Island film location tours: Malta, Iceland and Lokrum

Islands give a film crew everything in a small space: harbors, cliffs, old forts and the sea on every side. Malta has made films for decades, and its forts and harbors have stood in for Rome, Troy and many other places. The ferry to Gozo leaves from Cirkewwa and lands at Mġarr harbor, the start of our Gozo day. Gladiator (2000) built its Colosseum at Fort Ricasoli, Popeye (1980) left a whole village at Anchor Bay, and Game of Thrones used Mdina and the coast of Gozo in its first season. The Azure Window, the rock arch from that season, fell into the sea in 2017; we stand where it was and see the coast that is left.

Iceland is an island too, and the biggest film set on our list. Game of Thrones, Interstellar and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty all came here for landscapes that look like nowhere else: black beaches, glaciers, lava fields and a mountain shaped like an arrowhead. Off Dubrovnik, the small island of Lokrum, a short boat ride from the old harbor, played Qarth in season 2 of Game of Thrones and keeps an Iron Throne for photos.

Island days depend on the sea. Ferries and boats can be delayed or cancelled by wind, so our island tours keep a little slack in the program and our leaders swap days when the weather turns. Every crossing on the itinerary is included and booked in advance.

Pack for wind and sun on the same day: a light jacket, a hat and good shoes for rocky paths and wet harbor steps.

Island hotels are small and book early, especially in summer, so we reserve them a year ahead. On Malta we stay in Valletta, inside the old walls, and on the Croatian tour we sleep in Dubrovnik and Split and cross to Lokrum by the regular boat from the old harbor.