Dubrovnik’s Old Town played King’s Landing for most of Game of Thrones. In fact, almost every filming location sits inside a 15-minute walk of the Pile Gate. Fort Lovrijenac, for example, served as the Red Keep. The Jesuit Staircase, meanwhile, was Cersei’s Walk of Shame, and the City Walls with Minčeta Tower stood in for the House of the Undying.
So you do not need a tour to see them. The streets and squares are free to wander, and you can stand on the exact Walk of Shame steps without paying a cent. Still, two spots do cost money. The City Walls run €40 in summer and also include Fort Lovrijenac. Lokrum island, then, is a €30 return ferry, because that is where the replica Iron Throne lives.
Below is the full location-by-location breakdown, so you can plan the walk in order. You get what scene happened where, what is free versus paid, and how to dodge the cruise-ship crowds. Those crowds, of course, swamp the Old Town by mid-morning.
Where exactly was King’s Landing filmed?
King’s Landing is Dubrovnik’s walled Old Town, full stop. In other words, the production used real streets, fortifications and squares rather than sets. That is why the city looks almost identical on screen.
The core cluster is tiny. From Pile Gate, for instance, you can reach Fort Lovrijenac, the City Walls entrance, the Jesuit Staircase and Stradun in under ten minutes on foot. So no driving is involved.
Two locations, though, sit outside the walls. Lokrum island, a 15-minute boat ride, played Qarth. Trsteno Arboretum, 24 km up the coast, was the King’s Landing gardens. Everything else, however, is inside the Old Town.
Fort Lovrijenac – the Red Keep
Fort Lovrijenac is the fortress perched on a rock just outside the western wall, and it stood in for the Red Keep, the Lannister seat of power. King Joffrey’s name-day tournament in season two, for example, played out on its terraces.
Entry costs €15 on its own. Still, it is included free with a City Walls ticket or the Dubrovnik Pass. So do not buy it separately if you plan to walk the walls. Then climb to the top terrace for the postcard view back over the Old Town roofs.
It is also one of the quieter paid sites in the morning, because most day-trippers head straight for the walls.
The Jesuit Staircase – Cersei’s Walk of Shame
The Walk of Shame steps are, in fact, the Baroque Jesuit Staircase. It drops from St. Ignatius Church down into Gundulić Square. This is where a naked, shorn Cersei began her humiliating walk back to the Red Keep, and the scene closed the season five finale.
It is completely free and open at all hours, since it is a public street. So go early. By 10am in summer, though, it fills with people recreating the scene. The daily morning market also sets up in the square below.
Either way, the staircase sits in the south-east corner of the Old Town, a four-minute walk from Stradun.
Pile Bay (Blackwater Bay) and St. Dominic Street
The small harbour just outside Pile Gate doubled as Blackwater Bay. This is where Stannis Baratheon’s fleet attacked the city. So stand on the little stone jetty below the fort, because you are then looking at the same water.
St. Dominic Street is the wide lane near the Ploče Gate and the Dominican Monastery. It also appears in several King’s Landing market and riot scenes. Both are free public spaces, so no ticket is needed.
These are easy add-ons, since you pass them anyway walking between the main sites.
The City Walls – Minčeta Tower and the House of the Undying
The medieval City Walls deliver the most filming locations per euro. Minčeta Tower, for example, is the round fortress at the highest point, and it was also the exterior of the House of the Undying. In the story, that is where Daenerys searched for her stolen dragons in season two.
A summer walls ticket is €40. It also includes one full circuit plus Fort Lovrijenac and the western outer walls. The full loop is about 2 km, so it takes 1.5 to 2 hours with photo stops.
So buy online in advance. Then start the moment it opens, 8am in summer, or after 5pm. The walls are exposed, shadeless and brutal in midday July heat. Also, there is no re-entry once you leave.
Lokrum island – Qarth and the Iron Throne
Lokrum is the wooded island 15 minutes offshore, and it played the exotic city of Qarth. The old Benedictine monastery and its courtyards, for example, appear when Daenerys visits the Spice King and the warlocks.
The visitor centre inside the monastery holds the official replica Iron Throne for Dubrovnik, because the production gifted it to the city. So you can sit on it and photograph it for free once you are on the island.
Getting there is the cost. A return ferry from the Old Town Port is €30 for adults and €5 for kids 5–17, and the price also includes the nature-reserve entry. Boats run roughly every 15–30 minutes from 9am, and the last return is around 7pm. In winter, though, the island closes, so the ferry only runs from April to late October.
Trsteno Arboretum – the King’s Landing gardens
Trsteno is, meanwhile, a 500-year-old garden estate 24 km north-west of Dubrovnik. Its terraces played the King’s Landing palace gardens. This is where Sansa met Lady Olenna Tyrell, and much Tyrell scheming unfolded here across seasons three and four.
Entry is €10, cash only. Hours are 7am–7pm May to October and 8am–4pm in winter. So allow 60–90 minutes on site, plus travel each way.
So skip it unless you have a car or half a day. Local buses (lines 12, 15, 21, 22, 35) run there, but they are infrequent. As a result, most visitors only reach Trsteno on a guided tour.
