The most photogenic film castles of Spain

The seventh art has immortalised some of the most beautiful landscapes in Spain thanks to directors such as Orson Welles, Ridley Scott, Steven Spielberg, Woody Allen and David Lean.

If you are a cinephile and still haven’t taken a road trip of the castles in Spain, you’re in luck. We have prepared the perfect route for discovering some of the settings for the best films and series filmed in Spain, where intrigue, betrayal and power struggles come alive.

We start our trip with the Castillo of Loarre in Huesca, where we can see Orlando Bloom and Liam Neeson in this Roman fort (the best conserved in Europe) in Kingdom of Heaven. This medieval setting was selected by Ridley Scott to film this film about the crusaders in the middle of the 12th century and their mission to reclaim Jerusalem.

From Umberto Eco and his literary work “The Name of the Rose”, we transport ourselves to the intrigues of a turbulent period in the Middle Ages where William of Baskerville, played by Sean Connery, had to solve a series of grim murders committed by the medieval monastery, which comes alive in the Castle of Molina de Aragón (Guadalajara).

At this point, it is unavoidable to mention the spectacular series Game of Thrones which has used various castles in Spain to film different parts of the series. If you are a fan of this spectacular series which has half the world on tenterhooks, we recommend visiting Castillo del Papa Luna in Peñíscola, an ancient Templar fortification from the 14th century which was chosen to be used in the sixth season of the saga, the the Muslim castle of Almodóvar del Río, in Córdoba, where the scheming of House Tyrell were filmed, the Castell de Santa Florentina, an ancient medieval building with modernist touches located in Canet de Mar (Barcelona), which represented Horn Hill of House Tarly, where King Alfonso XIII lived; the Castle of Zafra, in Guadalajara, which represented the Tower of Joy.

Game of Thrones has also filmed various scenes in the majestic Royal Alcázar of Seville, which is used for the kingdom of Dorne. This impressive palace brings brings together Islamic, Mudejar and Gothic art is currently the residence of the Spanish Royal Family in Seville. The Royal Alcázar of Seville has been used to film, among others, big films such as Where are you going, Alfonso XII?, Lawrence of Arabia, 1492: the conquest of paradise, Kingdom of Heaven and Knight and Day.

We end our tour by stepping back in time to Castillo de Belmonte in Cuenca , where we can witness Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren brought the story of El Cid Campeador to life in the film “El Cid” directed by Anthony Mann. El Cid was nominated for 3 Oscars in 1961 and, curiously, Martin Scorsese has confessed that it is one of his favourite films. If you still haven’t seen it, this is the perfect time.