HBO have revealed that Game of Thrones Season 7 will premiere on July 17th. Season 7 is starting later than normal as ‘Winter is here’ and they wanted to film some grim weather scenes in the sunnier places they shoot.
Apparently the upcoming seventh season will only run for seven episodes, however, it appears episodes could be the longest ever. According to HBO, the first episode will run for 59 minutes. A few of the actors and actresses have said they were actually filming longer and working harder on this season. A lot of things that normally would take a season now take up one episode. So it sounds like they have packed lots into each episode! Excited is an understatement.
Take a look at the official trailer for Game of Thrones Season 7:
Here at BMT we are all about location location location. So where exactly are all those stunning locations that they use in the series? Here we take a look at ten of them.
Stunning Film Locations Of Game Of Thrones
The Long Bridge of Volantis is actually the splendid Roman Bridge in Cordoba, Andalusia. It sports 16 arches and is a thumping 247 metres long. It was built by imperial soldiers in the 1st century BC and replaced an existing wooden bridge.
Yunkai in Slavers Bay, and Pentos, the largest of the Free Cities, are a fortified city (or ksar) named Ait-Ben-Haddou about 70 miles south east of Marrakech. Mounted on a hill overlooking the desert, it has been used by film makers for 50 years or more, and has appeared in Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, Prince of Persia, Jesus of Nazareth, and The Mummy, to name just five. The world’s largest film studios are at Ouarzazate in the Moroccan desert and are a major tourist attraction because many of the film sets still remain, as well as some of the Game of Thrones series being filmed here. You can combine a visit to the studios with a day trip from Marrakech to Ait-Ben-Haddou.
Astapor is south of Yunkai, but is actually Essaouira which is about 70 miles west of Marrakech on the Moroccan coast. This is another fortified city, with a red wall, and during the 1960’s was a favourite place of hippies, being visited by Jimi Hendrix and Cat Stevens among others. It is noted for its’ seafood and its’ surfing.
Wildling Camp is set in Dimmuborgir which is in Iceland near to the town of Grjotagja, and is a lava field with strangely shaped rocks. In Icelandic folklore it is supposed to be connected to hell, and is the spiritual home of murderous trolls whose descendants are known as the Yule Lads and are a scary alternative to Santa Claus. Dimmuborgir was the place where Mance Rayder set up his camp in Westeros. It is a beautiful place and well worth a visit.
Frostfang Mountains is Hofoabrekka which is close to the southernmost city in Iceland, Vik. It was used in season two of Game of Thrones when Jon Snow went into the Frostfangs beyond the Wall.
North of the Wall is the largest glacier in Europe located in south-east Iceland which also happens to be in the largest national park in Europe at 13,600 square km. The glacier is called Vatnajokull and in Westeros was the land of mythical creatures.
Middle Westeros is in Thingvellir National Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Established in 930 AD, the national parliament of Iceland was based here until 1798 when it was transferred to Reykjavik. Here you will find obsidian, which is cooled lava rock, and was referred to in Game of Thrones as “Dragonglass”.
Leaving Iceland, we go on to Dubrovnik in Croatia. Just outside the city is The Red Keep which is the heart of King’s Landing. It is actually Lovrijenac Fortress which is set on a 120’ – high rock on a bay which was used for the final scenes in the Battle of Blackwater. Also here is the island of Lokrum, which in the series was Qarth – the Queen of Cities – which was where much of the story of Daenerys took place in the second season.
Also in Croatia is Split which was used as King’s Landing in the fifth season. This is another UNESCO World Heritage Site and was where the Roman emperor Diocletian built his huge palace complex. Parts of his 3rd century buildings were used in the Middle Ages to build the cathedral, cafes, and many other buildings within the city walls. While you are in Split take a climb up to Klis Fortress which overlooks the nearby village of Klis and is one of the places where Daenerys plots returning to power.
