Curved glass concert hall with rounded metallic roof amid downtown Toronto towers in winter

Where Was The Expanse Filmed?

Most of The Expanse shoots in Toronto: studio stages in the Port Lands plus civic buildings and estates across Ontario standing in for Earth.

Check availabilitySee every location

The Short Answer

The Expanse was filmed mainly in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Production was based at Pinewood Toronto Studios in the Port Lands, while locations around the Greater Toronto Area, including Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto City Hall, and Parkwood Estate in Oshawa, stood in for Earth settings such as UN headquarters and private estates. Studio sets and visual effects covered space and alien planets.

The Expanse ran from 2015 to 2022 and told a story spanning Earth, Mars, the Belt, and worlds beyond the rings. Yet almost none of it left Ontario. The production was based at Pinewood Toronto Studios, with location shooting in and around Toronto filling in for 23rd-century Earth.

Fans can visit several of those locations today. Some are ticketed attractions, others are public buildings, and one season's alien planet was an ordinary quarry outside the city. Here is where each setting was filmed and what travellers can actually see.

Every Location At A Glance

LocationWhereWhat was filmedAccess
Roy Thomson HallTorontoUN HQ Annex in multiple episodes including 1x02 The Big EmptyTicketed
Corus QuayTorontoUN HQ Offices in episodes including 1x02 The Big Empty and 1x03 Remember the CantOutside only
Parkwood Estate & GardensOshawaMao Estate in season 2 episodes including 2x01 SafeTicketed
Toronto City HallTorontoUN Building and Transport Union HeadquartersFree to see
Fairmont Royal YorkTorontoMeeting Hall for UN and MCR delegations in season 2Free to see
18696 The Gore RoadCaledonAvasarala's House in season 1 episodes including 1x01 DulcineaPrivate property
Ripley's Aquarium of CanadaTorontoNew York Aquarium scenesTicketed
University of Toronto ScarboroughTorontoVarious campus and building scenesFree to see

Filming Locations Map

8 locations. The map loads when it scrolls into view.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Location By Location

Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto
Location 01

Roy Thomson Hall

Ontario, Toronto Ticketed

Filmed here: UN HQ Annex in multiple episodes including 1x02 The Big Empty

Roy Thomson Hall doubled as the UN HQ Annex in multiple episodes, starting with 1x02 The Big Empty. The curved glass concert hall sits in Toronto's entertainment district and remains a working venue. Travellers can buy tickets for concerts or check the schedule for tours and events, since access is ticketed rather than open. From the outside, the distinctive architecture that stood in for the United Nations is visible from the street at any time.

Corus Quay, Toronto
Location 02

Corus Quay

Ontario, Toronto Outside only

Filmed here: UN HQ Offices in episodes including 1x02 The Big Empty and 1x03 Remember the Cant

Corus Quay, a modern office building on the Toronto waterfront, served as the UN HQ Offices in episodes including 1x02 The Big Empty and 1x03 Remember the Cant. There is no public access to any filming areas; the building functions as a private workplace. Visitors can view the colorful exterior from the surrounding dockside area, which makes a quick photo stop on a waterfront walk between other Expanse locations downtown.

Parkwood Estate & Gardens, Oshawa
Location 03

Parkwood Estate & Gardens

Ontario, Oshawa Ticketed

Filmed here: Mao Estate in season 2 episodes including 2x01 Safe

Parkwood Estate in Oshawa played the Mao family estate in season 2, appearing in episodes such as 2x01 Safe. The property is a National Historic Site with public tours of the house and gardens, making it one of the most visitable Expanse locations. Access is by ticket, and the estate's grand interiors and grounds give a real sense of the wealth the show's writers imagined for Jules-Pierre Mao. It is roughly an hour's drive from downtown Toronto.

Toronto City Hall, Toronto
Location 04

Toronto City Hall

Ontario, Toronto Free to see

Filmed here: UN Building and Transport Union Headquarters

Toronto City Hall stood in for the UN Building and the Transport Union Headquarters. The building is public, with open exterior access to Nathan Phillips Square and its famous pool and arches, though interior access is limited. The modernist design reads as convincingly futuristic on screen, which is why the production returned to it for institutional Earth settings. It is a short walk from Roy Thomson Hall and easy to pair on a self-guided route.

Fairmont Royal York, Toronto
Location 05

Fairmont Royal York

Ontario, Toronto Free to see

Filmed here: Meeting Hall for UN and MCR delegations in season 2

The Fairmont Royal York, the grand historic hotel opposite Union Station, provided the Meeting Hall used for UN and MCR delegations in season 2. The lobby and public areas are accessible to anyone, so travellers can walk in and experience the hotel's formal architecture without booking a room. It is one of the easiest Expanse sites to visit, sitting at the heart of downtown Toronto's transport links.

