where was vikings filmed
Most of Vikings was filmed in Ireland, mainly around Ashford Studios and the Wicklow Mountains, with additional locations in Norway and Canada for landscapes and battle scenes.
Where Was Vikings Filmed?
Main Filming Hub: Ireland
The show’s primary home was Ashford Studios in County Wicklow, Ireland, where all six seasons were based and most interior sets were built. The village of Kattegat itself was constructed on the studio’s backlot and nearby land, then blended with CGI to create the fjord-like harbor.
Key Irish locations used as “Scandinavia” and beyond include:
- Lough Tay (“Guinness Lake”) in the Wicklow Mountains – used heavily for Kattegat exteriors and lakeside village scenes.
- Luggala Estate – many outdoor shots for Kattegat and surrounding countryside.
- Poulaphouca Reservoir / Blessington Lakes – longship and river scenes.
- Boyne River, north of Dublin – doubled as the River Seine in the Francia/Paris storyline.
- Glendalough, Sally Gap, Powerscourt Waterfall, Lough Dan – various travel, battle, and camp scenes.
Cast and crew have often highlighted Ireland’s mix of mountains, woods, lakes, and sea in a compact area as ideal for the show’s look.
Other Countries Used
Although the story is set in Scandinavia, England, and Francia, production still centered on Ireland, with select extra locations:
- Norway – Western Norway (including areas like Hellesylt) was used for some background plates and fjord landscapes to emphasize the dramatic Viking homelands.
- Canada (Ontario) – Areas such as Searchmont and Prince, Ontario, provided rugged forests and snowy terrain, especially useful for large outdoor and winter scenes.
- Iceland (later seasons) – For season 5 especially, black-sand beaches near Vík on Iceland’s southern coast were used for striking, volcanic coastal scenes and harsh frontier-style landscapes.
Mini Story-style Overview
If you imagine following Ragnar’s longship from Kattegat out into the world, you are mostly traveling around Wicklow in Ireland. The “Viking” town at the water’s edge is Kattegat on Lough Tay, the woods and mountains behind it are the Wicklow Mountains, and when the ships sail a “French” river, you are really seeing the Boyne River outside Dublin. When the world suddenly looks even steeper and more fjord-like, plates from Norway and, later, Iceland’s black beaches silently take over the horizon.
Quick HTML Table of Key Locations
| Story location | Real filming place | Country | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kattegat (town & harbor) | Lough Tay & Luggala Estate, near Ashford Studios | Ireland | Village built beside the lake; main exterior base for Kattegat. | [5][1][3]
| Kattegat interiors / main sets | Ashford Studios, Co. Wicklow | Ireland | Primary studio for all six seasons. | [9][5]
| Scandinavian mountains & coasts | Wicklow Mountains National Park | Ireland | Multiple valleys, lakes, and ridges used for travel and camp scenes. | [1][5]
| River Seine / Francia | Boyne River (north of Dublin) | Ireland | Stood in for the Seine during raids on Francia/Paris. | [5][1]
| Extra Viking homeland vistas | Western Norway (e.g., near Hellesylt) | Norway | Used for fjords and dramatic background plates. | [3][7][9]
| Snowy forests & wild terrain | Searchmont & Prince, Ontario | Canada | Outdoor and winter sequences in later seasons. | [7]
| Harsh volcanic shores (later seasons) | Beaches near Vík, south coast | Iceland | Much of season 5 shot on black-sand beaches for a more brutal look. | [3]
TL;DR
- Main base and most filming: Ashford Studios and Wicklow Mountains, Ireland.
- Supplemental landscapes: Norway (fjords), Canada (snowy forests), and Iceland (black-sand coasts).
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.
