Dubrovnik is the most prominently featured Croatian town in Game of Thrones.
If Croatia is not already on your dream board by now, it most certainly should be. The country’s beautiful parks, monuments, seaside resorts and picturesque towns make it the perfect summer destination.
This Eastern European country is also one of the uncredited stars of HBO’s hit show Game of Thrones, as numerous scenes and episodes are shot there throughout the series. If you’ve ever watched the show and marveled at the gorgeous landscapes and scenery, chances are those were probably located somewhere in Croatia.
Like any Game of Thrones fan, you have probably wanted to walk the streets of Qarth or stroll across King’s Landing. Well, now is your chance! We looked into the bus travel options available on Wanderu and developed an itinerary that allows you to visit all the Game of Thrones filming locations across Croatia for under $100! And while we do recommend you take the chance to cycle in Croatia, most of the actual traveling for this journey is via bus. Here’s how you can do it:
Book your trips:
| Route | $ | € | £ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zagreb to Šibenik | $23.37 | €20.84 | £17.86 | |
| Šibenik to Krka National Park (local transit) | $8.93 | €7.96 | £6.82 | |
| Šibenik to Trogir | $4.45 | €3.97 | £3.40 | |
| Trogir to Split | $1.11 | €0.99 | £0.85 | |
| Split to Makarska | $6.68 | €5.96 | £5.10 | |
| Makarska to Trsteno | $10.02 | €8.94 | $£7.66 | |
| Trsteno to Dubrovnik | $2.23 | €1.99 | £1.70 | |
| Dubrovnik to Zagreb | $33.38 | €29.77 | $£25.51 | |
| TOTAL: | $90.17 | €80.42 | £68.90 |
Ticket prices are based on the average bus fares available on Wanderu for each route over a 30-day period.
As you can see above, the looped trip begins and ends in Croatia’s capital of Zagreb, with seven stops in-between. That way, if you’re arriving into Croatia by plane, you’re able to fly in and out of the most popular airport in the country.
Stops on the tour feature all the locations in Croatia where Game of Thrones has been filmed, including Krka National Park, the smaller towns of Trogir, Makarska and Trsteno, and the cities of Šibenik, Split and Dubrovnik. If you can’t get enough of Croatia, stick around to spend a week in Istria.
We used our unique routing system to find the most optimal route to visit all these places in one single trip and then calculated the average price of a one-way bus ticket for each leg of the journey. As it turns out, you can complete the entire tour at an average price of just about $90! To make the adventure even cheaper, you can cut the last leg of the trip by not returning to Zagreb and flying out of Dubrovnik. Or, better yet, stick around to work abroad in Croatia!
Now that we have the itinerary in place, let’s check out all the legendary Game of Thrones sites you’ll be visiting on your cheap Croatian tour and compare them to their real-life counterparts:
Begin your journey:
1. Šibenik & Krka National Park
The trip’s first stop, Šibenik, sits on Croatia’s southern coast. Šibenik’s St. James Cathedral is the filming location for the House of Black and White, the temple of the Faceless Men. While you won’t receive training from the Many-Faced God like Arya Stark, you will most certainly not grow bored admiring the city’s stone churches and fortresses.
From Šibenik, you need to hop on a local transit bus that will take you to Krka National Park. A round trip will cost you around €8.
Krka National Park’s beautiful scenery and stunning waterfalls were used as the backdrop for various scenes taking place in the countryside and among nature. (Credit: Pixabay)
Just a 20-minute bus ride from Šibenik is the stunning Krka National Park. Its mesmeric lakes and rushing waterfalls are featured as backdrops throughout the seven seasons of the show and die-hard fans will surely be able to recognize some of the backdrops when they visit the park in person.
Next stop:
| Route | $ | € | £ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Šibenik to Trogir | $23.37 | €20.84 | £17.86 |
2. Trogir
If you want to visit the City of Qarth in real life, head over to Trogir. (Credits: HBO; Helen Penjam, Flickr)
Depart from Šibenik and head farther south along the Adriatic coast to Trogir, the real-life City of Qarth. Not to worry, your dragons won’t be taken hostage here. You can walk the city streets, charter boats, or lay on the beach knowing they are resting at home.
Next stop:
| Route | $ | € | £ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trogir to Split | $1.11 | €0.99 | £0.85 |
3. Split
One of the best things to do in Split: visit the Fortress of Kliss is the real-life City of Meereen. (Credits: HBO; Asta Skujytė-Razmienė)
Papalićeva Street in Split is where the famous slave rebellion scene was filmed. (Credits: HBO; Asta Skujytė-Razmienė)
The basement of Diocletian’s Palace in Split is used as the set for Daenerys’s throne room. (Credits: HBO; Asta Skujytė-Razmienė)
The basement of Diocletian’s Palace is also where they keep the dragons. (Credits: HBO; Asta Skujytė-Razmienė)
Once you’ve gotten enough of Trogir, travel just over half an hour to the coastal city of Split. Known as one of the most beautiful vacation spots in Croatia, this Dalmatian destination encompasses a small peninsula that serves as the location for Game of Thrones’ city of Meereen- and plenty of Split activities. Walk along Papalićeva Street, the setting of Meereen’s slave rebellion, and then make sure to visit Diocletian’s Palace where Daenerys had her throne and held her dragons.
