Game of Thrones’ Northern Ireland, Located

Westeros was a big place, but a surprising amount of it fits inside Northern Ireland. Game of Thrones was filmed at Titanic Studios in Belfast and at locations across Northern Ireland, and HBO‘s long stay has left a map that Tourism Northern Ireland, the National Trust and Northern Ireland Screen still keep up to date. Several stops are a short drive apart, and one is the studio itself.

Here is The Remote‘s route, grouped by region so it can be driven in two or three days.

County Down: Winterfell and the Riverlands

Castle Ward, near Strangford, is the headline stop. The historic farmyard, with its clock tower, is the location and backdrop of Winterfell, the Stark home, and the archery range where the Stark children trained was here too. The National Trust, which runs the estate, lists far more: the pilot was filmed at Castle Ward, along with Robb Stark’s army camp, The Twins, the Starks’ battle with the Lannisters in the episode “Baelor” and Brienne’s confrontation with three Stark men. Audley’s Field, within the demesne, is where Robb meets Talisa after the Battle of Oxcross.

The postcode for satnav is BT30 7BA; the estate is about seven miles north-east of Downpatrick on the A25. The mansion is closed for winter, but the grounds, garden and stableyard tea-room are open daily from 10:00 to 16:00. Standard adult entry is £12.

Inch Abbey, a short drive away beside the River Quoile, stood in for Robb Stark’s camp at Riverrun, and the riverbanks nearby were used for a Tully funeral in season three. South towards the Mournes, Tollymore Forest played the Haunted Forest in the opening season, and its woods feature in the show’s first direwolf scenes. Leitrim Lodge, near Hilltown, is where Bran and Rickon plan their escape from Theon Greyjoy.

The Antrim coast: the Kingsroad and the Iron Islands

The Dark Hedges, on Bregagh Road near Stranocum, is the most photographed stop on the trail. The avenue of beech trees was planted by the Stuart family around 1775 to line the approach to Gracehill House, and in the first episode of season two it became the Kingsroad, with Arya Stark riding north in a cart alongside Yoren, Gendry and Hot Pie. The road is now pedestrian only. Park at The Dark Hedges Estate or The Hedges Hotel on Ballinlea Road (charges may apply), take care crossing, and go early or late on a weekday if you want the trees to yourself.

Ballintoy Harbour is Pyke Harbour in the Iron Islands, and also doubled for the Free City where Varys was born. Down the coast, Cushendun Caves are where Melisandre gives birth to the shadow creature. Murlough Bay, another National Trust property, played the Iron Islands in season three: Theon meets his sister Yara here on his way to Pyke, and Davos Seaworth washes up after the Battle of the Blackwater. Inland, Sallagh Braes was the Hound’s Riverlands village and Glenariff the Runestone in the Vale of Arryn.

County Londonderry: Dragonstone and Dorne

Downhill Strand is Dragonstone in season two, the beach where Stannis Baratheon rejects the Seven Gods and Melisandre burns their effigies. Above it, on the clifftop of the National Trust’s Downhill Demesne, sits Mussenden Temple, finished in 1783 for Frederick Hervey, the Earl Bishop, as a library. The National Trust notes that the beach itself is not Trust land. Nearby Binevenagh provided the backdrop for Daenerys facing the Dothraki, and the dunes of Portstewart Strand stood in for the Dornish coast in season five.

Further afield, Pollnagollum Cave in County Fermanagh’s Belmore Forest was the Brotherhood Without Banners’ hideout, and Gosford Castle near Markethill, County Armagh, appears in season three.

The studio: Banbridge

The Game of Thrones Studio Tour, created in official partnership with Warner Bros., is at Linen Mill Studios, 4 Ballievey Road, Banbridge, where the tour says a third of the series was filmed. Inside are more than 100,000 square feet of sets, costumes, props and weapons, with areas for Beyond the Wall, Castle Black, Winterfell, Dragonstone, King’s Landing and the destroyed Throne Room, plus a behind-the-scenes section on effects and costume. It opens daily from 10:00 to 18:00, with free parking. Banbridge is about 30 to 35 minutes from Belfast and 90 minutes from Dublin, and travel packages with coach transfers run from both cities.

The story continues in Belfast

Westeros has not left. Production on the HBO series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, adapted from George R. R. Martin’s novella The Hedge Knight, began in Belfast in June 2024, with Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan the Tall and Dexter Sol Ansell as his squire, Egg.

Planning the trip

Belfast makes a natural base. A good order: Castle Ward, Inch Abbey and Tollymore on day one; the Antrim coast and the Dark Hedges on day two; Downhill and the Banbridge studio on a third. Tourism Northern Ireland also points visitors to bus tours, guided tours led by a Game of Thrones insider, and the Journey of Doors passport, stamped at each location. For more British screen travel, The Remote has mapped Outlander in Scotland, Harry Potter across Britain and Peaky Blinders from Liverpool to the Black Country, and in New Zealand, The Lord of the Rings.

Where to watch

• Game of Thrones, all eight seasons: HBO Max, US, streaming now
• Game of Thrones, all eight seasons: NOW (Entertainment and HBO Max membership), UK, streaming now; also on HBO Max in the UK since its launch on 26 March 2026
• Game of Thrones: Crave, Canada; see how HBO works in Canada for plans
• Game of Thrones: HBO Max, Australia, streaming now
• Game of Thrones: HBO Max, New Zealand, streaming since the service launched on 16 June 2026; Neon availability could not be confirmed on Sky’s own pages
• A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: Crave, Canada; HBO, US; NOW, UK; HBO Max, Australia and New Zealand

Sources

• Tourism Northern Ireland: Visit Game of Thrones Filming Locations, updated Jan 2026
• Tourism Northern Ireland: The Dark Hedges
• Tourism Northern Ireland: Game of Thrones Studio Tour
• National Trust: Game of Thrones filming locations
• National Trust: Castle Ward, accessed 8 Nov 2026
• National Trust: History of Mussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne
• Game of Thrones Studio Tour: Tickets and packages
• Game of Thrones Studio Tour: FAQs
• NI Business Info: Game of Thrones tourism in Northern Ireland
• Northern Ireland Screen: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms begins production in Northern Ireland, 19 Jun 2024
• NOW: Game of Thrones, accessed 8 Nov 2026
• HBO Max US: Game of Thrones, accessed 8 Nov 2026
• HBO Max Australia home page, Game of Thrones listed, accessed 8 Nov 2026
• Warner Bros. Discovery: HBO Max is now streaming in the UK and Ireland, 26 Mar 2026
• Warner Bros. Discovery: HBO Max lands in New Zealand and Vietnam, 16 Jun 2026
• Bell Media: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms begins production, links Game of Thrones to its Crave title page