Was Game of Thrones Filmed in Dubrovnik?

Was Game of Thrones Filmed in Dubrovnik?

Yes, extensively. Dubrovnik's walled Old Town served as King's Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms, across multiple seasons of the show. The city walls, Fort Lovrijenac, the Pile Gate area, the Jesuit Staircase and the island of Lokrum all appear on screen, and the production returned repeatedly because the real city needed almost no set dressing to pass for a fantasy capital.

The short version of the story is that the production needed a walled, marble-paved, sea-surrounded city that could plausibly pass for the richest city in Westeros, and Dubrovnik is exactly that. The Old Town was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979, covering a compact 24.7-hectare core inside its walls, and its skyline of terracotta roofs, bell towers and fortifications reads on camera as somewhere both real and otherworldly. When you walk through the Pile Gate onto the Stradun, the main street that runs 298 metres through the heart of the city, you are standing on ground that the cameras rolled across again and again.

I say this as someone who walks these streets daily: visitors arrive for the history and the sea, and leave surprised by how much of the show was shot practically, on location, rather than built on a soundstage. The Pile Gate approach, the outer walls, the rocky shoreline below the fortifications, the little harbour of the Old City Port, all of it doubled for parts of King's Landing. The production's footprint was large enough that a whole category of local guiding grew up around it, which is why you will now find dedicated Game of Thrones walks, kayaking routes past filming spots, and even a museum of props and costumes in the Old Town.

A few practical notes for anyone planning a visit around the filming locations. The Old Town is small and walkable, and every major location is within a few minutes of the Stradun. The busiest stretch of the day is late morning through mid afternoon, when day trippers and cruise passengers swell the lanes; the official counting system installed at the Old Town entrances updates a headcount every 15 minutes, and the acceptable carrying capacity for the historic core is 11,275 people. If you want the staircases and viewpoints more or less to yourself, go early or go late, which happens to also be when the light on the stone is at its best for photographs.

The other thing worth knowing is that the show's presence is not subtle. Signs for Game of Thrones tours cluster near the Pile and Ploče gates, souvenir shops sell throne-themed everything, and several guides built their careers on knowing which camera angle captured which street. Some visitors find this charming, some find it noisy, and most find that the underlying city more than survives the attention. The full rundown of every location lives in our Game of Thrones filming locations guide, which goes street by street if you want to plan a self-guided walk.

If you would rather have someone connect the screen to the stone for you, these are the three tours most worth comparing.

Which Game of Thrones Castle Is in Dubrovnik?

Fort Lovrijenac is the castle most people mean. The standalone fortress, rising on a 37-metre-high sea rock just outside the western walls, played the Red Keep, the seat of the Iron Throne in King's Landing. Scenes set at the Red Keep's exterior, including the walk of shame descent, used Lovrijenac and the streets and staircases below it, while the city walls themselves stood in for the battlements of the capital.

Lovrijenac is a genuinely dramatic piece of military architecture even with the show stripped away. It sits apart from the main wall, separated from the city by a small channel, which is precisely why it works as the Red Keep on screen: it looks like a fortress that watches the city rather than belongs to it. The Dubrovnik Tourist Board describes it as a monumental standalone fortress rising on a 37-metre-high sea rock, and that elevation is what gives the interior terraces their sweeping view back across the rooftops. You can read the fortress described on the official tourist board page.

Here is the practical part many visitors miss. Your City Walls ticket is actually a combination ticket: the 40 euro adult ticket in main season, 1 March to 30 November, covers the walls circuit plus Fort Lovrijenac, plus the Western Outer Wall and the Collection of Coins of the Republic of Ragusa. Bought alone, Lovrijenac is 15 euro. The child ticket for the combination is 15 euro in main season and 5 euro in December, with under 6 free. There is no family ticket, only adult and child 7 to 18, so price a family out as adults plus children rather than hunting for a bundle that does not exist. The walls operator states its hours as 08:00 to 19:30.

The other "castle" answer people look for is the island of Lokrum, a short boat ride from the Old City Harbour. Lokrum stood in for the city of Qarth in season two, and its Benedictine monastery and botanical gardens gave the production the exotic, walled-garden feel those scenes needed. Lokrum is easy to visit independently: the ticket is 30 euro per person and covers both the reserve entry and the return boat transfer, boats leave the City Harbour at 09:00 and then every 15 minutes from 10:00 to 18:00, and the ticket office at Luža works 08:00 to 18:00. A ticket stays usable for three days, which gives you flexibility if the weather turns. The official Lokrum Reserve site carries the current schedule.