Aside from multiple filming locations, there are all kinds of things to do in Split. If you have the time, plan to spend a few days here before moving onto your next destination!
Next stop:
| Route | $ | € | £ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Split to Makarska | $6.68 | €5.96 | £5.10 |
4. Makarska
The Baška Voda area near Makarska is where the journey to Meereen scenes were filmed. (Credits: HBO; Asta Skujytė-Razmienė)
Venture an hour south from Split to Makarska, a place famous for its beaches, seafront promenade and vibrant nightlife. Select battle scenes and Daenerys Targaryen’s journey to Meereen were filmed in the Basška Voda area near this Croatian town. Explore parts of the Makarska Riviera along the water at Makarska Harbour and from the top of Biokovo Mountain.
Next stop:
| Route | $ | € | £ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Makarska to Trsteno | $10.02 | €8.94 | £7.66 |
5. Trsteno
At the Trsteno Arboretum, you can visit the Gardens of Red Keep in real life! (Credits: HBO; Asta Skujytė-Razmienė)
Just a two-hour bus ride from Makarska is Trsteno, a town with a population of less than 300 people. It may be small but its arboretum is not to be underestimated. This 15th century garden has an impressive history and may even hold a few of Sansa Stark’s secrets, as it doubles as the gardens of Red Keep.
Next stop:
| Route | $ | € | £ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trsteno to Dubrovnik | $2.23 | €1.99 | £1.70 |
6. Dubrovnik
From Trsteno, head south to the last spot on this Game of Thrones tour, the world-famous Dubrovnik. A fairytale has come to life in this breathtaking city. Ancient walls built around the city set it apart from the turquoise Adriatic Sea. It is also Croatia’s most popular Game of Thrones location.
Once you get there, you will see that local merchants allow you to book a Game of Thrones walking tour to hit all of the city’s filming locations. However, if you want to venture out on your own, here are all the places you must definitely visit:
The Baroque steps of the church of St. Ignatius
Dubrovnik’s Baroque staircase serves as the backdrop for the stairs to the Great Sept of Baelor in King’s Landing. (Credits: HBO; Asta Skujytė-Razmienė)
That’s also where the infamous shaming scene took place. (Credits: HBO; Asta Skujytė-Razmienė)
These are the same steps as the stairs to the Great Sept of Baelor and the very place where Cersei’s shaming in season 5 took place. They can be found inside the Old Town of Dubrovnik.
Fort Lovrijenac
As you probably guessed, this is the Red Keep in King’s Landing. It is set at Dubrovnik’s Fort Lovrijenac. (Credits: HBO; Asta Skujytė-Razmienė)
(Credits: HBO; Asta Skujytė-Razmienė)
Fort Lovrijenac serves as the backdrop for the Red Keep, the residence of the King of the Andals and the First Men, his family and his court. In the show, it is located within King’s Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms.
Minčeta Tower
Dubrovnik’s Minčeta Tower is where the House of the undying is located. (Credits: HBO; Asta Skujytė-Razmienė)
Dubrovnik’s Minčeta Tower serves as the filming location for the House of the Undying. In the show, it is located in Qarth and serves as the headquarters of the Warlocks of Qarth.
Old Town
Dubrovnik’s Old Town is the backdrop to various scenes throughout the show, including one with the preaching Sparrow. (Credits: HBO; Asta Skujytė-Razmienė)
The picturesque vicinity of Dubrovnik’s Old Town can be spotted in various scenes throughout the series. (Credits: HBO; Asta Skujytė-Razmienė)
Like Krka National Park, the Old Town of Dubrovnik has been the set of various scenes throughout the show’s run. In addition to all of the places mentioned above, Old Town provided the backdrop for the scene where Sparrows were preaching, as well as many other intense dialogues and interactions between the Game of Thrones characters.
If you’re flying out of Zagreb, don’t forget to complete the loop by traveling back to the capital city from Dubrovnik:
| Route | $ | € | £ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubrovnik to Zagreb | $33.38 | €29.77 | £25.51 |
Book your trip on Wanderu for the cheapest tickets to each destination and tune in to HBO on April 14 for the final season premiere of Game of Thrones. Not caught up yet? There’s still time to binge-watch!
How we did it
Using Wanderu’s proprietary data covering bus travel options in Croatia, including pricing, duration and schedule information of multiple partner carriers, we leveraged our unique routing technology that allows us to route and build multi-stop travel itineraries for users in real time. By weighing the possible trips for the best balance of price and duration, our routing technology was able to find the most optimal road trip across Croatia.
The prices quoted in this article are based on the average cost of bus tickets available on Wanderu for each route ever since said route became available for booking on the Wanderu platform.
To ensure that this trip is more than just data science, the Wanderu algorithm used actual bookable trips to verify that this road trip was possible at these prices over multiple consecutive days.
You are welcome to use the information and graphics on this page, crediting Wanderu. If you do so, please link back to this page, so that travel enthusiasts around the globe can check out all the available trips and find out how we came up with the itinerary.
