Ultimate Game of Thrones Filming Locations Tour in Northern Ireland

HBO filmed more of Game of Thrones in Northern Ireland than anywhere else. From the pilot in 2009 to the final season in 2019, the bulk of Westeros was shot on Antrim's coast, in the Mournes, and at Titanic Studios in Belfast. A decade on, the show has gone and the locations are still here — most of them as they were, none of them ruined by it.

This is a working list. Real-world location, real-world cost, real-world walk in.

Why here in the first place

The economics were straightforward: a UK production base with generous tax credits, a deep-water studio (Paint Hall at Titanic Quarter, now Titanic Studios), and within an hour's drive of that studio: medieval ruins, sea caves, ancient woodland, basalt cliffs, sand beaches, mountains, and beech-tunnel back roads. Showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss came to Belfast in 2009 to scout, signed, and stayed.

Twelve hundred local crew worked across eight seasons. Northern Ireland Screen funded a slice of every season. The result, beyond the show itself, was an industry — and a tourism strand that's worth somewhere north of £50m a year to the local economy. The locations are still publicly accessible, many are National Trust or Forest Service land, and none of them have been turned into theme parks.

The big five

The shorter list

Larrybane Quarry — Renly's camp and the Iron Islands

Next to the Carrick-a-Rede car park, Co Antrim. Disused chalk quarry on the cliff. Free, signposted, dramatic. Used as Renly Baratheon's tournament camp and elements of the Iron Islands.

Murlough Bay — Slaver's Bay and the Iron Islands

Off the Torr Road, near Ballycastle. Steep narrow lane down to a horseshoe bay with views to Rathlin and Scotland. Used as Slaver's Bay and the cliff edge near Pyke. Few people there at any time of year.

Inch Abbey — Robb Stark is proclaimed King in the North

Outside Downpatrick, Co Down. Twelfth-century Cistercian abbey on the Quoile. Free, unstaffed, riverside walk in. Used as the camp where Robb is hailed as King in the North.

Dunluce Castle — inspiration for Pyke

Between Portrush and Bushmills. Sixteenth-century cliff-edge ruin. Not actually filmed for Pyke (the seat was a CGI build on the show), but the silhouette is the obvious reference. Worth a visit on its own merits. Full visitor notes →

Magheramorne Quarry — Castle Black

Near Larne, Co Antrim. A working quarry that doubled for Castle Black and the Wall. Not publicly accessible — the sets are gone and the site is fenced. Listed here only because people ask.

Pollnagollum Cave — the Brotherhood Without Banners

Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark, Co Fermanagh. Limestone cave system filmed for Beric Dondarrion's hideout in Season 3. Adjacent paths through the Marble Arch reserve are open, the cave itself is for visitors on a marked walk.

The Stormlands cliffs — Downhill Strand

Below Mussenden Temple, Castlerock, Co Londonderry. The beach where Melisandre burned the seven idols of the Faith in Season 2. Seven miles of sand, accessible directly from the Castlerock train station and from the Downhill car park.

Two suggested days

North Coast day

• Dark Hedges (early morning, before 9am).
• Ballintoy Harbour and Larrybane Quarry.
• Carrick-a-Rede (optional).
• Cushendun Caves (check the tide).
• Dunluce at sunset.

County Down day

• Castle Ward (morning).
• Inch Abbey, Audley's Castle.
• Tollymore Forest Park (afternoon walk).
• Optional: Downhill Strand on the way north if you're doing both regions over two days.

Self-drive vs guided

Most of the locations are signposted and free to walk into. A car gives you the choice of when to be at the Dark Hedges (it should be 7am, not noon) and how long to stay at each. Plan on £25–40 a day for hire plus fuel.

If you'd rather not drive, the guided coaches are useful — Mac Tours, Causeway Coast Coachways and McComb's all run dedicated GoT-routed day trips out of Belfast for around £50–60. The advantages are the commentary from drivers who worked on the show, and being driven past the Glens. The disadvantages are the schedule and the eleven other people who all want the same photograph at the same time.

The studio question

The interiors — the Iron Throne room, the Red Keep, the dungeons — were built and shot at Titanic Studios in the Paint Hall on Queen's Road in Belfast. The studios are working soundstages and not open to the public. The closest you can get is the Game of Thrones Studio Tour at Linen Mill Studios in Banbridge, opened in 2022, which houses the original sets, costumes and props. It's a separate ticketed attraction (£37 adult) and the official one.

Photography notes

• Dark Hedges — early morning, polariser to cut leaf shine, wide angle. Don't stand in the middle of the road.
• Ballintoy — low tide for the rock formations. Sunrise or sunset.
• Castle Ward — the courtyard arch is the Winterfell shot. Bring a tripod for the dim interiors.
• Cushendun — torchlight inside, gold-hour at the cave mouth.
• Tollymore — long exposure on the river works at the Old Bridge.

What to bring

• Waterproofs. Northern Ireland will rain on you at least once.
• Walking shoes — the rocks at Ballintoy and Cushendun are slick.
• Offline maps. Phone signal goes patchy at Murlough, on the Torr Road, and around Tollymore.
• Tide times for Cushendun.

One more thing

The pubs along the route lean into it — there's a Winterfell Ale at the Hatch in Newcastle, a direwolf-shaped soda bread at one Belfast bakery, and at least three Iron Islands tasting menus that come and go. None of it is required. The point of these locations is the landscape that won them the show in the first place — and that's the same whether you've watched a frame of it or not.

See also the three-day itinerary, the Causeway Coastal Route guide, and the County Antrim accommodation listings.