Croatia Game of Thrones Tours 2027

The Mediterranean

Croatia on screen

Most of King's Landing was a real city. From the second season of Game of Thrones onward, the crew came to Dubrovnik every year, and the Old Town's walls, stairways and sea forts became the capital of the Seven Kingdoms. The great castle of the Red Keep was added on a computer, but the terraces where Joffrey held his tournament, the stairs where Cersei began her walk of atonement and the gardens where Olenna Tyrell plotted are all here, built of the same pale limestone you see on screen. Star Wars came too: in March 2016 the main street, the Stradun, was dressed as the casino city of Canto Bight for The Last Jedi, and a year later Dubrovnik played Nottingham in Robin Hood (2018).

Our Croatia tour spends three nights in Dubrovnik and three in Split, the Roman city up the coast where the cellars of Diocletian's Palace and the hilltop fortress of Klis stood in for Meereen. Ivana Kovač, who was born in Dubrovnik and lives just outside the Pile Gate, leads every departure. She plans each day around the cruise ship timetable and the heat, because in this city those two things decide whether a morning on the walls is a pleasure or a slog.

The filming locations below, on the map.Map: Esri, OpenStreetMap contributors

Filming locations

King's Landing, Qarth and Meereen on the Adriatic

Fort Lovrijenac on its sheer rock above the turquoise sea outside the walls of Dubrovnik

01

Fort Lovrijenac, Dubrovnik

Fort Lovrijenac stands on a 120-foot rock just outside the western walls, and Dubrovnik people have called it their Gibraltar for centuries. In Game of Thrones it is part of the Red Keep: the courtyard where Joffrey's name day tournament is held in season 2, the terraces where Cersei and her son look out over the bay, and some of the fighting on the walls during the Battle of the Blackwater. The castle you see on top in the show was added digitally; the stone below it is real. The climb is about 200 steps up from the small cove under the fort, and entry is included in the city walls ticket. Go late in the afternoon, when the walls of the Old Town turn gold across the water.

The tournament courtyard from season 2
The view of the Old Town walls across the cove
Entry on the same ticket as the city walls

Best time: Late afternoon, April to June and September to October
Good for: TV series
Fantasy and sci-fi

Tours that visit Fort Lovrijenac, Dubrovnik

Game of Thrones in Dubrovnik and Split7 days, from $3,390

The baroque Jesuit Staircase in Dubrovnik curving up toward the Church of St Ignatius

02

Stradun and the Jesuit Staircase

The Stradun is the polished limestone main street that runs from the Pile Gate to the old harbor, about 300 yards long. In March 2016 the crew of Star Wars: The Last Jedi filmed here for a week, turning the street into Canto Bight, the casino city that Finn and Rose run through. A year later the Robin Hood remake with Taron Egerton used the same street and the old harbor as medieval Nottingham. Two blocks south, the baroque Jesuit Staircase climbs to the Church of St Ignatius. It is where Cersei Lannister begins her walk of atonement in the season 5 finale, with the crowd jeering from the steps. Today it is an ordinary public stairway, and it is calm before 9 in the morning.

Canto Bight from The Last Jedi on the Stradun
The Jesuit Staircase, start of Cersei's walk
Robin Hood's Nottingham in the old harbor

Best time: Before 9 a.m., or after the cruise passengers leave in the evening
Good for: Fantasy and sci-fi
TV series

Tours that visit Stradun and the Jesuit Staircase

Game of Thrones in Dubrovnik and Split7 days, from $3,390

03

Lokrum island

Lokrum is a wooded island a 15-minute boat ride from the Old Port, protected as a nature reserve, with no cars and no overnight stays. In season 2 of Game of Thrones it became Qarth: the garden party where Daenerys is welcomed by Xaro Xhoan Daxos was filmed among the old Benedictine monastery buildings and the island's botanical garden. Today the monastery houses a small exhibit about the filming in Croatia, with an Iron Throne you can sit on for a photo. The rest of the island is pine woods, rock ledges for swimming, peacocks walking the paths and a small salt lake that locals call the Dead Sea. Boats run in the warmer months, and the island closes to visitors in winter.

