Dubrovnik: The Original Game of Thrones Tour & Lokrum Option

Kings Landing starts at a city fountain. Dubrovnik’s Game of Thrones filming locations are woven into real streets, stairways, walls, and forts, so this tour gives you both television trivia and a useful introduction to the Old Town. I like the mix of scene photos with local history, and I like that the guide-led walk keeps moving instead of turning into a long lecture. The main thing to watch is the extra cost: Lovrijenac Fortress and the Lokrum ferry are not included in the advertised $26 price.

The two-hour route is the better value for most people, especially if you mainly want the famous Old Town sites. The three-hour version adds a ferry to Lokrum, the official Iron Throne photo stop, and free time on the island, but the adult ferry and admission charge add €30 per person. Steps, steep streets, and exposed viewpoints also make this a poor fit if you have mobility issues, vertigo, or trouble with heights.

Key points to know before you book

• The tour begins at Large Onofrio’s Fountain: Look for the representative with a red umbrella beside the Hard Rock Cafe.
• Lovrijenac is the big optional stop: The fortress served as the Red Keep, but its €15 entrance fee is separate unless you have a Dubrovnik Pass or valid City Walls ticket.
• The two-hour walk covers the essential Old Town scenes: Pile Gate, Blackwater Bay, Cersei’s Walk of Shame route, the Purple Wedding area, Stradun, Orlando’s Column, and the Jesuit Steps.
• Lokrum adds a different kind of afternoon: After a 15-minute ferry ride, you can see Qarth locations and the Iron Throne, then swim, walk, rest, or eat at your own pace.
• Guides make or break this experience: Tihomir, Jelena, Joseph, Eddie, Karmen, Josip, Ivo, Bruno, Boris, and others have been praised for humor, clear storytelling, and local insight.
• The tour is available in English: Private groups are also offered, and cancellation is free up to 24 hours before departure.

Why Dubrovnik makes such a good King’s Landing

Dubrovnik does not need much help looking like a fantasy capital. Its stone walls, narrow lanes, sea views, and monumental stairways already have the right drama. The clever part of this tour is seeing how the production used familiar spaces from different angles.

A guide can point to one section of the city and show you the matching scene photo. That simple comparison helps you notice camera positions, crowd placement, and details you might otherwise walk past. You are not just checking off locations. You are learning how a real medieval city became King’s Landing on screen.

I also like that the tour is not only for dedicated fans. Several stops come with a short explanation of Dubrovnik itself, and the strongest guides use the television connection as a doorway into the city’s past. If you have never watched Game of Thrones, you can still enjoy the architecture, views, and walk through the Old Town.

The experience has earned a 4.8 rating from more than 5,000 reviews, and the praise is unusually consistent about the guides. Tihomir is often singled out for storytelling and humor. Jelena is praised for clear explanations and warmth, while Joseph, Eddie, Karmen, Josip, and the other guides are repeatedly described as engaging and well prepared. Since the guide assigned to your departure can vary, expect the style to differ a little, but the central route remains the same.

Starting at Large Onofrio’s Fountain

Your meeting point is Large Onofrio’s Fountain, beside the Hard Rock Cafe. Look for a red umbrella. This is a sensible place to start because it sits near Pile Gate and puts you right at the edge of Dubrovnik’s Old Town.

Arrive ready to walk. The Old Town is compact, but compact does not mean flat. You will use stone lanes, stairways, and sloping streets, with the route moving between busy public areas and quieter corners. Comfortable shoes matter more here than any costume or souvenir sword.

The guide sets the tone early. The best guides do not simply announce a location and recite a scene. They show production photographs, explain what happened in the story, and connect the shot to the actual street or building in front of you. That visual aid is especially useful when a filmed location has been altered by crowds, shops, or everyday city life.

Pile Gate and the first King’s Landing scenes

Pile Gate is one of the Old Town’s most recognizable entrances and an important opening point for the tour. Here, you begin to see why Dubrovnik worked so well as King’s Landing. The gate, walls, and approach offer an instantly dramatic setting, but they also show the practical problem of filming in a living city.

