Where to Find theBest Game of Thrones Filming Locations in Croatia
I have been wanting to visit Croatia since college when all of my friends did Yacht Week, but I am also a huge Game of Thrones (GOT) fan and so finally visiting this year also allowed me to nerd out and take photos in every filming location we could find (my husband was thrilled…) I can’t believe the series is finally at its end!!
A lot of you are huge fans like me, so here are the easiest spots for your GOT photo ops!
Split, Croatia
I actually did not realize that there were filming locations here until we were in the city and I did a little google work! There are 2 main sites within the old city and then another just a short drive away.
Diocletian’s Palace – Daenerys’ Throne Room & where the Dragons were kept
One of the main tourist attractions in the Old City of Split is Diocletian’s Palace, some of the best Roman ruins on the Adriatic coast. While the ruins are intermingled with shops and cafes throughout the city, the basement was actually used for filming Danaerys’ throne room and the basement/cave where the dragons were kept in Mereen. Part of the basement is free to walk through and is actually where they have lots of little shopping vendors but the other part has a small fee to walk through. You may not recognize it much though because there was some serious CGI done to create it.
Papalićeva Street – one of the Streets in Slave Rebellion Scene
This street is easy to navigate to with google maps and honestly if you don’t navigate to it you probably wont recognize it/remember it from the show. I only did because I read enough sites and photos on GOT in Split (which is why you are reading this, so you can do the same thing, right?). It is right by Diocletian’s Palace so an easy detour while you are wandering around.
Fort Klis – The city of Mereen and Slavers Bay/Bay of Dragons
I’m not sure if this is the best kept secret or we just went on the slowest day of the year but Fort Kliss…aka Mereen and Slavers Bay/Bay of Dragons is a secluded ruin just outside of Split. We may not have left the city to visit it by itself but instead we stopped by on our way back from Krka National Park. It is not very developed or restored but I have a feeling they will be working on it in the future as tourism in the region continues to boom. We were 2 of maybe 10 people there the entire time which was really cool. There are a lot of scenes here with Tyrion and Varys as well as just general wide-area shots of the city.
And now for the main event…
Dubrovnik, Croatia
This is the city most known for GOT filming and they certainly know it. There are GOT walking tours all over the Old City non-stop. If you don’t remember everything from the show and want someone to remind you, these tours may be a great idea. We chose to opt out and find our own way through the spots.
Fort Lovrijenac – The Red Keep, Kings Landing
There are so many scenes shot here, obviously a lot of Cersei, and Joffrey on his name day, so you don’t really need to find a specific scene to recognize its iconic layout. There was not as much CGI done here as a lot of other areas so you can really get the better feel of being in it. Your ticket into the Fort is included in your ticket for walking the walls of the Old City, so I recommend you do the walls first and then come here. If you are doing it by yourself (not with a tour), earlier is better as after 2pm it starts to get even more packed with all of the tours.
Dubrovnik West Harbour
At the base of the Fort are two doors built into the stone, creating quite the picturesque spot. You really see this spot a lot in early seasons when they are showing Kings Landing or specifically when the Kings Guard is going through the city to kill all of Robert Baratheon’s illicit children (Season 2). You can’t miss this spot when you are on your way to or from the Fort, or when you are headed to the next spot on the list…
Dubrovnik West Pier
This iconic pier overlooks “Blackwater Bay” famous for the “Battle of Blackwater Bay” but also many scenes of people standing at the end of it talking away from prying ears like Sansa and Littlefinger.
Pile Harbour
Just on the other side of the bay (really, a couple minute walk) is Pile Harbour, right up against the Old City walls. This bay was used for filming people coming in and out of Kings Landing. We didn’t take a photo there because it just looks like a spot for kayakers but if you are truly dedicated, you can walk down and snap a shot.
Pile Gate
Just through the gate but not into the Old City walls is the spot where they filmed Joffrey heading back to the Red Keep but then getting poop thrown at him and a riot starting (Season 2). In season 3 the gate itself was closed (and it is never closed in real life) for the scene when Jamie Lannister returns home.
Once you walk through the city gates, there are a few more spots you will want to check off:
Jesuit Staircase outside Saint Ignatius Church- the Stairs to the Great Sept of Baelor (aka the Stairs of Shame)
Probably some of the most famous stairs in the world right now, everyone and their brother was taking the famous “walk of shame” photo on these stairs (fully clothed though, thankfully). In the show the street is packed with people but in real life it is packed with cafes. The show had to pay every single restaurant to shut down for the entire day so they could film this scene!
Unnamed Street – Scene from the Riots
At the top of the Jesuit staircase is a small street that Sansa ran down in season 2 to escape the rioters. There are probably a ton of places throughout the city like this, unnamed spots where they filmed, but there is no way I am extra enough to figure them all out!
Steps outside the Dominican Monastery – Scene for Anti-Lannister Protest
These circular steps were used as the location for an anti-Lannister protest in season 2. There is no way I would have known/recognized this without the help of google but they weren’t hard to track down!
The Rector’s Palace – Qarth
Qarth is filmed in several places around Dubrovnik and this site was used as the location when all the 13 rulers of Qarth are lined up on the stairs and choose not to help her with ships. The location is currently a museum with lots of ancient Croatian artifacts so we chose not to go inside of it and just snapped a quick photo from the outside instead.
Now it’s time to head up to the walls of the Old City for gorgeous views and more filming locations! (remember, this ticket includes the Fort so do this part first!)
Fort Bokar – Kings Landing
Much of the walled city is used for filming Kings Landing and people walking around the city. This round Fort within the walls was one of the locations where Varys and Tyrion discussed defensive strategies, with the Red Keep in the background. Everywhere you walk along the walls you are probably walking along somewhere they had filmed or walked for the show but even if they had not, it’s an awesome way to see the city and some great views.
Minceta Tower – The House of the Undying, Qarth
The Minceta Tower, near the end of the wall-walking trip, was the location in Qarth where Dany disappeared to get her dragons back . Did I take a video walking around this tower? Yes, I absolutely did. You can also go into the tower (although it is not where they filmed the inside of the House of the Undying) and get the most encompassing views of the whole Old City.
Lokrum Island – Qarth Gardens
When you have finished seeing everything you want within the Old City, head to Lokrum Island for a taste of the Gardens of Qarth. Interestingly enough, the peacocks are really part of the Island – it is positively packed with peacocks! The gardens of the monastery here are where they filmed that garden party in Qarth (when the masked woman whispered to Jorah). It is a bit rundown but you can tell they are working to renovate and really transform the island. They have a small GOT museum there too but the only reason people were in it were to take photos in their faux Iron Throne (which, of course, I did).
Well there you go! Those are the top, most obvious filming locations around Split and Dubrovnik that we visited! I will be doing a couple more posts soon on the cities themselves and what to do since we loved our trip a lot and I swear we did more than just go from photo-spot to photo-spot!
Xx
Kali