Game of Thrones Tours in Dubrovnik: Complete Guide

Dubrovnik was already one of the most photogenic cities in the world before HBO showed up. What Game of Thrones did was give the city an entirely new identity — King’s Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms — and suddenly the same medieval walls that had seen everything from Venetian galleys to Austrian administrators were also the place where Cersei Lannister did her walk of shame. That second identity hasn’t replaced the first; it runs alongside it. You can walk Dubrovnik as a medieval maritime republic, as a UNESCO World Heritage site, OR as a television set, and a good Game of Thrones guide will thread all three together without making you choose.

Quick Pick: Best Game of Thrones Tours in Dubrovnik

What Dubrovnik Actually Stood In For

Before the tours, a quick orientation on what filmed where. Dubrovnik served as the primary real-world filming location for King’s Landing from Season 2 onwards, and over eight seasons the city doubled for just about every major King’s Landing scene that wasn’t interior. The main Stradun street (Placa) was where Cersei’s walk of shame began. The Jesuit Stairs became the iconic steps where Cersei was stripped naked. Fort Lovrijenac, the 37-meter-high cliff fortress just outside the main walls, stood in for the Red Keep on most exterior shots. The Pile Gate area was the Red Keep entrance. The Rector’s Palace served as the spice king’s palace in Qarth. Minčeta Tower on the northwestern corner of the city walls was the House of the Undying.

Lokrum Island, just 600 meters offshore from the old town, was Qarth — specifically the gardens of Xaro Xhoan Daxos, where Dany drank tea from a throne of uncertain ownership. The Benedictine monastery ruins on Lokrum are where those scenes were filmed, and the island now hosts a permanent Iron Throne replica in the monastery courtyard that you can actually sit on for photos. (Yes, it’s kitsch. Yes, people line up for it anyway.) The ferry to Lokrum takes 15 minutes from Dubrovnik’s old harbor and runs every 30 minutes in peak season.

The 4 Best Game of Thrones Tours in Dubrovnik Reviewed

1. Dubrovnik: Epic Game of Thrones Tour & Lokrum Island Option

⭐ 5,995 reviews · 2 hours walking · Optional Lokrum add-on

This is the benchmark. Nearly 6,000 reviews with an average rating that hovers around 4.9, and a format that covers the essential Dubrovnik filming locations in a two-hour walking loop inside the old city. The route typically starts at Pile Gate (the main western entrance to the walled city), winds through the Stradun, stops at the Jesuit Stairs, passes the Rector’s Palace, and ends near Ploče Gate on the eastern side with views of Fort Lovrijenac. If you take the Lokrum option, the ferry departure is included in the tour price and you can hop across after the walking portion ends.

What makes this tour work is the guides. Reviewers name Davor, Bogdan, Branko, and a rotating cast of knowledgeable operators who bring printed photo comparisons, anecdotes from filming (most guides either knew the crews personally or were involved in crowd management during shoots), and a sense of humor about the whole Game of Thrones phenomenon. The best of them thread the medieval history of Ragusa with the show references seamlessly — you’ll walk away with a better sense of actual Dubrovnik, not just the TV version.

“Just finished this tour. Our guide, Bogdan, was exceptional. He was fun, communicated brilliantly and really understands Game of Thrones as well as the wider history of Dubrovnik. His knowledge added context to the sites we visited and his humour added amusing stories from ‘behind the scenes’ of the production.”

“Davor, our guide is amazing. He shared filming details, and we went to actual filming spots. 100% recommended to do this when you are in Dubrovnik!”

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2. Dubrovnik: The Ultimate Game of Thrones City Walking Tour

⭐ 5,064 reviews · 2 hours · Focused walking tour

Very similar route and format to the Epic tour above, but strictly walking-focused with no Lokrum upsell — a cleaner format for travelers who want exactly what they booked without additional options. Guides on this tour (Boris, Tiho, and others) get particular praise for the photo-matching technique: they’ll stop at a filming location, pull up a printed comparison image showing the scene as it appeared on screen, and then ask you to line up with the same angle. It’s more fun than it sounds, and it produces the best photos of any of the Dubrovnik GoT tours.

