Many visitors come to Dubrovnik because of Game of Thrones, and stay for a city whose real history is just as dramatic. This guide keeps the two apart. The screen claims below come from the Dubrovnik Tourist Board's own page for fans. The history comes from the bodies that look after the sites: the Society of Friends of Dubrovnik Antiquities for the walls and Fort Lovrjenac, and the Lokrum Reserve for the island.
1. Two stories in the same stones
The Tourist Board says Dubrovnik's Old City stood in for King's Landing, "the capital of the Seven Kingdoms", and that the City Walls "featured in numerous scenes". The real walls are, in the Society's words, 1940 m long. The fun of the day is seeing both at once: the set and the city.
2. Each screen claim, with its source
| Place | On screen (Dubrovnik Tourist Board) | Off screen (site managers) |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Lovrjenac | "Doubled as the Red Keep" | A detached fortress in the suburb of Pile, on a 37 m rock; origins traced to 1018 and 1038, first written mention 1301; the gate inscription reads "Non bene pro toto libertas venditur auro" ("Not for all the gold is freedom sold") |
| Jesuit Staircase | Setting of Cersei's walk of shame | Described by the Board as a baroque staircase |
| Gradac Park | Backdrop for the Purple Wedding | Not covered on the site pages we read |
| Lokrum | "Used for scenes set in Qarth"; has a replica Iron Throne visitors can sit on | Benedictine monastery first mentioned in 1023; French fort begun in 1806; bought by Archduke Maximilian in 1859; protected as a reserve since 1948 |
| Trsteno Arboretum | Red Keep palace gardens in seasons 3 and 4 | Described by the Board as a 15th-century Renaissance garden |
Lokrum has its own legends, and the reserve labels them as legends. One says Richard the Lionheart was shipwrecked near the island in 1192 on his way home from the Crusades and vowed to build churches. Another says the departing Benedictine monks cursed every later owner of the island. Tell them as stories, not as history.
3. Plan the city and the island as two halves
Treat the morning and the afternoon as separate choices, so you can drop one without spoiling the day.
- City half: the walls, Fort Lovrjenac, the Jesuit Staircase and Gradac Park. The Society says a City Walls ticket also covers Fort Lovrjenac, but a Lovrjenac ticket does not cover the walls.
- Island half: Lokrum, with the monastery, Fort Royal and the replica throne. The official boat leaves from the Old City Port. Buy the ticket at the Luža ticket office.
- If you add Trsteno, the Lokrum Reserve sells a Dubrovnik to Trsteno to Lokrum boat trip as a separate ticket.
4. Steps, boats and island paths
The Society is frank. Its heritage sites, it says, "are difficult to access for people with disabilities", though it offers a discount on presentation of a valid disability card. A walls ticket is good for one tour, with no re-entry, and the Society recommends bringing water, a hat and sunscreen. Lovrjenac sits on its 37 m rock. The pages we read do not give step counts for the walls or the fort.
On Lokrum, the reserve's code of conduct forbids walking off the marked footpaths and visitor areas, and forbids staying on the island after the last official boat. Fort Royal stands on the hill of Glavica, which the reserve gives as 96 m above sea level on one page and 97 m on another. The reserve's boat schedule valid from 25 October 2026 shows departures from the city at 09:00 and then every half hour from 10:00 to 16:00, with returns from 10:15 and the last boat back at 17:00. It also says the boat does not sail in bad weather.
Physical demands to check: the 1940 m circuit of the walls (no step count is published on the pages we read), the climb to Lovrjenac, a small-boat transfer to Lokrum, and footpaths uphill to Fort Royal. Water, shade and the timing of the last boat matter more than distance. Check the schedule on lokrum.hr on the day.
5. Official island ticket or a guided product?
| Option | What the reserve states (2026, check before you book) |
|---|---|
| Official Lokrum ferry ticket | €30 per person, including the reserve entrance and the return boat |
| Own boat or water taxi | The same €30 entrance ticket is still required, sold at the Forester's House |
| Trsteno and Lokrum boat trip | €42, covering the reserve and the boat on the Dubrovnik to Trsteno to Lokrum route; Trsteno admission is an extra €8 |
| Educational walk with a reserve ranger | €67 per hour (2026 price list) |
| Free entry | For holders of a certificate of 50% or greater disability, on presentation of the certificate or disability ID card |
A third-party Game of Thrones tour can still be good value for the storytelling. Ask whether the €30 Lokrum entrance is included, how many hours are spent on foot and on stairs, and whether the guide separates filming facts from legend. For decoding tour descriptions, see walking, steps and standing.
6. When the boat stops: a city-only fallback
If the Lokrum boat is cancelled for weather, or the schedule is too short for your port call, keep the day in the city. Walk part of the walls, use the same ticket for Lovrjenac, then end at the Jesuit Staircase and Gradac Park. You will see the main King's Landing stops, and Lovrjenac's gate motto, without a boat. Work back from your ship's time with the all-aboard worksheet. For other boats from the city, see the Dubrovnik ferry hub.