Where was How to Train Your Dragon filmed? The real Isle of Berk
Posted by Ra Moon
The 2025 live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon was filmed primarily in Northern Ireland, with additional scenes shot in the Faroe Islands and Iceland.

Welcome to the Isle of Berk and our spoiler-free guide to all the filming locations of How to Train Your Dragon. The locations are listed in the order of their appearance in the film.

Welcome to the Isle of Berk and our spoiler-free guide to all the filming locations of How to Train Your Dragon. The locations are listed in the order of their appearance in the film.
The Berk Island in How to Train Your Dragon

In the Isle of Berk landscape, the dragon-crest silhouette of Tindhólmur stands out, a rocky islet with five sharp peaks.
Located off the coast of Vágar in the Faroe Islands, this uninhabited island is home not to mythical creatures, but to a large colony of seabirds, especially puffins.

Berk's village, containing a dozen houses and the Great Hall, was filmed on a large set built on the Titanic Studios backlot in Belfast, the same site where the famous sunken ship was assembled.
This is one of Europe’s largest film studios, famously hosting HBO’s Game of Thrones among hundreds of other productions.
Image courtesy of Universal Pictures - Map

The forest scenes were filmed in Tollymore Forest Park, a lush 615-hectare woodland in County Down, known for its ancient yew trees and scenic trails.
The very first episode of GoT, featuring Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister near the Wall, was also filmed here.
Image courtesy of Universal Pictures - Map

The Dragon Training Arena was a full-scale circular stone pit built at the same studios.
Astrid is played by Nico Parker, whose face may ring a bell if you watched The Last of Us series, where she portrayed Joel's daughter.

The secluded cove with a small lake where Hiccup (Mason Thames) finds the Night Fury was also a set, enhanced with lots of CGI.

But the bridge scene was filmed at a real-world location you can visit, Foley's Bridge in Tollymore Forest Park.
Do you know in which epic series this charming 18th-century stone bridge also appeared? Yep, Game of Thrones.
Image courtesy of Universal Pictures and Albert Bridge - Map

The sea arch that the Night Fury flies across is Drangarnir, located next to its larger “brother” Tindhólmur, along with nearby sea stacks in the Faroe Islands.
Image courtesy of Universal Pictures and Erik Christensen - Map

Perched on a cliff edge along Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coast near the Giant’s Causeway, Dunseverick Castle served as the backdrop for this scene with Hiccup and Astrid.
Once a royal site linked to ancient Irish kings, today only the walls of the gate lodge remain.

The famous Giant's Causeway, on the north coast of Northern Ireland, also appears in a scene near the end of the movie.
This natural wonder, formed around 60 million years ago by volcanic activity, features about 40,000 basalt columns, mostly hexagonal, creating a surreal, geometric landscape steeped in legend and geology.
According to local sources, some shots of the Isle of Berk coast were also filmed at Murlough Bay in Northern Ireland, as well as somewhere in Iceland. Some of this footage appears mainly in the end credits.
Can you help to improve this article about the filming locations of How to Train Your Dragon? To complete and correct this report, any feedback, info, or images that you may have are more than welcome, thank you!
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NOTICE: If you’re using this information on your website, please credit and link to this page as a source.
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2 comments:
1- Anonymous - Jun 15, 2025, 5:27 PM
I'm pretty sure Giant's Causeway pops up for a little bit during the segment where Stoick puts his son on the basalt columns before diving to free Toothless during the final fight.
Reply
2- Ra Moon - Jun 15, 2025, 5:52 PM
Thank you, updated!
1- Anonymous - Jun 15, 2025, 5:27 PM
I'm pretty sure Giant's Causeway pops up for a little bit during the segment where Stoick puts his son on the basalt columns before diving to free Toothless during the final fight.
Reply
2- Ra Moon - Jun 15, 2025, 5:52 PM
Thank you, updated!
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