Game of Thrones Filming Locations: Literally All the Places I Could Find

Am I the only one who gets a lot of travel inspiration from watching movies and television? Nothing is quite as inspiring right now as all the gorgeous Game of Thrones filming locations in Europe and Morocco.

I’m currently rewatching the whole show in anticipation of the final season, and I can feel ALL the theory-making, fan-girling obsessions creepin’ back up.

**Obviously, there are SPOILERS ahead **

All the Game of Thrones Filming Locations (Up to Season 8)

If you’re headed to any of these countries soon, you can, of course, rent a car and DIY your own tour or take one of the many popular GoT-themed tours out there.

In the meantime, you can re-binge Seasons 1-7 while waiting for Season 8. Once you’ve read this list, see if you can spot them in the show! For people who don’t have HBO or friends with HBO, Amazon has all the episodes and, obviously, sells the complete seasons:

Anyhow… Here’s all the Game of Thrones filming locations I could find. I’ll have to update this as more Season 8 settings come out!

GoT Filming Locations in Croatia

DUBROVNIK

“Game of Thrones” seems to have transformed Croatia’s travel industry completely, especially Dubrovnik. The coastal city faces the Adriatic sea, and even the most cursory of fans will recognize its orange rooftops as King’s Landing.

Specifically, you’ll recognize a few significant places from Kings Landing and a few from Qarth.

King’s Landing

• The Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola and Stradun, the main street of Dubrovnik, is where Cersei did her Walk of Penance.
• Gradac Park features in the Purple Wedding while the Belvedere Atrium will bring some not so pleasant memories for Oberyn fans.
• Olenna Tyrell fans can see her gardens come alive at the Trsteno Arboretum. 

Qarth

• Relive (or maybe not since it didn’t quite live up to book descriptions) the House of the Undying at Minčeta Tower. 
• The garden party in Qarth was filmed at Lokrum Island. It’s also where, if you really wanna go full fangirl/fanboy, you can sit on the Iron Throne.

Other Notable Places in Dubrovnik include the City Walls, St. Dominic Street, Pile Gate, For Lovrijenac, Fort Bokar, Rectors Palace, and Sponza Palace.

SPLIT

Split sits on the eastern shore and is the second largest city in Croatia. It serves as a number of places across the Narrow Sea, specifically for Meereen and some for Braavos.

• Diocletian’s Palace cellars were used as underground passages in Meereen, Daenerys’ throne room, and the dragons’ prison. 
• Papalićeva Street is used during the Slave Rebellion.
• Fortress of Klis is generally used for the City of Meereen.

Arya fans might recognize Kaštel Gomilica as it serves for some Braavos exterior scenes. It’s not quite in Split, but it’s less than 10 miles from the city.

OTHER GoT FILMING LOCATIONS IN CROATIA

A few different areas not necessarily in Dubrovnik or Split have featured in “Game of Thrones.” They include the Perun Quarry, Mosor Mountain, Šibenik’s Cathedral of St. James, Trogir’s St. Dominic’s Monastery, and Baška Voda.

GoT Filming Locations in Iceland

If you’re a Jon Snow and Castle Black fan, then Iceland surely must be at the top of your list. I read somewhere jokingly note that anywhere you can spit in Iceland was probably featured some way in GoT.

Places Used for Castle Black & North of the Wall:

• Lake Mývatn’s landscapes double as North of the Wall.
• Nearby Grjótagjá Cave, known for its thermal springs, is where Jon and Ygritte had their little tryst.
• Dimmuborgir in Húsavik is a lava field and serves as Mance Rayder’s wilding camp.
• Höfðabrekka doubles as the Frostfangs Mountains, where Jon Snow spends much of Season 2.
• Kirkjufell, a unqiue mountain in the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, is used as Arrowhead Mountain when everyone goes north of the wall to capture a wight.
• Stakkholtsgjá, a narrow riverbend, 330ft deep and 1.2 miles long, is used when they actually capture the wight.
• Reynisfjara Beach, with its black sand, and Dyrhólaey, a peninsula, are used for Eastwatch scenes.
• Other notable areas include Snæfellsjökull is a 700,000-year-old volcano in western Iceland,  Vatnajökull is Europe’s biggest glacier, and Svínafellsjökull, an extension of Vatnajökull. All have been used for scenes North of the Wall.

