Game of Thrones Filming Locations in Croatia: the complete bucket list
The production team for Game of Thrones could have built King’s Landing anywhere. They chose Dubrovnik, and the decision changed how a generation of travellers think about Croatia. Between 2011 and 2019, Croatia served as the primary filming location for several of the series’ most iconic locations, and the result — a global audience introduced to Dubrovnik’s old town, Split’s Diocletian’s Palace and the karst coast of Dalmatia — redirected tourism in ways the country is still processing.
This guide covers every major filming location in Croatia, what was filmed there, how to get the most out of a visit, and which guided experiences are worth taking.
Dubrovnik: King’s Landing in full
Dubrovnik provided the majority of the King’s Landing footage, and the match between the medieval city and the fictional capital is obvious the moment you walk through the Pile Gate. The scale, the limestone streets, the walls overlooking the sea — all of it maps onto the show’s visual language with minimal need for set dressing.
The City Walls
The Walls of King’s Landing are Dubrovnik’s own medieval fortifications, largely intact after several hundred years and among the best-preserved in Europe. The two-kilometre circuit — best walked counterclockwise to keep the sea views on your left — offers the elevated perspective seen in many of the show’s establishing shots of King’s Landing from above.
The walls are open to visitors daily (fees apply; check current pricing on the Dubrovnik official site). Early morning entry, before the cruise ship passengers arrive, is strongly recommended. The light is also better before 9am.
The Jesuit Staircase (Cersei’s Walk of Shame)
The wide baroque staircase descending from Saint Ignatius Church to Gundulićeva Poljana square was used for Cersei Lannister’s walk of shame in Season 5. It is visually recognisable from the show and accessible without any ticket purchase. The square at the bottom hosts a daily market.
Fort Lovrijenac (the Red Keep exterior)
The free-standing fortress built on a rock 37 metres above the sea just outside the Pile Gate served as the exterior of the Red Keep. It is accessible as part of the Dubrovnik Old Town pass and has a small interior that is less interesting than the exterior views. The view from the bastion back toward the Pile Gate and over the city is excellent.
Rector’s Palace (Spymaster’s parlour)
The 15th-century Rector’s Palace on the Luža square served as a filming location for several interior scenes. It now functions as a museum; the courtyard in particular retains the atmosphere used in the production.
Gradac Park (Blackwater Bay aftermath)
Gradac Park, a short walk from the old town walls along the western coast, provided the landscape used in the aftermath of the Battle of the Blackwater. It is a pleasant public park and an easy walk from the old town.
Fort Bokar and the harbour
Various harbour scenes and exterior views of Fort Bokar — the westernmost tower of the city wall system — appear throughout the series. The fort itself is most dramatic from the outside, seen from the walls circuit or from the sea.
Dubrovnik Game of Thrones complete guided tourA guided tour adds genuine value here: the production used locations throughout the old town and a guide who worked on the series (or is at minimum very familiar with it) will identify shots that are not obvious to a first-time visitor. The complete tour covers approximately 10 significant locations across 2.5 hours.
Split: Daenerys’s Meereen
Split’s Diocletian’s Palace is one of the best-preserved Roman imperial palaces in the world — a 4th-century walled complex where 3,000 people still live and work inside the original walls. It served as the filming location for Meereen, the slave city conquered by Daenerys.
The Underground Halls (Daenerys’s Dragon Pits)
The palace’s subterranean level — the cellars that supported the residential quarters above — were used as the dragon pits where Daenerys kept Rhaegal and Viserion. The vaulted chambers are impressive on their own terms as Roman architecture; the GoT connection adds a layer of recognition for fans. The halls are accessible to visitors and are often the best-preserved section of the palace.
Peristyle Square (the gathering of Meereen’s citizens)
The central courtyard of Diocletian’s Palace, with its early Christian cathedral (converted from the emperor’s mausoleum) and sphinx statues, was used for several crowd scenes in Meereen. The square is surrounded by functioning café terraces; having a coffee here while recognising the surroundings is one of the more pleasant Game of Thrones fan experiences.
Šibenik: Braavos
Šibenik played Braavos, the city of the Faceless Men and the setting for Arya Stark’s training arc across multiple seasons. The Cathedral of Saint James, the two hilltop fortresses and the medieval streets around them provided the visual material for the fictional trading city.
Šibenik Cathedral of Saint James
The UNESCO-listed cathedral is the main recognisable landmark used in Braavos sequences. The 72 portrait heads around the apse exterior are particularly distinctive and appear in several establishing shots. The cathedral is worth visiting independently of the GoT connection — it is one of the most significant Gothic-Renaissance buildings in the Adriatic.
Saint John’s Fortress
The upper fortress above Šibenik was used for several Braavos exterior scenes. It now serves as an outdoor events venue; the views over the town and the Krka estuary are excellent regardless.
Trogir: Braavos interiors
Trogir’s UNESCO old town provided additional Braavos footage, particularly for street-level scenes. The medieval street grid and the distinctive limestone facades are consistent with the Šibenik footage and allowed the production to use both towns interchangeably for the fictional city. The visual connection between Šibenik and Trogir is clear enough that visitors familiar with one will recognise the other.
Dubrovnik surroundings: Lokrum Island
Lokrum, a small island 10 minutes by boat from Dubrovnik old town harbour, served as Qarth (the walled city visited by Daenerys in Season 2). The botanical garden and the Benedictine monastery ruins provided the location. Lokrum is accessible by regular boat service from Dubrovnik and is a pleasant half-day — a walking trail around the island takes about an hour, and there are swimming coves on the sea-facing side.
A Game of Thrones exhibition was established on Lokrum (it has moved between venues over the years — verify current status locally).
The Game of Thrones trail itinerary
The Game of Thrones trail itinerary covers Dubrovnik, Split, Šibenik and Trogir in a logical sequence over five to seven days. The most efficient approach is to move from north to south: Šibenik — Trogir — Split — Dubrovnik, with Lokrum at the end. This follows the natural Dalmatian coast road and avoids backtracking.
For Dubrovnik, the dedicated GoT walking tour is the most efficient use of a morning. For Split, the underground halls of Diocletian’s Palace can be explored independently in an hour; the full Split walking tour adds the non-GoT context that makes the Roman material more interesting.
Dubrovnik: the ultimate Game of Thrones city walking tourPractical notes for GoT visitors
Crowds: Dubrovnik’s GoT locations are among the busiest in the city. The City Walls in particular attract dedicated tour groups; arrive when they open or in the late afternoon for better conditions. The Jesuit Staircase is outdoors and accessible at any time.
Photography: The narrow streets of Dubrovnik’s old town are challenging to photograph in midday summer light. Morning or evening light (before 9am or after 6pm) is significantly better.
The show’s legacy in Dubrovnik: The city has a complicated relationship with the GoT-driven tourism surge. Resident numbers in the old town have fallen sharply as the area has become increasingly oriented toward visitors, and the city has introduced measures (cruise ship limits, visitor caps on the walls) to manage the pressure. Being a considerate visitor — booking ahead, avoiding peak hours, eating in restaurants away from the most photographed spots — makes a practical difference.
The filming locations remain, and the best of them — the walls circuit, the Peristyle, the Šibenik cathedral — are worth visiting entirely apart from any connection to the show. The GoT layer adds a recognisable frame of reference; the underlying architecture is the thing that actually justifies the trip.
