Where Was Vikings: Valhalla Filmed? Locations Explained

Netflix’s Vikings: Valhalla continues the Norsemen story that started with the original Vikings series that began airing in 2013. Like its predecessor, Vikings: Valhalla is a historical series that allows us to see the different stories and battles that the Vikings were engaged in back in the day. Of course, the series also allows us to see great sceneries that seem to mimic the same environment that the Vikings lived in during their time. So, where was Vikings: Valhalla filmed?

Wicklow, Ireland

One of the things that you should know about the Vikings is that these people lived in coastal areas in the northern parts of Europe. That means that it should be understandable for Vikings: Valhalla to be filmed in places that fit the same kind of climate that the Vikings were used to back in their time. Of course, it should also be a given that they should be living near a body of water.

As such, the perfect place for Vikings: Valhalla to film most of its location is in County Wicklow in Ireland. The Lough Tay, which is also called the Guinness Lake, is the perfect place for a series about Vikings to film because of the fact that the body of water is big enough to make it look like the open sea. On top of that, the climate in Ireland fits the cold and gloomy climate that was prevalent in the northern regions that the Vikings lived in.

It is worthy to note that Lough Tay is also the filming location of most of the scenes of the original Vikings series, especially in scenes that involved Kattegat and the other cities and settlements that had bodies of water. It is easy to understand why they share the same filming location, considering that Vikings: Valhalla takes place in the same region as Vikings but in a different timeline.

Vikings: Valhalla also has a lot of scenes that were filmed in Ashford in County Wicklow. In fact, season 1 has a lot of different scenes that were filmed in Ashford Studios located in Ashford. Of course, Ashford’s sceneries are perfect for the mountainous and forest-rich northern regions that the Vikings lived in during their time.

Primarily, the scenes that involved Kattegat were filmed in Ashford Studios, as the crew was able to recreate the entire city in this area. However, the scenes that included a body of water were most likely filmed in one of the lakes, reservoirs, and rivers found in County Wicklow.

There were also scenes that were filmed in Poulaphouca Reservoir, also known as Blessington Lakes, in the western part of County Wicklow. These areas were mostly used in scenes that involved a body of water, as Vikings: Valhalla involves a lot of different scenes such as those.

Of course, the crew also traveled around County Wicklow to choose the most desirable scenes for the series. One such scene is the coastal town of Greystones, which allowed the production crew to shoot coastal settlement scenes in a place that’s similar to what they had in mind in the series. There were also scenes that were shot in the Avoca Mines and in different places around the coastal areas of County Wicklow and Brittas Bay.

County Wicklow is actually one of the most ideal spots for historical drama films to film at, as this place in Ireland is often called the Holywood of Europe. That’s because the climate and the scenery in this part of Ireland seem perfect for different movies that tell the story of people who lived in the northern areas of Europe long ago.

The fact that County Wicklow is full of rivers, mountains, lakes, and other similar sceneries makes it perfect for a medieval or historical movie or series. This is why there are plenty of movies or shows that go to County Wicklow to film scenes. In fact, movies such as Braveheart and The Green Knight were shot in County Wicklow.

Since the place is already known to have a local economy that thrives on being a filming location for Hollywood movies, it is understandable that the crew of Vikings: Valhalla chose County Wicklow as its primary filming location. Of course, the crew also took its cue from the original Vikings series, which was able to perfectly portray the Viking Age through the different sceneries that can be found in County Wicklow.

Dublin, Ireland

While County Wicklow offered plenty of different scenes such as mountains, forests, rivers, and lakes for Vikings: Valhalla, Dublin, Ireland was also listed as one of the places that were used for the scenes of Vikings: Valhalla. Of course, Dublin is also a good place for any historical drama film because of the climate of the city.

It is most likely that the larger scenes that involved bigger settlements like London were filmed in Dublin, Ireland. Meanwhile, the scenes that focused more on the background and the scenery were filmed in County Wicklow. 

Of course, the city of Dublin is an important part of Irish history and culture and is actually a popular tourist destination. Filming in Dublin allows Vikings: Valhalla to include a huge part of history in the series, even though Ireland wasn’t one of the places that were prone to Viking raids in both the original Vikings and Vikings: Valhalla.

Then again, due to the historical landmarks and the older buildings that can be found in Dublin, it has become a hotbed for Hollywood films and TV shows. This is why movies such as King Arthur were also filmed in Dublin.

Did Vikings Valhalla Shoot Outside of Ireland?

Vikings: Valhalla took its cue from the original Vikings when the crew decided to film mostly in Ireland. However, seasons 3 and 4 of Vikings included more filming locations as the Northern areas of Canada were included in the parts that involved Bjorn. Meanwhile, in the final two seasons, the series also decided to film in places like Iceland and Morocco.

We are unsure about where seasons 2 and 3 of Vikings: Valhalla were shot, considering that the first 24 episodes of the series were ordered at the same time by Netflix. It might be possible that season 2 was shot in other places as well, but what we do know is that production wrapped up in Ireland. Meanwhile, season 1 focused its scenes in Ireland.

If Netflix decides to renew Vikings: Valhalla past its third season, there might be a possibility that the series will include scenes outside of Ireland, depending on the budget and on what the scenes demand. 

The necessity to shoot outside of Ireland in the original Vikings series was due to the fact that there were scenes that needed to be shot in places that were different from the other places that were seen in the series. As mentioned, the Canada scenes were shot when Bjorn was trying to make it on his own away from Kattegat. Meanwhile, the Iceland scenes were shot because Floki was supposedly the one who discovered Iceland.

If the need for Vikings: Valhalla to shoot outside of Ireland arises, such as when new settlements and cities are introduced, there might be a possibility that the series will eventually branch out of Ireland.