Friday, 12 April 2019

Game of Thrones for Travelers





This Spring, "The Winter is Coming" and GOT fans couldn't be more excited with the upcoming Season 8 of the celebrated TV fantasy drama. When you're also a travel addict, combining these two passions will make it even more special when you visit one of the series filming locations.

Not that I choose my destinations specifically because of Game of Thrones, but in these last few years I've visited some of the places where the action took place. As they are so much more than just the scenery of a cult TV show,  I totally recommend you to visit it as soon as you can, but the fans will surely remember some of the parts of the story when they cross the Mdina Gate, walk the Roman Bridge of Cordoba or relax in the fresh gardens of the Sevilla's Alcázar.


DORNE




In Season 5,  the Alcázar de Sevilla get transformed into the private residence of Prince Doran of Martell in Sunspear, the capital of Dorne. The name couldn't be more appropriate as Sevilla can be burning hot in the Summer.

The Alcázar is the perfect spot to represent the Water Gardens and Palace of Dorne, with its lush gardens and fountains. The palace was once occupied by the Catholic Monarchs and, before them, by the Almohad caliphs who built it. 


FREE CITY OF VOLANTIS




One of the most striking architectural features of Cordoba is its magnificent Roman bridge, crossing the Guadalquivir.  In the universe of Game of Thrones, the Roman Bridge became the Long Bridge of the Free City of Volantis, in Season 5. 

Built by imperial troops in the first century BC to replace a wooden structure, the Cordoba Bridge has 16 arches and is 247 metres long. The scenes shot there were then digitalized to make it look even longer and buildings were added. If you remember, Tyrion and Varys explore the Long Bridge during their mission to free the slaves.

For the best view of the bridge, get to the top of the Calahorra Tower (the museum inside is also quite interesting). The view of the city is also fantastic from here.


KING'S LANDING




In Game of Thrones Season 1, Catelyn Stark and Ser Rodrik Cassel ride into King’s Landing through the city's gate to investigate the attack on Bran. The gate depicted in the series is the stunning Mdina Gate. The fortified city of Mdina, in Malta, was the island's capital from antiquity to the medieval period and is still known today as the Silent City. 




Walking around the city you can find some other locations, like the Pjazza Mesquita were, in the series, is placed the entrance to Littlefinger's brothel, where Jaime Lannister and his men attack Ned Stark and his bodyguards.  The square is gorgeous and the small restaurant in the photo served us the best watermelon juice we have ever drink.

As Malta was one of the main locations for Season 1, the Red Keep had several filming spots across the island, like at Fort St. Angelo, in Birgu (first photo) and San Anton Palace, in Attard. 



PENTOS - DAENERY'S WEEDING





The Azure Window coastal cliff formation on the Maltese island of Gozo  was the site of the Dothraki wedding feast between Daenerys and Drogo, set on the coast of Pentos. 

Dwejra, the location of this incredible 50-metre high limestone rock arch known as the Azure Window, that collapsed in the beginning of 2017, it’s very popular with scuba divers visiting the nearby Blue Hole. Currently, is possible to make a boat trip over the place were the arch used to stand. 

Most of this places have Game of Thrones Tours, sometimes guided by actual people that participated in the series. 



1 comment:

  1. Always heard a lot about Pentos, would love to get there someday. Looks fantastic. Also want to go to USAin the near future.

    ReplyDelete

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