Reviewers specifically mention that this tour works even in shoulder and low season when group sizes get small. Several guests mention having effectively private tours in November and December when only 1-2 people signed up for the slot. If you’re traveling outside of July-August and want an almost-private experience at group tour pricing, this is a good bet. The guides are experienced enough to adapt the pacing to smaller groups without losing content.

“Very fortunate, came in low season so ended up being a private tour! Exactly what I was looking for, nice mix of tv filming locations, history and anecdotes. Helped me orientate with Dubrovnik generally too. Boris was a great guide, very personable.”

“Tiho was the best guide we could’ve wished for, interactive, informative and providing such cool insights into the history of Dubrovnik, and most importantly how Game of Thrones entire story developed in the lovely city!”

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3. Dubrovnik: Karaka Game of Thrones Cruise & Walking Tour

⭐ 613 reviews · ~3 hours · Ship + walking combo

This is the most atmospheric option. The Karaka is a replica of a 16th-century Dubrovnik merchant ship — full wooden construction, proper sails, about 50 passenger capacity — and the tour starts with a 45-minute sail around the sea-facing side of the walls. You approach the city from the water, which is the same angle most of the wide shots in Game of Thrones used, and several reviewers mention the boat crew plays the show’s theme song during the approach. Then you dock at the old harbor and transition to a walking tour of the filming locations inside the walls with a land-based guide.

The combined format is appealing for travelers who’d otherwise do two separate activities (a boat trip plus a walking tour). The ship portion is also genuinely informative — it’s not just a scenic transit, there’s narration about the wall construction, the sea-facing defenses, and which sections appeared in specific episodes. Guide Indira gets named repeatedly in positive reviews for handling both the on-ship narration and the walking portion with energy. The theme song gimmick is small but reviewers clearly love it.

“Wonderful experience sailing around Dubrovnik and into the harbour! They even had the theme song playing during boarding! Lots of great points of information during the sailing. The guide and crew were great.”

“A brilliant trip from start to finish. Thoroughly enjoyed sailing in on the beautiful ship and seeing the coastline from a different perspective. The walking tour in the Old town was excellent with our lovely guide – Indira. So knowledgeable with good humour. Such value for money and a trip I would recommend to anyone.”

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4. Dubrovnik: Game of Thrones Walking Tour

⭐ 981 reviews · Shorter format · Budget option

This is the value pick. Shorter than the Epic and Ultimate tours, slightly less content, lower price, but the same core filming locations covered by an enthusiastic guide with good local knowledge. Branko comes up repeatedly in the reviews as the guide to hope for — his routine apparently involves asking guests about their favorite characters mid-tour and weaving anecdotes based on their answers. Several reviewers mention he knew cast members personally during filming, which gives him specific behind-the-scenes material that other tours don’t have.

The lower price point is significant in Dubrovnik, which is otherwise one of the more expensive Croatian cities for activities. If you’re doing multiple tours over a few days in Dubrovnik (walls tour, Elaphite cruise, GoT tour), stacking the cheaper options makes a real difference to your budget. Reviewers also note this tour works well even for non-fans — several mention bringing GoT-obsessed family members while they themselves had never watched the show, and still finding the historical and geographical content interesting on its own merits.

“We had a fantastic time on the Game of Thrones tour! Branko lead us through a multitude of scenes and highlights with his warm, friendly personality and hilarious anecdotes. In between his stories he would ask us about our favourite characters and what we thought of the final season – it really showed he was interested in connecting with the people he was guiding.”

“It was both very enjoyable and interesting, despite the fact that we’re not rabid Game of Thrones fans. Our guide was excellent.”

