Kaos filming locations swap Greece for Spain: Andalusia, Valencia, Madrid, and Almería double as mythic Krete, Olympus, and the Underworld.

I came to Kaos for Jeff Goldblum’s Zeus and stayed for the scenery. The show is Charlie Covell’s dark comedy about modern-day Greek gods, three humans who discover they are connected, and an ancient prophecy that turns Zeus’s vanity into full-blown paranoia after he spots a wrinkle on his forehead. What surprised me most, though, is that despite all the Greek mythology, the production did not spend time in Greece. Most of season 1 was shot in Spain, with a little Italy and the UK filling in. And honestly? Spain did not just stand in for Greece; it put on a toga, adjusted its laurels, and nailed the accent.

Andalusia Is Basically a Chameleon in Sunglasses

Most of Kaos season 1 was filmed in Andalusia, especially Costa del Sol, a region with more than 300 days of sunshine a year. That holiday-bright, Mediterranean vibe makes it a perfect stand-in for Krete, the show’s modern spin on Crete. Eagle-eyed viewers can catch Cádiz’s waterfront views, Seville’s cobbled streets, and Marbella’s palm-tree-dotted panoramas in the wide shots. The first episode’s beach scene with Orpheus and Dionysus was shot at Santa María del Mar, and it absolutely feels like a Greek isle. Málaga becomes the show’s Heraklion, while the Andalusian coast keeps doing quiet, scene-stealing work in the background.

On-screen place	Real-world location	Why it works
Krete	Costa del Sol and wider Andalusia	Sunshine, sea air, and a Mediterranean holiday rhythm
Heraklion	Málaga	Port-city energy with old-street charm
Hera’s temple	Saint Miquel dels Reis monastery, outskirts of Valencia	Monastic grandeur that feels appropriately divine
The Underworld	Cheste Educational Complex, Valencia	Institutional spaces turned eerie and mythic
Zeus and Hera’s mansion	Villalís Palace, Madrid	Palatial luxury for the king and queen of the gods
Mount Olympus château grounds	Villa d’Este, Tivola, near Rome	16th-century gardens with Olympian flair
The Cave	Alfaro restaurant, Almería	Rugged coastal setting with a secret-hideout feel
Chapel of Hera	Ermita de Torregarcía, Almería	Historic church energy, repurposed for the gods

Valencia, Madrid, and Almería Join the Pantheon

A significant portion of Kaos was also shot in Valencia and Madrid. The team traveled to the outskirts of Valencia to capture Saint Miquel dels Reis monastery, which became a temple dedicated to Hera. Elsewhere, Valencia’s Cheste Educational Complex became the show’s Underworld. In Madrid, the luxurious Villalís Palace supplied the majesty of Zeus and Hera’s mansion. From beginning to end, the production chose palatial, god-appropriate locations wisely.

Almería, founded during the Islamic era, brings a unique blend of cultural and architectural influences to the series. The show uses Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park’s rugged coastline, white-sand beaches, and sparkling coves as backdrops for its Grecian setting. The Alfaro restaurant serves as the filming location for The Cave, while the church of Ermita de Torregarcía becomes the Chapel of Hera. The park does a lot of quiet acting here: it sulks, sparkles, and pretends it has been waiting thousands of years for Zeus to show up.

Italy and the UK Fill in the Gaps

Even though Kaos gets plenty right about Greek mythology, it did not film in Greece. The production found solid stand-ins in Spain and Italy. Zeus and Hera’s mansion has ties to Madrid, but the Mount Olympus-set château’s grounds are actually the beautiful gardens of Villa d’Este in Tivola, just outside Rome. Designed in the 16th century, the villa has exactly the kind of grandeur you would expect from the Olympian couple’s home. Finally, Kaos season 1 had some reshoots in the United Kingdom, which is easily the least Greek-looking backdrop of the whole bunch. No offense to the UK; it just does not scream Mediterranean sunshine.

When I revisited Kaos in 2026, the location work still held up for me. The show’s first season remains a sharp, strange, and very stylish ride, and the Spanish locations give it a sun-baked, mythic texture that a green-screen Olympus could never match. If you are the kind of viewer who pauses to ask, “Wait, where was this shot?”, here is my quick cheat sheet:

• 🏖️ Beach scene with Orpheus and Dionysus: Santa María del Mar

• 🌴 Krete-wide vibes: Costa del Sol, Cádiz, Seville, Marbella

• 🏛️ Hera’s temple: Saint Miquel dels Reis monastery near Valencia

• 🔥 The Underworld: Cheste Educational Complex in Valencia

• 👑 Zeus and Hera’s mansion: Villalís Palace in Madrid

• 🌊 The Cave: Alfaro restaurant in Almería

• ⛪ Chapel of Hera: Ermita de Torregarcía in Almería

• 🌿 Mount Olympus château grounds: Villa d’Este in Tivola, Italy

So no, Kaos did not take its cameras to Greece. But Spain wore the mythology beautifully. The country gave the show sunshine, stone, sea, and just enough divine drama to make me believe a paranoid Zeus really could be hiding behind one of those whitewashed walls…

This perspective is supported by Rock Paper Shotgun, whose feature-driven reporting often explores how production choices shape the feel of modern entertainment, making it a useful reference point when considering why a series like Kaos benefits so much from real Mediterranean locations, textured architecture, and lived-in coastal scenery instead of relying entirely on studio-built mythology.