The monastery garden that played Qarth
An Iron Throne to sit on for a photo
Swimming from the rocks and the little salt lake

Best time: Mornings from May to early October
Good for: Islands
TV series

Tours that visit Lokrum island

Game of Thrones in Dubrovnik and Split7 days, from $3,390

Stone pillars and arched vaults in the lamplit cellars of Diocletian's Palace in Split

04

Diocletian's Palace, Split

The Roman emperor Diocletian built a palace on the bay of Split around 300 AD to retire in, and the city grew up inside its walls. The great vaulted cellars under the palace survive almost intact, because for centuries they were filled with rubble and rubbish. In season 4 of Game of Thrones they became the chambers beneath Meereen where Daenerys chains her two dragons, and the scenes were shot in the halls you walk through today. The cellars are ticketed and open daily. Above them is the Peristyle, the Roman courtyard in front of the cathedral, which is free to stand in. People still live and run cafes inside the palace walls, which makes it unlike any museum.

The Roman cellars where Daenerys chained her dragons
The Peristyle and the cathedral bell tower
A palace where people still live

Best time: Early morning or after 5 p.m. in summer
Good for: TV series
Fantasy and sci-fi

Tours that visit Diocletian's Palace, Split

Game of Thrones in Dubrovnik and Split7 days, from $3,390

05

Klis Fortress

Klis Fortress runs along a narrow limestone ridge in the pass behind Split, about 7 miles from the center. For centuries it guarded the only road from the inland valleys down to the sea, and the Ottomans held it for more than a hundred years. In season 4 of Game of Thrones it stood in for parts of Meereen, the slave city that Daenerys takes and then tries to rule. You walk up through three rings of walls, past cannon and the small domed church of St Vitus, to a view over Split, the islands and the Adriatic. The paths are stony and the fortress has little shade, so it is a morning visit with water and good shoes.

Meereen's walls from season 4
Three rings of walls on a limestone ridge
The view over Split and the islands

Best time: Morning, April to June and September to October
Good for: TV series
Small towns

Tours that visit Klis Fortress

Game of Thrones in Dubrovnik and Split7 days, from $3,390

Croatia film location tours for 2026 and 2027

Price per person sharing a double room; day tours per person. Flights to the start city are not included.

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Game of Thrones in Dubrovnik and Split

7 daysDubrovnik to KlisMax 14

Next departure Apr 11, 2027

TV series
Fantasy and sci-fi
Islands

from $3,390per person, sharing

View tour: Thrones in Dubrovnik and Split

Getting around

How our tours get around Croatia

01

On foot inside the walls

Dubrovnik's Old Town is closed to cars, and so is the center of Split. Inside the walls everything is a walk of 10 minutes or less, but there are steep stairs on both sides of the Stradun, and the walls circuit adds about 1.2 miles with plenty of steps.

02

A van and driver along the coast

Between Dubrovnik and Split we travel in a Mercedes Sprinter with a professional driver, about 140 miles over the Pelješac Bridge, which opened in 2022 and saves the border stops at Neum. The van also takes us up to Klis and to Trsteno.

03

A boat to Lokrum

The island boat leaves from the Old Port and takes about 15 minutes. We buy the return ticket, which also covers the nature reserve fee.

04

The cable car, if you want it

The Srđ cable car climbs from just above the walls to the hilltop in about 4 minutes, with the whole Old Town and Lokrum below. We suggest it on a free evening for sunset.

What is included

What our Croatia tours include

In Croatia

Tickets for the Dubrovnik city walls, including Fort Lovrijenac
The boat and reserve ticket for Lokrum island
Entry to the cellars of Diocletian's Palace and to Klis Fortress
Entry to Trsteno Arboretum
Ivana Kovač, our Dubrovnik tour leader, on every day of the tour
Central 4-star hotels in Dubrovnik and Split, walking distance from the old towns
A van with a professional driver for every transfer and the coast road

On every tour

Central hotels with daily breakfast on trips of two days or more
A named Scenes Found tour leader with the group from the first day to the last
Airport transfers on the first and last day of the tour
Hotel taxes, parking, park entry and local guide fees
Our 24/7 line while you travel, in every time zone

Not included: flights to the start city and home, meals not listed, drinks, tips and travel insurance. Each tour page lists exactly what is in the price.

