Game of Thrones Tour Guide: King’s Landing to Belfast

Article Summary

What this article covers: How to plan a Game of Thrones tour, from the Dubrovnik streets used for King’s Landing to the Studio Tour and coastal sites in Northern Ireland.

Who this is for: Fans planning a trip to Croatia or Northern Ireland who want to know where King’s Landing was filmed before they book.

Key takeaway: A Game of Thrones tour in Dubrovnik shows you the real King’s Landing, while Northern Ireland offers the original sets and the wilder scenery of the North.

Expert insight: “Standing at the top of the Jesuit Staircase in Dubrovnik, you realise how little the production had to change. The Baroque steps, the church facade and the narrow streets below were already there; the crew simply filled them with people and noise.” , Ciaran Connolly, Founder of ConnollyCove

Quick facts:

• Dubrovnik’s Old Town stood in for King’s Landing from season two onwards, after Malta was used for the capital in season one.
• An adult City Walls ticket in Dubrovnik costs €40 in the main 2026 season and includes entry to Fort Lovrijenac, the fortress used for the Red Keep.
• The official Game of Thrones Studio Tour opened at Linen Mill Studios in Banbridge, County Down, in February 2022.

A Game of Thrones tour lets you walk through the places that became Westeros and Essos on screen. The best known is Dubrovnik, the walled city on Croatia’s Adriatic coast that played King’s Landing. The capital’s fortresses and steep stone lanes were filmed inside a working city, so a walk through the Old Town follows the routes that Cersei and Tyrion took on screen.

ConnollyCove, the Ireland-based travel and culture platform, covers film locations from Belfast to the Mediterranean. Much of the series was filmed in Northern Ireland, and our guide to the Game of Thrones Studio Tour in Banbridge covers the official indoor attraction in more depth. The sections below explain where King’s Landing was filmed, which tour suits you and what the tickets really cost. For every location across the series, ConnollyCove’s wider guide to Game of Thrones filming locations maps them country by country.

Choosing a Game of Thrones Tour: Studio Sets or Real Locations

The first decision is whether you want the sets made for the series or the real places where scenes were filmed, because no single Game of Thrones tour offers both. A search for a tour returns walking tours in Croatia, coach trips along the Antrim coast and the studio attraction in County Down, and each makes different physical demands.

The Official Studio Tour in Banbridge

The Game of Thrones Studio Tour is the only official attraction for the series, built inside Linen Mill Studios in Banbridge, where much of the Northern Ireland filming took place. It opened in February 2022 and covers more than 100,000 square feet. Sets such as the Great Hall of Winterfell and the Throne Room in King’s Landing sit alongside original costumes and props. Visitors park at The Boulevard shopping centre in Banbridge and take a free shuttle bus to the studio, which is about a 30 minute drive from Belfast. Most people spend two to three hours inside, whatever the weather.

Location Tours in Dubrovnik and Northern Ireland

Outdoor location tours trade props for real scenery. In Dubrovnik a guide walks you through the Old Town and often holds up stills from the series so you can compare them with the view. In Northern Ireland most tours leave Belfast by coach and follow the Causeway Coastal Route. Neither type of Game of Thrones tour includes anything built for the screen, as the crews removed their set dressing when filming ended.

Tour type	Where	Physical demands	Best for	Recommendation
Official Studio Tour	Linen Mill Studios, Banbridge	Low; indoors and on one level	Fans of costumes, props and film craft	Choose this for a wet day or a family group
Causeway Coast location tour	County Antrim, from Belfast	Moderate; coastal paths and uneven ground	Scenery and photography	Choose this for the Iron Islands and the Kingsroad
King’s Landing walking tour	Dubrovnik Old Town, Croatia	High; many stone steps and summer heat	Architecture and city breaks	Choose this to stand where the capital was filmed

Where King’s Landing Was Filmed in Real Life

King’s Landing was filmed mainly in Dubrovnik, Croatia, from season two to the end of the series, with Malta standing in for the capital during season one. In Malta, the gate of the old walled town of Mdina and Fort Manoel on Manoel Island appeared in early King’s Landing scenes, including the Great Sept of Baelor. Later seasons also added King’s Landing scenes filmed in Spain.

History of Game of Thrones Filming in Dubrovnik

The producers needed a convincing capital for Westeros, and Dubrovnik’s medieval walls and well-preserved Old Town gave them one beside the Adriatic from season two onwards. Fort Lovrijenac and the Minčeta Tower, two of the city’s best known defences, were used for the Red Keep and the exterior of the House of the Undying in Qarth. A Game of Thrones tour in Dubrovnik today still follows the same circuit of walls and gates.

