Game of Thrones

Between 2011 and 2019 the TV show Game of Thrones (or short GoT), based on the book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin caught the attention of people all around the world. It was the complex story of different houses fighting for the dominance on the fictious continent Westeros that attracted the viewers, but also the unusual characters that were beloved and hated. And the showrunners selected beautiful places to film the series for HBO, something that connected the TV series to reality.

Game of Thrones also brought a lot of attention for Dubrovnik which was the perfect location for King’s Landing, the capital of the seven kingdoms. Even though the city was massively digitally altered for the series it is easy to connect reality with fiction when visiting it in person. And a lot of people did so in the last century; Dubrovnik was flooded with tourists. As long as this lasts you should better go in off-season to the pearl of the Adriatic.

If you want to catch the Game of Thrones spirit you should search for scenes filmed in Dubrovnik on the Internet upfront and take them with you. Places you might want to include in your visit are:

• The historic staircase in front of the church Crkva sv. Ignacija: It is the place connected to Cersei Lannisters naked walk of shame. You can find it in the south of the inner city center.
• The Lovrijenac castle which was used to film numerous sequences inside the Red Keep can be reached from the Pile gate by passing through the former harbor and climbing up the hill.
• The Gradac park was used to film the famous purple wedding scene (yes, when this bad guy finally exits this world). You can find it on a hill west of the city center, behind the Lovrijenac fortress.
• Both Pile gate and Ploče gate were used as gates of King’s Landing.
• The Minčeta tower represents the House of the Undying where Daenerys Targaryens dragons were hidden.
• The Bokar fortress is a part of the ancient city walls, it was shown on screen numerous times.
• The Rector’s palace was used as the mansion of the Spice King in Qarth.
• What is named Blackwater Bay in the story is actually the old western harbor of the city and can be found close to the Pile gate.
• The island of Lokrum was used as the kingdom of Qarth. Today you can find a small exhibition there and the Iron Throne. If you want a picture of yourself reigning Westeros, here is your chance.

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