Around Westeros

• In real life, Thingvellir National Park played an important role in Icelandic culture and history. It served as the site of its National parliament for 800 years from 930 to 1798. In “Game of Thrones,” it’s used for Arya and the Hound’s traveling scenes in central Westeros and as the entrance to the Eyrie.
• Nesjavellir is also used in scenes for the Vale and central Westeros.

GoT Filming Locations in Malta

Before “Game of Thrones” moved to Croatia for filming, it used a number of places around Malta to represent King’s Landing and Pentos in Season 1. Malta is a small archipelago country in the middle of the Mediterranean.

Malta Locations Used for Pentos:

• The Verdala Palace, built in 1586, is the president’s official summer residence. In the show, it serves as Illyrio Mopatis’ mansion where we first meet Daenerys and Viserys.
• Daenerys and Khal Drogo’s Dothraki wedding takes place at the Azure Window in Gozo, which sadly collapsed.
• The Mtahleb Valley is where Drogo’s funeral takes place in the finale.

Malta Locations Used for King’s Landing & the Red Keep:

• Fort Ricasoli, the largest fort in Malta, is used to represent the Red Keep. You might also recognize it from some other historical movies, namely a certain Brad Pitt piece.
• Fort St. Angelo in Birgu is used for the dungeon scenes.
• The Cloister of St. Dominic Monastery in Rabat are used as the gardens where Ned confronts Cersei.
• San Anton Palace, the official presidential residence, is used for Red Keep exterior shots.
• Fort Manoel in Giza is the Great Sept of Baelor and might give you some Season 1 finale shivers. #RIPNED.

Other places in Malta include Mdina Gate, Pjazza Mesquita, and Fort St. Elmo.

GoT Filming Locations in Morocco

Morocco, one of the few non-European filming locations, is only featured in Season 3 to represent Astapor and Yunkai in Slaver’s Bay.

Morocco Locations Used for Slaver’s Bay:

• Aït-Ben-Haddou, a 17th-century city located between Marrakech and the Sahara Desert, was used for scenes in Yunkai and some scenes featuring Daenerys’s army camp. If you’re a fan of The Mummy, Aït-Ben-Haddou will feel quite familiar!
• Essaouira, once a hippie favorite along the Atlantic coast, is Astapor in “Game of Thrones,” home to the Unsullied.

Morocco Filming Location for Pentos:

• The Altas Corporation Studios outside of Ouarzazate is a huge film studio in the Moroccan desert. Many Pentos scenes are filmed here.

Filming Locations in Northern Ireland

The main headquarters for “Game of Thrones” is in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. Major interior scenes are shot here, so I imagine someday we’ll get a GoT tour like Harry Potter World. Since there are so many scenes shot in Northern Ireland and many places are used in multiple scenes, I’m splitting them up by county instead of where they are in the show.

COUNTY ANTRIM

County Antrim holds most of Belfast and sits along the northern coast. There’s a ton filmed here, from Castle Black scenes all the way to the Dothraki Sea:

• While it’s not open to the public, “Game of Thrones” has used Magheramorne Quarry for a number of places from Castle Black to Hardhome.
• Cairnecastle (or Carncastle) is a small village made of moors and hills. It’s used in a few scenes but mostly as Moat Cailin.
• The ruins of Shane’s Castle date back to 1345 and are used in the Tourney of the Hand, Winterfell’s crypt scenes, and in the fight between Jaime and Brienne.
• Ballintoy Harbour doubles as the Iron Islands.
• Carrick-a-Rede is used as the Stormlands where Renly’s army camp is.
• Melissandre gives birth in the Cushendun Caves, and Toome is used for the south side of the Wall.
• Perhaps the most incredible place to visit in County Antrim is the Dark Hedges, a long row of haunting looking trees. It’s used as a northern part of Kingsroad.
• Both Ballymoney and the Glens of Antrim are used as the Dothraki Sea.

