The Irish countryside is incredibly beautiful and has featured prominently in all 8 seasons of Game of Thrones. Many of the iconic scenes from the series were filmed at various locations around the country.
Two locations in Northern Ireland feature frequently in the show: the Titanic Studios in Belfast which were used for the larger indoor shoots and the studios at Linen Mills Studios in Bandbridge were used for lots of the studio shoots.
Having spent years visiting the series locations in our home country, we’ve put together this guide of best Game of Thrones filming locations in Ireland. It is possible to visit each location on this list and we hope you have as much fun exploring as we had!
Map of Game of Thrones Filming Locations in Ireland
We’ve put together this map which shows all the Game of Thrones Filming locations that we’ve visited in Ireland and have included below.
Click here for an interactive Google map of all these locations
How to Use This Google Map: Click on the grey star at the top of the map and this map will be added to your Google Maps account. You can then view it on your phone or computer in Google Maps by clicking on the menu button, going to “Your Places” and selecting this map
Renting a Car
Renting a car is definitely the best way to explore the Game of Thrones locations in Ireland. A rental car will allow you the flexibility to visit the locations when on your own schedule and plan ahead to avoid the tourist crowds. Driving in Ireland is easy by international standards and the road quality is excellent. Having your own car gives you the flexibility to travel at your own pace and see places that are simply not possible on group tours or public transport: for example, the lovely Ballintoy Harbour is not accessible by bus or coach.
We’re huge fans of road trips and have driven rental cars in over 40 countries so we have a lot of experience renting cars in foreign countries. Book your car now with RentalCars.com, where you will find the best rental car prices
Click here for the best rental car prices
Game of Thrones Tours
If you prefer to join a tour, you can book a Game of Thrones day tour from Dublin or Belfast. The tours include many of the locations below and it is a fantastic way to see everything in one day.
Book from Dublin Book from Belfast
Where to stay in Northern Ireland
- Roe Park Resort: a great base for exploring the Causeway Coast the Roe Park Resort in Limavady offers spacious rooms, great dining options and golf and spa facilities for relaxation and is a 45 minute drive from the Giant’s Causeway – check latest prices here!
- Crowfield Country House: we love going local and staying in a traditional bed and breakfast. The beautiful Crowfield Country House is one of the best in the area and breakfast is a real treat – check latest prices here!
- Causeway Hotel: located at the Giant’s Causeway the Causeway Hotel is a small hotel full of old world charm. Perfect for an early morning visit to the Giant’s Causeway – check latest prices here!
Click here for the best Causeway Coast hotel prices
Game of Thrones Filming Locations in Ireland
From the Kingsroad, represented by the unique Dark Hedges, to the Dragonstone set on Fair Head Cliffs there are so many iconic locations to be explored.
Spoilers ahead! This Game of Thrones filming guide contains references to specific scenes from Game of Thrones so do exercise caution if you haven’t watched the episodes and want to avoid spoilers!
1 | The Dark Hedges as The Kingsroad
Location: Bregagh Road, between Armoy and Stranocum in Co. Antrim
The stunning avenue of 18th Century beech trees appeared in Game of Thrones Season 2 Episode 1 when Arya Stark escaped from King’s Landing disguised as a boy.
Until recently it was possible to drive down the actual road itself, however, access has now been restricted to pedestrians to help preserve the future of the trees.
Visitor car access was prohibited at the Dark Hedge in 2019 to reduce the damage to the road that was occuring due to visitors parking on the verge. There is a large, free parking lot at The Hedges Hotel where visitors can park and it’s a short walk to the Dark Hedges.
We had a lot of fun at the Dark Hedges and have visited Bregagh Road many times during our trips throughout Northern Ireland!
Game of Thrones Ireland Tip: The dark hedges are best visited early in the morning before the tour groups arrive at the site. This way you’ll have the road almost to yourself to explore and photograph.
