Flying dragons breathing fire and icy devils turning men into monsters. The fantasy series of Game of Thrones is filmed across some epic landscape of Europe. While you’ll wait for kids to go to bed before watching Game of Thrones, you can definitely visit these magical filming location of GOT in Europe with kids.

Lairs of beasts by black beaches and sunken gardens with tangerine trees shown in Game of Thrones are actually filmed in places like Reynisfjara (Iceland) and Seville (Spain).

Some surreal places shown in GOT are in fact offbeat locations in Europe. The filming locations of Game of Thrones are dreamy landscapes of Iceland, Croatia, Malta, Spain, Morocco and Northern Ireland with some CGI editing.

We’ve been to all the above places except Ireland so allow me to show the whimsical spots Game of Thrones was shot at. Since there is no dearth of fairytale like locales across Europe, some scenes of GOT have been filmed without any CGI.

Croatia – Main Spot used in Filming Game of Thrones

1. Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik is shown time and again throughout the initial seasons of Game of thrones. Scenes depicting fictitious locations of King’s landing and Red Keep from GOT are in fact the old town and forts of Dubrovnik. The beautiful red roofs of Bravos in GOT is actually filmed in Dubrovnik’s old town.

Cersei’s walk of shame, scenes discussing strategies between Varys and Tryrion, episode where Marcella sets of to Dorne are among some scenes of GOT shot in Dubrovnik.

Fort Lovrijenac in Dubrovnik is shown again and again as King’s landing.

2. Lokrum Island

Off the Coast of Dubrovnik is an enchanted island called Lokrum which you can go by boat. This island is inhabited by peacocks making it perfect for the fantasy city of Qarth!

Dubrovnik Old Town and Fort walls as King’s Landing in Game of Thrones

Malta

The Maltese islands of Gozo and Malta were perfect for the medieval backdrop, Game of Thrones filming needed. Don’t narrow winding lanes, stone arches and horse drawn carriages all scream fantasy? This beautiful sun-baked land kissed by sparkling blue ocean was shown as the King’s Landing and Red Keep in the initial seasons.

Scenes where Catelyn Stark rides into Kings Landing in Season 1 were shot at the entrance gate of Mdina in Malta.

The makers of Game of thrones moved the filming location from Malta to Dubrovnik after the Maltese authorities had objection for some filming sequences.

Like the scene where Daenerys and Khal Drogo get married is shot in front of the Azure window (which had collapsed by the time we went to Malta). The landscape is actually craggy rocks but was covered in sand to give an illusion of desert which apparently did not go well with the Maltese authorities.

Spain

All of Dorne, a fictitious garden city in Game of Thrones is filmed in Real Alcazar, Seville.

Seville in Spain is extremely beautiful and is the cultural heart of Spain. The fight scenes between Oberyn Martell’s daughters and Jamie and Bronn are shot in the gardens of Real Alcazar. The iconic palm trees that speckle the landscape of Seville can be seen plenty in the scenes.

Morocco

The mythical city of Yunkai and Pentos from Game of Thrones is actually filmed at Ait Bin Haddou outside Marrakech in Morocco. The salmon ochre architecture is typical of the region. You can experience it if you stay at a traditional Riad in Marrakech.

Iceland – Another Crucial Filming Spot of Game of Thrones

Many scenes depicting East Watch by the Sea is actually Reynisfjara beach and Dyrholaey Cliffs in Iceland. ‘North of the wall’ are infact the snow covered lava fields of Iceland shot during winter months.

The steamy scene between Ygritte and Jon snow is filmed in a steamy cave called Grjotagja , part of the Myvatn lake. The natural steam rising from the thermal bath apparently caused disruption while shooting the scene in Game of Thrones. Talk about things getting too hot!

The romantic chat between Daenerys and Jon snow in Episode 1 of Season 8 is filmed at Skogafoss in Iceland. Skogafoss is among the most beautiful places in Iceland. With CGI another level is added to this already pretty waterfall (As seen above).

The scene where wildlings attack a village is actually filmed among the unique turf houses of Iceland

The scene where Drogon eats a farmer’s goat is Thorufuss waterfall, a short drive from Reykjavik. While we did not want to go to the exact location we found striking similarity in landscape with another nearby waterfall –  Gulfoss.

These are all the locations we went to, not because Game of Thrones was shot there but because they were so enchanting in themselves. After visiting all these places we realized we had covered almost all the famous filming locations of GOT and decided to share with our readers. Hope you liked reading it, do share your experiences too !

[All the images shown from Game of Thrones in this post are courtesy HBO]