The following is a guest post by María and Leire of Dragonstone Tours. I figured who better to write a post about Game of Thrones filming locations in the Basque Country than actual experts? They have so much knowledge to share and some great tips on getting around, so I hope you enjoy this post!
– Anne-Marie
Hi!
We are María and Leire. We’re both from Bilbao (Bizkaia) and we run a tour company called Dragonstone Tours. With that name you probably guessed we visit the Game of Thrones filming locations in the Basque Country.
In 2016 HBO chose our coast to portray Dragonstone and King’s Landing and we couldn’t believe it! What a dream! Not only for what that exposure could bring to the Basque Country but also for the fans of the highly acclaimed TV show and George R.R. Martin’s saga.
Barrika, also called Muriola Beach, is about 15 minutes from Bilbao. It’s a wild 600-metre-long beach surrounded by beautiful cliffs. This beach was King’s Landing in a scene where Davos picks up Gendry while Tyrion is in a secret meeting with Jaime. This beach sometimes disappears with the tide and it’s usually visited by surfers, so it was a challenge to keep all the filming process as a secret.
To get here the best option is to take bus number A3451 from Las Arenas, quite close to Bilbao by metro. From there it’s a bit of a walk so we suggest to hire a car in order to be free of pressure to take the bus back.
From King’s Landing we move onto Dragonstone and its stronghold. This location has a tongue-twist of a name even for some Basque speakers: San Juan de Gaztelugatxe. It’s a small island that belongs Bermeo. The name can mean two different things according to historians:
– Gaztelu-gatx: difficult castle
– Gaztelu-aitz: castle on the crag
On the top of this island, connected to the mainland by 241 steps, there is a hermitage dedicated to Saint John. All of this area is a protected biotope.
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe has been a place for pirates, covens and legends. Therefore, it’s not an unusual place to film Game of Thrones. If you climb up the 241 steps, do not forget to ring the hermitage bell three times in order to attract good luck and chase away evil spirits!
Getting here it’s a bit tricky as it’s become more and more popular in the last couple of years. Bus number A3517 will take you from Bilbao to Bakio and from there is a shuttle every thirty minutes every day over the summer and only on weekends during off-peak season. You will need tickets beforehand as there is a limit of visitors per day.
The website to book the free tickets for San Juan de Gaztelugatxe is here. They don’t have an English version yet but we are told the ticketing system is still in development as the popularity of the place has grown so much and so fast that they are a bit overwhelmed right now.
The third Basque Country location is Itzurun beach in Zumaia (Gipuzkoa). When Daenerys makes landfall at Dragonstone for the first time in season 7, she does it on this beach. There are few places in the world like this beach and that’s because of the flysch.
The unique landscape was formed over a period of 100 million years. The collision between the Iberian and European tectonic plates exposed these sediments about 50 million years ago. The layers lean west to east and provide valuable information of the earth’s history between 100 and 50 million years ago.
Finally, there is another filming location in Euskal Herria, you will need a car to get here but it is definitely worth it. It’s called Bardenas Reales and it looks like you are setting foot on Mars. This Natural Park is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and it starred as the Dothraki Sea when Dany is held captive after fleeing Meereen with Drogon.
On our tour, from 8AM until 5.30PM, we visit Barrika, San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, Zumaia and also a medieval-like castle called Butrón Castle. We also stop by Bermeo to enjoy their gastronomy and lovely Basque wine called txakoli.
We run regular tours from Bilbao from Wednesdays to Sundays for 65€ per person and private tours that can be customized.
You can contact us on
in**@dr**************.es
or follow us on social media.
Instagram: @dragonstonetours
Twitter: @dragonstonetour
Facebook: @dragonstonetour
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