What has been filmed in Croatia besides Game of Thrones?

Croatia has hosted numerous international productions beyond Game of Thrones. Major productions include Mamma Mia 2 (Vis island), Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (Dubrovnik for the Canto Bight casino scenes), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (Dubrovnik), and the television series Succession (Dubrovnik and the coast). Croatia's combination of medieval architecture, pristine coastline and film-friendly regulations makes it one of Europe's most-used filming destinations.

Which specific locations in Croatia were used for Star Wars?

Dubrovnik's Old Town was used in The Last Jedi (Episode VIII, 2017) for the casino city of Canto Bight. The Stradun and surrounding streets were dressed for the production, with the Rector's Palace area providing key interior reference. Filming took place in October 2016.

Where was Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again filmed in Croatia?

The 2018 sequel used Vis island as the primary stand-in for the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi. The town of Komiža and surrounding coastal landscapes on Vis provided the Mediterranean setting. The production significantly boosted tourism to Vis, previously one of Croatia's quieter islands.

Can I visit the Šibenik GoT locations without a tour?

Yes. The cathedral area and quayside streets used for Braavos in season 5 are public spaces in Šibenik's Old Town. The Cathedral of St James is open for independent visits. No GoT-specific tour is required, though the Šibenik tourist office can provide location maps.

Has Dubrovnik been used for filming other than Game of Thrones?

Extensively. Dubrovnik has appeared in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Succession, and numerous other productions. Its consistent use as a filming location reflects both its visual uniqueness and the Croatian film commission's active support for international productions.

Is the Vis Mamma Mia filming location still visitable?

Yes. Vis island is accessible by regular Jadrolinija ferry from Split (about 2.5 hours) or high-speed catamaran. The Komiža harbour area and surrounding landscapes used in filming are unchanged. Tourism on Vis has increased significantly since the 2018 film's release.

Are there any filming location tours that go beyond Game of Thrones?

Some operators in Dubrovnik offer combined GoT and Star Wars filming location tours, covering both productions in a single walk of the Old Town. These are less widely available than pure GoT tours. Ask tour operators directly about multi-production options.

Has any Croatian interior location (Zagreb, Istria) been used for significant filming?

Zagreb and Istria have hosted various European productions including television series and films, but at a significantly lower profile than the Dalmatian coast. The coastline's visual distinctiveness makes it the dominant filming zone.

Croatia Filming Locations: Game of Thrones & More 2026

Croatia has been a production designer’s favourite since the early 2000s, when the combination of well-preserved medieval architecture, reliable Adriatic light, an active film commission and comparatively lower costs than western European filming destinations first attracted major productions. The country’s landscape — from walled Dalmatian cities to forested islands and turquoise bays — offers a visual range that doubles convincingly for medieval Europe, ancient Rome, Greek islands or fictional Essos depending on the production’s needs.

Game of Thrones is the most visible example, but Croatia’s filming credentials extend well beyond a single television series.

Game of Thrones: the full Croatian location picture

The GoT production used Croatia more extensively than any other single country outside the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. The key locations:

Dubrovnik (seasons 2–8): King’s Landing

Dubrovnik’s Old Town served as the primary filming location for King’s Landing across seven seasons. The specific sites — Fort Lovrijenac (Red Keep), Stradun (street scenes), Jesuit Staircase (Walk of Shame), Minčeta Tower (House of the Undying), various wall sections — are covered in detail in the King’s Landing Dubrovnik guide.

The production typically filmed in Dubrovnik in spring and autumn, avoiding the summer peak for both logistical and photographic reasons. Early morning shoots were standard practice, with sections of the Old Town closed to visitors during filming days.

Trsteno Arboretum (seasons 3–4): King’s Landing gardens

Located 20 km north of Dubrovnik, the 15th-century Renaissance garden at Trsteno appeared as the Red Keep gardens where Sansa Stark walked with Olenna Tyrell. The arboretum’s ancient plane trees and formal fountain provided a distinctively historic outdoor setting that studio gardens could not replicate. It is managed by the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts and open to visitors year-round.

Split — Diocletian’s Palace cellars (seasons 4–5): Meereen slave chambers

The fourth-century Roman cellars beneath Diocletian’s Palace served as the slave chambers beneath Daenerys’s pyramid. The genuine Roman stonework — barrel-vaulted arches, rough stone floors, low ambient light — was essential to the atmosphere. See the GoT Split locations guide for the full detail.

Klis Fortress (seasons 4–5): exterior of Meereen

The medieval fortress on the limestone ridge above Split appeared as Meereen’s dramatic exterior, enhanced with CGI for scale. Klis was used for approach sequences and exterior battle scenes. The fortress has its own significant historical identity as a Croatian royal seat and site of anti-Ottoman resistance.