18696 The Gore Road, Caledon
Location 06

18696 The Gore Road

Ontario, Caledon Private property

Filmed here: Avasarala's House in season 1 episodes including 1x01 Dulcinea

A private residence on The Gore Road in Caledon, north of Toronto, served as Avasarala's House in season 1, first seen in 1x01 Dulcinea. This is a private home with no public access, and visitors should respect the owners' privacy. Drive-by viewing from the public road is the only realistic option, and even that is best kept brief. Most fans will prefer to spend time at the region's accessible locations instead.

Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, Toronto
Location 07

Ripley's Aquarium of Canada

Ontario, Toronto Ticketed

Filmed here: New York Aquarium scenes

Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, next to the CN Tower, stood in for the New York Aquarium scenes. It is a public aquarium with standard admission, open year round and popular with families, so booking ahead is wise in peak periods. The underwater tunnels and tanks that appeared on screen are part of the regular visitor route, making this one of the few Expanse locations where the filmed interior is fully open to the public.

University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto
Location 08

University of Toronto Scarborough

Ontario, Toronto Free to see

Filmed here: Various campus and building scenes

The University of Toronto Scarborough campus provided various campus and building scenes for the production. Public areas of the university are accessible, particularly during events, and the modernist architecture suits the show's institutional Earth look. The campus sits in the city's east end, about half an hour from downtown by car. It is a low-key stop suited to completists building a full Expanse itinerary around Toronto.

Where It Is Set Versus Where It Was Filmed

The story is set across the Solar System in the 23rd century, on Earth, Mars, the Belt, and the outer planets. Filming never left the ground in Ontario: Toronto and its surroundings handled Earth locations, while studio sets and visual effects created the ships, stations, and alien worlds. Even season 4's Ilus, an alien planet, was largely shot practically at an active quarry outside Toronto with minimal CGI.

The Studio Side

All seasons were filmed primarily at Pinewood Toronto Studios in the Port Lands area of Toronto. The studio is a working facility and does not offer public tours, so travellers cannot see the stages where the Rocinante interiors were built. Caledon locations near Toronto were also used for season 5 filming, including estate scenes.

Tours That Visit These Locations

One bookable option covers a stop relevant to The Expanse. It is a general screen-tour of Toronto rather than a dedicated Expanse tour, but it visits Roy Thomson Hall, which appeared as the UN HQ Annex.

Toronto Film Locations Tour, Campus Stop

Toronto: TV & Movie Tour with University of Toronto Visit

A guided TV and movie tour of Toronto that includes Roy Thomson Hall, the concert hall that doubled as the UN HQ Annex in season 1, plus a visit to the University of Toronto. At $161 per person it suits fans who want screen context beyond a single show.

From$161Check availability

Frequently Asked Questions

Was The Expanse filmed in space or on real spaceships?

No. The series was filmed on soundstages at Pinewood Toronto Studios and at locations around Ontario, with visual effects creating the space scenes. No real orbital filming was involved.

Can you visit the studios where The Expanse was made?

Pinewood Toronto Studios in the Port Lands is a working studio with no public tours. Fans can see the exterior from the surrounding area, but the stages themselves are closed to visitors.

Which Expanse locations in Toronto are free to see?

Toronto City Hall has public exterior access, the Fairmont Royal York lobby is open to the public, and Corus Quay and the University of Toronto Scarborough campus can be viewed from public areas. The rest require tickets or are private.

Where was the Ilus planet in season 4 filmed?

Season 4's Ilus scenes were shot at an active quarry outside Toronto with minimal CGI, a rare case of the production relying on a real landscape for an alien world.

How far is Parkwood Estate from Toronto?

Parkwood Estate is in Oshawa, Ontario, east of Toronto, roughly an hour's drive from downtown. It offers public tours of the house and gardens that stood in for the Mao family estate.

Can you go inside Avasarala's house from season 1?

No. The house at 18696 The Gore Road in Caledon is a private residence with no public access. Visitors should not enter the property.

Toronto holds nearly everything an Expanse location hunt needs: a working concert hall playing UN headquarters, a National Historic Site in Oshawa playing a villain's estate, a city hall playing futuristic government buildings, and an aquarium that appeared on screen as itself, more or less. The studio stages stay closed, but the city's public face is wide open, and one guided film tour can tie several stops together for travellers who would rather not plan the route alone.

Keep Exploring

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