The map of the fictional places of series, movies and novels that you can visit in Spain
The scenarios play a fundamental role in the plot of any movie, series or book. Sometimes, they even personify themselves until they become just another character in the story.
Would you like to visit Oeste, the fictional region of Live without permission? And the planet Naboo from Star Wars? How about a walk through the village of the Alcántara family? Or better, a route with stops at Dragonstone, Meereen, Volantis and King's Landing?
All these scenarios are in Spain and, to celebrate the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony (which will take place on April 26), the destination experience booking platform Musement has created an infographic with more than 30 fictitious places that actually exist
In these cities, towns and landscapes the plots of well-known films, television series and literary works unfold. Grab some popcorn and get comfortable - the journey begins!
The map of the fictitious places of Spain
THE SEVEN KINGDOMS (OF ANDALUSIA)
Let's start with Andalusia, specifically with the Plaza de España in Seville, which in the year 2000 became Naboo for a few hours, the fictional planet from the movie Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.
Without leaving Seville, we can visit the Kingdom of Dorne from Game of Thrones, since the Real Alcázar of Seville, and especially its spectacular gardens, recreated the home of the Martell family: the Gallery of the Grotto, the baths of Doña María Padilla, the Pavilion of Carlos V and the Hall of the Ambassadors were the backdrop for some of the scenes in the series.
Let's continue through the Seven Kingdoms, because in the fifth season, the Osuna bullring gave life to the Pit of Daznak, the largest fighting arena in Meereen, one of the slave towns in Slaver's Bay.
The number of visitors to this Andalusian town multiplied after the issuance of the scene in which Khalessi manages to flee from the combat arena on the back of his dragon.
And from Osuna we jump to Córdoba, or should we say Volantis? The writers of JdT chose the Roman Bridge of Cordoba to reproduce the Long Bridge, which joins both parts of Volantis, one of the free cities in the famous saga.
Royal Alcazar of Seville
Let's change gears and land on Campoamargo, the fictional Almeria town where the plot of Mar de Plástico takes place.
The scenes of the series were not shot in one place, but in several towns of the Poniente Almeriense region and surroundings, such as: Cabo de Gata, El Ejido, La Mojonera, San Isidro, etc.
Our Andalusian route ends in Alminares, the town of the Rocío series, almost mother supposedly located in a rural setting on the Costa del Sol. The real locations correspond to Carratraca, El Juanar, Coín, Ojén and surroundings.
sea of plastic
CATALONIA, ITS 8 SURNAMES AND THE NARROW SEA
The castle of Santa Florentina, a spectacular medieval fortress from the 11th century in Canet de Mar (Barcelona) , became Horn Hill, the family home of Samwell Tarly. The Patio de Armas and the Throne Room were some of the places chosen to recreate the settlement of House Tarly.
Castle of Santa Florentina, in Canet de Mar (Barcelona)
And in Girona we find nothing less than Braavos, the largest of the Free Cities and also the most powerful. Follow in the footsteps of the intrepid Arya Stark through the Plaza dels Jurats (Braavos theatre), Bisbe Cartañá street (on whose steps she begged Arya for alms) and the Passeig Arqueològic (Braavos market). Indeed, Girona also gave life to Antigua and King's Landing.
Girona (Antigua, Braavos, King's Landing...?)
Did you crack yourself with 8 Catalan surnames? The action of this film takes place in Soronelles , a fictitious town recreated in several Girona towns.
Plaza de Soronelles is actually Plaza Jaume I de Monells, while the image of the town entrance in which the sign appears indicating how far away Soronelles is is Foixà.
In Punta Escarlata, two policemen try to solve the strange disappearance, eight years ago, of two girls in a coastal town called Scarlet Tip . Although the village as such does not exist, 90% of the exterior scenes of the series were recorded in Altafulla, a small town near Tarragona.
'Eight Catalan surnames'
GALICIA: COPYING THE SCREEN
Galicia has been the setting for series, movies and soap operas ad nauseum and we will never tire of it! The novel La saga/fuga de J. B., by Gonzalo Torrente Ballester, tells how the tranquility is broken in the imaginary city of Castroforte del Baralla after the disappearance of a relic. It is said that the writer was inspired by Pontevedra to devise this fictitious place.
