If you’re like me, you love Game of Thrones and eat up everything there is about it. A few years ago, I stumbled upon a filming site for the series and was enthralled. I needed to go to more places. Luckily, here in Spain, there are tons of places to go to. So, when my friends left for San Sebastian, I stayed in Bilbao and took a half-day trip to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe.

In the second episode of season seven, San Juan de Gaztelugatxe can be seen as Jon Snow arrives in Dragonstone. Dragonstone is actually comprised of two different places in the Basque Country. The steps and the surround area are from San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, but the beach is another beach in the area.

It’s not an easy place to get to. It’s best if you have a car, but as I didn’t, I had to take the difficult route. There’s a bus that leaves from Plaza Moyua in Bilbao that travels to a small town called Bakio. The trip costs €2,50 and takes about an hour or so to get there. From there, things get tricky. Apparently, there’s a taxi service, but there are only two drivers. With the popularity of GOT, there are many more tourists there now.

So what did I do? I hiked up the road. It’s straight uphill, along a two lane road that is curving about. I was wearing a heavy jacket and a scarf and started sweating. I tried walking on the roads as much as I could, but the cars kept coming by. Apparently there is a hiking path to take, but I couldn’t find it.

One Step Closer

It took me about an hour to hike up the road. The journey had just begun. Once you get to the summit, it’s then another descent to get to the actual site. It had been raining a lot the past week, and on top of that, there are a lot of tourists coming through. The path was so muddy, my shoes got caked immediately. I fell at one point because my shoes had no traction. Luckily I had brought my umbrella, so I used it as a walking stick.

As you get closer, you can see the steps and the monastery sitting on top of the rock. Once you get down to the bottom, it’s time to hike up 231 steps to the top. I felt like I was in a long line at Disney. We were like sheep following each other up to the top. The steps wind around, but aren’t overly difficult to climb. As I was walking up, I was looking around at all the amazing scenery. It’s absolutely gorgeous. You look at it and wonder, how can something not man-made look so perfect?

The Summit

At the top of the steps is the monastery of San Juan de Gatzelugatxe. On June 24th every year, people make a pilgrimage up there for San Juan (the saint day). It’s also a popular destination for fishermen. They go to the monastery and pray for a good catch, for safety, and for protection. Honestly, it’s so much more powerful than a Game of Thrones tourist destination. Yet people still come decked out in their GOT attire and playing the theme song.

I looked around the summit a bit, but I was so exhausted. I climbed down the stairs and made my journey back up through the muddied path. At the road, I followed an older hiking couple, hoping they could lead me to a safe way down to the bottom. I caught up to them and asked the best way to get down. They offered me a ride down. I was so beat that I had to accept. They were really nice and asked me where I was from. They told me they gave another American girl a ride down before, too. When I told them I was living in Madrid, they asked me, “You came all the way from Madrid for this?”

To them, San Juan de Gatzelugatxe was just another site. To them, it was kind of ugly. I told them how it was in Game of Thrones, so now everyone wants to see it. They told me that there has only been an influx of visitors in the past two years and before that, hardly anyone had come. I wish I could have seen it before then. There were entirely too many people.

I safely made it back down to Bakio and took the train back to Bilbao. My shoes took a shower (thank goodness I brought two pairs!) and took a much needed nap.

So if you are interested in seeing Dragonstone, make sure to be prepared to either be exhausted by walking or taking a rental car. Don’t wear your nicest shoes. (I saw women walking in heeled boots!) But most of all, enjoy the beautiful scenery.