Dubrovnik filming locations for King’s Landing and Quarth

Medieval architecture of Dubrovnik served perfectly for the Croatian version of King’s Landing, the capital of Westeros. In the show, King’s Landing in is known as a host to the revelries of the Robert Baratheon, the excess lifestyle of prince Joffrey, and the cunning wit of Tyrion Lannister. Here you will admire Lovrijenac fortress, familiar as Red Keep. You can follow the trails of Arya Stark, and see where beautiful Daenerys, the Queen of Dragons, gave freedom to her fire-breathing flying creatures. You can also walk through Arboretum Trsteno, a place known in the show as the palace gardens of King’s Landing, where gossip and intrigue foreshadowed battles. The collection of exotic, decorative trees and plants includes over 300 plant species, which makes a perfect set for filming magical scenes.

1. City Walls

– The beautiful Old city of Dubrovnik with it’s ancient City Walls present the official setting of King’s Landing, capital of the Seven Kindgoms. Dubrovnik’s City Walls are a series of defensive stone walls that stretch completely around the old town, a distance totaling 1,940 metres (6,360 ft) in length and reach a maximum height of about 25 metres (82 ft). In 1979, the old city of Dubrovnik, which includes a substantial portion of the old walls of Dubrovnik, joined the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Because of its natural beauty, producers soon realised seaside Dubrovnik was the perfect location for King’s Landing and it has featured since season two. In the show city walls appear frequently, most notably the opening episode of season three , which Tyrion, Bronn and Podrick inspect the damage from the Battle of Blackwater Bay.

2. St Dominika Street

– St. Dominika Street is one of the most beautiful in all of Dubrovnik’s Old Town. It leads to Revelin Fortress, which is at the east entrance of the city, known as Ploče. Many Game of Thrones market scenes and City Watch or ‘Gold Cloaks’ scenes take place here, as well as the murders of King Robert’s illegitimate sons. In this street is filmed one of the most memorable scene in season five, when a crucial character will walk through the town naked, as a sign of penance.

3. Ethnographic Museum

– Built in 1590, this is a fascinating building in itself, and the exhibits showcase the economic, cultural and spiritual development of Dubrovnik. Once a granary, in the show it doubles for the brothel where Tyrion Lannister meets Oberyn Martell in season four. Here Tyrion welcomes ‘the Red Viper’ to the capital, after he stabs a rude Lannister soldier in the hand.

4. Fort St. Lovrijenac

– (Fort of St. Lawrence) is located at the western side of the Old Town, outside the city walls on a 37 meters high cliff. It’s also known as “Dubrovnik’s Gibraltar” and it is a symbol of freedom for the people of Dubrovnik in their historical struggle against Venetian rule. In the show, this awe-inspiring fortress portrays the infamous Red Keep. The scenes of the Red Keep in season one were actually shot in Malta, but the film crew from season two onward moved the set to Croatia to shoot more exterior shots of Dubrovnik and Lovrijenac Fortress. Fortress appears in the opening episode of season two where Joffrey sits during a tournament and where Cersei and Littlefinger discuss the nature of power. This is also a place where Battle of Blackwater Bay took place.

5. Fort Bokar

– The fort is located on the South-western part of Dubrovnik City walls. It was conceived as the key point in the defense of the Pile Gate, the western fortified entrance of the city. This fairytale-like building featured in seasons two and three, and is particularly visible when Varys tells Tyrion that he’s ‘quite good’ at being the hand of the king. While looking out to sea, they discuss battle-strategies to defeat Stannis Baratheon’s army.

6. Gradac Park

– Hidden behind the red roofs of stone houses, park Gradac is just 200m away from the Old town. This beautiful and romantic park set a perfect location for Purple wedding where Joffrey had his wedding feast.

 7. Hotel Belvedere

– This exclusive five-star cascade building is located on the outskirts of Dubrovnik, some 2 kilometers southeast of the Old town and is positioned on the steep beach. It was built in the 80s as a luxury hotel, but it was destroyed in 1991 during an attack by Serbian forces on the city of Dubrovnik in the Croatian War of Independence. Today this hotel is abandoned. It was used as a setting for one of the grisliest deaths in the whole show, a scene where a battle between prince Oberyn and The Mountain occurred in the fourth season of Game of Thrones.

8. Minčeta Tower

– The highest point of the Walls which offers an unforgettable view on the old town of Dubrovnik, Minčeta is the most beautiful and remarkable fort of Dubrovnik and often regarded as the symbol of the city. The base of Minčeta Tower was used as the exterior of House of Undying in the town of Qarth. In season two it is the place where Daenerys Targaryen walks around trying to find the entrance into the House of Undying looking for her stolen dragons.

9. Pile Gates

– It represents the main entrance to Dubrovnik’s Old Town.The Pile Gates are a well-fortified complex with multiple doors, defended by Fort Bokar. At the entrance gate to the Old Town, on the western side of the walls, there is a stone bridge with two arches. Several scenes have been filmed here. In series three, this is where we see Shae and Sansa Stark watch the ships before Littlefinger discusses escape plans with Sansa at the end of the jetty. Also this is the place where the Lannisters bid farewell and a place where one of the most disturbing scenes from season two occurred- the killing of Robert Baratheon’s bastards. This main entrance to the old city is also a place where the Lannister procession, while returning after Myrcella send off, is attacked by an angry mob.

10. Trsteno Arboretum

– It is the oldest renaissance garden in Croatia and is located in Trsteno, a small village right next to the sea, around 10km north of Dubrovnik. The arboretum was erected by the local noble family Gozze in the late 15th century, who requested ship captains to bring back seeds and plants from their travels. This magical garden by the sea served as the King’s Landing in the third season. These are the gardens where main protagonists weave their plots and exchange secrets at King’s Landing, like when we see Sansa dish the dirt on King Joffrey, with some persuasion from the formidable Lady Olenna, Queen of Thorns. It is also here that we see Lord Varys and Olenna become allies as they talk about the wellbeing of Sansa, and stroll through the garden and under an ancient archway. Here we can follow Daenerys along her path to Meereen, where she seeks revenge upon the savage slave-owners for murdering hundreds of slave-children. We can also visit Neptune fountain or walk the paths to the harbour where some of the scenes were filmed.

11. Lokrum Island

– Only a few hundred metres off the coast of Dubrovnik lies the green and lush island Lokrum. This small island off the coast of Dubrovnik is home to a monastery and gardens. In Game of Thrones, Lokrum is turned into Qarth, the ‘Queen of Cities’ on the continent of Essos. It is also the setting for much of Daenerys’ story in season two. Lokrum Benedictine Monastery served as a party grounds for Xaro Xhoan Daxos’s estate. At this party, Daenerys encounters a mysterious woman in a jeweled mask who cryptically warns her of the future.