Dubrovnik is the crown jewel of Croatia, a stunning and mystical peninsula with a medieval Old Town that is entirely walled. The city once rivaled Venice as an advanced republic of the Adriatic Sea, is largely responsible for the birth of the Croatian language, and serves as the home of King’s Landing.
That last bit might stand out the most, if only because it’s entirely fictional. King’s Landing is, of course, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros from George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” books. And those novels, of course, were made into HBO’s wildly popular series, “Game of Thrones.”
To create the vast world of Westeros, the show’s producers have relied on a dizzying array of extraordinary locales. Many of these filming sites, like Dubrovnik, look more like something born in one’s creative imagination than a real destination shaped by the hands of time, human or natural. But while the interior world of “Game of Thrones” is largely set pieces housed in a Northern Ireland studio, most exterior shots come from cities and regions throughout Europe and Africa (with a little CGI magic thrown in). And a few spectacular historic attractions have been used for interior shots, too.
As the show wraps up its eight-year run in 2019, we’re taking a look at some of the places where the show has filmed, all of which you can visit yourself. Because of “Game of Thrones,” none of these destinations are the same — for better or worse.
Rest assured, this story will have no spoilers.