COUNTY DOWN

County Down borders County Antrim and is used mostly for northern Westeros scenes.

• Castle Ward is the main filming location for Winterfell, though it’s also used for Stark and Lannister army camp scenes.
• Saintfield Estates is also used for Robb Stark’s army.
• The Starks find the dire wolves as puppies in Tollymore Forest Park.
• The Rowallane Gardens double as the Godswood. T
• They declare Robb as King of the North at Inch Abbey, and
• Corbett Village is used for House Tulley and Riverrun.

Other notable places in County Down include Banbridge, Myra Castle, Sandy Brae, the Mourne Mountains, River Quoile, and the Clandeboy Estate Forest.

Other Filming Locations in Northern Ireland

Gosford Castle in County Armagh is also used for exterior shots of Riverrun, and Downhill Strand in County Derry is Dragonstone.

GoT Filming Locations in Scotland

There’s only one major place in Scotland used in the film, and that’s Doune Castle, a medieval castle originally built in the 13th century. It’s mainly used for Winterfell scenes.

You might also recognize it from Monty Python and the Holy Grail and as Castle Leoch on a certain time-traveling show *cough*.

GoT Filming Locations in Spain

ALMERÍA

Almería is a coastal city in Andalusia. There are a number of places around the city that double as parts of Essos and Dorne.

Almería Filming Locations for Dorne:

• The Alcazaba de Almería for scenes around Dorne

Almería Filming Locations for Essos:

• El Chorrillo de Sierra Alhamilla doubles Vaes Dothrak.
• The Tabernas Desert doubles as parts of the Dothraki Sea.
• Both Mesa Roldán and Sorbas are used for scenes outside of Meereen.

CORDOBA

This the only place I’ve been in this whole list! Cordoba is one of my favorite places in Spain, and I visited on a day trip as a student. It’s use for a few different scenes in GoT:

The Roman Bridge is used to represent the Long Bridge of Volantis, you’ll find a lot to enjoy in the city. I’ll never forget crossing this bridge and then getting stuck on one side when it started to downpour out of nowhere.

The Castillo de Almódovar del Río, a Moorish castle built in 760, is used for Highgarden scenes. Its dungeons and fortress are used to represent Casterly Rock.

GIRONA

Girona is a city in the northern province of Catalonia. It’s used mainly for Braavos and a few King’s Landing:

King’s Landing:

• Catedral de Santa María is the Sept Baelor.

Braavos:

• You’ll recognize Sant Pere de Galligants from Arya and the Waif’s fight scene.
• The Placa dels Jurats serves as a Braavosi Theater.
• The streets of Ferran el Católic, Sant Martí, and L’Escola Pia are also used in Braavosi street market scenes.

SEVILLE

The House Martell plot might not be everyone’s favorite. However, as far as Game of Thrones filming locations, no one would argue that Seville is one of the most stunning areas.

Most of the filming for Dorne was done at the Alcázar de Sevilla.

Plaza de Toros in nearby Osuna served as the Daznak Pit where Daenerys faces off with the Mereen slave masters.

OTHER FILMING LOCATIONS IN SPAIN

I actually remember when news of Castillo de Zafra in Guadalajara broke as a filming location because most book fans immediately guessed what it would be. The castle, built in the 12th century, is the Tower of Joy, which is supposed to be in Dorne’s Red Mountains. It’s also the birthplace of a certain character *cough.*

Pensícola, a Mediterranean town in the Castellón region serves as parts of Meereen while the Bardenas Reales in Navarre doubles as parts of the Dothraki Sea. Castello de Santa Florentina in Barcelona is the House of Tarley’s Horn Hill.

Itzurun Beach in Zumaia is used for when Dany arrives to Dragonstone.

And there you have it! These are all the Game of Throne filming locations. Can’t wait to see where Season 8 brings us.

Some Sources I Used for the Game of Thrones Filming Locations

• Game of Thrones Wiki
• A full map to reference on Bored Panda
• Skyscanner also has an extensive, albeit not complete, list 
• All these images come from Pixabay or Wikimedia Commons. Since I’ve only been to one of these places, the photos are obviously not mine :)

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