What the Game of Thrones filming locations look like in real life

Game of Thrones was the hit fantasy drama that captured the world’s attention by becoming the biggest show on the planet. It was full of twists and turns because you really couldn’t trust anyone. You couldn’t have a favorite character because they’d either meet an unfortunate end or were just horrible people.
By the end of the show, many of the characters had changed from the ones we first met all those years ago. One thing that pretty much remained consistent though was the amazing scenery throughout all eight seasons of the show. While there might have been plenty of CGI used on the dragons, direwolves, and white walkers, there was plenty of backdrops that didn’t need any help from a computer.
Filming was done all over Europe as the showrunners looked high and low for places to bring Westeros to life. It was a huge success, and the locations used for Game of Thrones were genuinely mind-blowing. These are just some of those amazing places used as shooting locations for the iconic series.

King’s Landing

King’s Landing is where the action went down on Game of Thrones, as that was where the Iron Throne was. Power largely always remained in Lannister or Baratheon hands, though there were some who threatened to upset the apple cart.

This is the moment before Cersei was forced to do her walk of shame after she was released by the High Sparrow. It was shot in Dubrovnik, Croatia, where most of King’s Landing was filmed.

King’s Landing Gardens

There were a lot of scenes in King’s Landing as the plotting didn’t let up while the throne was up for grabs. Sansa was forced to stay in the city after her father was executed, and she learned a lot of the scheming tricks to help her later in life.

Once again this King’s Landing shot was filmed in Croatia, this time at Trsteno Arboretum as we got to see the gardens of the city. Sansa wasn’t sure if she could trust the Queen of Thorns to begin with, but she helped her escape Joffrey’s clutches by using Margaery Tyrell.

Braavos

Although most of the Braavos scenes were shot on mainland Europe, this particular scene was done at Carnlough Harbour, Northern Ireland. This was when Arya had finished fighting the waif, and she took the only escape she could, down the river.

It was one of the most memorable moments in the show, even if the final fight happened in the dark. Here this fan is recreating the moment we knew Arya survived, and one of Game of Thrones’ favorite characters had more fight left in her. As it turned out, it’s super important for the humans that Arya survived Braavos.

Meereen

When Daenerys first arrived in Meereen, it was a shock to her system to see how cruel people could be. She decided it was her duty to sack the city and teach all of The Masters a lesson by having them line the road to her throne.

We all knew Dany had a ruthless streak in her, but this confirmed that she lived by her house word: Fire and blood. The road to Meereen was filmed in Split, Croatia, and this was where Dany tried her best to get to grips with ruling, but she struggled to help her people.

Qarth

Back when Game of Thrones was filming Daenerys’ early scenes, actress Emilia Clarke spent most of her time in Croatia. This is Minčeta Tower in Dubrovnik, and it’s where she had to search for her dragons in the House of the Undying. It was when we learned just how much determination Dany had to keep her babies, but also where we saw some foreshadowing for the finale.

If you remember, the Iron Throne looked to be covered in snow, but as things transpired, that was most likely ash. Dany got her dragons back and hit the road not long after.

King’s Landing

Littlefinger was arguably the biggest schemer in the series and here is where he first got his claws into Sansa. They are in King’s Landing, plotting Ned Stark’s daughter’s escape plans out of the city before she had no way out.

The scene is one of many shot in Dubrovnik, Croatia, and it looks pretty much exactly the same as it did in the show. Once again, this conversion was part of Sansa’s learning experience.

Braavos

When Arya was learning from the Faceless Men, she spent a lot of her time as a street urchin in Braavos. This is where she had her first assassination mission and as you can see, it’s not much different in the show to how it looks every day.

It’s pretty much exactly the same, and this is yet another filming location you can find in Croatia. This time the scene was shot in Kastel Gomilica.

The North

In the most recent season, Jon and Dany seem to bond overriding her dragons while in The North. They were preparing to wage war against the Night King but took some timeout to find this isolated spot away from prying eyes among their armies.

Like many of the scenes shot in The North, or beyond The Wall, the showrunners decided to film from Iceland. This is the idyllic Skogafoss waterfall in the Scandinavian country.

King’s Landing

This is another angle of the pier where Littlefinger and Sansa discuss her escape plans, but it shows how much of The Red Keep had to be digitally added. The shot in Dubrovnik, Croatia, didn’t have King’s Landing in the background, but it does have some life on the top of the rock.

There might not be an Iron Throne inside this building, but in overlooking the sea, it’s the perfect spot for King’s Landing.

King’s Landing

This is the moment that would change Princess Myrcella’s life forever. She was setting off for Dorne in what was meant to be a new life as the wife of an important prince. In the end, it was all just a ploy by Ellaria Sand to get Cersei’s daughter to Dorne, where she would plot her downfall.

Once more, Dubrovnik was used as the perfect backdrop for King’s Landing thanks to the medieval architecture in the city.

