Croatia has been a prominent Game of Thrones filming location since Season 2 and, as well as Dubrovnik taking centre stage, there are filming locations dotted throughout the country.
On a Croatia road trip we made it our mission to seek out as many Game of Thrones filming locations as we could find and have put together a list of our key stops on a Game of Thrones tour of Croatia.
It’s our guide to the best Game of Thrones filming locations in Croatia so you can recreate the magic on your visit!
WARNING! This Game of Thrones filming guide contains references to specific scenes from Game of Thrones Seasons 2 to 8 so do exercise caution if you haven’t watched the episodes and want to avoid spoilers!
Split
We used our rental car to travel to Kliss Fortress or you can join a tour which takes in the two filming locations – book a Split Game of Thrones tour here!
Click here to book a Split Game of Thrones Tour
We’re huge fans of the hit HBO series, Game of Thrones. We’ve visited many of the Game of Thrones filming locations around Europe, you can check our guides to:
- Game of Thrones Filming Locations in Malta
- Game of Thrones Filming Locations in Ireland
- Game of Thrones Filming Locations in Dubrovnik
- Game of Thrones Filming Locations in Spain
1 | Diocletian’s Palace, Split
Diocletian’s Palace is an ancient palace built for the Roman Emperor Diocletian at the end of the 3rd Century and is located in Croatia’s second-largest city, Split. The Palace doubles as the former slave city of Meereen and it was the setting for numerous scenes with Daenerys.
Diocletian’s Palace has featured in some key Game of Thrones scenes. It’s where Daenerys’s locked up and trained her dragons and it is the location for Daenerys’s throne room as Meereen ruler.
One of the most famous scenes from Diocletian’s Palace is in Season 4 Episode 4, ‘Oathkeeper’ where the slaves discuss whether they should fight for Daenerys and rise against their masters.
The dragons also make their first appearance from Season 5 in the Palace when Daenarys ponders whether to release her dragons in reaction to the Sons of Harpy killings and we see her descend into the basement to visit them.
2 | Kliss Fortress
The medieval Kliss Fortress is located in the village of Kliss and overlooks the city of Split. The fortress represents the city of Meereen and it first makes an appearance in Season 4 when Daenarys and her army conquer the city of Meereen.
The location features prominently in Season 6, Episode 1 when Tyrion and Varys make the long walk through the streets of Meereen dressed as peasants.
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a must visit for any Game of Thrones fan: after all Dubrovnik is King’s Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms! If you’re visiting Dubrovnik check out our detailed guide to the Game of Thrones filming locations in Dubrovnik here!
Game of Throne Dubrovnik tip: the locations within or adjacent to the city walls of Dubrovnik are easily visited by foot within a day. However some of the locations are situated on the outskirts of the city so you will need a car or public transport/taxi to reach them. There is also a Game of Thrones Walking Tour in Dubrovnik – book the Game of Thrones tour here!
Click here to book a Dubrovnik Game of Thrones Tour
3 | Dubrovnik Old Town
Dubrovnik Old Town is full to the brim of filming spots including the City Walls, its entrance gates and narrow streets, the surrounding harbours and the palaces and fortresses that once protected its boundaries.
Two of the most memorable Dubrovnik Game of Throne locations are the Jesuit Staircase, which doubles as the steps of the Great Sept of Baelor in King’s Landing, and Pile Harbour between Bokar Fortress and Fort Lovrijenac which represents King’s Landing Harbour.
The Jesuit Staircase is where Cercei made her walk of shame in Season 5, Episode 10 ‘Mother’s Mercy’ while King’s Landing Harbour featured prominently in the departure and return of Marcella in Season 2, Episode 6 ‘The Old Gods and the New’ and Season 6, Episode 1 ‘The Red Woman’.
4 | Hotel Belvedere
Hotel Belvedere is a derelict hotel located outside Dubrovnik which served as the location for the fight scene between Prince Oberyn the Mountain in the Season 4 finale ‘The Mountain and the Viper’.
The small amphitheatre is instantly recognisable despite the addition of some paint by Split soccer fans.
5 | Lokrum island
A few hundred metres from the Dubrovnik mainland, the lush green Lokrum Island doubles as the city of Qarth. Once used as a quarantine area the island is now a popular day retreat for locals and tourists alike.
Lokrum Island appeared in Season 2, Episode 5 ‘The Ghost of Harrenhal’ when it was was visited by Daenerys Targaryen as she socialises with the city’s finest. The scene is set in the cloister of the island’s former Benedictine monastery.
6 | Trsteno Arboretum
A 30-minute drive from Dubrovnik the exotic gardens of Trsteno Arboretum overlook the Adriatic Sea and make frequent appearances in Seasons 3 and 4 of Game of Thrones as the King’s Landing gardens.
You’ll need to take a taxi or public transport to Trsteno Arboretum from Dubrovnik. If you prefer to take a tour check out this Dalmatia day tour which includes Trsteno Arboretum – check out the tour here!
Click here to book a Dalmatia Tour with Trsteno
The gardens first debuted in Season 3, Episode 2 ‘Dark Wings, Dark Words’ when Sansa meets with her grandmother, Lady Olenna Tyrell to advise on whether King Joffrey will be a good husband for Margaery. It’s in Trsteno where Oberyn promises Cercei he will have a gift delivered to Myrcella in Season 4, Episode 5 ‘First of His Name’.
Other Filming Locations in Croatia
7 | Šibenik
Sibenik first appeared in Game of Thrones in Season 5 representing the city of Braavos. The UNESCO World Heritage Site, St James Cathedral, doubles as The Iron Bank, the most powerful financial institution in the Free World.
It’s in Season 5, Episode 9 ‘The Dance of Dragons’ where Ayra Stark abandons a mission for the Faceless Men and instead follows Mace Tyrell and Meryn Trant as they pay a visit to Tycho Nestoris to negotiate on the repayment of the crown’s massive debts.
8 | Trogir
Trogir is a tiny historic town with beautiful churches, palaces and narrow streets set within medieval walls and close to Split on Croatia’s Adriatic coast.
The town doubles as the trading harbour of Qarth described as ‘the greatest city that ever was or will be’. St. Dominic’s Monastery houses many of the scenes shot in the town.
Trogir featured in Season 2, Episode 6 ‘The Old Gods and the New’ where the Warlocks of Qarth stole Daenerys dragons and she finds her guards dead.
Check Trogir Hotel prices here!
9 | Krka National Park
Krka National Park is the backdrop to numerous outdoor scenes when it was used as Westeros. The cascading waterfalls are stunning and worth a visit in their own right!
Used for filming scenes throughout Westeros, it featured in Season 4, Episode 3 ‘Breaker of Chains’ when Arya and the Hound cross the Riverlands.
10 | Ston
The defensive Walls of Ston, described as the ‘Great Wall of Europe’, surround the city of Ston in Southern Croatia and, along with Dubrovnik, represent King’s Landing in Game of Thrones as well as for some of the Eyrie.