Live without permission, the television series based on the work of Manuel Rivas, takes place in the fictional region of Oeste. Various towns in O Salnés, such as Illa de Arousa and Vilagarcia de Arousa , became the backdrop for the power struggle of members of the Nemo Bandeira clan.
To shoot Néboa, another of our favorites, the producers of the series looked for different locations in Galicia. This fictional island of more than 6,000 inhabitants, located 11 km off the coast of Ortegal, which can only be reached by ferry, corresponds to the town of O Barqueiro, but this is not the only real scenario: Estaca de Bares, Ortigueira, Cariño or the Fraga de Cecebre are also part of this imaginary island.
Arnela Beach, during the filming of 'Néboa'
Admit it, you also saw The mess you leave behind. The series, based on the novel by Carlos Montero, takes us to Novariz, a fictional town set largely in Celanova , a small town just over 20 km from Ourense.
Here is the institute where a good part of the events take place, Celanova Secondary School, located in a spectacular neoclassical building.
The hot springs near Novariz are actually the Bande hot springs, while the river walk of the Avia River in Rivadavia and the Chelo Natural Area complete the ideal “set” for the plots of the protagonists.
The mess you leave
VALENCIAN COMMUNITY
The writers of Game of Thrones chose different parts of Spain to recreate the slave city of Meereen. While the bullring in Osuna (Andalusia) became the largest fighting arena in Meereen, the Rampa de Felipe II, the Portal Fosc, the Plaza de Santa María, the Paseo de Ronda and the Parque de la Artillería de Peñíscola became the backdrop for the comings and goings of Tyrion and Varys in the sixth season.
The Serie The valley, which takes place in the town of the same name, located in the Sierra de Espadán, which tries to fight against depopulation, was shot for the most part in Alfondeguilla (Castellón) and Cheste (Valencia).
Peniscola (Meereen)
CASTILLA Y LEÓN: RURAL LOVE
Belén Rueda and Olivia Molina were the protagonists of Luna, the mystery of Calenda, a series set in the fictional town of Calenda, in which mysterious events follow one another. A good part of the exterior scenes to recreate Candela were shot in the Salamancan municipality of Candelario.
How many times have you wanted to head to the town of El pueblo (forgive the redundancy)? After the success of the series, Valdelavilla has become one of the most visited places in the province of Soria and travelers from all over Spain come here to discover the real locations of Peñafría, the fictional town to which the protagonists of the comedy move.
Our last stop in Castilla y León is Sagrillas, the original town of one of the most famous families on television: the Alcántaras. The scenes to recreate this fictional town, which is supposed to be in Albacete, have actually been filmed in Arahuetes, province of Segovia.
Luna, the mystery of Calenda: werewolves in Castilla y León
BASQUE COUNTRY: PLENTY OF PRESENTATIONS
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe in Bermeo and Itzurun beach in Zumaia come together to recreate the island of Dragonstone, which is the ancient settlement of House Targaryen, current home of Stannis Baratheon.
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, in Bermeo (Vizcaya)
CASTILLA-LA MANCHA: MERENGUE, MERENGUE!
Villazarcillo is the hometown of Amador and Teodoro Rivas, and here the residents of the Mirador de Montepinar moved during the rehabilitation works of their homes in the ninth season of La que se avecina.
Villazarcillo is actually a fictional town, but the scenes were shot in Carranque, a small town between Toledo and Madrid.
HAUNTED CANARY ISLANDS
The Canary Islands are part of the stage cast of the series The Witcher . The Garafía Coast, with its spectacular cliffs, beaches and caves, became the place chosen to give life to the magical island of Thanedd, on which the school for young sorceresses is located.
The vegetation, the waterfalls and the luminosity of the Tilos forest, La Zarza and Cubo de Galga served as the setting to recreate the Brokilón forest, also known as Forest of Death, ruled by the dryads and their queen Eithné, in which humans are forbidden to enter.