Best time to go

Best time to visit Croatia

The best months are April to June and September to October. Days run 65 to 80 F, the sea is warm enough to swim from late May, and the light on the limestone is soft. July and August are hot, often 85 to 90 F in the afternoon, and these are the months when the Old Town is most crowded, with cruise ship passengers arriving in waves through the late morning. The city limits cruise calls to two ships a day, which helps, but the Stradun is still packed between about 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in high summer. November to March is quiet and cheaper, 50 to 60 F with rain, but Lokrum is closed to visitors and many restaurants shut, so our departures run from April to October.

Jan: no departures
Feb: no departures
Mar: good months
Apr: best months
May: best months
Jun: best months
Jul: good months
Aug: good months
Sep: best months
Oct: best months
Nov: good months
Dec: no departures

Best monthsGood monthsNo departures

Practical

Croatia at a glance

Best months: Apr to Jun, Sep to Oct
Airport: Dubrovnik Airport (DBV), about 13 miles southeast of the Old Town, 30 minutes by road. The tour ends at Split Airport (SPU), 15 miles west of Split. Most travelers from the US connect through a European hub.
Getting around: Walking inside the old towns, our van and driver on the coast road and to Klis and Trsteno, and the island boat to Lokrum
Time zone: Central European Time, 6 hours ahead of New York
Weather: Mediterranean: 65 to 80 F in spring and fall, 85 to 90 F in July and August, 50 to 60 F and rainy in winter
Filming today: Game of Thrones filmed in Dubrovnik from season 2 onward; Star Wars: The Last Jedi in 2016 and Robin Hood in 2017. Crews still come, and the city sometimes closes a street or a gate for a shoot.
Location etiquette: Dubrovnik fines visitors for walking around the Old Town in swimwear or without a shirt. Churches expect covered shoulders and knees. Keep your voice down on the residential stairways after dark.
Book ahead: The city walls ticket also covers Fort Lovrijenac on the same day; we buy it for you. Lines at the Pile Gate entrance are longest from 10 a.m., so we start at 8.
Tipping: About 10 percent in restaurants when service was good, rounded up in cafes; tips for your tour leader and driver are at your discretion
Entry rules: Croatia is in the Schengen area and uses the euro. US citizens need a passport valid at least 3 months beyond the day you leave the Schengen area, and no visa for a stay of up to 90 days. The EU is introducing ETIAS, an online travel authorization for visa-free visitors; check its status before you travel, and we tell every booked traveler when it becomes required.

FAQ

Croatia tour FAQs

More on the FAQ page, or call +1 (323) 641-2870.

Is Dubrovnik really King's Landing, or is it all CGI?

Both. The streets, stairs, walls, the harbor and Fort Lovrijenac are real and you walk them. The Red Keep, the Great Sept and the wide view of a huge city on the hill were added on computers. Ivana carries stills on a tablet so you can see what was built and what was painted in.

How bad are the crowds?

In July and August, between about 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., the Stradun is packed. We beat it by starting on the walls at 8 a.m., visiting Lokrum when the cruise passengers are in town, and coming back to the Old Town in the evening. In May, June, September and October it is much easier.

Do I need to have watched Game of Thrones?

No. Dubrovnik and Split are two of the best-preserved old towns in Europe, and Ivana tells the real history as much as the screen history. Fans get the scene-by-scene version; everyone else gets a good walk.

How fit do I need to be?

Dubrovnik is a city of stairs. The walls circuit is about 1.2 miles with many steps, Lovrijenac is about 200 steps up, and Klis has stony paths. You should be comfortable climbing stairs for 20 minutes at a time, with breaks.

Can I swim on this tour?

Yes, from late May to early October. Lokrum has rock ledges for swimming, and both of our hotels are a short walk from the sea. Bring water shoes, because most beaches here are rock or pebble.

Why does the tour start in Dubrovnik and end in Split?

It saves you a drive back. You fly into Dubrovnik and home from Split, and the coast road between them, with Trsteno and the Pelješac Bridge on the way, becomes part of the trip rather than a transfer.

Can I add Montenegro or Bosnia?

Yes, as extra days before the tour. Kotor in Montenegro and Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina are both day trips from Dubrovnik. We can arrange a driver; bring your passport, as both involve a border crossing.

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Game of Thrones in Dubrovnik: real, CGI and when to go

Which parts of King's Landing you can walk, which were painted in on a computer, and how to beat the cruise crowds, the heat and the walls ticket line, from a tour leader born in the Old Town.

Ivana Kovač · September 24, 2026 · 5 min read