Game of Thrones Locations

Game of Thrones is a fantasy epic and one of the most watched and highly rated series on HBO. Created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and based on The Song of Ice and Fire novels by George R R Martin.

A story unfolds in Westeros where seven kingdoms that were once united and are now fighting for the Iron Throne. A land that whispers magic and where dragons breathe down fire from the skies, and where seasons last for years. Winter approaches and with it comes greater dangers than have even rocked this cataclysmic world. The war of the Iron Throne must be finished before winter sets in.

If you want to know where the crew were based and where the filming took place, and lots of other info on GOT read on...

The filming crew of HBO's Game of Thrones were based in Northern Ireland. The production and onset filming work was done at the Titanic Studios in Belfast. (See studio video with shots from GOTs here), but they also filmed in Croatia, Iceland, Malta and Morocco.

County Antrim is home to Cairncastle, an area full of rolling hills and green scenery where part of the pilot episode was filmed. Several of the Dothraki Camp scenes from season 1 were filmed in Antrim too. This is a great place to visit if you are local, as there are several other of the show's film locations near.

You might want to visit the "Dark Hedges", a path covered by trees that make it incredibly dark. This was used as the set for Arya's travels from King's Landing to the Night's Watch. The Northern Ireland locations are really representative of the Northern parts of Westeros, especially Winterfell and the areas around it.

One of the lesser known locations to visit is the small town of Cushendun in Northern Ireland. Many of you will recognise it as the location of Mellisandra's dark rituals in Season 2. The strange rock formations, the dark caves and the stony beach were perfect for creating the spooky atmosphere required for that scene.

The next filming location we will talk about is a long way from Northern Ireland. The cold landscapes of Iceland are used a lot in Game of Thrones. If you want to see what the world is like beyond the wall, then this is where you should head. The Icelandic scenery is used more for wider shots rather than close up once. This is because of the massive hills, glaciers and snowy areas. You might be interested in the place that inspired the show's depiction of beyond the wall. If you want to venture to Iceland, then there are lots of other things to do as well. Most famously, you can see the northern lights there. The sights you can see are fantastic and some of the locations are breathtaking. Even if the weather is pretty cold...

The final location on the list has weather that is substantially hotter than the other two. Dubrovnik is a massive seaport in Croatia, and a very popular tourist destination for visitors to the country. You'll recognise it instantly as the filming location for King's Landing (in season 1). The weather is quite simply wonderful and there are plenty of places to see. If you're planning on heading to Dubrovnik then it's worth visiting the surrounding areas too. The nearby Lokrum Island is home to an old monastery which was used in the filming of Qarth scenes. Dubrovnik is definitely representative of the south of Westeros, the architecture, the weather and most importantly the natural sea scenery.

Season 1 Game of Thrones Filming Locations
Most of the filming locations in season one were in Northern Ireland with the primary locations being the Paint Hall Studio in the Titanic Quarter of Belfast, Northern Ireland. The Winterfell scenes were filmed at Castle Ward in County Down, Vaes Dothrak was filmed at Sandy Brae in the Mourne Mountains. Other locations include Shane's Castle near Randalstown, Cairncastle, Magheramorne Quarry and Tollymore Forest Park, all in Northern Ireland. The southern scenes were filmed in Malta with the city of Mdina begin used as the backdrop for the scenes in King's Landing.Other locations include Fort Manoel (Sept of Baelor), Azure Window on the island of Gozo ( Dothraki wedding), Fort St Angelo , San Anton Palace, Fort Ricasoli, Fort St Angelo and St. Dominic monastery.

Season 2 Game of Thrones Filming Locations
The city of Dubrovnik, Croatia was the location for the Southern scenes. The Walls of Dubrovnik and of Fort Lovrijenac and Trsteno Arboretum were all used for scenes in the King's Landing and the Red Keep. The Frostfangs and Fist of the First Men scenes set north of the Wall were filmed in Iceland, on the Vatnajökull glacier.
The Linen Mill Film & Television Studios in Banbridge and surrounding areas were used for many scences. Banbridge, Ballintoy Harbour and Downhill Strand in Northern Island were all prime locations

Season 3 Game of Thrones Filming Locations
The production was based in Belfast Northern Island but also did some filming in Akureyri and Lake Mývatn in Iceland. They also returned to Dubrovnik in Croatia but also went to Essaouira in Morocco to film Daenerys' scenes in Essos. The seventh episode "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" which involved a scene with a live bear was shot in Los Angeles.

