Friends, winter is already here! The new season of Game of Thrones is about to be released. While fans, in anticipation of new plot twists, argue about the fate of Jon Snow, we found familiar places from the series in real life. It’s time to lift the veil of secrecy!
Place in the series: Astapor
Plot details: This city is located in Slaver’s Bay. Its symbol is a huge harpy clutching a chain in its claws. Human trafficking flourishes here and brings in good income. In this city, Daenerys finds her army of the Unsullied, which becomes a loyal ally of the Mother of Dragons in the struggle for the throne.
Place in reality: Essaouira
Story details:In fact, Astapor is the port city of Essaouira. It is located in Morocco on the Atlantic coast (on the map). The first mention of this settlement was recorded more than 2,700 years ago. In the 16th century, fortress walls began to be actively built in the city, which have survived to this day and served as scenery in the series.
To get to Essaouira, you must first fly to Marrakech. There is a regular bus from it to the “slave-owning Astapor”.
Place in the series: Braavos
Plot details:The Free City of Braavos is home to mysterious assassins called the Faceless Ones. It is known to fans of the series due to the fact that Arya Stark ended up here, fleeing the horrors of Westeros. Left completely alone, Arya settles into the House of Black and White. In this temple, she tries to comprehend the essence of the Many-Faced God.
Place in reality: Sibenik
Story details: To create the scenery of Braavos, the film crew chose the small Croatian town of Sibenik (on the map) with a population of only 37 thousand people. The first mention of it dates back to 1066. Despite the fact that during the wars the city passed from one empire to another several times, its historical center has been well preserved.
To get to Sibenik, you need to fly to Zagreb or Dubrovnik. Buses run from these cities several times a day. Travel time is about seven hours.
Place in the series: Yunkai and Pentos
Plot details: Pentos is a major port, a haven for nobles and merchants. It is also one of the Free Cities. Since Pentos is located closest to King’s Landing, the main characters of the series appear here every now and then.
But Yunkai is a slave town. It is under its walls that Daenerys acquires her new companion and lover – Daario Naharis. He leads a mercenary squad that goes under the banner of the Mother of Dragons and helps her win.
Place in reality: Ait Ben Haddou
Story details:This fortified city in southern Morocco played two citadels in the series. But in real life it is not very big, but it is colorful and has a rich history.
Ait Ben Haddou was founded in the 11th century to control the caravans that passed through these very places (on the map). Closer to the 20th century, the city fell into complete disrepair, but has recently been reconstructed and is gradually turning into a tourist center.
Hollywood directors really liked this place: in addition to “Game of Thrones”, such films as “Gladiator”, “Alexander”, “The Mummy”, “Prince of Persia” and others were filmed here.
The easiest way to get to Ait Benhaddou is this way. First you need to fly to Marrakech, then take a bus to the city of Ouarzazate and there change to another route, which goes to Ait Benhaddou.
Place in the series: Winterfell
Plot details: A very old ancestral castle of the Stark family. From the very first episode, the castle does not give the impression of a comfortable place. Climate and lack of resources clearly have an effect. In addition, he is attacked several times throughout the series.
Place in reality: Doune and Ward Castles
History details: These castles fully correspond to the image and spirit of Winterfell. Doune Castle was built in Scotland at the end of the 14th century (on the map). Over its history, it was used for its intended purpose, both as a prison and as a hunting lodge. In the 19th century it fell into disrepair, and restoration attempts were unsuccessful.
In 1984, the Earl of Moray handed over Doune Castle to the state. Since then it has been somewhat improved. Now the castle is open to tourists all year round. You can get there by bus from Glasgow or Edinburgh. It will only take an hour and a half.
Castle Ward is much younger than its colleague on the set (on the map). It was built in the 18th century on the shores of a lake in Northern Ireland. One of the first scenes of the series was filmed here – Robert Baratheon’s arrival at Winterfell.
The easiest way to get to the castle is from Belfast, where the international airport is located. Next you will need to get to the city of Strangford. And from there it’s just a stone’s throw to Ward. You can get there by taxi, bus or bicycle.
Place in the series: Water gardens in Dorne
Plot details: Country residence of the House of Martell. It is located not far from the capital – Sunspear. The Highlord and ruler of Dorne often visits here. He suffers from a serious illness, so he prefers to stay away from prying eyes.
