Game of Thrones may be famous for its shock character deaths and raunchy sex scenes but there's one other star of the show - its stunning landscapes. The production has shot across five countries so far, which of these amazing locations do you recognise from seasons one to four?
Northern Ireland, UK
The Dark Hedges of Armoy in Ballymoney (horslips5/Flickr Commons)
Locations from Winterfell to Castle Black to the Iron Island have all been shot in the amazing scenery of Northern Ireland, the principal location for the production since series one. In fact it's estimated by NI's government that GoT has boosted the region's economy by a mammoth £109 million, thanks to pilgrimages from fans and employment for locals during the shoots.
Tollymore Forest serves as the location for pretty much any forest scene you've ever seen on the show while the limestone quarry of Magheramorne provides the backdrop for the outside of Castle Black.
Meanwhile Paint Hall studio in Belfast (the Titanic shipyard which has been transformed into a huge studio complex) is used by the team for a ton of interior shots.
Malta
Mdina city gate in Malta (Alex Murphy/Flickr Commons)
Malta's stone city of Mdina, with its lion-topped gate was the original King's Landing in season one with San Anton Palace, the Maltese president's residence, standing in for the Red Keep. Other island fortresses such as Fort St. Angelo have also been used while the stunning natural limestone archway known as the Azure Window, can be seen in the background of Daenerys and Khal Drogo's wedding in series one.
Croatia
King Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) in Dubrovonik (HBO)
From season two Croatia proivided the setting for King's Landing after local authorities in Malta complained the area had been damaged by the cast and crew.
Dubrovnik on the coast was the new location which is why King's Landing looks pretty different between the seasons. Meanwhile the island of Lokrum was where the city of Qarth was created. Trsteno Arboretum's grounds also provided the gardens where Sansa spent most of season four.
Iceland
Kit Harington shooting in Iceland
For those epic snowy landscapes in the North it was time to ditch the sunny locations and head to Iceland. Vatnajökull National Park and the Svínafellsjökull glacier were used for the second season while the volcanic landscape of Lake Mývatn can also be spotted in season three.
Morocco
Ait Benhaddou (Stefan de Vries/Flickr Commons)
The third season saw the shoot movie to North Africa and Morocco's Ait Benhaddou and Essaouira, which stand in for the cities of Yunkai and Astapor. The UNESCO World Heritage Sites have also seen movies like Laurence of Arabia and Gladiator filming there.
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.