If you’re not afraid of the dark, the dark hedges is a super spooky place to visit after dark. We were lucky enough to drive down the road after dark before the restrictions on cars started. Even when walking the trees are incredible after dark!
2 | Game of Thrones Studio Tour
Linen Mill Studios was the primary studio filming location for all seasons of Game of Thrones. The studio has been turned into an epic Game of Thrones Studio Tour which opened in February 2022. We were lucky enough to visit on the opening weekend and highly recommend it to all Game of Thrones fans. The tour includes dozens of original costumes worn by the cast, many of the original sets used in the show and a unique glimpse into how Game of Thrones was made.
3 | Binevenagh as Dothraki Grasslands
Location: Binevenagh, Limavady, Co. Derry
The summit of Binevenagh showcases panoramic views across Lough Foyle and the Sperrin Mountains.
The area here was used for a number of different scenes, however the most memorable was when Daenerys, having been rescued by her dragon Drogon above the city of Meereen in Season 5 Episode 10, is spotted surrounded by a huge Dothraki horde.
4 | Dunluce Castle as Pyke Castle, House of Greyjoy
Location: Dunluce Road, Bushmills, Co. Antrim
The ruins of the medieval Dunluce Castle are perched on the edge of jutting coastal cliffs overlooking Northern Ireland’s stunning Causeway Coast.
The castle was built in the 1500’s and dramatic tales surround its history with stories of dark spirits inhabiting the castle and the kitchens tumbling into the sea on a stormy night in 1639.
The amazing ruins of Dunluce Castle were used for many of the scenes for the House of Greyjoy, ruler of the Iron Islands. It’s one of our favourite places in Northern Ireland and one we have visited many times, even before Game of Thrones was released.
Seeing the ruins in person is easy to see why the producers of Game of Thrones chose Dunluce Castle as one of the main filming locations.
5 | Fairhead Cliffs as Dragonstone
Location: Fairhead Cliffs, close to Ballycastle, Co. Antrim
Northern Ireland’s tallest cliff face, the Fairhead Cliffs rise hundreds of metres above the Causeway Coast. The cliffs appear in Season 7 Episode 3, The Queens Justice, when Tyrion asks Jon Snow if he can help and where Varys told Melisandre that they would both return and die in ‘this strange country’.
A short walk from the car park will bring you to the edge of these incredible cliffs where a lot of these scenes were filmed.
6 | Cushendun Caves as Storms End
Location: Cushendun, Co. Antrim
Located right on the eastern coast of Northern Ireland is the small town of Cushendun, the Cushendun Caves are where Davos Seaworth and Lady Melisandre landed ashore in Season 2.
The caves are also the location of the birth of the shadow baby. Make sure to spend some time or grab some lunch in the lovely town of Cushendun which is a short walk from the caves.
7 | Titanic Studios, Belfast
Location: Queens Road, Belfast, Co. Antrim
A lot of the larger indoor sets for filming of Game of Thrones took place inside the gigantic Titanic Studios in the Belfast Docklands. The studios are some of the biggest in Europe and are built on the site where the original Titanic ship was built.
It is here that most of the fixed sets and indoor shoots are made and filmed. On occasion, there are larger sets constructed, including scenes for Season 8.
8 | Tollymore Forest Park as The Haunted Forest
Location: Bryansford Road, Newcastle, Co.Down
Tollymore Forest Park is one of our favourite places to visit in Northern Ireland as the walks and hikes throughout the park are fantastic. and it features regularly in Game of Thrones.
It’s the setting for The Haunted Forest where the Three Night’s Watchmen encounter a White Walker and it is also the scene of Theon Grevjoys escape attempt when he is pursued by Ramsay Snow.
Another notable scene from Tollymore Forest Park is Ned Stark finding the dead stag.
