by Lynnette Lounsbury
There is nowhere safe in the Seven Kingdoms. Nowhere. I don’t care how important you are to the story. So if you seek to venture in the footsteps of Daenerys Targaryen or (heaven help you) the Starks, be prepared for a difficult voyage – the sets for GoT will take you from Croatia to Iceland, through Morocco and into Northern Ireland. You didn’t think it would be easy did you?
Iceland.
“North of the Wall, things are different. That’s where the children went, and the giants, and the other old races.” Osha
Photo by Wolf-Ulf Wulfrolf
Winter is indeed coming and it appears that not every television series can actually be shot in Hawaii. Most of the scenes that take place “North of the wall” are shot just outside of Reykjavik. Jon Snow walked the Vatnajökull glacier and so can you. British tour company Discover the World offer a self-drive tour of this area called “Beyond the Wall” and it takes in all the show’s Iceland sets but is kind enough to end with a stint at the heated Blue Lagoon pools (not the sort of thing the Wildings get to indulge in).
* Note: “Beyond the Wall” tour no longer available, though many other tour options exist for visiting the same locations.
Croatia
Photo by Zlatko Unger
“In King’s Landing, there are two sorts of people. The players and the pieces… Every man’s a piece to start with, and every maid as well. Even some who think they are players.” Petyr Baelish
If the Night’s Watch isn’t for you, and lets be honest, it’s not for many, then perhaps King’s Landing is a better option. (Not safer mind you, but warmer at least.) Viator offers a three hour walking tour of Dubrovnik, where the King’s Landing castle scenes are shot and promise that you can “Climb the city walls, picturing the bloody battles from the TV series, and visit Lovrijenac Fortress to learn about the evil exploits of King Joffrey. Follow in the footsteps of Ayra Stark and hear insider gossip galore about the popular series.”
Morocco
“I am Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, of the blood of Old Valyeria. I am the dragon’s daughter, and I swear to you that those who would harm you will die screaming.” Daenerys Targaryen
Hate the cold? Thank goodness for Daenerys then. (Thank goodness for her anyway – we had to have someone to root for.) The scenes of her travels with the Dothraki as well as the carnage of the Slaver’s Bay and all the other cities she leveled, charmed, dragoned her way through were all shot in the warm sunshine (okay – mostly blazing heat) of Morocco. A tour called “Forts and Kasbahs” by Epic Morocco takes in both the Ouarzazate film studios, Essaouira as well as the Ait Benhaddou fortress. If you need help with your Dothraki – there is a dictionary of common words available here. (Yes. Someone wrote this.)
Northern Ireland.
“We are ironborn. We’re not subjects, we’re not slaves. We do not plow the field or toil in the mine. We take what is ours.” ―Balon Greyjo
Most of the series is shot in the milder climes of Northern Island and if you want a one-stop GoT trip, then this is it. The soft green meadows and crisp, cold seas seem a world away from the political troubles of the show….oh wait…this is Northern Ireland. Anyway, You can take a few different tours around the sites and sets of Games of Thrones. The Northern Ireland Tourist Board has joined with Northern Ireland Screen to both make the most of the popularity of this series and make it easy for fans. You can take in Ballintoy, of “The Iron Islands” fame (yes, that is where Theon Greyjoy is from, the guy we all despised until… well, THAT, happened.) as well as the beautiful mountains of Mourne and the grasslands of Shillanavogy (another Dothraki locale). And then in the tiny village of Cushendun you can wander along a beautiful coastline and some quite scary caves, once used by the universally hated Melisandre to give birth to the homicidal shadow.
Photo by fridator
The Exhibition
Game of Thrones: The Exhibition, sponsored by HBO, brings the costumes, weapons and even the Iron Throne together in a major travelling show. It focuses on key characters from each of the houses and showcases almost 100 original artefacts used in the show’s production, so it’s sure to be worth a visit from any fan of the show. It was in Sydney this July, and just finished its time in Vancouver, but the website will provide details of any upcoming locations and international destinations.
Comic-Con GoT Events
But if you can’t make it to any of these destinations? Or if you want a more immersive experience… and by that I mean putting on your own furs and putting a collar on your dragon… then the Comic-Con events regularly include both Game of Thrones cast panels and special lectures by George. R.R. Martin (we all have a few questions for George.). Next year’s San Diego Comic-Con runs over July 9-12 in the San Diego Convention Centre and the program will be out about two weeks before that date. However since the website suggests that since obtaining your entry badge requires “the persistence of Superman, the patience of a Watcher, the ingenuity of Tony Stark, and the readiness of Batman” you’d probably better get your plans sorted before then. And your costume for the masquerade. If you are from Oz – we have our own Comic-Con in Sydney this weekend.
And that should at least get the passionate Throners partially satiated. So book yourself a ticket, strap on a sharp poisoned dagger (kidding, we don’t encourage anything like that here at Ytraveler!) and lure your Dire wolf into an airline crate… because remember – Valar morghulis!
Author’s Bio: Lynnette Lounsbury is Senior Editor of YTravel, a lecturer at Avondale College and writes everything from travel articles to novels, poems and some pretty well crafted “to-do” lists.