Explore Westeros: Game of Thrones film locations
It’s been almost a decade since the first episode of Game of Thrones, and its sprawling, fantastical world deserves to be remembered from time to time. First then, we head to Westeros…the Game of Thrones Croatia location.
King’s Landing – Dubrovnik, Croatia
We start at King’s Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms for nearly 300 years. The majestic city in the south of Westeros was a prominent point in the series, featuring knights, the Red Keep, the King of the Andals, the First Men and the Croatia Game of Thrones location.
Scenes in King’s Landing were filmed in the beautiful mediaeval city of Dubrovnik, Croatia, set on the Adriatic coast. Walking along the stone-paved streets of Dubrovnik Game of Thrones locations, one can almost imagine armoured knights, Jamie Lannister or Lord Varys passing by.
Game of Thrones locations Northern Ireland: Castle Ward, Strangford
For those of us in the northern hemisphere, winter has arrived. But “winter is coming” referred to more than just the weather in the Game of Thrones universe. In the series, Winterfell was the northern castle, home to the Stark family and the site of great tragedy.
If you want to breathe the crisp northern air and see where Jon Snow, Sansa, Arya, and Bran lived, you can buy a ticket to Ireland! Many of the Winterfell scenes were filmed at Castle Ward, in Strangford, Northern Ireland.
Highgarden – Castillo de Almodóvar del Río, Spain
The Tyrells hailed from sunny Highgarden. Their gorgeous palace is actually a hilltop fortress called Castillo de Almodóvar del Río, located in Almodóvar del Río, Province of Córdoba, Spain. Built around 740, the Moorish-style castle is open to visitors. Climb up the hill, take a tour and enjoy panoramic views of the countryside and one of the Game of Thrones shooting locations.
Beyond the Wall – Game of Thrones Iceland Locations
The phrase, “You know nothing, Jon Snow”, echoes on icy rocks: We’ve travelled ‘Beyond the Wall’ to Iceland game of Thrones location, Vatnajökull National Park, famous for its endless stretch of white cover. This cold but peaceful park was the site of fiery fighting scenes in Game of Thrones.
Dragonstone – Gaztelugatxe, Spain
Our next stop on the Game of Thrones locations map is Dragonstone, where Daenerys Targaryen, also known as the Khaleesi of the Dothraki, was born during a great storm. Viewers of the series will remember that Jon Snow and Daenerys met on the walls leading up to Dragonstone. We invite you to this small but historical island in the Gaztelugatxe region in Northern Spain, where you too can enjoy the sparkling energy of the characters’ meeting! The island is accessible by private car, bus, or sea.
Casterly Rock – Castillo de Trujillo, Spain
Casterly Rock is the home of the Lannister family, a family that always pays their debts. Casterly Rock, finally shown in the series’ final seasons, was filmed at Castillo de Trujillo, a mediaeval fortress with Roman and Andalusian origins. This Game of Thrones set location is in the town of Cáceres, in Trujillo, in western Spain.
Yunkai – Aït Benhaddou, Morocco
In the series, Yunkai was a slave city conquered by Daenerys. The city presents a milestone of sorts in the series, as a place where Daenerys is the city of milestones in the series.
The Yunkai scenes were filmed in the fortified city of Aït-Ben-Haddou, in Morocco; a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, Aït-Ben-Haddou is a ksar, “a group of earthen buildings surrounded by high walls” and, according to UNESCO, “a perfect synthesis of earthen architecture of the pre-Saharan regions of Morocco.” It is open to visitors for a fee.
King’s Road – The Dark Hedges, Northern Ireland
We head back north to the King’s Road, filmed at the Dark Hedges in Northern Ireland. Known as the longest road in the Seven Kingdoms, and the dark and mysterious forest where Arya Stark escaped and hid, the Dark Hedges Game of Thrones filming location in Northern Ireland are an avenue of beech trees planted by the Stuart family in the eighteenth century; they’re also one of the most photographed locations in Northern Ireland.
Tower of Joy – Castillo de Zafra, Madrid
We know the Tower of Joy as the place where the honorable Ned Stark discovered his sister Lynna Stark dead in her bed, and where Jon Snow was born.
Scenes at the Tower of Joy were filmed at Castillo de Zafra, a 12th-century fortress in the municipality of Campillo de Dueñas, in Guadalajara, Spain.
In addition to being an epic story, Game of Thrones was an epic series in terms of filming locations, ranging across countries and continents. If you’re missing the series, you can assuage your yearning with a ticket to Spain and visits to the show’s Spanish locations.