Lovrijenac Fortress as the Red Keep

Fort Lovrijenac stands on a rock about 37 metres above the sea, just outside the western walls, and most fans recognise it as the Red Keep. Scenes of court intrigue were filmed on its terraces. The fort is a short walk from Pile Gate, and your City Walls ticket includes entry, so it makes sense to visit both on the same day.

Dubrovnik Old Town and Pile Gate

The Old Town of Dubrovnik, enclosed by stone walls almost two kilometres long, was the primary filming location for King’s Landing. Most walking tours begin at Pile Gate, the western entrance to the city, which the series used for arrivals and departures from the capital. The main street inside the gate is busy for most of the day, so an early start gives you the best chance of photographs without crowds.

Jesuit Staircase and the Walk of Shame

The Jesuit Staircase, which climbs from Gundulić Square to the Church of St Ignatius, is where the Walk of Shame was filmed in the final episode of season five. Cersei Lannister’s walk down these Baroque steps is one of the most discussed scenes in the series, and almost every Game of Thrones tour in the city stops here. The stairs are steep and worn smooth, so wear shoes with some grip, particularly after rain.

Exploring the Free Cities and Beyond

Several locations close to Dubrovnik played cities and gardens across Essos and Westeros, and they are easy to add to a Game of Thrones tour with an extra half day. Lokrum and Trsteno are both within easy reach of the Old Town, while Split, further up the coast, became Meereen.

Lokrum Island as Qarth

Lokrum, a short ferry ride from Dubrovnik’s Old Town harbour, stood in for the gardens of Qarth in season two, when Daenerys Targaryen arrives in the city. You can walk through the island’s botanical garden and the remains of its Benedictine monastery. Lokrum also displays a replica of the Iron Throne, which has become one of the most photographed stops for fans who visit the island.

Trsteno Arboretum as the Gardens of King’s Landing

Trsteno Arboretum, a short drive north-west of Dubrovnik, appeared on screen as the palace gardens of King’s Landing. Sansa Stark and Olenna Tyrell held several of their private conversations along its paths, beneath trees that have shaded the estate for centuries. The arboretum dates from the Renaissance and makes a quieter alternative to the crowded Old Town.

Split and Klis as Meereen

Split, about three hours north of Dubrovnik by road, provided the setting for Meereen in season four. The cellars of Diocletian’s Palace were used for the chamber where Daenerys chains her dragons, and the hilltop fortress at Klis, just outside the city, appeared as part of Meereen. Combining Dubrovnik and Split works best as a two-centre trip.

Game of Thrones Tour Options in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland hosted more filming for the series than anywhere else, so a Game of Thrones tour from Belfast covers far more locations than a single day in Dubrovnik. The production was based at the Titanic Studios in Belfast and at Linen Mill Studios in Banbridge, and it filmed across County Down and County Antrim.

“Ballintoy Harbour is the place that surprises people most. On a grey day with the sea coming over the rocks, it looks exactly like the Iron Islands, and you see why the crew chose a real working harbour.” , Ciaran Connolly, Founder of ConnollyCove

The Causeway Coast Day Tour from Belfast

Most coach tours leave central Belfast in the morning and follow the Antrim coast north, combining filming locations with the Giant’s Causeway. Stops usually include Ballintoy Harbour, which played the Iron Islands, and the Cushendun Caves, where Melisandre gives birth to the shadow creature. Most tours also stop at the Dark Hedges on Bregagh Road, which appeared as the Kingsroad. The road through the Dark Hedges has been closed to traffic to protect the beech trees, so tours park nearby and you walk the avenue on foot. A Game of Thrones tour of the coast is weather dependent, so pack waterproofs in any season.

Castle Ward, Tollymore and County Down

County Down holds many of the locations used for the North in season one. Castle Ward, the National Trust estate that played Winterfell, sits on the shore of Strangford Lough, and its farmyard and tower house were used for the Stark family seat. Tollymore Forest Park, near Newcastle at the foot of the Mourne Mountains, appeared in the opening episode, including the scene where the Stark children find the direwolf pups.

Guided Coach Tours or Self-Drive

A guided coach tour is the simpler choice if you are not used to the narrow coastal roads, and parking near popular stops fills quickly in summer. Driving yourself gives you more time at each location and lets you add Castle Ward and Tollymore, which lie in the opposite direction from the Antrim coast. Fans who like a trail can also look for the Game of Thrones doors in Northern Ireland. The ten carved doors were made from trees that fell at the Dark Hedges during a storm, and they now hang in pubs and hotels around the region.

