There’s plenty to see, even if you don’t have your own dragon…
Claire Webb - 30 April 2019
Over the past eight years, Game of Thrones has transported viewers around Europe and spawned a multimillion-pound tourist industry. HBO’s lavish adaptations of George RR Martin’s fantasy novels have been filmed in some spectacular locations, including Northern Ireland’s dramatic Causeway Coast and Iceland’s glaciers, lakes and lava fields, in Spain’s imposing castles and Malta’s fortress city Mdina. In this final series, the show returns to one of its most arresting settings, Dubrovnik’s walled Old Town, which doubles as King’s Landing, the capital of the show’s fictional kingdom of Westeros.
Dubrovnik was the capital of the seafaring Republic of Ragusa in the Middle Ages. Nowadays the “Pearl of the Adriatic” is Croatia’s biggest attraction and a popular port of call for cruise ships. Two other UNESCO-listed towns on the Dalmatian coast have also enjoyed Game of Thrones cameos: the Roman city of Split (where dragons were held in the basement of an ancient palace) and the Venetian island-port Trogir (which doubled for the city of Qarth). All three are well worth a visit and are easily combined with a stay on one of Dalmatia’s charming islands.
STEP BACK IN TIME IN DUBROVNIK
Accessed via stone bridges, the gleaming stone lanes within Dubrovnik’s walled Old Town are dotted with palazzos, Baroque churches, smart restaurants serving fresh seafood, and quirky shops with handcrafted souvenirs. Walk the thick, mile-long medieval ramparts first thing, so you can savour the views of the sparkling Adriatic and terracotta rooftops without the crowds. Game of Thrones fans will recognise the pretty cove near the main entrance at Pile Gate, and views of the imposing Lovrijenac and Bokar fortresses.
Market scenes were shot in cobbled St Dominika Street, which leads to a 14th-century monastery stuffed with religious iconography and jewels. Stop by the open-air market on Gundulic Square to buy lavender oil, embroidered linens and punnets of figs and peaches. The seedy brothel that belonged to the show’s Machiavellian schemer Littlefinger is really the exterior of the Ethnographic Museum, while the Rector’s Palace, which stood in for the Spice King’s home, is now the city’s Cultural History Museum.
SAIL TO A LEGENDARY ISLE
The closest island to Dubrovnik is Lokrum, which also doubled as Qarth in the series. Home to botanical gardens and a crumbling monastery, this islet is only a 15-minute ferry from the old port and a tranquil spot to while away an afternoon, strolling among peacocks and fruit trees, or taking a dip in its clear waters. Legend has it that Richard the Lionheart took refuge here in the 12th century after his ship was battered by a ferocious storm.
The pine-scented Elaphiti Islands are also a short hop from Dubrovnik. Car-free Kolocep and Lopud are crisscrossed with shady walking trails, while larger Sipan used to be the summer getaway of Dubrovnik’s elite and is famous for its full-bodied wine.
EXPLORE SPLIT’S ROMAN PALACE
Some 140 miles down the coast lies Split, Croatia’s second-biggest city, which was originally a vast fortified palace – the home of Emperor Diocletian, who retired here at the turn of the fourth century. Later refugees found shelter in the palace and built a city within its watchtower-studded walls. Fragments of ancient history are scattered among its higgledy-piggledy alleys, including a Temple of Jupiter and an enormous black sphinx that Diocletian’s army looted from the Egyptians.
In the fifth series of Game of Thrones, queen Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) can be seen training her dragons in the perfectly preserved catacombs underneath the city, parts of which are now an eerie museum. Between the mountains that loom over the city huddles one of the show’s most striking backdrops: Klis Fortress, a huge medieval fort that affords panoramic views.
VISIT A HISTORIC TREASURE
From May to October, a ferry runs between Dubrovnik and Split via some of Croatia’s most popular islands: glamorous Hvar, laidback Brac and photogenic Korcula, a former citadel.
Although only half an hour’s drive from Split (and 10 minutes from its airport), Trogir attracts a fraction of the footfall. Linked to the mainland by a bridge, this gorgeous little town has a soaring Romanesque cathedral, Venetian palazzos and a compact fortress that commands superb views. Thrones fans should look out for the bell tower of St Dominika, an atmospheric old monastery that also popped up in Qarth. The cafés on Trogir’s palm- and yacht-lined seafront are a lovely place to linger, while the residents of Split flock to the beaches and resorts of neighbouring Ciovo Island in summer.