Place in reality: Alcazar of Seville
Story details:For almost 700 years, this luxurious palace in Seville was the residence of Spanish kings (on the map). Its construction began in 1364 on the ruins of an old Arab fortress. The Alcazar is perfectly preserved and has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1987. All the everyday scenes that took place at the Martell residence were filmed in this palace.
Getting to the Alcazar is easy: you just need to choose the right ticket to Seville.
Place in the series: Fighting pit in Meereen
Plot details: Here, on the day of the opening of the fighting pits, the Sons of the Harpy attacked Daenerys and her companions.
Place in reality: Osuna Arena
Story details:Osuna is a small Spanish town located 90 kilometers from Seville (on the map). Once upon a time, it was in its vicinity that Julius Caesar won his last victory. Today only 18 thousand people live here. One of the main attractions of the city is the bullring.
To see the legendary site of the battle of Daenerys and the Sons of the Harpy, you need to fly to Cordoba or Madrid. The remaining kilometers will have to be covered by bus.
Place in the series: King’s Landing
Plot details:The main city of the series. Capital of the Seven Kingdoms. The concentration of power and deceit. Every seedy lord dreams of hoisting his flag on the tower of the Red Castle. But few succeed. In King’s Landing, luxury and poverty, asceticism and lust, courage and cowardice are closely combined. All these aspects of ordinary human life turn out to be fused together and hypertrophied to the limit.
Place in reality: cities of Dubrovnik and Split, forts Manoel and Ricasoli.
Story details: Since something is constantly happening in King’s Landing, the creators of the series had to find several suitable locations for filming. Here are three of the most interesting ones.
1. Dubrovnik
Croatian city, whose history goes back more than 1300 years (on the map). Its main attraction is the perfectly preserved old residential quarters of the 17th century, which run straight into the sea. If you take a moment away from the sounds of the modern city, you can imagine yourself as a real resident of King’s Landing with all its secrets and intrigues. Not far from Dubrovnik is the Lovrijenac fortress, which served as a backdrop for the filming of a number of episodes of the Red Castle (on the map). In particular, the bloody Battle of Chernovodnaya was filmed near its walls.
Fortunately, to get to King’s Landing, you don’t have to gather an army under your banner. All you need to do is book a ticket to Dubrovnik. And you are in the capital of Westeros!
2. Split
An even more ancient Croatian city (on the map). The date of its foundation is considered to be 305 AD. The main pride of the residents is the well-preserved palace of the Roman emperor Diocletian. 17 centuries after its construction, it became the site of Cersei’s public humiliation.
Getting to Split is not difficult. Most often you can fly from Russia with one transfer.
3. Forts Manoel and Ricasoli
The ruins of the old fortifications of the Order of Malta have long been closed to tourists. Forts Manoel and Ricasoli were seriously damaged during World War II. But thanks to Game of Thrones, they experienced a rebirth. Fort Manoel became Baelor’s sept for several days (on the map). It was on its steps that the key scene of the first season with the participation of Sean Bean was filmed. And Fort Ricasoli, thanks to its powerful walls, appeared several times in the series as the Red Castle (on the map).
You can see these forts by flying to Malta. Both are not very far from the airport.
Place in the series: Lands beyond the Wall
Plot details:The cold spaces beyond the Wall are not as deserted as they seem at first glance. In addition to all kinds of evil spirits, stern and bearded people live here. They live by hunting and raiding border villages. The wildlings are a real headache for the decent people of Westeros.
Place in reality: Iceland
Almost all scenes involving the Night’s Watch and the wildlings were filmed in Iceland. The harsh climate and incredibly beautiful nature perfectly convey the atmosphere of the lands beyond the Wall.
For example, to recreate the atmosphere of a lifeless white desert, the film crew went to the Vatnajökull glacier (on the map). By the way, it occupies 8 percent of the entire territory of Iceland.
The wildling camp of Mance Raider was set up on lava fields with the difficult to pronounce name “Dimmuborger” (on the map). And the key intimate scene between John and Ygrit was filmed in an incredibly beautiful cave – Grjotagya (on the map).
If you want to repeat Jon Snow’s route beyond the Wall, we recommend flying to Iceland and seeing this stunning country with your own eyes. You most likely won’t see white walkers or wildlings, but you will definitely get a warm welcome and incredible nature.