Your guide may explain where actors walked, where cameras were placed, and how the scene looked on screen. This is one of the moments when the tour’s photographs earn their keep. Without them, you may remember only a grand gate. With them, you can match the real view to the finished scene.

This first portion can be busy, especially during the main season. Stay close enough to hear, and do not expect long periods of quiet at the most famous locations. The guide’s job is partly storytelling and partly keeping the group together through the city’s foot traffic.

Blackwater Bay and Lovrijenac Fortress

From the Old Town, the route reaches views connected with Blackwater Bay and Lovrijenac Fortress. The fortress, also called St. Lawrence Fortress, played the Red Keep. It sits above the sea and gives you one of the best scenic moments on the tour.

The fortress entrance costs €15 and is not included. Children under seven enter free, and you can also enter without paying this extra fee if you hold a Dubrovnik Pass or a valid City Walls ticket from the same day or the previous day. If you already plan to walk the city walls, this can improve the value of the tour.

Inside, you can expect more than a quick photo stop. The fortress adds height, open views, and a stronger sense of the setting used for scenes involving Tyrion and Varys. The downside is the climb and the exposed position. People who dislike heights, have vertigo, or find stairs difficult should think carefully before choosing a route that includes it.

Even if you skip the paid entrance, the approach and views still have value. You can see why the location worked on film and take in the coast from the route. Still, the full fortress experience is one of the places where the additional €15 can make sense for fans.

The Walk of Shame route and Dubrovnik’s stairways

One of the most recognizable sections is the route used for Cersei’s Walk of Shame. You will walk through the streets and stairways that became part of one of the show’s most discussed scenes.

The route is memorable because it is not a purpose-built set. It is part of Dubrovnik’s everyday urban fabric. The stones, close walls, and changing levels give the scene its force, and standing there makes the production feel more physical than it does on a screen.

You should expect steps. The Jesuit Stairs are another key stop, and they are both photogenic and demanding. The stairs lead to a handsome square with a market and restaurants, giving you a chance to see the setting as a normal part of city life rather than only as a television backdrop.

This is also where a good guide adds real value. Instead of giving you a vague connection to the show, the guide can explain the camera angle and show the matching frame. Karmen, for example, has been praised for allowing photo opportunities and helping people take pictures. That small service matters when the group is moving and the best angle is not obvious.

Stradun, Orlando’s Column, and the Purple Wedding

Stradun is Dubrovnik’s main central street and one of the easiest places to understand the Old Town’s layout. The broad stone thoroughfare contrasts with the narrow side lanes, so it helps you get your bearings as the tour moves through the city.

The walk also includes Orlando’s Column, another prominent Old Town landmark. It is a useful pause point for photographs and for tying the fictional city to the real one. The guide can explain how the surrounding streets were used for scenes connected with King’s Landing, city markets, and the Purple Wedding.

This section is less about one giant attraction and more about how many ordinary-looking spaces were repurposed for the show. That is the fun of the route. A lane that seems like a simple passage may have been used for a major exchange, a market sequence, or a crowd scene.

The tour usually runs at a steady pace over two hours. You get enough time for explanations and photos, but this is not a leisurely café crawl. If you want to linger at every stop, take a long meal, or study the architecture in silence, you may prefer to return later on your own.

The three-hour option and a 15-minute ferry to Lokrum

The extended tour follows the Old Town route and then continues to Lokrum Island. The ferry ride takes about 15 minutes, and the boat trip gives the experience a change of pace after the stone lanes and stairs.

Lokrum served as Qarth in Season 2. The island brings a more open, natural setting to the experience, with the Benedictine Monastery among the photo stops. The guide explains how the island was adapted for filming and points out the relevant locations.

The main extra attraction is the official Iron Throne photo opportunity. It is a strong reason to choose Lokrum if you want a memorable picture rather than only location facts. You do not need to rush away after the guided portion. Free time allows you to swim in coves, walk through the botanical gardens, sit in the shade, or stop for a drink or lunch before returning to Dubrovnik at your own pace.