Observatory of Roque de los Muchachos de Garafía
THE GREAT RIOJANA RESERVE
The locality of Briones , located on a hill 80 meters high, served as a stage to recreate the fictional town of The NAP.
Visitors who come to this La Rioja town can relive the history of the families of Gran Reserva winemakers: the Cortázars and the Revertes.
The series stars Paula Echevarría (Lucía Reverte), Tristán Ulloa (Miguel Cortázar Ortiz), Emilio Gutiérrez Caba (Don Vicente Cortázar) and Ana Risueño (Emma Cortázar Ortiz).
Briones, La Rioja
DISEMBARKING IN EXTREMADURA
One of the places chosen to give life to King's Landing, capital of the Seven Kingdoms, was Cáceres.
The Adarve, the Arco de la Estrella, the Cathedral of Santa María or the Cuesta de la Compañía were some of the selected scenarios. The city of Extremadura also serves as a backdrop to recreate Ancient.
Caceres
A HOTEL IN CANTABRIA
The Palacio de la Magdalena in Santander became the Gran Hotel, a luxury hotel located on the outskirts of the fictional town of Cantaloa, many of whose scenes were shot in the beautiful town of Bárcena Mayor.
Other scenes to recreate Cantaloa were also recorded in Patones de Arriba, in the Community of Madrid.
The Palacio de la Magdalena, scene of the Gran Hotel series
THE OLD ASTURIAS
Leopoldo Alas Clarín was inspired by Oviedo to recreate Vetusta, the city where all the action of La regenta takes place, masterpiece of Spanish literature. The cathedral, the church of San Isidro or El Fontán These are some of the scenes of the comings and goings of Ana Ozores, the novel's protagonist.
And from the Asturian capital we head for the fishing village of Lastres, which became San Martín del Sella in Doctor Mateo. Do not hesitate to do the Route of Doctor Mateo following in the footsteps of famous country doctor through its key places: the doctor's house, the plumbers' house, the village tavern, the police station or the teacher's house are some of the stops on this thematic itinerary.
The Regent
MADRID'S COMMUNITY
In the early 1970s, TVE broadcast the series Chronicles of a town, in which the life of the inhabitants of a small town called Puebla Nueva del Rey Sancho, which in theory was in Castile, was narrated. Actually, most of the scenes were recorded in Santorcaz (Madrid's community).
Did you see the series Matadero? Its plot takes place in Torrecillas, a small town located between Portugal and Valladolid, dedicated to agriculture and livestock. Torrecillas is a fictitious name, but if you want to visit the sets of the series, you should know that a good part of the exterior scenes were shot in Olmeda de Fuentes.
Santorcaz was the Puebla Nueva of King Sancho from 'Chronicles of a people'
BALEARIC ISLANDS AND ITS TRAMUNTANA
In the second installment of the series* The hunt. Tramuntana*, the action moves from the Pyrenees to Mallorca, specifically to a small fictional town called Tramuntana, which is actually Valldemossa.
Valldemossa
LITERARY ARAGON
If you have seen The Hunt. Monteperdido, the tension of the story is intensified by the exuberant nature of the Aragonese Pyrenees. This thriller, based on the bestseller by Agustín Martínez, was shot in different areas of the region of La Ribagorza, although it is the streets of Benasque and Cerler that give life to the fictional town of Monteperdido.
And we continue with a literary scene, that of the novel La inn of the well, whose author, Raquel Victoria Morea, places the plot in a small town in Teruel, called Alsilos. Through the experiences of its inhabitants we enter a key period in the history of Spain: from the proclamation of the Second Republic to the postwar period.
The hunt. Monteperdido
SEA IN NAVARRA?
Dothraki Sea is a vast plain located in Essos, the largest of the four continents devised by George R. R. Martin.
What better place than the Royal Bardenas , the incredible World Biosphere Reserve located in Navarra, to represent the people of the Dothraki warriors?
And here's a preview: at the end of 2020, Netflix announced that its next series, You are not special, would start shooting this year in Navarra. In principle, everything seems to indicate that in order to recreate the fictitious town of Salavarría, various scenes will be recorded in Lekunberri, Leitza and surroundings.
Bardenas Reales, Navarre