Here are 10 of Game of Thrones most famous filming locations that you can actually visit! Some are a little closer to home, some further out, but all of them are amazing to see. I know I’ll look forward to visiting some of these once you-know-what allows us to!
Dubrovnik Old Town, Croatia
This beautiful area of Croatia was the main filming location for King’s Landing from season 2 onwards (for season 1, it was set in Malta). The Old Town was finished being built in the 13th century and is surrounded by limestone walls, all of which have remained almost unchanged, making it the perfect setting! Cersei Lannister’s famous Walk of Shame was filmed on the steps outside of St Ignatius Church in the south of the Old Town.
Castle Ward, Northern Ireland
Castle Ward in Northern Ireland served as the backdrop for Winterfell in seasons 1 and 2, before a version of the set was built at the Titanic studios due to sustainability. Scenes such as Bran Stark’s fall and King Robert’s arrival were filmed here, along with areas close by being used for other early scenes, like Ned Stark and Robert Baratheon’s Picnic.
Šibenik, Croatia
Šibenik in Croatia is best known to GoT fans as the city of Braavos. Many Braavos scenes filmed Arya Stark just walking through the streets of Šibenik. More specifically, however, the Cathedral of St James, seen above, doubled as both the House of Black and White (the temple dedicated to the Many-Faced God) and the Iron Bank.
The Dark Hedges, Northern Ireland
Do you recognise this one already? The Dark Hedges of Northern Ireland remained almost completely unaltered when it served as the well known Kingsroad which runs all the way from Castle Black at the wall, to King’s Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms. It is one of the most photographed natural phenomena in Northern Ireland and the Hedges Hotel is just down the road if you fancy a stay!
Minčeta Tower, Dubrovnik, Croatia
The Minčeta Tower lies on the outskirts of the Dubrovnik Old Town, forming part of the wall that surrounds it. You may recognise this tower as part of the exterior of the House of the Undying, where Daenerys Targaryen and Ser Jorah Mormont struggle to find the entrance. This occurs in the season 2 finale, where Daenerys visits the House of the Undying to retrieve her dragons.
Castillo de Almodóvar, Spain
The Castillo de Almodóvar was the base of Highgarden in the series. Located in the south of Spain, you can see why this wonderful spot was chosen for such a place as Highgarden. Season 7, Episode 3 had perhaps one of the best scenes from Highgarden, with Lady Olenna Tyrell drinking poisoned wine and then admitting to Jaime Lannister that it was she who killed his and Cersei’s son, Joffrey, at his own wedding.
Ballintoy Harbour, Northern Ireland
The lovely little harbour of Ballintoy, Northern Ireland is easily recognisable as Game of Thrones’ Lordsport on the Island of Pyke in the Iron Islands. This port is where Theon Greyjoy returned to after Robb Stark sent him to convince his father, Balon Greyjoy, to join them in entering the war together.
Gradac Park, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Gradac Park is another great filming location in Dubrovnik, Croatia. it is only a quick 10-minute walk from the Old Town so you can see multiple locations whilst there! This one is home to one of the most iconic scenes from GoT… the death of King Joffrey Baratheon in the Purple Wedding. Although the views of that wedding were not particularly pretty, the views surrounding the park itself are certainly something to enjoy; with Fort Lovrijenac, the Old Town and the Adriatic Sea, it is not one to be missed!
Castillo de Trujillo, Spain
This is (unsurprisingly) the third castle on the list, and the second of those located in lovely, sunny Spain! This particular one is best known for standing in as the base of House Lannister’s Casterly Rock. The castle was of course enlarged using CGI, and, although it is a fairly empty castle in real-life, the views from the top are said to be fantastic.
Grjótagjá Cave, Iceland
Grjótagjá is a small lava cave in Iceland with a hot spring inside which was once used for bathing in. Unfortunately, this isn’t possible now due to the water unpredictably rising in temperature, but it can still be visited. This is the cave inside which Jon Snow and wildling Ygritte consummated their relationship in episode 5 of season 3. The only CGI used for this scene was to add in a waterfall, the rest is all-natural!
**Bonus – Doors of Thrones!**
In 2016, Storm Gertrude, unfortunately, uprooted 2 of the trees at the Dark Hedges (AKA The Kingsroad). Thankfully, the wood from those trees was put to good use and carved into 10 intricately designed pub doors, with each one telling the story of an episode of season 6 of Game of Thrones. All of the pub doors are situated within close proximity to 10 different GoT filming locations in Northern Ireland and can be used as perfect pit stops along the way! What could be better than exploring GoT filming locations whilst also doing a bar crawl? Follow the link below for more information on the locations of the doors and the order in which to visit them!