Shadow and Bone filming locations | Where Netflix series was shot

Fans of Leigh Bardugo’s popular Grishaverse novels have so far reacted extremely positively to the brand new Netflix adaptation, which debuted on the platform in April.

The series takes its inspiration from both the Shadow and Bone trilogy and the Six of Crows duology, transporting viewers to the fictional worlds of Ravka and Kerch, and introducing them to a grand assortment of colourful characters in the process.

The series has also left fans with one or two questions, particularly relating to the filming locations used to bring Ravka and Kerch to life. Read on for everything you need to know about the locations used.

Where was Shadow and Bone filmed?

The vast bulk of filming took place in Budapest and its surrounding areas, with the shoot lasting from October 2019 until March 2020 – just before pandemic restrictions first came into place.

According to star Amita Suman, who plays Inej, it was a relief to be able to complete filming just in time. “We finished in March, and we were hearing the word ‘COVID’ and people… you know, the rumours of it,” she told RadioTimes.com.

“We didn’t really know what it was. And after arriving in the UK, literally a week later, everything went into lockdown. Borders were closing down. It was just… It literally felt like an apocalypse was at our doorstep. We were really lucky we filmed literally a week before.”

Netflix

Much of the filming took place at Budapest’s Origo Studios, but plenty of scenes were also shot on location, although precise details as to exactly which locations were used are hard to come by.

What we do know though, is that shooting outdoor scenes was sometimes quite a challenge for the cast – owing to the freezing temperatures.

“They have got an amazing studio there, and the country is so beautiful,” Suman said. “We had a really great summer and a bloody cold winter – my gosh.

“Inej is such a still character, and there were days when it was like minus 10 degrees on set. And I just could not stop shivering. And saying your lines when your jaw is just chattering… It was a challenge!”

Shadow and Bone is not the first major Netflix fantasy series to be filmed in Hungary – with The Witcher and The Last Kingdom also having been partly shot there.

A few additional shoots for the series took place in Vancouver, Canada.

Want more show content? Here’s how to read the Grishaverse books in order, the major changes between the show and the Shadow and Bone books, and our The Grisha and powers explainer, or, if you’ve already completed series one, read our Shadow and Bone ending breakdown and whether there will be a Shadow and Bone season two.