Game Of Thrones Will Return To Spain For Season 6

Game of Thrones will return to Spain for production on the show’s sixth season, filming in the cities of Girona and Peñíscola.

Game of Thrones first began shooting in Spain with Season 5, using the Royal Alcazar in Seville as the Water Gardens of Dorne, and the Piaza de Toros in Osuna as the Meereen fighting pit. Production is not expected to return to either location for Season 6.

So does that mean we’ll be returning to Dorne, or not? Most scenes in Meereen film in Croatia, so not returning to Osuna likely just means there won’t be another gladiatorial battle. Not returning to the primary filming location for Dorne is a little harder to figure. There is an explanation, but it involves some spoilers from the books:

[Spoiler]In A Feast for Crows, the unrest in Dorne following Oberyn Martell’s death, and the calls for war from the Sand Snakes, force Oberyn to leave the Water Gardens and return to the traditional seat of House Martell, Sunspear, to show that he still has control of the country. Season 5 has already mostly breezed breezed past this point, but it’s still possible that the showrunners will loop back around and send Doran to Sunspear by season’s end, especially when you consider how challenging it is to film in an historic location like the Alcazar.[/Spoiler]

If we’re being honest, we really hope the show does return to Dorne. The introduction of the Dorne, and particular the Sand Snakes, was one of the things we were most anticipating going into Season 5. Unfortunately, the Dorne storyline – altered greatly from the story in the books – has been the weakest of the season, and the Sand Snakes have been tremendously underserved. We’re hoping another season will give the show a chance to rectify these shortcoming.

Game of Thrones airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.

(via EW)