Beyond Lovrijenac and Lokrum, the filming map spreads across the everyday fabric of the Old Town. The Jesuit Staircase that climbs from the Gundulić Square area toward the Jesuit church served as the steps of the Great Sept of Baelor, and it is the single most photographed staircase in the city because of one scene in particular. The Pile Gate and the stretch of wall above it appear in early-season King's Landing arrivals, the Ploče Gate side doubles for other parts of the capital, and the rocky shoreline below the walls shows up in the Blackwater-era scenes. Our dedicated answer on which castle appears in the show untangles the Red Keep and Lovrijenac confusion in more detail.

If the idea of a guide stitching these places together appeals, this is the tour that does it best.

Is a Game of Thrones Tour in Dubrovnik Worth It?

For most fans, yes. A guided tour converts streets that blur together into recognisable scenes, because guides hold screen captures up at the exact camera position, which you cannot easily replicate yourself. Paid tours run from $25.57 to about $30 per person, and there is a free, pay-what-you-want Game of Thrones and history walk on GuruWalk rated 4.74 across 444 reviews if you want to test the format before spending anything.

The honest case against a tour is that the locations are public streets. You can find the Jesuit Staircase, the Pile Gate, the Lovrijenac viewpoint and the walls on your own with a map and an hour of patience, and plenty of people do exactly that. What you cannot easily replicate is the framing. Half the pleasure of these walks is standing where the camera stood and seeing the shot assemble itself, and a guide who has done this hundreds of times knows the precise corner, the precise angle, the precise archway. They also carry the production trivia: which scenes were shot at dawn to dodge crowds, which street had to be cleared, which local details were left in frame by accident. Everything else covered here is indexed on Things to Do in Dubrovnik.

The case for the tour is stronger than it looks on paper for another reason. Dubrovnik's Old Town is dense, hot in summer, and crowded at midday, and a tour is an efficient way to spend ninety minutes or two hours rather than half a day of route-finding. The Original Game of Thrones Tour from Mediterranean Experience runs from $25.57 per person and is rated 4.8 across 6,132 reviews, which makes it one of the most-reviewed products in the city. It covers the King's Landing locations in the Old Town and adds an option to continue to Lokrum with the Iron Throne photo stop, which neatly combines the two filming clusters in one booking.

A review from Lewis, who took that exact tour, captures what a good guide adds: "Brilliant day! Tour guide was very welcoming and informative! Highly recommend if you love Game of Thrones, definitely book the extra hour to go to Lokrum Island aswell! Also helps you get your bearings in the Old Town!"

That last point deserves underlining. Even travellers who are lukewarm on the show often report that a Game of Thrones tour functioned as the best history walk they took in the city, because the show's plot is pinned onto real events and real buildings, and a guide sliding between fiction and fact keeps both threads alive. If you are travelling with a mixed group of fans and non-fans, this format is a decent compromise: the fans get their locations, everyone else gets a competent orientation to the Old Town's layout, gates and squares.

The budget option is worth taking seriously. The Free Tour Game of Thrones and the History of Dubrovnik on GuruWalk runs about an hour and a half, is rated 4.74 across 444 reviews, and costs nothing up front: you pay what you think the walk was worth at the end. It is a genuine, well-reviewed product rather than a teaser, and for a family of four it can be the difference between a paid tour and a very good free one. For a deeper comparison of the paid options, including the walking-only variant, see our Game of Thrones tour guide.

There is also a format question to settle before you book. The classic walking tour stays inside the walls and finishes near where it starts. The Lokrum-inclusive versions add a boat leg and the throne photo stop, which roughly doubles the time commitment but bundles the Qarth locations into the same ticket. And for travellers who want the show as garnish rather than the meal, a general Old Town walk will pass several of the same spots with the emphasis on real history instead. The right choice depends less on budget than on how much of your Dubrovnik day you want to spend inside the story.

Which Is the Best Game of Thrones Tour in Dubrovnik?

The Dubrovnik Game of Thrones Tour with the Lokrum and Iron Throne option, from $29.62 per person and rated 4.9 across 5,201 reviews, scores highest of the dedicated tours. The Original Game of Thrones Tour from $25.57, rated 4.8 across 6,132 reviews, is the most reviewed and the best value, and the walking-only tour from $29 per person suits anyone short on time. The best pick depends on whether you want Lokrum included.

