Dubrovnik: The Original Game of Thrones Tour & Lokrum Option

Dubrovnik supplied the walls, streets, stairs, and sea views for King’s Landing, and this Game of Thrones tour shows you exactly how the city became part of the series. You’ll visit Pile Gate, Blackwater Bay, the Walk of Shame route, Stradun, the Jesuit Stairs, and Lovrijenac Fortress, the Red Keep on screen.

I like the smart mix of filming trivia and Dubrovnik history. I also like the choice between a focused two-hour walk and a three-hour version that adds Lokrum Island and the official Iron Throne. The main drawback is cost creep: the €15 fortress ticket is extra, and the Lokrum option adds €30 for adults for the ferry and island admission.

Key points to know before booking

• See the Walk of Shame route: Follow the streets and steps used for Cersei’s famous public walk, with scene photos to match the view in front of you.
• Enter the Red Keep setting: Lovrijenac Fortress brings dramatic sea views and a major filming location, but its €15 entry fee is not included.
• Choose your level of Game of Thrones: The two-hour route covers the Old Town and fort area. The three-hour version continues to Lokrum.
• Photograph the official Iron Throne: Lokrum provides the best photo stop for fans, along with free time on the island.
• Learn from local guides: Guides including Tihomir, Jelena, Joseph, Eddie, Karmen, and Josip are praised for clear storytelling, humor, and local insight.
• Prepare for stairs: Dubrovnik’s stone lanes and fortress approach make this a poor fit for wheelchairs, mobility scooters, vertigo, or serious mobility limits.

Why Dubrovnik works so well as King’s Landing

You do not need a studio set to understand why Dubrovnik was chosen for King’s Landing. The Old Town gives the show its pale stone walls, narrow lanes, grand staircases, gates, and sudden views over the Adriatic. The tour makes those pieces easier to read by placing a scene beside the real street where it was filmed.

That is the value here. You are not simply ticking off locations. You are learning how one real city became several parts of Westeros. A guide can show you a scene photograph, point out the camera angle, and explain what was changed for filming. Several guides also connect the show to the city’s past, so the tour works for a fan and for someone who has only watched a few episodes.

The experience begins near the Large Onofrio’s Fountain, beside the Hard Rock Cafe. Look for the representative with a red umbrella. There are three listed starting points around the fountain area, so check the exact meeting instructions you receive before setting out.

The tour is offered in English. A private group option is available, but the standard experience is a guided walk through central Dubrovnik. At $26 per person, the base price is reasonable for a two-hour introduction, especially if you want your first look at the Old Town to come with useful orientation.

Pile Gate and the first King’s Landing views

Pile Gate is a strong opening stop. It is one of the Old Town’s main entrances and one of the places where Dubrovnik’s real defensive character immediately meets the show’s fantasy setting. Here, you begin to see how the production used existing gates and walls rather than building everything from scratch.

The guide sets the scene with photographs and filming details. That visual comparison matters because Dubrovnik can look different on screen after changes in camera position, props, crowd control, and digital effects. A good guide helps you notice what is actually there and what the production added later.

From the gate, the walk moves toward the area used for Blackwater Bay. You get the sense of how the city’s walls and harbor-side views were framed for the series. It is also a useful place to get your bearings before the route turns deeper into the Old Town.

Expect some pauses for photographs and explanations. The pace is generally a walk with frequent stops rather than a long lecture in one place. Guides such as Tihomir and Jelena are praised for keeping the stories lively, while Joseph and Eddie are noted for mixing humor with clear information.

Lovrijenac Fortress, the Red Keep

Lovrijenac is one of the tour’s strongest stops. The fortress sits outside the main Old Town walls on a rocky rise, giving you broad views over the sea and back toward Dubrovnik. In Game of Thrones, it served as the Red Keep, including scenes connected with Tyrion and Varys.