9 | Audley’s Castle, Strangford Lough as Winterfell and Robb’s Camp
Location: Strangford, Co. Down
Audleys Castle at Strangford Lough was chosen as a filming location for several scenes from Season 1 and Season 2. It is the backdrop for King Robert Baratheon’s arrival at Winterfell in Season 1 and Robb’s Camp in Season 2.
Robb first meets Talisa here and it is where Alton Lannister was imprisoned. The area itself is really beautiful and worthy of an afternoon to explore and hunt out all the filming locations from Game of Thrones.
10 | Larrybane Quarry as The Stormlands
Location: Ballintoy, Co.Antrim
Located adjacent to the ever popular Carrick-a-Red Rope Bridge, the Larrybane Quarry is where King Renly set up camp in The Stormlands during Season 2.
The quarry is also where the tournament in which Brienne of Tarth was introduced took place.
Game of Thrones Filming Locations tip: Make sure to check out the Larrybane Quarry when visiting the Carrick-a-Rede Rope. The old quarry is part of the overflow car park!
11 | Ballintoy Harbour as The Iron Islands
Location: Ballintoy, Co.Antrim
Ballintoy harbour was the setting for a number of scenes which were based in the Iron Islands. One of the most notable was for Theon’s return to the Iron Islands as well as some of the areas around Dragonstone.
It was here that Theon first met his sister Yara, was baptised in the name of the Drowned God and paid homage to the ship ‘Sea Bitch’.
Game of Thrones Ireland Tip: Ballintoy Harbour is only 10 minutes drive from the Giant’s Causeway, one of our favourite attractions on the Casueway Coast. Although the Giant’s Causeway is not a Game of Thrones filming location, the 40,000 interlocking basalt columns are an unmissable stop on the Causeay Coast.
12 | Downhill Beach as Dragonstone
Location: Downhill Strand, Co. Derry
Downhill Beach served as the filming location for Dragonstone, the place where the seven gods of Westeros were sacrificed by Lady Melisandre.
The instantly recognisable Mussenden Temple which overlooks the beach featured prominently in a number of scenes.
13 | Murlough Bay as The Road to Pyke
Location: northeast coast, Co. Antrim
Hidden away on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland is the beautiful Murlough Bay. This secluded and relatively hard to visit bay was used as the filming location of Theon’s horse ride with his sister Yara and the scene where Davos Seaworth was shipwrecked after the Battle of Blackwater Bay.
It also features in Season 5, Episode 6 when Tyrion Lannister and Ser Jorah Mormont make their way to Mereen and are taken prisoner after being spotted by a passing slave ship.
14 | Castle Ward as Winterfell
Location: Strangford, Co.Down
Castle Ward features as Winterfell’s Courtyard in Game of Thrones and featured a number of times in Season 1. It was here that King Robert Baratheon arrived at Winterfell and was met by Stark during Episode 1 and this was where they talked during the hunt in Episode 2.
Castle Ward made a return in Episode 10 when Bran and Osha were at Winterfell and it is also where Bran, Jon and Robb practised their archery skills.
15 | River Quoile as Riverrun
Location: Co. Down
The Riverlands are home to the Tully’s and the scenes of Hoster Tully’s funeral were shot along the River Quoile.
16 | Portstewart Strand as the Dorne Coast
The sweeping sand dunes of Portstewart Strand are featured in a number of Game of Thrones scenes. The first is in Season 5 when Jamie Lannister and Bronn fight Dornish guards in the dunes. The second is in Season 5, Episode 4 where Ellaria, Obara, Olenna and Nymeria Sand plot a war against the Lannisters.
17 | Inch Abbey as The Twins
Location: Downpatrick, Co. Down
Inch Abbey is another regular filming location used in Game of Thrones. The first and main scene shot here was of Rob Stark’s camp which was located here in season one. It is where he was proclaimed the King of the North after the Battle of Whispering Wood.
The ruins of the abbey are quite beautiful and the views across the River Quoile from here make it one of our favourite Game of Thrones filming locations.