That freedom makes the three-hour option feel less like a longer lecture and more like a combined sightseeing outing. Still, note the price carefully. The round-trip ferry and Lokrum admission cost €30 for adults and €5 for children ages 5 to 17. Children under five are not given a separate price in the supplied information, so confirm the current terms before booking.

A Dubrovnik Pass reduces the ferry cost by 20 percent with the three-day pass and 30 percent with the seven-day pass. If you already plan to buy a pass for the city walls and other sights, the Lokrum option becomes easier to justify.

Is $26 good value?

At $26 per person, the two-hour tour is fairly priced for a guided walk that covers several major sites and includes a guide. The value is strongest if you want the production stories explained rather than simply locating places from a map.

You are paying for the route, the guide’s scene knowledge, the photographs, and the local context. The guides have been praised for making the experience fun without losing the history of Dubrovnik. That balance is important because a tour that focuses only on television trivia could feel thin after the first few locations.

The costs rise quickly with extras. Add €15 for Lovrijenac unless your Dubrovnik Pass or City Walls ticket covers it. Choose Lokrum and add €30 for an adult ferry and island ticket. Food and drinks are also separate.

For a first visit, I would choose the two-hour version if you have limited time or a tight budget. I would choose the Lokrum version if the Iron Throne matters to you, you want time by the water, or you are happy to turn a filming tour into a half-day outing.

Who should book this walk?

This tour suits Game of Thrones fans who want recognizable scenes explained by someone who knows Dubrovnik. It also suits curious visitors who want an organized introduction to the Old Town, provided they do not mind the television theme.

The tour is particularly good for couples, families with older children, and small groups that want plenty of photo stops without arranging the route themselves. A private group is available if you prefer a more personal pace or want to ask many questions.

It is not a good choice for wheelchair users, people with mobility impairments, pregnant women, or people with serious trouble on stairs. The experience is also unsuitable for people afraid of heights, those with vertigo, respiratory issues, or motion sickness. Mobility scooters and alcohol or drugs are not allowed.

Book in advance if you need a particular starting time, but the free cancellation period gives you some flexibility. You can cancel up to 24 hours ahead for a full refund, and the reserve-now, pay-later option lets you hold a place without paying immediately.

Should you book the Dubrovnik Game of Thrones tour?

Book it if you want more than a list of filming addresses. The route brings together Pile Gate, Blackwater Bay, the Walk of Shame, the Jesuit Stairs, Stradun, the Purple Wedding area, and Lovrijenac, while the guide connects each place to both the show and the real city.

Choose the basic walk for the best price and the clearest focus. Choose Lokrum if you want the Iron Throne, Qarth locations, a ferry ride, and free time outdoors, and you are comfortable paying the additional €30 adult charge.

I would skip it only if you dislike Game of Thrones, cannot manage Dubrovnik’s stairs, or want a quiet architecture tour with no scheduled stops. For everyone else, this is a lively way to see familiar Dubrovnik locations while learning enough local context to make the city feel like more than a film set.

FAQ

Where does the tour start?

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

How long does the tour last?

You can choose a two-hour walking tour or a three-hour option that continues to Lokrum Island.

Is Lovrijenac Fortress included in the price?

No. Entrance costs €15 per person. Children under seven enter free, and admission is also free with a valid Dubrovnik Pass or City Walls ticket.

How much does the Lokrum option cost?

The ferry and Lokrum admission are not included. The additional cost is €30 for adults and €5 for children ages 5 to 17.

Does the Lokrum option include the Iron Throne?

Yes. The extended visit includes a photo opportunity at Dubrovnik’s official Iron Throne on Lokrum Island.

Is the tour suitable for people with mobility issues?

The tour may not be suitable because Dubrovnik has steps and stairs. It is not suitable for wheelchair users, people with mobility impairments, or people who are afraid of heights or have vertigo.

Is the tour offered in English?

Yes. The live guided tour is offered in English, and a private group option is available.