Season 4 Game of Thrones Filming Locations
Season 4 was primarily filmed in Northern Island but they also returned to Dunbrovnik in Croatia. A new location was also used and they filmed in the city of Split which is about 140 miles northwest of Dubrovnik. Some filming was also carried out in Iceland again.

Season 5 Game of Thrones Filming Locations
They started filming in Belfast and did some on Binevenagh Mountain, near County Londonderry in Northern Ireland. Some scenes were shot in Spain and production teams were spotted on the Roman bridge of Córdoba. Dubrovnik in Croati was revisited again.

Season 5 is set to be show in April 2015 so fans haven't got too long to wait. The writer George R R Martin is currently working hard at writing "Winds of Winter", the sixth book in the Game of Thrones series and promises to publish it soon.

Below is the official trailer for you to whet your appetite!

If you have never seen Game of Thrones and am wondering what its all about, basically it is a dark medieval fantasy with lots of sex,violence and bad language. But its more than just that. It is cleverly written, brilliantly acted, the production is excellent, and the story and characters are brilliant.

The story is about the royal families living in the realm of the Seven Kingdoms in the continent of Westeros, Set in medieval England where one king rules everyone. They are all fighting to rule the Kingdom and sit on the coveted Iron Throne in the capital city, Kings Landing.

As well as fighting each other, they are also under attack by the wildlings which live to the north of Westeros. Other enemies include a tribe of barbaric people who live across the narrow sea. They are also frightened of some strange people who live beyond a 700 foot wall of ice. The people are thought to own ancient mythical powers and they believe this wall keeps them out so they have hundreds of men known as the Knight’s Watch which guard this huge ice wall.

Well to sum it up, it has everything. A great story with shocks and twists. The settings are stunning,lots of sex and nudity, lots of blood violence and sword fighting, swearing, love stories, strong male and female characters, great acting, production.. I could go on. This is the reason it is the most popular TV show in the world right now.

It's bloody tale of warring clans fighting for control. Feuding families go to battle, there are lots of twists and turns, backstabbing and treachery. If you love historical dramas, this is for you.

There are plenty of nude scenes and medieval romps, they are all at it! There are lots of orgies at brothels and even some incestuous relationships to shock.

It's full of gore, people and horses getting beheaded, sword fights, executions, burning people alive, rape and lots and lots of blood!

The plot has lots of many interweaving storylines, twists and turns.. The cast is mostly made up of the best British actors including Sean Bean who plays Eddard Stark (Ned), Emilia Clarke is fantastic as Daenerys Targaryen and Lena Headey plays Cersei Lannister so convincingly.

If you love fantasy then you are in for a treat. Think fire breathing dragons, walking dead people, telepathic wolves, and some murderous shadows. Scary stuff!

All of the characters are great, some more likeable than others. There is a cool little imp played by American midget Peter Dinklage. He is fantastic.

It has a huge female following due to the fact it has many powerful women characters. I am a woman, I don't like violence, blood, war, medieval, fighting or watching women being treated so bad, but I love GOT.

Winter is Coming

Westeros was ruled for about 300 years by a line of kings known as the Targaryen Dynasty. The last Targaryen king, known as "Mad King Arys", went off the rails with violence which made some powerful lords to rebel against him. Robert Baratheon, Ned Stark, Jon Arryn, and Tywin Lannister eventually win and kill all the Targaryens except for baby Danaerys and her brother who escape into exile.

Robert becomes King and marries Tywins daugher with Jon Arryn becoming his chief advisor. Ned Stark goes home to Winterfell.

17 YEARS LATER

King Robert Baratheon and his Queen travel north to make an offer to his old friend Ned Stark. Jon Arryn was recently murdered and he wants Ned to replace him in the honerable post named "the Hand of the King". Ned is reluctant to leave his family and children but agrees and goes. Ned's young son narrowly cheats death when he catches the the Queen and her brother in bed. Ned also starts to uncover why jon was killed while his wife thinks her sons fall and narrow escape of death was no accident.

Meanwhile royal exile Viserys Targaryen sells his sister Danaerys Targaryen to a barbarian horde known as the Dothraki so that Viserys could use the Dothraki as an army to regain the power his family used to have until "the Mad King" killed his father.

King Robert dies and hes pathetic son Joffrey takes over the throne, even though he has no right to it as Ned discovers.

• Game of Thrones is based on the novels "A Song of Ice and fire" written by George R R Martin.
• It was the most illegally downloaded show in 2012
• It is the first acting role for Maisie Williams who plays Arya Stark.
• The first season of the series aired in April 2011 on HBO.
• The budget for the first season was $50 to $60 million.
• Season one was nominated for 13 Emmy Awards