Dubrovnik Game of Thrones Tour: Walking Through King's Landing

When HBO's location scouts saw Dubrovnik's intact medieval walls rising straight from the Adriatic, King's Landing stopped being a CGI problem. From season two onward the city played the capital of the Seven Kingdoms, and it still looks the part — because almost nothing you saw was a set. The battlements, the stairs, the fortress where Joffrey held court: they're all real, all walkable, and all here. A good Game of Thrones tour connects them into the story; this guide explains what you'll see and how to choose.

The locations every tour covers

Fort Lovrijenac — the Red Keep

The cliff-top fortress west of Pile Gate is the Red Keep's stand-in: Joffrey's name-day tournament, court intrigues and keep exteriors were shot on its terraces. Bonus fact tours love: the fort is included in the City Walls ticket, so you can return for a slow visit after the tour. Full guide: Fort Lovrijenac.

The Jesuit Stairs — the Walk of Shame

The baroque staircase sweeping up from Gundulić Square to St Ignatius Church is where Cersei's walk of atonement begins. It's the single most photographed GoT spot in the city — go at 08:00 if you want the steps to yourself, because by mid-morning there's a queue of people recreating the scene (fully clothed, mercifully).

The western walls and Bokar — King's Landing battlements

The stretch of ramparts between Pile and Bokar Fortress hosted Tyrion and Varys's strolls overlooking Blackwater Bay — played by the cove of Kolorina below. From the walls you see both "bays" of King's Landing at once: Kolorina to the west, the Old Port to the east, where the ships burned in the Battle of the Blackwater.

St Dominic Street and the Old Town lanes

The street below the Dominican Monastery appears in market scenes, riot scenes and countless walk-and-talks. Tours thread through these lanes pointing out spots you would otherwise pass without a glance — the doorway from the riot of King's Landing, the alley where Littlefinger's brothel stood.

Locations beyond the walls

• Trsteno Arboretum (25 min north) — the gardens of the Red Keep, where the Tyrells schemed among real 500-year-old plane trees. Included on extended tours or an easy bus trip.
• Lokrum island (15 min ferry) — Qarth's garden party; the island's monastery also displays a replica Iron Throne where photos are free once you've paid the ferry.
• Gradac Park — the Purple Wedding's fatal feast, five minutes west of Lovrijenac.
• Minčeta Tower — the exterior of the House of the Undying in Qarth, reached on the wall walk.

Choosing your tour

• Classic 2-hour walking tour: the Old Town core locations with a guide who cues up scene stills on a tablet as you stand in each spot. Ideal first pick; morning departures beat the crowds.
• Extended tours (3–4 h): add Lovrijenac's interior, Gradac Park and sometimes Trsteno. Check whether fort/wall entries are included in the price — policies differ.
• Combo with karaka cruise: some tours finish with a sail on a replica galleon past the walls — the Blackwater view from the water is genuinely worth it for fans.
• Private tours: for houses divided between superfans and companions who've never seen an episode, a private guide calibrates the lore level and the pace.

Do you need a tour at all?

You can find the Jesuit Stairs and the forts with a map. What tours add is the shot-by-shot knowledge — exactly where the camera stood, which direction the extras charged, what's CGI and what's stone — plus the production stories locals collected over six seasons of filming (many guides worked as extras; ask yours). Casual viewers can self-guide happily; fans will get their money's worth from the first "this is where…".