Where was MGM+’s Treasure Island filmed? The new six-part adventure uses Tenerife in Spain for much of its island-and-sea atmosphere, while Bristol, South Wales and locations in Gloucestershire help create the story’s British beginnings. That mix is the key to the show’s visual world: a familiar British coastline gives way to volcanic terrain, rugged shores and a ship-at-sea illusion built with careful production design.
Here’s what has been confirmed about the locations, how Tenerife helps the series sell its “high seas” look, and what viewers should—and shouldn’t—assume about the production.
Where was Treasure Island filmed?
Official Paramount+ material identifies Bristol, England, and Tenerife, Spain as filming bases. Recent location reporting from Time Out, which spoke with production designer Marcus Wookey, adds detail about how the team used several different landscapes to create the journey from Britain to the fictional Caribbean island.
It is more accurate to describe the production as a multi-location shoot than to say the whole series was filmed in Spain. The British locations establish the story’s opening world; Tenerife supplies much of the dramatic island terrain and some of the ship-deck work.
Why Tenerife works so well for the high-seas adventure
Tenerife offers a striking range of landscapes within one island. Its volcanic rock, rugged coastlines, dry riverbeds and higher-altitude terrain can suggest very different places on screen, especially when framed tightly and combined with costume, lighting, set dressing and sound. For a story that moves from the British coast to a remote treasure island, that variety gives the production several distinct visual palettes without requiring every scene to be shot in the Caribbean.
According to Time Out’s report, the production used the area around Mount Teide for the rugged terrain of fictional Skeleton Island. Other scenes were filmed in southern Tenerife, where unusual rock formations and a dry riverbed helped create the landscape around the buried treasure. These are specific reported uses—not evidence that every island scene was shot in one spot.
How the production made a stationary ship feel like it was at sea
One of the most revealing production details concerns the ship-deck scenes. Wookey told Time Out that the team built a purpose-made ship at the edge of the Tenerife coastline, with the real sea visible behind it. Instead of making the vessel physically sail for the camera, the crew used camera movement and framing to create the impression of forward motion and rocking.
That approach is a practical filmmaking solution: a controlled set gives actors and crew a safer, more repeatable environment, while the water and moving camera supply the visual cues audiences associate with a vessel underway. The effect depends on more than the ship itself. Camera movement, horizon placement, wind, lighting, background activity and editing all help sell the illusion.
The British locations matter, too
The series’ visual journey begins in Britain. Time Out reports that the shipwreck sequence involving Billy Bones and Long John Silver was filmed on beaches near Bridgend in South Wales. The receding tide created a narrow window for the scene, with the production designer recalling that the team had only one day to capture the sequence before the tide turned.
The fictional Admiral Benbow Inn also used more than one location. Its interiors were built on a set inside a former car warehouse in Tenerife, while the exterior was filmed at Spoonbed Farmhouse near Tetbury in Gloucestershire. The crew reportedly constructed a road in front of the farmhouse to make the building read as an eighteenth-century coaching inn.
Another Gloucestershire location, Westonbirt House, appears in scenes involving Bess and Jim seeking passage toward Jamaica. The historic building dates to the nineteenth century, so the production adapted furnishings and details to fit the period drama. These choices show how screen geography is often assembled from several real places rather than reproduced in a single town.
Does the Spanish setting make the series less historically accurate?
Not by itself. A filming location is not the same thing as the story’s fictional geography. Tenerife’s volcanic landscape can stand in for a remote island, while British buildings and coastlines establish the world Jim and Bess leave behind. Period accuracy is better judged by the production’s costumes, architecture, props, language and historical choices than by whether every scene was shot in the place it represents.
There is also a difference between a location being visually convincing and being geographically literal. The series is an adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1883 novel, not a documentary about a single voyage. The production’s goal is to build a coherent adventure world for the camera.
What to look for when watching
- Landscape changes: Notice how the grey, temperate British coast contrasts with Tenerife’s darker volcanic rock and drier terrain.
- The horizon: In ship scenes, watch how the sea remains visible behind the deck and how camera movement suggests the vessel is moving.
- Different versions of the inn: Exterior architecture and interior scenes may feel connected even though they were filmed in separate places.
- Skeleton Island’s terrain: The reported Mount Teide and southern Tenerife locations help explain the show’s rugged, volcanic look.
- Weather and light: Coastal conditions can affect both the look of a scene and the schedule; the reported port scenes cut after extreme weather are one example of how location work shapes a production.
The takeaway: Tenerife is a visual co-star, not the whole story
Spain’s role in Treasure Island is substantial, but the most accurate picture is a blend of Tenerife, Bristol and several British locations. Tenerife provides the volcanic landscapes, dry riverbeds and coastal backdrop that help the story’s island adventure feel expansive. South Wales and Gloucestershire ground the opening chapters in a recognizably British world.
The most interesting trick may be the ship itself: a purpose-built vessel, placed beside the real sea and paired with carefully controlled camera movement, can create the sensation of an ocean voyage without needing to sail across one. That is the kind of practical visual craft that helps turn separate locations into one continuous adventure.
Frequently asked questions
Was Treasure Island (2026) filmed in Tenerife, Spain?
Yes. Paramount+ identifies Tenerife as one of the series’ filming bases, and location reporting says the production used Tenerife for ship-deck scenes and parts of the fictional Skeleton Island.
Was the entire series filmed in Spain?
No. The production also filmed in Bristol and used locations in South Wales and Gloucestershire, according to published location reporting.
Was the Hispaniola a real sailing ship?
The production designer told Time Out that a purpose-built ship was positioned on Tenerife’s coast for deck scenes. Camera movement and the sea in the background helped create the impression of a moving vessel.
Where were the Skeleton Island scenes filmed?
According to Time Out, the production filmed in the Mount Teide area of Tenerife and in southern Tenerife, using volcanic terrain, rock formations and a dry riverbed for the fictional island’s landscape.
Where was the Admiral Benbow Inn filmed?
The inn’s interior was created on a set in Tenerife, while the exterior was filmed at Spoonbed Farmhouse near Tetbury in Gloucestershire.
Sources and further reading
- Time Out: Treasure Island filming locations, with production designer Marcus Wookey
- Paramount+ UK: Treasure Island — cast, production and series overview
- C21Media: Paramount+ and MGM+ announce the adaptation
Related reading: Treasure Island Episode 1 ending explained and How Jim Hawkins’ photographic memory changes the treasure-map story.
By Shivam Das