Self-Guided Game Of Thrones Tour Of Dubrovnik

If you’re a Game of Thrones fan planning on a visit to Dubrovnik, you are a prime target for tour guides. Do not fall for their persuasive trickery – they are all out to rip you off. If you pay any attention to the show you probably know more than them anyway.

Courtesy of Matt, here are the tools you need to build your very own Game of Thrones walking tour of Dubrovnik – for free! We managed to tick off the majority of these on our holiday in Dubrovnik, which you can read about in my post 4 days in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Anyway, on with the tour!

Beware, here there be spoilers…

Start

West Harbour

The main square in front of Old Town is bustling with activity as coaches drop off tourists, and bars and restaurants fight for space. Instead of heading straight towards the bridge into Old Town, veer off to the right towards the sea. You can look down on West Harbour from here, or even walk down to the water where they rent out brightly coloured paddle boats.

Picture, if you will, Myrcella Lannister being sailed out of this harbour to Dorne in season 2. (And then Jamie returning four seasons later with her dead body.)

Old Town

Pile Gate (Vrata od Pila)

Time to enter Old Town! The grand 16th century arch that is Pile Gate stands proudly over the drawbridge that leads to it. As you walk through you’ll find two ways into the town itself – stone steps or a sloping walkway.

Stand at the stone bannisters and look down. Here you’ll have the same view the King’s Landing townspeople had of Joffrey getting pelted with dung in season 2.

Large Onofrio’s Fountain (Velika Onofrijeva fontana)

On the other side of the wall is the square featuring Large Onofrio’s Fountain, a beautiful red brick structure with a striking and unusual shape.

In all honesty, I’m not 100% sure this is in Game of Thrones. I thought I recognised it when I saw it but I can’t find any mention of it’s appearance. Oh well, it looks King’s Landing-y and you have to walk past it anyway.

St Dominika Street (Ul. Svetog Dominika)

Main Street is the perfect opportunity to pause and treat yourself to an ice cream before strolling down to the Old Port. To the left before the entrance to the port you will find St Dominika Street, with an impressively grand set of curving steps.

This is the almost inappropriately beautiful location where the City Watch murders Robert Baratheon’s bastard children in season 2.

Ploce Gate (Vrata Od Ploča)

Exit Old Town through Ploce gate and turn back on yourself to see a gorgeous Romanesque style stone bridge.

This is where Cersei Lannister stumbles up to the Red Keep at the end of her walk of shame in season 5.

Rector’s Palace (Knežev dvor)

Go back inside Old Town and along Ul. Pred Dvorom, a lovely wide paved street with cafes all around. Here sits a beautiful stone building with swooping archways and elaborate windows.

This is the Rector’s Palace, the setting for the home of the Spice King in season 2, where Daenerys asks for ships to cross the Narrow sea.

The Jesuit Staircase (Ul. uz Jezuite)

Further into Old Town you’ll find the Jesuit Staircase. This commanding yet graceful set of stone stairs leads up to Saint Ignatius Church (Crkva sv. Ignacija).

Behold! The infamous starting point of Cersei Lannister’s Walk of Shame through the streets of King’s Landing in season 5.

The Old Town Walls

Time to climb the walls! There are a few entrances, but the official one where you buy the tickets is back by Large Onofrio’s Fountain. One adult ticket costs 150kn. You can also do a package deal and pay 190kn for a day ticket to the walls, the Dominican Monastery and Lovrijenac fort.

When you first climb up, take a moment to glance down and see a slightly abandoned-looking patch of green grass. This is the combat practice yard in season 4, when Cersei asks the Mountain to be her champion in the trial by combat of Tyrion. In season 5, Loras Tyrell is practicing his swordsmanship here when he is arrested by Lancel Lannister and the Faith Militant.

Follow the walls around Old Town for many more views of King’s Landing! The Seaside walls are used in many scenes of the show, like the Battle of Blackwater Bay in season 2.

Bokar Fortress (Tvrđava Bokar)

When Tyrion and Lord Varys are planning the defence of King’s Landing in season 2, Bokar Fortress is where they stand and look out to sea. The Red Keep is computer-generated into the background.

In fact, as you walk around the walls, just look out over the terracotta roofs to see that the whole of Old Town is basically King’s Landing!

Minčeta Tower (Tvrđava Minčeta)

This tower is on the North corner of the Old Town, at the highest point of the wall. It’s a really beautiful tower, used in Game of Thrones as the exterior of House of Undying in Qarth. Remember when Daenerys goes here in season 2 to search for her kidnapped dragons? Now’s the time for your best Khaleesi impression!

Lokrum

Lokrum island is only a 15 minute ferry ride from Dubrovnik. Whilst the boat is packed, the island is pleasantly quiet. The ferry costs 40kn per ticket, which you can buy at the port itself either in advance or on the day. Once you land on the island, make sure you explore the whole thing, not just the Game of Thrones parts!

Benedictine Monastery Of St Mary (Benediktinski samostan)

The ruined monastery on Lokrum is one of the most beautiful spots in Dubrovnik. The bedraggled but proud columns hold up a long-gone roof, and the overgrown garden spill across the walls.

It is also the setting for Qarth. The sculpted maze is the location of the party in season 2 where Daenerys Targaryen meets the Undying Ones, the highest ranking warlocks of Qarth. The monastery itself really is stunning, and would be worth visiting anyway!

Make sure you don’t miss the Game of Thrones exhibition! It’s hidden in the monastery, complete with behind the scenes videos and a real Iron Throne to snap yourself in.

Bonus round

Gradac Park

I’ve tacked this on the end because we thought Gradac Park was slightly odd. It’s perhaps only worth seeing if you are really desperate to tick all the boxes. Situated on the hill to the West of Lovrijenac fort, Gradac Park is the shoot location of Joffrey and Margaery Tyrell’s wedding in season 4. It was dressed up a lot for filming, but you can still recognise the distinctive trees and the view out to sea.

Trsteno Arboretum

We were only in Dubrovnik for 4 days so didn’t get the chance to do any excursions. But if you have more time it’s definitely worth doing a trip out to see Trsteno Arboretum. This is the gorgeous setting for the Red Keep Gardens, where the Queen of Thorns seems to be permanently housed when she visits King’s Landing.

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