The scene: 9th-century England.
The setting: modern-day Hungary.
The Last Kingdom filming locations are quite a ways away from their fictitious scenes. This Netflix series filmed many of its scenes in the countryside surrounding Budapest, though fans of the show will also find a handful of stunning shooting locations in Wales and England — all within sword’s reach via train.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
Destiny is all: what to know about The Last Kingdom
The five-season Netflix series is based on a historical fiction novel series and has real ties to history — including the Bebbanburg Castle seen in the show.
What is The Last Kingdom about?
The Last Kingdom is a historical fiction series about Uhtred, a Saxon-born nobleman who is captured by the Danes as they continue their conquest of 9th-century England. He’s raised as a Norse warrior, struggling between his born and adopted heritages as he fights for his ancestral land. The Last Kingdom is rooted in history and based on the series The Saxon Stories by Bernard Cornwell.
Who was in The Last Kingdom?
The Last Kingdom starred Alexander Dreymon, Eliza Butterworth, Arnas Fedaravicius, and Emily Cox. It also featured Mark Rowley (One Day), Ewan Mitchell (Saltburn), Adrian Bouchet (Mission: Impossible 7), and Ian Hart (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone). It also starred the late Adrian Schiller, who most recently was featured in The New Look.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
Where was The Last Kingdom filmed?
We’re talking about the Saxons fending off the Danish Vikings around the 9th and 10th centuries, so naturally much of the filming took place in…Hungary? These are facts: filming locations for The Last Kingdom range from the UK to the outskirts of Budapest, so much so that only the coastal scenes took place in Britain. Any large swatches of wild land were likely filmed in the Hungarian countryside.
Was any of The Last Kingdom filmed in Wales?
Yes, parts of The Last Kingdom were filmed in Wales. Although the storyline is set in present-day Wales (which was part of England at that time in history), much of the series was shot outside of the United Kingdom. Season 1 and Season 5 each had coastal scenes filmed in North Wales at Porthor.
What castle is used in Last Kingdom?
Bamburgh Castle is used in The Last Kingdom as Bebbanburg in the series — just as it was in real life. Bamburgh is the real Last Kingdom Bebbanburg Castle and is open for historical tours. Though some scenes feature the exterior of Bamburgh Castle, the interior didn’t see a camera crew as it’s far from faithful to what Bebbanburg Castle looked like in the series.
Where is Bebbanburg in The Last Kingdom?
Bebbanburg Castle in The Last Kingdom is a real historical structure known as Bamburgh Castle. Bamburgh Castle is located in Bamburgh, Northumberland, England. It’s on England’s northeastern coast, around 50 miles from Newcastle upon Tyne and 76 miles from Edinburgh, Scotland.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
The Last Kingdom filming locations in the UK and Hungary
Göböljárás
Closest station: Biatorbágy
Göböljárás — just west of Budapest — took on the role of Winchester Palace, Sussex. It’s just south of Esztergom and just north of Lake Velence, two other rural locations used as filming locations for The Last Kingdom.
Whistling Sands
Closest station: Pwllheli
On the western coastline of Wales’ Llŷn Peninsula, Whistling Sands was one of the few UK filming locations for The Last Kingdom during the first season.
Bamburgh Castle
Closest station: Chathill
Bamburgh Castle played itself in the show. Once known as Bebbanburg, it is where the kings of Northumbria once sat. Today, it’s embraced its status as a film location for The Last Kingdom and welcomes streamers to explore the castle’s real-life history. As for its Netflix history, only exterior shots of the castle are the real Bamburgh; interior shots were filmed elsewhere.
County Durham
Closest station: Seaham
Nose’s Point, a stretch of coastline with a bedrock of magnesian limestone, was used as a trader’s camp film location in The Last Kingdom.
Dobogókő
Closest station: Szentistvántelep
The hills around Dobogókő in Hungary doubled as the English Wessex countryside.
Lovasberény
Closest station: Velence
Lovasberény in Hungary took on dual roles as the English towns of Grimsby and Cookham.
Catch the first train to The Last Kingdom
History buffs and serious streamers, we’ve got a seat for you on Europe’s trains. Download the Trainline app and we’ll show you all of the ways and days you can get to these filming locations for The Last Kingdom by train. While you’re in the area, consider stopping at filming locations from other movies and series, like:
📽️ Napoleon
Header Image Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