Thrones devotees should continue along the coast to Sibenik – shots of its exterior doubled as the city of Braavos. In its Old Town, steep alleys and staircases lead to delightful squares and a magnificent domed cathedral – another of Dalmatia’s World Heritage sites.
Dubrovnik was the capital of the seafaring Republic of Ragusa in the Middle Ages. Nowadays the “Pearl of the Adriatic” is Croatia’s biggest attraction and a popular port of call for cruise ships. Two other UNESCO-listed towns on the Dalmatian coast have also enjoyed Game of Thrones cameos: the Roman city of Split (where dragons were held in the basement of an ancient palace) and the Venetian island-port Trogir (which doubled for the city of Qarth). All three are well worth a visit and are easily combined with a stay on one of Dalmatia’s charming islands.
STEP BACK IN TIME IN DUBROVNIK
Accessed via stone bridges, the gleaming stone lanes within Dubrovnik’s walled Old Town are dotted with palazzos, Baroque churches, smart restaurants serving fresh seafood, and quirky shops with handcrafted souvenirs. Walk the thick, mile-long medieval ramparts first thing, so you can savour the views of the sparkling Adriatic and terracotta rooftops without the crowds. Game of Thrones fans will recognise the pretty cove near the main entrance at Pile Gate, and views of the imposing Lovrijenac and Bokar fortresses.
Market scenes were shot in cobbled St Dominika Street, which leads to a 14th-century monastery stuffed with religious iconography and jewels. Stop by the open-air market on Gundulic Square to buy lavender oil, embroidered linens and punnets of figs and peaches. The seedy brothel that belonged to the show’s Machiavellian schemer Littlefinger is really the exterior of the Ethnographic Museum, while the Rector’s Palace, which stood in for the Spice King’s home, is now the city’s Cultural History Museum.
SAIL TO A LEGENDARY ISLE
The closest island to Dubrovnik is Lokrum, which also doubled as Qarth in the series. Home to botanical gardens and a crumbling monastery, this islet is only a 15-minute ferry from the old port and a tranquil spot to while away an afternoon, strolling among peacocks and fruit trees, or taking a dip in its clear waters. Legend has it that Richard the Lionheart took refuge here in the 12th century after his ship was battered by a ferocious storm.
The pine-scented Elaphiti Islands are also a short hop from Dubrovnik. Car-free Kolocep and Lopud are crisscrossed with shady walking trails, while larger Sipan used to be the summer getaway of Dubrovnik’s elite and is famous for its full-bodied wine.
EXPLORE SPLIT’S ROMAN PALACE
Some 140 miles down the coast lies Split, Croatia’s second-biggest city, which was originally a vast fortified palace – the home of Emperor Diocletian, who retired here at the turn of the fourth century. Later refugees found shelter in the palace and built a city within its watchtower-studded walls. Fragments of ancient history are scattered among its higgledy-piggledy alleys, including a Temple of Jupiter and an enormous black sphinx that Diocletian’s army looted from the Egyptians.
In the fifth series of Game of Thrones, queen Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) can be seen training her dragons in the perfectly preserved catacombs underneath the city, parts of which are now an eerie museum. Between the mountains that loom over the city huddles one of the show’s most striking backdrops: Klis Fortress, a huge medieval fort that affords panoramic views.
VISIT A HISTORIC TREASURE
From May to October, a ferry runs between Dubrovnik and Split via some of Croatia’s most popular islands: glamorous Hvar, laidback Brac and photogenic Korcula, a former citadel.
Although only half an hour’s drive from Split (and 10 minutes from its airport), Trogir attracts a fraction of the footfall. Linked to the mainland by a bridge, this gorgeous little town has a soaring Romanesque cathedral, Venetian palazzos and a compact fortress that commands superb views. Thrones fans should look out for the bell tower of St Dominika, an atmospheric old monastery that also popped up in Qarth. The cafés on Trogir’s palm- and yacht-lined seafront are a lovely place to linger, while the residents of Split flock to the beaches and resorts of neighbouring Ciovo Island in summer.
Thrones devotees should continue along the coast to Sibenik – shots of its exterior doubled as the city of Braavos. In its Old Town, steep alleys and staircases lead to delightful squares and a magnificent domed cathedral – another of Dalmatia’s World Heritage sites.