A Game of Thrones, A Wealth of Locations.
By Kate Edwards, SetJetters CXO & CoFounder
Every generation or so, we seem to be treated to a media property that explodes upon the public consciousness and dominates conversations and social media.
From Star Wars to Lord of the Rings to Breaking Bad, these franchises took over during their time, and the public became obsessed with everything about them – including where they were filmed.
More recently, it’s fair to say that HBO’s Game of Thrones adaptation was no different as it’s created a boom in film tourism in the real-world locations that were prominently leveraged to breathe life to the fictional world of Westeros.
Let’s take a look at some of the great Game of Thrones locations that you’ll find in the SetJetters app!
CROATIA
Without a doubt, Croatia headlines the list of well-known filming locations for GoT, as the Old City in Dubrovnik served as a perfect setting for many setting throughout the series.
The great walls surrounding the city are a key reason why Dubrovnik is known as the “Pearl of the Adriatic” and these same walls are the main attraction of Old Town Dubrovnik.
The city is a complex system of forts, casemates, bastions, towers, and detached forts, and as such, proved to be ideal for portraying the myriad of scenes at King’s Landing as well as other sites in Westeros.
And situated by road about 230 kilometers (142 miles) northwest of Dubrovnik is the city of Split, which has also been used extensively for various Game of Thrones scenes.
Perhaps most famously, Diocletian's Palace - which today comprises about half of Split’s old town - is an ancient palace built for the Roman emperor Diocletian at the turn of the fourth century AD and was featured in Game of Thrones. (see video)
NORTHERN IRELAND
Not far behind Croatia as a key filming location for Game of Thrones is Northern Ireland, arguably where the majority of location shooting for the show was conducted. In fact, a lot of the indoor studio shoots were also done in Northern Ireland, at Linen Mill Studios in Banbridge – about 38 kilometers (24 miles) southwest of Belfast.
The Linen Mill Studios now offers public tours, which is a great opportunity to dive deep into the production. Beyond obviously using the SetJetters app, the local tourism board Visit Belfast has some great, high-level information about various locations used for the show’s production.
MOROCCO
For the locations reflecting the more arid parts in the south of Westeros and on the neighboring continent of Essos, the Game of Thrones crew set off to Morocco where two primary locations were leveraged.
First, for the village of Yunkai (known also as the Yellow City), the UNESCO-protected village of Ait-Benhaddou was used.
Its prominent fortifications as a town along an old caravan route from the Marrakesh to the Sahara were perfect for the show’s needs.
Second, the production visited the coastal town of Essaouira, which stood in for Astapor, the home of the Unsullied.
MALTA
Used primarily in the first season of Game of Thrones, Malta was a natural choice for its unique island terrain and the presence of architecture from various historical periods.
Quite a few key locations on Malta were leveraged, including Mesquita Square in Mdina, the Mdina main gate, Saint Dominic’s Priory in Rabat, San Anton Palace, Fort Ricasoli, Fort Manoel, Verdala Palace, the Mtahleb Cliffs, and the Azure Window.
Regarding the latter, unfortunately this famous natural feature collapsed in a storm in 2017, so your ShotSync at this location won’t quite match (but you’ll be close enough!).
After the first season, Game of Thrones departed Malta as a key filming location and shifted primarily to Croatia and Northern Ireland, and this was primarily due to the Maltese government not extending an invitation to the production to continue filming in their country, however they’ve since realized the positive impact of film tourism and are now putting a lot of funding behind their filming infrastructure.
While these four countries provide the majority of the settings for Game of Thrones, the show also filmed in several other locations, including Scotland, Spain, and Iceland.
We look forward to seeing your Game of Thrones SetJets on the feed!
SetJetters is the app that puts film locations in the palm of your hand.
Download for free on Android or Apple stores, and we look forward to seeing your photos from your favorite movie locations.