The setting does much of the work. Thick stone walls, open views, and the fortress position make the connection with King’s Landing easy to understand. This is also the point where the tour becomes more than a city walk. You get a scenic overlook and a better sense of Dubrovnik’s defensive design.

The €15 entrance fee is not included. Children under seven enter free. You can also enter without paying the separate fee if you have a valid Dubrovnik Pass or a City Walls ticket from the same day or the previous day.

That detail can change the value calculation. If you already plan to walk Dubrovnik’s city walls, a fort visit may fit neatly into your sightseeing budget. If you are booking this tour on its own, add the fee before deciding. The fortress includes stairs and open heights, so it is not suitable for people with serious mobility issues, vertigo, or a fear of heights.

Stradun, markets, and the Purple Wedding area

Back inside the Old Town, the route reaches Stradun, Dubrovnik’s main street. The broad stone avenue gives you a different feel from the tight lanes near the gates. It is a useful place to connect several screen locations with the everyday structure of the city.

The guide also points out streets and market areas tied to King’s Landing scenes. This is where the tour’s local angle pays off. You see how ordinary public spaces were dressed and framed for the production, then return to looking at them as working parts of Dubrovnik.

The Purple Wedding locations add another layer for fans who remember the political drama of the series. Scene photos help you identify the exact perspective, especially when a location looks less familiar without costumes, extras, and set decoration.

You will also hear about how filming affected local life. The supplied tour details note that some guides worked on the series themselves, and the strongest guide experiences bring practical production stories to the walk. You might learn where cast members stayed or walked, how camera angles were chosen, and how the city functioned while filming took place.

The Jesuit Stairs and Cersei’s Walk of Shame

The Jesuit Stairs are one of the most recognizable stops. Their steep stone steps formed the route for Cersei’s Walk of Shame, and they remain one of the clearest examples of Dubrovnik’s ability to look theatrical without much alteration.

Stand at the bottom and look up. The staircase narrows the view, draws your eye toward the top, and creates the sense of public exposure that the scene needed. Your guide can line up the real location with a scene image and explain the camera position.

This is also the tour’s clearest physical warning. The steps are steep, and Dubrovnik’s Old Town includes more stairs and uneven stone underfoot. Wear shoes with a good grip and take your time. The tour is not suitable for wheelchair users, mobility scooters, pregnant women, or people with major mobility limits.

The area around the Jesuit Stairs also gives you places to stop for food or a drink after the walk. The main route does not include food and drinks, so plan to buy them separately. If you choose the two-hour tour, this is a practical place to finish your sightseeing and continue exploring independently.

The Lokrum option and the official Iron Throne

The three-hour version adds a ferry ride to Lokrum Island. The crossing takes about 15 minutes, and Lokrum changes the mood completely. After the tight lanes and stone walls of the Old Town, you get a more open island setting with room to walk, rest, and spend time outdoors.

Lokrum served as Qarth in Season 2. The guide explains how the island was used for filming and takes you to the key locations, including the Benedictine Monastery. The island’s official Iron Throne is the main photo stop. For a dedicated fan, this can be the most satisfying extra because it gives you a clear, recognizable picture rather than only a location comparison.

The guided part does not fill every minute on Lokrum. You receive free time to swim in hidden coves, visit the botanical gardens, sit in the shade, or have a drink or lunch. You can return to Dubrovnik at your own pace after the guided portion, according to the tour information.

That freedom is useful, but budget for it. The round-trip ferry and Lokrum admission cost €30 for adults and €5 for children aged 5 to 17. The Lokrum costs are separate from the $26 tour price. A three-day Dubrovnik Pass gives 20 percent off the Lokrum ferry, while a seven-day pass gives 30 percent off.

The island option suits you if you want a fuller outing rather than a quick filming-location walk. It is less attractive if you have limited time in Dubrovnik, do not want extra transport costs, or prefer a tightly focused history tour. The ferry may also be a poor match if you suffer from motion sickness.