Start with the rating leaders, because the differences between them are real but small. The tour with the optional Iron Throne is run by Dubrovnik Walking Tours, runs two to three hours, and its 4.9 across 5,201 reviews is the strongest score in the category at that volume. The Original Game of Thrones Tour from Mediterranean Experience is a shade cheaper at $25.57 and carries more reviews still, 6,132 at 4.8, with the Lokrum and throne extension available as an add-on. Both are established operators with deep benches of guides, and both cover the core King's Landing circuit: the Pile Gate, the walls viewpoints, Lovrijenac from the outside, the Jesuit Staircase and the Old City Port.

The walking-only option, from Dubrovnik Walks and Sea Kayaking at $29 per person and rated 4.9 across 1,052 reviews, is the one to pick when your day is already full. It skips the boat leg entirely and concentrates the screen time into a tighter circuit, which matters if you are on a cruise stop or trying to fit the walls, a tour and a swim into one visit. And if you want the show's locations from the water rather than the street, the kayaking tours around Lokrum and Betina Cave paddle past the same shoreline the cameras used, which is a completely different and arguably better view of the fortress city.

Timing advice that applies to all of them: book the earlier slot. The tours that leave around 09:00 walk the locations before the midday crush builds, and the counting data shows why that matters, on a representative September day the Old Town headcount climbed from 3,139 at 07:00 to 5,419 at 08:00 and peaked at 7,739 at 10:00. A guide holding up a screen capture on a staircase with forty people on it is a different experience from the same guide on the same staircase with four people on it. Late afternoon slots are the second-best window, and they pair nicely with a sunset drink afterwards.

One more planning note. If you are visiting between April and October and want the Lokrum extension, check the boat schedule before you lock in your timing, because the official boats run 09:00 and then every 15 minutes from 10:00 to 18:00, and the last departures shape how long your island leg can be. The 30 euro Lokrum ticket is included in tours that list it, but if you are visiting independently the combined Dubrovnik, Trsteno, Lokrum ticket at 42 euro adds the arboretum and an air-conditioned boat, which is a fair deal for a fuller day. Whatever you choose, book the dedicated tours ahead in peak season, the best-reviewed slots fill first.

For anyone still deciding, here are the three side by side one last time.

Common Questions About Game of Thrones Filming in Dubrovnik

Was Game of Thrones filmed in Dubrovnik?

Yes. Dubrovnik's walled Old Town served as King's Landing across multiple seasons, with Fort Lovrijenac as the Red Keep, the Jesuit Staircase as the steps of the Great Sept of Baelor, and Lokrum island standing in for Qarth. The production returned repeatedly because the real city needed almost no set dressing.

which game of thrones castle is in dubrovnik?

Fort Lovrijenac, the standalone fortress on a 37-metre-high sea rock just outside the western walls, played the Red Keep. It is included in the 40 euro main-season City Walls combination ticket, or you can visit Lovrijenac alone for 15 euro.

Is a Game of Thrones Tour in Dubrovnik Worth It?

For most fans, yes. Guides hold screen captures at the exact camera positions, which is hard to replicate alone, and paid tours run from $25.57 to about $30 per person. There is also a free, pay-what-you-want Game of Thrones and history walk on GuruWalk rated 4.74 across 444 reviews.

Which Is the Best Game of Thrones Tour in Dubrovnik?

The tour with the Lokrum and Iron Throne option, from $29.62 and rated 4.9 across 5,201 reviews, scores highest. The Original Game of Thrones Tour from $25.57, rated 4.8 across 6,132 reviews, is the most reviewed and best value. Pick a walking-only tour if you are short on time.

Can You Visit the Game of Thrones Locations on Your Own?

Yes, all the main locations are public streets and squares: the Pile Gate, the Jesuit Staircase, the Ploče Gate side and the shoreline below the walls cost nothing. Fort Lovrijenac and the walls circuit require the combination ticket, and Lokrum requires the 30 euro island ticket, which includes the return boat.

When Is the Best Time of Day for a Filming Locations Walk?

Early morning, before the Old Town headcount climbs toward its mid-morning peak. On a representative September day the count rose from 3,139 at 07:00 to a 7,739 peak at 10:00, so tours leaving around 09:00 see the locations with far fewer people. Late afternoon is the second-best window.