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The Key Filming Locations (And What Happened at Each)

Fort Lovrijenac is the most memorable single location. Built in the 11th century on a 37-meter sheer cliff just outside the western walls, it was originally designed to defend Dubrovnik from a potential Venetian sea attack. On screen, it became the Red Keep — specifically the exterior shots where you see Cersei standing on a balcony looking out over Blackwater Bay, and the tournament scene from Season 2 where Sansa watches the Kingsguard compete. You can actually enter the fort (€10, separate from the main walls ticket) and walk the same stone courtyards that appear in wide shots.

The Jesuit Stairs (Uz Jezuite) are the famous walk of shame steps. 42 stone steps that run from Gundulić Square up to the Jesuit Church and College. The stairs themselves are unremarkable architecturally — Dubrovnik has dozens of similar staircases — but they’ve become a pilgrimage site for fans because of how they were shot. You can walk up and down them freely (no ticket required), and tour guides typically stop here to show you photo comparisons of the original scene. Shooting for that sequence apparently took four days in 2014.

Minčeta Tower dominates the northwest corner of the city walls. It’s the tallest tower on the walls (25 meters high) and has a distinctive round shape. On screen, it became the House of the Undying in Qarth — specifically the exterior shots. The real tower dates to 1319 and was rebuilt multiple times, most significantly by architect Michelozzo Michelozzi in the 1460s after Ottoman pressure made Dubrovnik’s defenses a priority. You can walk right up to Minčeta on the main city walls circuit, though you can’t enter the tower interior.

The Rector’s Palace, in the eastern part of the old town near the cathedral, was the Spice King’s palace in Qarth and the scene where Dany petitions for help getting back to Westeros. The palace’s interior courtyard, with its Gothic-Renaissance arches and central garden, is now a museum you can enter for €12, and it’s one of the few indoor filming locations you can actually visit. The museum also covers Ragusan history, which is worth the entry fee on its own.

Trsteno Arboretum, about 20 km north of Dubrovnik, served as the Red Keep gardens where Lady Olenna Tyrell schemed with Margaery. The arboretum is Croatia’s oldest (founded around 1494) and contains exotic plants brought back by Ragusan sailors from voyages to Asia and the Americas. Most GoT walking tours don’t include Trsteno — it requires a separate bus ride or rental car — but several specialized private tours add it as an extension. If you’re a dedicated fan with a full day to spare, it’s worth the trip. The 500-year-old plane trees at the entrance are themselves historically significant regardless of the filming connection.

Finally, the small detail most guides mention: the Gradska Kavana café near the Rector’s Palace served as an impromptu crew canteen during filming, and locals still joke that Peter Dinklage’s usual morning table remains unofficially reserved. Whether true or not, the story is a reminder that Game of Thrones filming was, for several years in the 2010s, a normal part of Dubrovnik daily life — not a distant media event but actual camera rigs in the streets you’re now walking.

Lokrum Island and the Iron Throne Replica

If you’re a serious fan, add Lokrum to your itinerary. The 15-minute ferry (runs every 30 minutes from the old harbor, €27 return including park entrance) drops you at the Benedictine monastery ruins on the west side of the island, which is the main filming area. The monastery was where the Qarth gardens scenes were shot, and the actual Iron Throne replica — a proper full-size prop donated by HBO to the monastery museum — sits in a ground-floor room open to visitors. Photos on the throne are free and encouraged; you’ll see a small queue forming most afternoons in peak season.

Beyond the Iron Throne, Lokrum is worth the visit on its own merits. The island is a nature reserve with peacocks wandering freely (descended from a flock brought here by an Austrian archduke in the 19th century), a saltwater lake called the Dead Sea you can swim in, and a botanical garden established in the 1960s. The island is only about 2 km across, so you can walk the whole perimeter in about 90 minutes with swim stops. Last ferry back is typically 7:00 PM in summer, 5:00 PM in shoulder season.