Additional Filming Locations Beyond Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik and Northern Ireland are the two main bases for a Game of Thrones tour, but the series filmed in several other countries, and each one has its own trail. Spain, Iceland and Morocco each supplied locations for scenes set far from King’s Landing.

Spain: Dorne, Braavos and Dragonstone

Spain provided some of the most recognisable locations of the later seasons. The Royal Alcázar of Seville became the Water Gardens of Dorne in season five, and the Roman Bridge in Córdoba played the Long Bridge of Volantis in the same season. In season six, Girona’s old town in Catalonia was used for Braavos and Oldtown, while the Bardenas Reales desert in Navarre stood in for parts of the Dothraki Sea. On the Basque coast, San Juan de Gaztelugatxe and the beach at Zumaia became Dragonstone in season seven.

Iceland: Beyond the Wall

Iceland supplied the snow and ice for the lands beyond the Wall. Thingvellir National Park was used in season four for scenes with Arya Stark and the Hound, and the area around Lake Mývatn, including the Grjótagjá cave, appeared in season three. Kirkjufell, the steep mountain on the Snæfellsnes peninsula, is the arrowhead-shaped peak seen beyond the Wall in season seven. Winter tours here need planning around short daylight hours.

Morocco: Astapor and Yunkai

Morocco provided two of the slaver cities in season three. The coastal town of Essaouira was used for Astapor, where Daenerys buys the Unsullied, and the fortified village of Aït Benhaddou, near Ouarzazate, appeared as Yunkai. A Game of Thrones tour here usually forms part of a wider trip through southern Morocco.

Tour Planning and Practical Tips

Good planning matters more for a Game of Thrones tour than for most city walks, because the costs are split between the tour itself and several separate entry tickets. The sections below cover timing, guides and the costs beyond the headline price.

Determining the Length of Your Tour

A standard Game of Thrones walking tour in Dubrovnik usually lasts about two to three hours and covers the Old Town, Pile Gate and the Jesuit Staircase. Longer versions add Lokrum or Trsteno and can take most of a day, so check the route before you book. In Northern Ireland, the Studio Tour needs two to three hours plus travel, and a Causeway Coast trip takes a full day.

Choosing the Right Tour Guide

Look for a guide who knows both the series and the history of the places you visit. The best Game of Thrones tour guides explain what a building was before the cameras arrived as well as which scene was filmed there. Check the meeting point in relation to your accommodation, and choose a small group if you can, as it is easier to hear the guide in narrow streets.

Entrance Tickets and Additional Costs

Most Game of Thrones tour prices in Dubrovnik do not include entry to the City Walls or Fort Lovrijenac, so budget for these separately. In the 2026 main season an adult City Walls ticket costs €40 and includes Fort Lovrijenac, while a fort-only ticket costs €15, and prices are lower in the winter months.

The one-day Dubrovnik Pass costs the same as the walls ticket and adds museums and city buses, which makes it the better value for most visitors. Croatia has used the euro since January 2023, so older guides that quote prices in kuna are out of date. In Northern Ireland, the Studio Tour sells timed tickets, and prices vary by date and age group, so check the official Studio Tour website before you travel.

Transportation and Accessibility

Dubrovnik Airport is about 20 kilometres south-east of the Old Town. ConnollyCove’s guide to the largest airports in Croatia compares it with Split and Zagreb if you plan a two-centre trip. Within Dubrovnik, local buses run to Pile Gate, and many cruise lines offer shuttles from the port at Gruž. The Old Town has a great many steps, and the City Walls and Fort Lovrijenac are not suitable for wheelchair users. Visitors with limited mobility may find the Studio Tour in Banbridge the more comfortable Game of Thrones tour. In Northern Ireland, coach tours run from both Belfast and Dublin.

The Impacts of Game of Thrones on Local Tourism

The series turned several quiet heritage sites into international attractions, and the places on a Game of Thrones tour have had to balance visitor spending against crowding. Fans still arrive years after the final season, so how you visit matters to the people who live there.

Economic Benefits

In Northern Ireland the series brought overseas visitors to small coastal villages and rural estates, and local guesthouses, cafés and pubs have benefited. Dubrovnik’s guides built a whole category of walking tours around King’s Landing, and the Studio Tour in Banbridge has kept that interest going since the series ended.

Cultural and Environmental Considerations

Dubrovnik has introduced measures to reduce crowding in the Old Town, including limits on cruise ship arrivals. In Northern Ireland the road through the Dark Hedges was closed to vehicles to protect the roots of the ageing beech trees. You can help by visiting popular spots early or late in the day and keeping to marked paths at coastal sites.

Frequently Asked Questions