In Dubrovnik, we went on the “Game of Thrones – Venture Through King’s Landing” excursion. It was led by a young man who had several appearances in the show as an extra, so he had actual “behind-the-scenes” knowledge. From the pier, we went to the oldest section of Dubrovnik, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We stopped at the Lovrijenac Fortress, located outside the medieval walls that encircle Old Town. Known as Dubrovnik’s Gibraltar, the 11th-century fortress perches atop a craggy rock overlooking the sea. Several scenes of the interior of the Red Keep were filmed inside the Lovrijenac Fortress. The inlet between the fort and Old City served as Black Water Bay in the show and the pier was prominently featured in one of the final scenes when John Snow is going back to the wall.
Of course, the entrance to the keep was a steep climb up stone steps. The view of Old City from the keep was breathtaking! The plaza in the picture was used in the scene in Season 1 when Jeoffrey is holding the knight contests and the last picture is where Jeoffrey and Sansa held their wedding celebration.
We entered the city via Pile Gate. After crossing the drawbridge, you enter into a plaza that was featured in the scene where Jeoffrey is assaulted by the common folk with rotten vegetables. Just inside the inner gate is Onofrio’s Large Fountain, which supplies the city with fresh water from the springs above the city.
Another iconic scene from the show is the Jesuit Stairs, where Cersei has to start her “Walk of Shame”.
As we passed by one section, we were treated to the sounds of the Dubrovnik Symphony practicing inside.
The Rector’s Palace was also used as the palace in Quarth, where Daenerys asked the Spice King for ships. The staircase was also used during Cersei’s “Walk of Shame” and our tour guide got to throw “rotten” fruit at Cersei here as an extra (it was actually foam sponges).
We continued through the old city, then climbed up to walk around the top of the city walls. Many of the scenes from the Battle of Blackwater Bay were filmed from the top of these walls. The top of the walls gave beautiful views of the city below.
Toward the end of our tour around the walls, we stopped at Tvrđava Minčeta, a small fortress atop the city walls. This tower was used as the House of the Undying, where the Warlocks of Quarth held Daenerys’ dragons.
After some obligatory pictures on a prop throne, we found a place for lunch before heading to the beach to cool off before heading back to the ship.