What the guides add to the experience

The guides are central to the tour’s quality. The route itself is easy to follow, but a bare list of locations would become repetitive quickly. The best moments come when the guide combines the scene, the exact camera view, the city’s story, and a bit of production gossip.

Tihomir is repeatedly praised for storytelling, humor, patience, and keeping a full two-hour tour on schedule. Jelena is described as clear, engaging, and proud of Dubrovnik. Joseph is praised for being funny and for linking filming details with local history.

Eddie, Karmen, Josip, Ivo, Bruno, and Boris are also named as guides who bring different strengths. Boris is noted for a personable style and for helping visitors get oriented in Dubrovnik. Karmen is praised for giving people time for photographs and helping with pictures. Josip is singled out for explaining the context behind the iconic locations rather than simply naming them.

You cannot select a particular guide from the information provided, so treat those names as examples of the guide team rather than a guarantee. The consistent pattern is clear: the tour works best when the guide makes you look closely at the city, not just recall an episode.

Is $26 good value?

At $26 per person, the two-hour tour offers solid value if Game of Thrones is one of your interests. You get a live English-speaking guide, a planned route through several major locations, scene photographs, and a useful introduction to Dubrovnik’s layout.

The price is less simple for the extended option. Add €30 per adult for the Lokrum ferry and admission, plus any food or drinks you buy. Add €15 for Lovrijenac unless your Dubrovnik Pass or City Walls ticket covers entry. The three-hour version can still be worthwhile, but it is no longer a low-cost quick walk.

I would compare the total against your own plans. If you already intend to visit the fort and Lokrum, the tour ties those stops together efficiently. If you only want Cersei’s staircase and a few Old Town locations, the two-hour option is the better buy.

The flexible booking terms also help. You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund, and you can reserve now and pay later. Starting times vary, so check availability for your date.

Who should book this Dubrovnik tour?

I would choose this tour if you want a fan-friendly walk with real local context. It suits first-time visitors who want help understanding Dubrovnik’s layout, as well as dedicated fans who want exact filming angles and behind-the-scenes details.

The two-hour route is enough for most people. It covers the principal Old Town sites and Lovrijenac without turning the day into a full island outing. Select Lokrum if the Iron Throne, Qarth, swimming, and free island time sound as appealing as the main filming sites.

I would skip it if you dislike steep steps, open heights, or guided walking tours. The route is not designed for wheelchairs or mobility scooters, and the extra costs can surprise you if you have not read the inclusions carefully.

For the best balance, I would book the two-hour walk, use a City Walls ticket or Dubrovnik Pass if you already have one, and add Lokrum only when you want a longer, slower day.

FAQ

Where does the Game of Thrones tour meet?

Meet by the Large Onofrio’s Fountain, next to the Hard Rock Cafe. Look for a representative holding a red umbrella.

How long does the tour last?

The main walking tour lasts two hours. The extended version lasts three hours and includes Lokrum Island.

What is included in the tour price?

The price includes the tour guide, the Game of Thrones walking tour, and a photo opportunity on the replica Iron Throne when you choose the Lokrum option.

Is Lovrijenac Fortress included?

The fortress entrance is not included and costs €15. Children under seven enter free. Entry is free for holders of a valid City Walls ticket or Dubrovnik Pass.

How much does the Lokrum option cost?

The round-trip ferry and Lokrum Island admission cost €30 for adults and €5 for children aged 5 to 17. These costs are separate from the tour price.

Can I get a discount on the Lokrum ferry?

A three-day Dubrovnik Pass gives 20 percent off the Lokrum ferry. A seven-day Dubrovnik Pass gives 30 percent off.

Is the tour suitable for people with mobility issues?

The tour may not suit people with mobility impairments because Dubrovnik includes steps and stairs. It is not suitable for wheelchair users or mobility scooters, and the route may also be unsuitable for people with vertigo, a fear of heights, or motion sickness.