Game of Thrones Tour

Dubrovnik was the main filming location for King's Landing in Game of Thrones, and a decade after the show ended, the tours are still among the most popular things to do in the city. This one, sold through Tiqets, combines the two best ways to see the locations: a cruise on the Karaka, a replica of a sixteenth-century Ragusan merchant ship, sailing along the walls for the views used in the show's harbour and Blackwater scenes, and a guided walk through the Old Town with a live English-speaking guide. On land, the typical route includes the Pile Gate, where the people of King's Landing rioted; the Jesuit Staircase, the steps of Cersei's walk of atonement; the Minčeta Tower and the walls, which stood in for the House of the Undying in Qarth and the battlements of the city; Fort Lovrijenac, the Red Keep; and the Rector's Palace atrium, used for scenes in Qarth. The tour also stops at a shop where you can sit on a replica Iron Throne, and on the boat you are served a themed welcome drink, with a non-alcoholic version for children. The tour lasts about two hours and starts from the harbour in Gruž, where the ship is moored, so allow time to get there by bus or taxi from the Old Town. Departures follow the cruise season and the product shows as temporarily unavailable in the off-season, so check dates early. If you prefer to walk only, many local guides run on-foot Game of Thrones tours from the Pile Gate year-round, and the main sites are all free to see on your own.

Why take a tour rather than a map? Because the filming used Dubrovnik selectively, combining shots of real places with digital extensions and other locations in Croatia, Northern Ireland, Spain and Malta, and a guide who knows the production can show you exactly where the camera stood and what was added later. The best guides have worked as extras or crew, and their stories about filming in a living city, with residents behind every shutter, are often more entertaining than the scenes themselves. The boat section adds something the walking tours cannot: the angle from the sea, which shows how the walls rise straight from the rock and why the producers chose this city to play the capital of the Seven Kingdoms.

Practical notes: the meeting point is at the Gruž harbour, not the Old Town, so build in travel time; city buses link Gruž with the Pile Gate. Tickets can be cancelled free of charge up to a day before. The walking section is gentle but includes steps, so wear good shoes. Seasonal availability is the biggest catch: in the off-season this product may simply not be bookable, so if you are visiting from November to March, plan to use an independent walking guide or to see the sites on your own.

Doing it yourself is easy. Start at the Pile Gate, walk down to Lovrijenac, then climb back into the Old Town and cross to the Jesuit Staircase above Gundulić Square, which leads up to the Baroque church of St Ignatius. Walk the city walls to stand on the Minčeta Tower, visit the Rector's Palace atrium, and take the ferry to Lokrum to sit on the island's replica throne. Further afield, the Trsteno Arboretum, a Renaissance garden north of the city, was used for the gardens of the Red Keep. Fans of other franchises can add Star Wars and Robin Hood locations, both filmed in the Old Town in the years after Game of Thrones.