There’s also a local legend worth knowing before you visit. When the Benedictine monks were expelled from Lokrum in 1808 (Napoleon’s doing, as usual), they allegedly cursed the island, walking its perimeter at night in candlelit procession and chanting the malediction on any future owner. Over the next two centuries, successive owners of Lokrum — Austrian archdukes, wealthy merchants, Yugoslav officials — met spectacularly bad ends. Maximilian I, who bought and loved Lokrum in the 1860s, was executed by firing squad in Mexico in 1867. Archduke Rudolf, who inherited it, died in the infamous Mayerling murder-suicide in 1889. You can decide for yourself whether the pattern is coincidence or something more supernatural, but guides love pointing it out as you walk past the monastery ruins. The story is also a reminder that Game of Thrones isn’t the only dramatic narrative attached to Lokrum — it’s just the most recent.

If you’re specifically chasing the Iron Throne replica photo, plan for it to be the single most-photographed object on your Dubrovnik trip. The replica sits in a small museum room that can only fit 10-15 people comfortably, and in peak July-August the queue can stretch 45 minutes at midday. Go early (first ferry is typically 9:00 AM) or late (last hour before the museum closes at 4:00 PM) for a much shorter wait. Photos are allowed and staff generally encourage visitors to sit on the throne for the full effect — you can lean back, hold up an imaginary sword, do the whole thing. Nobody’s judging.

Practical Tips for GoT Tours

Start early if you can. Dubrovnik gets brutally crowded from about 10:30 AM onwards in summer, and the filming locations that are inside the old city (Jesuit Stairs especially) can become nearly impossible to photograph without other travelers in every shot. The 9:00 AM tour slots are significantly less crowded than the 11:00 AM or 1:00 PM alternatives, and you’ll get better light for photos at the Fort Lovrijenac stop.

Wear serious shoes. The stone steps and polished limestone streets of Dubrovnik are notoriously slippery, especially after any rain or in early morning dew. Flip-flops are a bad idea; so are fashion sneakers with smooth soles. Any sturdy walking shoe or trail runner works — you’ll be on stone for 2-3 hours continuously, and your feet will notice by the end.

Don’t skip the walls. Almost every GoT tour assumes you’ve either already done or are going to do the separate walls tour. The walls circuit is a separate ticket (around €40) and takes about 90 minutes to walk, and it’s genuinely essential for understanding the filming geography — many shots in the show used camera angles that you can only actually verify by standing on the walls themselves. Budget both activities into your Dubrovnik days, not just the GoT tour.

Book 3-7 days ahead in high season. The top-reviewed GoT tours sell out on popular dates in July and August. Shoulder season (May, June, September, October) is much more forgiving — you can usually book 1-2 days ahead and still get your first choice. Winter tours are available but run less frequently, and you’ll want to confirm the guide is actually scheduled before booking. If your dates are locked and a specific guide has been recommended to you, message the operator directly — some will schedule specific guides by name on request, which is a trick most reviewers don’t know about.

More Croatia Guides Worth Reading

A Game of Thrones tour is the most narrative way to see Dubrovnik, but it works best alongside the more traditional experiences. The Dubrovnik City Walls and walking tours guide covers the straight history version of the same geography — same walls, same stones, but the original context rather than the TV one. For a sea-based follow-up, the Elaphite Islands cruises from Dubrovnik take you to the quiet car-free islands just offshore for swimming and fresh seafood in contrast to the intensity of the walled city.

If you’re continuing north, the Dalmatian coast has its own set of flagship day trips. The Split Blue Cave and Hvar 5-island speedboat tours are the Split equivalent of Dubrovnik’s Elaphite cruises, hitting a different archipelago at higher speed. The Split to Krka Waterfalls tours cover the inland freshwater option with a traditional Dalmatian wine tasting. Further north still, the Plitvice Lakes day trips from Zagreb handle Croatia’s biggest national park from the capital, and the Zagreb walking tours and WWII tunnels give you the upriver city itself when your Croatia trip loops back to Zagreb for departure.