Visiting the Game of Throne’s Dragonstone at San Juan de Gaztelugatxe
Spain has been used in many monumental Game of Thrones episodes and nothing beats the isolated and eerie nature of Dragonstone and actually located in Northern Spain at San Juan de Gaztelugatxe. The ancestral home of the Mother of Dragons, Daenerys Targaryen, the winding staircase going up to the home is actually a church that is dedicated to St. John the Baptist. Gaztelugatxe is a popular historical and pilgrimage site on its own, but with the added exposure of Dragonstone and Game of Thrones, has elevated this stunning place as a must visit attraction in the Basque region of Spain.
With the influx of Game of Thrones fans, the site in 2019 reached over 750,000 visitors annually which made it necessary for the tourism board to create an advanced reservation system online with a maximum daily limit of 1500 visitors to the site. Fans of Game of Thrones series have indeed created this as a new pilgrimage site to visit Gaztelugatxe on top of other visitors to the spot that love to see unusual and beautiful landmarks in the area.
Visiting Gaztelugatxe in Basque Country
Even prior to Gaztelugatxe.becoming well known in the Game of Thrones series, the historical hermitage at the top of this outcrop was also a pilgrimage site to cross the island up through the giant rock to the site.
Fortunately, now there is a stone bridge that was formed along with 241 steep steps winding up the rock with this gorgeous stone walkway that crosses to the impressive rock island. Along the route through the causeway you’ll see alot of erosion especially with the huge cave and natural arches that have formed the island to what it looks like today.
When you first view San Juan de Gaztelugatxe from a short walk via the parking lot to a clearning, it looks quite impressive. It gets even better once you start to head down the trails to get different views of the rock island and church. It only takes about 20 minutes on mostly gravel and dirt trail to reach the base and impressive causeway to the rock island and you really see the enormous rock and church above.
Why was Game of Throne’s Dragonstone chosen at San Juan de Gaztelugatxe
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe was chosen as the filming location for Dragonstone in Game of Thrones due to its dramatic and unique landscape. The small islet on the coast of the Basque Country in Spain features a winding stone staircase leading to a historic hermitage at the top, creating a striking visual that matched the grandeur of Daenerys Targaryen’s ancestral home.
The rugged cliffs, crashing waves, and misty atmosphere added a mystical and cinematic quality, making it an ideal stand-in for Dragonstone’s imposing fortress. While CGI was used to enhance the castle itself, the natural setting of Gaztelugatxe provided an authentic and breathtaking backdrop for many key scenes in Season 7.
The Game of Thrones version shows an impressive CGI fortress above the rock in place of a little stone church that had replaced the old hermitage from years of erosion and destruction.
In any case, the climb to the top is inspiring with crashing waves on large rocks, views of the cave features on the left, the rugged coastline and colorful and wild spring flowers popping up in every crevice at the time I visited the site.
Visiting the church at Gaztelugatxe
Tip – There are benches placed intermittently with great view spots, take advantage of them when you need to rest and catch your breath – its definitely a climb!
Getting to Gaztelugatxe
You can get to Gaztelugatxe taking a tour, by bus or car. my favorite is on a tour so you don’t have to worry about the transport, parking and you get a guided tour of the site and a few other places nearby and the prices are affordable. Here are the options below:
By Tour
I usually like to book on Get Your Guide since the process is seemless and they vet good outfitters that know the area and are good guides with knowledge of the area. Here’s a sampling of tours coming from BIlbao and San Sebastian area.
From Bilbao: Gaztelugatxe, Gernika, and Mundaka Group Tour
Bilbao:Gaztelugatxe,Bermeo,Mundaka,Gernika with Txakoli wine
Bilbao: San Juan de Gaztelugatxe and Walk along Basque Coast
By Bus
Buses depart from the nearby city of Bakio regularly between 9.30 am and 7.30 pm or from Bermeo between 10 am to 8 pm.
By Car
From Bilbao, It’s about a 45 minutes’ drive. Go on road BI-631 to Bilbao Airport (Loiu). Past Mungia, drive onto the BI-2101 in the direction of Bakio. When you reach Bakio, follow the signs to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe.
Hiking down to Gaztelugatxe
It takes about an hour to get to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe and back, on a 3km hike.
There are two ways of reaching San Juan de Gaztelugatxe on foot to the site. The first route is shorter and direct but has more sloped walks direct the site. You start at the side entrance from the Eneperi restaurant and going downhill along asphalt and dirt paths. The second route is longer but paved from beginning to end and includes a viewpoint from which to soak in the whole landscape.
The first route tends to be the more popular route due to the distance and time covered to visiting the site.
Tip – restrooms are only available at the top either at one co-ed bathroom or the restaurant, so plan accordingly, this tends to be where the wasted time to visiting the site occurs.
