It’s funny how a TV show can leave such a big gap in your life, but Monday nights just don’t seem the same without our daily dose of epic storylines and dramatic scenery. If, like us, you’re missing Game of Thrones and closely following those rumours that the final series won’t air until 2019, there is still a way that you can get your Westeros fix. Why not visit some of the epic locations around the world that have been used as filming locations for the award-winning series? Here are seven filming locations that you’ll recognise as soon as you arrive.
King’s Landing / Dubrovnik, Croatia
All throughout the series, many of the scenes depicting King’s Landing have been filmed in Dubrovnik, and any visitor to the Croatian city will instantly recognised those white buildings with the terracotta roofs. Perhaps the most famous scene that was filmed in the city’s streets was when Cersei Lanister was forced to make a walk of shame through the city. This was filmed on the Stradun, the main street that runs for 1,000 feet between the Cathedral and the Sponza Palace.
The King’s Road / The Dark Hedges, Northern Ireland
The scene in the second series when Arya Stark has escaped King’s Landing and is travelling north was filmed at The Dark Hedges in Northern Ireland. This dramatic passageway through an avenue of Beech trees is the driveway to a Georgian mansion in Northern Ireland and is a must-visit destination for any Irish Game of Thrones tour.
Dragonstone / Downhill Strand, Northern Ireland
Many scenes over the past seven series have been filmed in Ireland, making the country a great first choice for any fan wishing to visit filming locations. The remote beach of Downhill Strand in Northern Ireland is perhaps better known to fans as Dragonstone, the site where many of the key characters meet for the first time in series seven.
Sunspear, Dorne / Alcazar of Seville, Spain
If you’ve visited Seville, chances are that you will already have wandered around the Alcazar as this beautifully ornate palace is the city’s most iconic tourist attraction. The palace was actually partially closed for several days during filming for scenes of the Dorne family’s summer residence.
The Dothraki Sea / Bardenas Reales, Spain
These otherworldly clay, chalk and sandstone plains were used as the location for filming scenes set in the Dothraki Sea during the series. Perhaps surprisingly, these jaw-dropped landscapes can be found in Spain, not too far from Bilbao.
Arrowhead Mountain, North of the Wall / Kirkjufell, Iceland
The majority of scenes from north of the wall have been filmed in various locations around Iceland. The most photographed mountain in the country, located on the Snaefellsnes peninsula is perhaps the easiest landmark to seek out for yourself, as many of the other locations are extremely isolated. This iconic mountain is seen in the background during two important scenes: when the Children of the Forest create the first White Walker in series six and when Jon Snow and the others are trapped on the island during series seven’s most dramatic episode.
Jon and Ygritte’s cave / Grjótagjá, Iceland
Jon Snow and Ygritte the Wildling’s infamous love scene was filmed in this romantic little cave in the north of Iceland. Located close to Lake Myvatn, the cave contains a natural hot spring with scalding hot water that it is now forbidden to bathe in. Plenty of tourists head to this spot to take photographs and to dangle their feet into the hot spring.
Emma Lavelle is a UK based writer and photographer and has her own blog Field and Nest.