Šibenik (season 5): Braavos

The cathedral area and quayside streets of Šibenik appeared as the Free City of Braavos in season five, when Arya Stark arrives to train with the Faceless Men. The Cathedral of St James — a UNESCO World Heritage site built entirely in stone — and the narrow lanes of Šibenik’s old town provided an appropriately atmospheric Essos port setting.

Šibenik itself is worth visiting on its own terms. The cathedral is one of the most remarkable Gothic-Renaissance buildings in the Adriatic, built between 1431 and 1535 entirely without mortar. The frieze of 71 portrait faces around the exterior apse is particularly memorable — real faces of 15th-century Šibenik citizens, rendered in stone by Juraj Dalmatinac.

Lokrum island (season 2): Quarth

The forested nature reserve island of Lokrum, 600 metres offshore from Dubrovnik’s Old Town, appeared as the exterior of the Essosi city of Quarth. Season two filming on Lokrum was relatively limited compared to the mainland sites, but the island’s ruined monastery, botanical garden and rocky coastline provided distinctive reference shots.

Lokrum is independently worth visiting: the iron Throne replica (originally the real one used in production) remains on the island, peacocks roam the grounds, and the saltwater lake (Mrtvo More — Dead Sea) is excellent for swimming in a sheltered setting.

A GoT city walking tour in Dubrovnik covers the principal Old Town filming sites with episode-specific context — useful for first-time visitors who want to orient the locations within the show’s narrative rather than hunting them independently.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi — Dubrovnik as Canto Bight

In October 2016, Dubrovnik’s Old Town was used as the casino city of Canto Bight in Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi (released 2017). The production dressed the Stradun and surrounding streets with casino and racetrack props, shooting across multiple days with crowd-controlled access.

The Canto Bight scenes are relatively brief in the final film — Finn and Rose’s casino escapade is a contested subplot — but the filming was extensive. The Rector’s Palace area and the main promenade both appear. Unlike GoT, no set construction was required: the limestone architecture was used largely as-is, with costume and prop dressing.

The Star Wars filming followed Dubrovnik’s GoT exposure by several years and further reinforced the city’s reputation as a premier production location.

Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again — Vis island

The 2018 sequel to Mamma Mia used Vis island as the primary location for scenes set on the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi. Komiža — Vis’s smaller harbour town on the western side of the island — provided the harbourside and village scenes that required a Mediterranean island atmosphere.

Vis was an especially apt choice. The island had been closed to foreign visitors until 1989 (it was a Yugoslav navy base) and retains a quality of unspoiled authenticity unusual on the Dalmatian coast. The Komiža harbour is genuinely picturesque, the island’s fishing culture remains active, and the combination of rocky hills, vineyards and clear sea matched what a Greek island needed to look like.

Post-film, Vis tourism increased noticeably. The island’s profile shifted from “best-kept secret” to an increasingly sought-after destination for visitors who had seen it in the film. It remains less crowded than Hvar or Brač despite this, partly because access requires a longer ferry journey (2.5 hours from Split on the Jadrolinija car ferry, or about 1.5 hours by catamaran).

For visitors to Vis: the filming locations are accessible independently — the Komiža harbour and surrounding coastal paths are public. A Vis day trip from Split or a multi-night stay (recommended for real engagement with the island) both work. See the Vis island guide for practical details.

Succession — Dubrovnik and the Adriatic coast

The HBO series Succession used Dubrovnik and parts of the Dalmatian coast for episodes in its later seasons, particularly for yacht-sequence filming in the Adriatic. The production needed a Mediterranean setting for extended yacht scenes among the Roy family, and the Croatian coast provided the visual quality and accessible filming conditions required.

Succession’s use of Dubrovnik and the surrounding area was less architecturally specific than GoT — the focus was the sea and the yacht rather than any particular building or landmark — but it contributed to the ongoing association between Croatia and premium television production.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves — Dubrovnik (1991)

An earlier and often-forgotten use of Dubrovnik as a filming location, the 1991 Kevin Costner film used the city’s walls and gates for scenes set in Jerusalem. Dubrovnik’s walls and towers appeared in the opening sequences. This was among the earlier major Hollywood productions to use Croatia, preceding by two decades the scale of GoT-era filming.

What makes Croatia so filmable?

Several practical factors explain Croatia’s appeal to productions beyond pure aesthetics:

Film commission support: the Croatian Audiovisual Centre offers incentives of up to 25% cash rebate on qualifying Croatian expenditure for international productions, making it financially competitive with other European filming destinations.

Location range: within a relatively small geographic area, Croatia offers medieval walled cities, Roman ruins, island landscapes, mountain terrain and pristine coastline. Productions can double Croatia convincingly for medieval Europe, the ancient Mediterranean or original fictional settings.

