Image Credits:Twipzdeeauxilia

Game of thrones needs no introduction by now I'm sure, so its best if I cut to the chase directly and throw some light upon the picturesque locations across which the series has been filmed so far. We love the regal King's Landing, the icy Winterfell, the sultry Dorne, sunny Astapor, the mysterious city of Braavos and Jon Snow's harsh abode-The Wall. So without further delay lets take a look at the wonderful and scenic locations that served as these fictional places in the show, and why you must add these to your travel bucket list.

1. Croatia

Dubrovnik (King's Landing)

Image Credits: Fjaka

A major portion of the series had been shot across different parts of Croatia and from amongst those, Croatia has provided locations for the two very crucial towns in Game Of Thrones; Kings Landing and Braavos. The historically rich city of Dubrovnik was turned into the most coveted spot on the show, King's Landing. Truly no better place could have been chosen, the 16th century stone walled buildings and the view of the Adriatic sea makes it a picturesque location and if you visit you can definitely tell why this had to be King's Landing. The stunning gardens of King's landing where Margery Tyrell is often seen taking long walks and where Sansa Stark escaped to for moments of some peace and quiet, and where Tyrion and Varys made numerous plans are located just 10 kms from Dubrovnik, the name of the place is Trsteno Arboretum.

Sibenik (Braavos)

Image Credits: Macic7

Another major city that came into focus in the latest season was the mysterious city of Braavos, coustesy the real life location of the medieval town of Sibenik where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic sea. This town is rich in culture and is home to a UNESCO world heritage site; the St. James Cathedral. It's slowly getting popular and we can be sure that this will only grow thanks to GOT. Many other scenes of the show were filmed at quite a few locations across Croatia, such as Lokrum (Quarth), Minceta Tower (House of the undying), Krka National Park (landscape shots) etc.

2. Iceland

Grotagjaa, Iceland (Jon & Ygritte's love nest)

Image Credits: Chmee2

Iceland may have just gotten hotter with Kit Harrington's smoldering good looks as his on screen persona Jon Snow slowly evolved from a confused and helpless love child of Ned Stark to the Lord Commander at the wall. His first brush with romance, his coming of age and the bit where we were told that he knows nothing all happened with the icy backdrop of Iceland. Real life locations include Grotagja, a small lava cane near Lake Myvatn in north east Iceland or for GOT fans, well this was Jon's and Ygritte's love nest, Dimmuborgir; a lava field with rocks of unusual formations, which served as the location for the wildings' campsite, and Vatnajokull aka north of the wall aka where the White Walkers are! Iceland is a beautiful place to visit and no its not just all snow, Iceland has beautiful summers are well. Its a must visit, especially between September to Aprlil since you can even see the enchanting northern lights if you are lucky! I know that has nothing to do with Game Of Thrones, but we can only hope that somehow they will make this natural occurrence a part of the show.

3. Spain

Alcazar De Sevilla (Water Places of Dorne)

Image Credits: Guy Moll

It takes little to no convincing in getting someone interested in travelling to Spain, and if you are one of those rare breeds that think Spain is  well meh..please take a look at these beautiful locations used in GOT representing the fabulous and sultry kingdom of Dorne. We caught a glimpse of the beautiful water palaces of Dorne in the latest season, and if you have been trying hard to find out if this actually exists or was a set, well let me tell you that it is very much real and is known as Alcazar De Sevilla. Daenerys too will be seen having a very important moment at one of the secret locations in Seville, not much is known about what has been filmed here and I guess we don't want spoilers either. But if you are visitng Seville, do check out this GOT themed restaurant called Casa Curro. Once you've had your fill of GOT themed travel in Spain, do check out Barcelona, Valencia and Ibiza as well.

4. Morocco

Ait Ben Haddau (Yunkai and Pentos)

Image Credits: Jerzy Strzelecki

If you want reel life desert cities to look as real as possible, please head to Morocco and that's what the producers at GOT did. From Yunkai and Pentos to Astapor, filming was done in some exotic locales of Morocco. Morocco is also the home to the Atlas Corporation Studios which is located in the Morrocon desert! While Ait-Ben-Haddau served as Yunkai and Pentos, Essaouira lent its flavor to Astapor. Essaouira is also know to serve some of the best seafood as its a fishing port. While this may not have been a part of GOT yet, a visit to Morocco is incomplete without staying a few days at Marrakesh.  

5. Northern Ireland

Irish men and Irish beer aside, you can now add another pop culture reference when talking about Ireland. A lot of scenes on GOT were shot at different locations stretching across Northern Ireland. Starting with the forests of the north which were shot in the lush landscape of Tollymore Forest Park known for its spectacular views and is also famous for hiking. The heartwarming scene where the Stark family finds the werewolves was shot here as well. Winterfell made us fall in love with GOT and from the first episode itself we loved how authentic the production value was. Castle ward was made famous when Robert Baratheon and co. came visiting the Starks. The Dark Hedges or the road from King's Landing is possibly the most beautiful yet eerie avenue of Beech trees ever. Murlough Bay (Iron Islands in the show) is a very remote part of northern Ireland and not usually not on anybody's travel radar, simply because its not commercial yet. But if you can make time, a visit to this pretty place would be great.

The Dark Hedges (Road from King's Landing)

Image Credits: Horslips5

So what's it going to be for all you die hard Game of Thrones fans?!