Dorne

While the plot in Dorne might have upset fans who were expecting so much more from the region, the scenery was impressive. You can see the balcony that overlooks the picturesque gardens in the Alcázar of Seville. It has remained the same for many years, making it the perfect setting for the exotic location of Dorne.

Myrcella might not have survived this part of Westeros, but at least she had fun while she was there.

King’s Road

Ned Stark riding down the King’s Road is where it all went wrong for the Starks, and what started the War of the Five Kings. Then Arya was brought back up the King’s Road when she was smuggled out of King’s Landing by Yoren.

This famous road in Westeros has become a huge attraction in Northern Ireland and is known as the Dark Hedges. It’s one of the most-visited Game of Thrones locations by fans.

Tower of Joy

When Bran is learning to use his Three-Eyed Raven skills, he witnesses his father battle with Ser Arthur Dayne, The Sword of the Morning. That battle occurs outside the Tower of Joy, where Jon Snow was born.

The scene was a huge clue to ‘Thrones fans that Ned Stark wasn’t really Jon’s father and there was more to him than we knew. The Tower of Joy scene was shot at Castillo de Zafra, in Spain.

Dragonstone

When Daenerys arrives in Westeros, she makes a beeline for her ancestral home of Dragonstone, which was also where Stannis Baratheon resided. The beach and rocks are found on Itzurun Beach, Spain, and fans of the show can walk up the steps to feel like the Mother of Dragons.

It’s where Dany was able to take a breath before everything went at 100 miles per hour as she lost everything trying to change the world.

Castle Black

We spent a long time following Jon and his Night’s Watch brothers at Castle Black. It’s where Jon learned to be a leader and also where he first had to encounter a white walker. He always knew it would come to war against the Night King, and that journey began at Castle Black.

The scenes were shot at Magheramorne Quarry in Northern Ireland, and it was quite the transformation from quarry to TV set.

Braavos

Arya arrives in Braavos with the sole determination of becoming a Faceless Man and this is the moment she gets there. It had been a long journey, but she was ready to learn at the House of Black and White.

This scene was shot in Kastel Gomilica in Croatia, and the showrunners did a great job in transforming it from how it usually looks. Thanks to this location, Arya learned to become a master assassin.

The Eyrie

The Eyrie is where we learn all about Robin Arryn’s interesting feeding habits and where Sansa’s aunt Lysa meets her end. It’s where the famous Moondoor is kept and where Tyrion chose trial by combat, only for Bronn to step in and fight for the wealthy Lannister.

The location shots for The Eyrie were done at Thingvellir National Park in Iceland though as you can see, the ‘Bloody Gate’ had to be added in digitally.

Road to Pyke

Tyrion and Ser Jorah Mormont were both on the same mission, to find Daenerys, but for different reasons. Tyrion wanted to know if the rumors about her were true, while Jorah wanted to find a way back into his queen’s heart.

While they travel together, they are captured by slavers and have to find their way out of a tricky predicament. The scene where they’re first captured is here at Murlough Bay in Northern Ireland.

Dragonstone

This was the meeting may fans had been waiting years for. Finally, Daenerys arrived in Westeros, and Jon Snow was heading her way to ask for her help against the white walkers.

The scene needed to be impressive as the meeting of the two characters, and Itzurun Beach in Spain has proven it is the perfect location. The rocks make the scene look like an otherworldly place, fit for a Targaryen queen to rule from.

King’s Landing

When King Tommen sat on the throne the Red Keep was a dangerous place. The High Sparrow had pretty much taken over King’s Landing and was holding Tommen’s bride, Margaery Tyrell hostage, along with her brother and Cersei.

Tommen had no one to turn to, and when his mother destroyed the Sept of Baelor, the King no longer wanted anything to do with this world. It was shot, like most King’s Landing scenes, in Dubrovnik.

King’s Landing

When we were all inexperienced with Game of Thrones, we thought Ned was going to teach the backstabbers in King’s Landing a lesson. Instead, he was ambushed in the streets by Jaime Lannister and what was going to be an epic fight between the legendary warriors was cut short by an eager guard.

That fight on the streets was shot at Mesquita Square in Mdina, Malta and it’s when Ned was first taken into custody.

King’s Landing

When Prince Oberyn came to King’s Landing, it seemed as though everything was going to work out the way the fans hoped. We all disliked The Mountain and Oberyn was determined to get revenge for his sister.

Things didn’t end well for Oberyn during his fight with The Mountain after Tyrion again chose trial by combat. Before he fought The Mountain, he walked the streets of King’s Landing with Cersei, shot at Trsteno Arboretum, Croatia.

The dragonpit

When Cersei agrees to meet Daenerys and her gang at the dragonpit in King’s Landing, she gets a sight of a white walker for the first time. This is where many of the main characters gathered for the first time and where Cersei promised to help in the fight against the Night King.

Everyone knew she wasn’t going to join the battle, well, everyone but Tyrion knew. The scene was shot at Italica in Spain.