Whilst Australia is getting ready for the season five premier of Game of Thrones tonight, we’ve listed our top eight stunning destinations used in the popular show…
The Game of Thrones series has seen an increase in flight searches amongst Aussies to the following GoT film locations during April- June 2014:
- Flight searches from Australia to Croatia saw a 16% increase while GoT was airing between April-June, followed by a 28% drop in searches to the destination in July, when the show was off-air
- Aussies were also looking to travel to Iceland between GoT’s air dates of April-June, with a 39% increase in flight searches. When the season came to a close, flight searches from Australia to Iceland drop by 11%
- Similarly, Aussies searching for travel to Malta increased by 39% between April-June and dropped off by 14% in July when the show was no longer on-air
- Season 4 of GoT also piqued Australians’ curiosity in Morocco, with a 19% increase in searches recorded for April-June, which was followed by a 14% drop when season 4 came to a close
- Northern Ireland was another GoT destination which received extra attention from Aussies, with a growth of 18% in flight searches recorded between April and June. These then dropped by 2% in July
We’ve listed our favourite destinations from the popular medieval fantasy HBO production below:
1. Castle Ward, Northern Ireland
Game of Thrones, or rather the book on which it’s based (A Song of Ice and Fire), is set in an immense world, incorporating several continents, seven kingdoms, and large unmapped areas. The HBO film crews travelled thousands of miles to capture environments for the show. Castle Ward, an 18th-century National Trust property located near the village of Strangford in County Down, was a stand-in for Winterfell, home to the Stark family.
2. The Mourne Mountains, Northern Ireland
The beautiful Mourne Mountains, in south-east Northern Ireland, were used to portray parts of Vaes Dothrak, home of the Dothraki. The region has been linked with popular literature before; it inspired C.S. Lewis to write The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. To toggle the captions on and off, click on the ‘i’ icon at the bottom right of the screen.
3. Mdina, Malta
King’s Landing, the royal capital of Westeros and the Seven Kingdoms, has been created using numerous existing spots as a backdrop. The first was Mdina, the old capital of Malta. A medieval walled town boasting strong defensive Norman fortifications and moats, it was a perfect fit. The characters in the show swap sun hats for chain mail, however.
4. Fort Manuel, Malta
Nearby Fort Manoel was built by the Knights of Malta between 1723 and 1755 and served as an active military establishment until as recently as 1906. In Game of Thrones it serves as the Sept of Baelor, the holiest spot in Westeros, and scene of the first season’s most dramatic moment.
5. Fort Lovrijenac, Croatia
Fort Lovrijenac, an imposing fortress nestled on rocks just outside Dubrovnik, features walls some 12 metres thick in parts. Hamlet is performed here every summer, but for the purposes of the show it filled in for the Red Keep. The interiors were actually shot in a studio in Belfast.
6. Vatnajökull National Park, Iceland
Where better for the desolate expanses north of The Wall than Iceland? Scenes set in The Frostfangs and at the Fist of the First Men were shot on the Svínafellsjökull glacier in Vatnajökull National Park and the nearby region during November 2011.
7. Essaouira, Morocco
Daenerys Targaryen spends much of her time in the exotic environs of Slaver’s Bay, home to the fictional ports of Astapor, Yunkai and Meereen. For the purposes of the show, Morocco’s beguiling seaside city Essaouira was a perfect fit.
8. Dubrovnik, Croatia
By the second season of the show, Dubrovnik had replaced Mdina as the setting for King’s Landing. The Croatian city, awarded UNESCO World Heritage Status in 1979, boasts nearly 2km of defensive walls that proved invaluable for some of the later scenes.
Skyscanner has compiled their own list of the Top Ten Game of Thrones film locations fans must visit and 38 amazing Game of Thrones locations: in pictures for GoT holiday inspiration.
Which one of the listed GoT destinations is on your bucket list?
