combine natural drama with fortified architecture, a mix that has long made the wider Game of Thrones universe a destination for screen tourism.
In Surrey, the production used Barossa Nature Reserve, Swinley Forest and Leith Hill. The county, not far from London, is known for its green spaces, wooded hills and period villages, and the show transformed those locations into military zones and battlefields.
Leith Hill, with its tower and wide views across the surrounding countryside, fit the production’s need for elevated strongpoints. The area has long been popular with walkers and outdoor enthusiasts, but it now also has added appeal for fans tracing the route of the Targaryen civil war on screen.
More action scenes were filmed at the Imperial War Museum Duxford, the aviation museum site in Cambridgeshire. The complex, which includes seven exhibition areas and an airfield, has become a familiar filming location because of its open spaces and military hardware.
Anglesey provided some of the season’s most striking coastal scenery. The island, in north Wales and separated from the mainland by the Menai Strait, offers 200km of coastline, with bays, cliffs and beaches that suit the scale of dragon-themed storytelling.
Llanddwyn beach, also known as Newborough Beach, appears as a dragon landing place, while the Victorian wooden pier at Beaumaris was used for scenes involving Targaryen fleets and shifting alliances at sea. Penmon Point, with views of its lighthouse and Puffin Island, also appears in the new season.
Snowdonia National Park, also known as Eryri National Park, returns as a major backdrop after appearing in earlier seasons. Craig yr Undeb, or Union Rock, on Llyn Padarn, is used for key moments in the series, with the surrounding mountains adding scale and tension.
The production was also filmed at Dinorwic quarry, once the second-largest slate quarry in the world. Today, it is a tourist site popular for trekking, climbing, and industrial heritage, but on screen it becomes a place where armies prepare for battle.
Another Snowdonia location, Ffynnon Llugwy, appears in quieter scenes, with the lake’s calm waters and surrounding greenery contrasting with the violence elsewhere in the story. The Llanberis Pass also features, with its more barren landscape adding a harsher visual tone.
Conwy, on the north Wales coast, is another key stop. The medieval town is best known for its castle, built for Edward I at the end of the 13th century, and its walls, drawbridge and eight round towers give the production a ready-made Westeros atmosphere.
The castle is among the best-preserved in Wales and remains one of the best-known landmarks on the Wales Way. Its narrow streets and fortified skyline make it an obvious fit for a story built around court intrigue, power struggles and shifting loyalties.
Not all of the action was filmed outdoors. Warner Bros Studios Leavesden also hosted scenes for the season, continuing a long association with the wider Game of Thrones franchise. The studio has previously been used for some of the saga’s most memorable moments and remains central to its production.
The locations are likely to interest travellers as much as viewers. Screen tourism has become a major part of the Game of Thrones legacy, with fans often adding filming sites to their itineraries after each new series or spin-off.
That pattern is now set to continue with House of the Dragon season 3. From Welsh coastlines to Surrey woodlands and museum airfields, the series once again turns real places into the world of Westeros.
