Part of the pleasure of watching Game of Thrones is the beautiful locations the series is filmed on. Here are 10 places to visit if you’re a fan of the series.
1. Castle Ward – Winterfel
Castle Ward in Northern Ireland is a very beautiful place with a huge park, which is also worth a visit for non-Game of Thrones fans. All scenes in Winterfell’s courtyard were filmed here, including the scene where Robert Baratheon and the Lannister family arrive at Winterfell. It is one of the most beautiful castles in Ireland.
2. Murlough Bay of Dunluce Castle
Most of the scenes from Theon Greyjoy’s native Iron Islands are filmed in the remote Northern Irish Murlough Bay, from where you can see across to the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland. House Greyjoy’s castle is Dunluce Castle in Country Antrim, which sits on the cliffs facing the Atlantic.
If you are on the hunt for the Game of Thrones sites and symbols in Northern Ireland make sure to check Where to see the Game of Thrones Doors Northern Ireland.
3. The Dark Hedges – The Kings Road
Near Ballymoney in County Antrim in Northern Ireland you’ll find the road with the beautiful, crooked trees, which in the series is The Kings Road. The locals call the road “Dark Hedges”, which makes more sense when you look at it. If you want to see the real Castle Black, head to Magheramorne Quarry in County Antrim.
4. Dubrovnik – Kings Landing
The Croatian city of Dubrovnik has a beautiful old town that sets the scene for King’s Landing. In season five, which sees much of the slum Flea Bottom, the extras were told to look even poorer than they did when they turned up for filming.
5. Šibenik – Braavos
The House of Black and White, where Arya Stark may or may not learn to change her appearance, was filmed in St. James Cathedral in the city of Sibenik, Croatia, the setting for the free city of Braavos. The scenes at the harbor where Arya sells oysters were filmed in the Croatian town of Kaštel Gomilica. St James Cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
6. Cinderella – Jon Snow and Ygritte’s love cave
Jon Snow may not get it, but the scene with him and Ygritte in the cave has to go down in history as one of the most beautiful love scenes in television history, purely because of the stunning location. Grjótagjá, in northern Iceland, is a small lava rock cave where the water can reach 50 degrees. The cave has been used for bathing for many years, however, it was left unused for several years because the water simply got too hot. Not far away you will find Dimmuborgir, where Mance Ryder camped with his wildlings.
7. Real Alcazar de Seville Dorne
Andalusia is the backdrop for many of the scenes in Game of Thrones, and one of the most beautiful locations is definitely the Real Alcázar de Seville, which serves as the royal palace in Dorne. It’s one of Seville’s most visited tourist attractions, but the film crew still had to close off half the palace to visitors when filming.
8. Roman Bridge – Volantis
The bridge that connects the two districts of the free city of Volantis is in fact the Roman bridge in Córdoba, northeast of Seville. Local Game of Thrones fans smelled a rat when the bridge was blocked off for an extended period of time, and sure enough, the bridge made it into the series.
9. Vatnajökull – North of the wall
Many might be wary of a trip north of the wall, but in reality there’s nothing to fear. Vatnajökull is not only Iceland’s, but Europe’s largest glacier and a very beautiful one.
10. Essaouira – Astapor
The real Astapor is called Essaouira and is located 100 kilometers west of Marrakech in Morocco. Unlike its cinematic alter ego, the atmosphere in Essaouira is very laid-back and relaxed, and in the sixties, hippie luminaries like Jimi Hendrix and Cat Stevens hung out in the town.