Reliable light: the Adriatic light — particularly in spring and autumn — is consistently favourable for cinematography. Lower humidity than mid-summer makes the light less hazy; extended golden hours (the sun sets late along the Dalmatian coast) provide long windows of flattering exterior light.

Practical infrastructure: by the time GoT was in full production, Dubrovnik had sufficient hotel capacity, production services and logistics infrastructure to support large crews. The city is small enough to manage production-related closures, yet well-connected enough for equipment movement.

Historical preservation: Croatia’s cities are unusually well-preserved in part because the region was not heavily industrialised during the 20th century and in part because UNESCO protection for several sites created incentives for architectural conservation. This means that what you see is largely genuine rather than reconstructed.

How filming locations affect tourism

The relationship between filming and tourism in Croatia is well documented. Dubrovnik’s visitor numbers increased markedly following Game of Thrones’ second season in 2012, with the rate of growth accelerating through seasons 3–6 (2013–2016). The city now enforces daily visitor caps in the Old Town and has limits on cruise ship arrivals.

Vis, by contrast, was relatively unknown internationally before Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, and the film brought it to the attention of a broad global audience that had not previously considered the island. Unlike Dubrovnik, Vis has sufficient space and limited accommodation capacity to absorb increased interest without the same congestion challenges.

For visitors planning around filming-location tourism, practical advice:

Dubrovnik: visit in May, June or September rather than July and August. The filming locations are identical at any time of year, but the crowd conditions are markedly different. Morning visits (before 09:00) are essential regardless of season.

Vis: the filming increased interest but the island remains one of Dalmatia’s less crowded destinations. A two to three night stay is far more rewarding than a day trip and allows proper engagement with both the filming locations and the island itself.

Šibenik: the GoT filming here is a complement to visiting the cathedral, not a primary reason. Šibenik is a genuinely excellent destination often overlooked in favour of its more famous neighbours.

The complete GoT tour in Dubrovnik is the most efficient way to cover all the principal King’s Landing sites with proper context, freeing the rest of your Dubrovnik time for the city’s historical and architectural attractions.

Planning a filming location itinerary in Croatia

A realistic filming location circuit in Croatia, if that is a specific interest:

Day 1–2, Dubrovnik: GoT King’s Landing sites (Old Town, Fort Lovrijenac, Trsteno). See King’s Landing Dubrovnik and Dubrovnik GoT walking guide.

Day 3, Šibenik: Cathedral area GoT Braavos locations. En route between Dubrovnik and Split.

Day 4–5, Split: Diocletian’s Palace cellars (Meereen) and Klis Fortress. See GoT Split locations.

Day 6–7, Vis: Mamma Mia 2 filming locations in Komiža and the island’s landscapes. Ferry from Split.

This circuit works well as part of a standard Dalmatia itinerary — none of the filming locations requires significant detours from the natural tourist route along the coast.

Frequently asked questions about Croatia filming locations

Which specific locations in Croatia were used for Star Wars?
Dubrovnik's Old Town was used in The Last Jedi (Episode VIII, 2017) for the casino city of Canto Bight. The Stradun and surrounding streets were dressed for the production, with the Rector's Palace area providing key interior reference. Filming took place in October 2016.
Where was Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again filmed in Croatia?
The 2018 sequel used Vis island as the primary stand-in for the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi. The town of Komiža and surrounding coastal landscapes on Vis provided the Mediterranean setting. The production significantly boosted tourism to Vis, previously one of Croatia's quieter islands.
Can I visit the Šibenik GoT locations without a tour?
Yes. The cathedral area and quayside streets used for Braavos in season 5 are public spaces in Šibenik's Old Town. The Cathedral of St James is open for independent visits. No GoT-specific tour is required, though the Šibenik tourist office can provide location maps.
Has Dubrovnik been used for filming other than Game of Thrones?
Extensively. Dubrovnik has appeared in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Succession, and numerous other productions. Its consistent use as a filming location reflects both its visual uniqueness and the Croatian film commission's active support for international productions.
Is the Vis Mamma Mia filming location still visitable?
Yes. Vis island is accessible by regular Jadrolinija ferry from Split (about 2.5 hours) or high-speed catamaran. The Komiža harbour area and surrounding landscapes used in filming are unchanged. Tourism on Vis has increased significantly since the 2018 film's release.
Are there any filming location tours that go beyond Game of Thrones?
Some operators in Dubrovnik offer combined GoT and Star Wars filming location tours, covering both productions in a single walk of the Old Town. These are less widely available than pure GoT tours. Ask tour operators directly about multi-production options.
Has any Croatian interior location (Zagreb, Istria) been used for significant filming?
Zagreb and Istria have hosted various European productions including television series and films, but at a significantly lower profile than the Dalmatian coast. The coastline's visual distinctiveness makes it the dominant filming zone.