Free vs paid: what each location costs
| Location | Scene / role | Free or paid | Time needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jesuit Staircase | Cersei’s Walk of Shame | Free | 10 min |
| Pile Bay | Blackwater Bay | Free | 10 min |
| St. Dominic Street | King’s Landing riots / market | Free | 10 min |
| Fort Lovrijenac | The Red Keep | €15 (free with walls/Pass) | 30–45 min |
| City Walls + Minčeta | House of the Undying, various | €40 summer | 1.5–2 hr |
| Lokrum island | Qarth + Iron Throne | €30 return ferry | half day |
| Trsteno Arboretum | King’s Landing gardens | €10 cash | half day with travel |
You can see roughly 60% of the on-screen King’s Landing for free in a single morning. That said, it assumes you skip the walls, Lokrum and Trsteno.
Self-guided vs guided tour: which is worth it?
A self-guided walk works well if you have watched the show recently and just want to stand on the spots. After all, everything inside the Old Town is signposted, walkable and free, so you control your own pace.
A guided tour, by contrast, earns its price by showing you the exact frame each scene was shot from. Guides often hold up a tablet with the screen-grab, so you can line it up. They also know which corner is which. That is genuinely hard to work out alone in the maze of identical limestone lanes.
| Self-guided | Guided tour | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | €0 (plus any entry tickets) | from ~€25–45 per person |
| Best for | Casual fans, budget travellers | Superfans, photo accuracy |
| Pace | Your own | Fixed, ~2 hours |
| Scene-matching | You guess | Guide shows exact frames |
| Lokrum / Iron Throne | Extra ferry you arrange | Often bundled in |
Want the full circuit done properly, including Qarth and the Iron Throne? Then the one to book is the Epic Game of Thrones Tour with the Lokrum island option. It combines the Old Town walking sites with the ferry to Lokrum, so you are not arranging two separate trips. If the show is the whole reason you are in Dubrovnik, this version covers everything.
How much time do you need?
For the free Old Town locations only, budget about two hours of relaxed walking. For example, that covers Pile Bay, the Jesuit Staircase, St. Dominic Street and the views up to Minčeta from below.
Add the City Walls and Fort Lovrijenac, and you are at half a day. Then add Lokrum or Trsteno, and you have filled a full day, because each eats three to four hours with travel and time on site.
A realistic Game of Thrones day looks like this. First, walls at 8am, then free Old Town spots late morning, then the Lokrum ferry early afternoon. As a result, you hit most of the locations in one go without rushing.
Best time of day to avoid the crowds
Dubrovnik’s Old Town is one of the most crowded historic centres in Europe in summer. Cruise ships mainly drive the squeeze. When two or three large ships dock, for instance, the Stradun becomes shoulder-to-shoulder from roughly 10am to 4pm.
So go at 8am or after 6pm. Early morning then gives you near-empty streets, soft light for photos, and the coolest walls walk of the day.
If you can choose your dates, aim for May, early June, September or October. Those months are far calmer than July and August, with smaller crowds and gentler heat. Planning the wider trip? Then browse hotels in Dubrovnik on Booking.com, or see the Dubrovnik destination guide.
Frequently asked questions
Where was King’s Landing filmed?
King’s Landing was filmed almost entirely in Dubrovnik’s walled Old Town, Croatia. The production used real streets, the City Walls, Fort Lovrijenac and the Jesuit Staircase instead of building sets. That is why the city looks nearly identical to the show.
Can you visit Game of Thrones locations in Dubrovnik for free?
Yes. In fact, most King’s Landing locations are public streets and squares with no entry fee. These include the Walk of Shame staircase, Pile Bay (Blackwater Bay) and St. Dominic Street. Only the City Walls (€40 summer), Fort Lovrijenac, Lokrum ferry (€30) and Trsteno Arboretum (€10) charge admission.
Where is the Walk of Shame staircase?
It is the Jesuit Staircase in the south-east corner of the Old Town. The steps lead from St. Ignatius Church down to Gundulić Square. They are free, open all day, and a four-minute walk from Stradun. So arrive before 10am to photograph the staircase without a queue of people recreating the scene.
Is the Game of Thrones tour worth it?
For superfans, yes. Guides show you the exact camera angle for each scene. They also point out spots that are impossible to find alone in the identical limestone lanes, and they often bundle the Lokrum ferry and Iron Throne too. Casual fans on a budget, however, can cover the free Old Town spots perfectly well on their own. Either way, compare the current options on the Dubrovnik Game of Thrones tours page.
Where is the Iron Throne in Dubrovnik?
The official replica Iron Throne sits in the visitor centre inside the old Benedictine monastery on Lokrum island, a 15-minute ferry ride from the Old Town Port. So you can sit on it and take photos for free once you have paid the €30 return ferry, which also includes island entry. Note that Lokrum is open April to late October only.
How many Game of Thrones locations are in Dubrovnik?
Around eight to ten well-known on-screen locations sit in and around Dubrovnik, depending on how you count. Most of them cluster inside the Old Town: the City Walls, Minčeta Tower, Fort Lovrijenac, the Jesuit Staircase, Pile Bay and St. Dominic Street. Lokrum and Trsteno Arboretum, however, sit outside it.
Do I need to book the City Walls ticket in advance?
It helps. Booking the City Walls ticket online lets you skip the kiosk queue. You can also start the moment the walls open at 8am, which is the only crowd-free, cool-enough window in summer. The walls ticket is sold through the official site, so buy direct.
Your next step
So start your Game of Thrones morning at the City Walls the second they open. Do the loop clockwise, then drop down to the free Old Town spots before the cruise crowds arrive. Weaving filming locations into a wider Croatia trip? For example, my roundup of Croatia’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites covers Dubrovnik’s Old Town in context. The guide to the Mamma Mia 2 filming locations on Vis is then the natural follow-on for another screen-tourism island day.
