A few days ago I was asked to be a guest on the ever so unique Game of Thrones tour, presented by Split travel agency Vetus Itinera. This tour was specifically crafted to visit the Game of Thrones filming locations within the center of Split, as well as a few other special and noteworthy locations in the surrounding towns. A 6 hour tour on a Split summer day that was blowing an unlikely cool wind, I knew I was in for a treat.
The tour was led by the Goga Gytha, a most enthusiastic tour guide and proud extra in a few of the episodes of this most famous TV series. In addition to Game of Thrones history, Goga was sure to couple in the rich history of the city of Split.
The tour began with a walk through the basement of Diocletian’s palace, exploring through every crevice and cellar, where details such as where Daenerys kept her dragons and where Meereen’s underground passageways were revealed.
Dragons chambers
Famous Game of Thrones location
From there we strolled through the old town, learning the history of the Sphinx in Peristil, the temple of Jupiter, and old mosaics leftover from the Roman era. Goga walked us through the narrow alleyways of the center, pointing out streets that were used for famous scenes while showing pictures of the series in juxtaposition, further explaining if CGI was used in the filming and the parts they kept true to form.
Temple of Jupiter
After a few hours of getting lost within the city I thought I had known all too well, the 12 of us on the tour embarked on our journey outside of Split, visiting the Perun Quarry where Daenerys arrived in Meereen and where the battle between Daario Naharis and the champion of Meereen took place, as well as the Žrnovica water mill famous for Melisandre’s bathing scene (our extra Goga was even in this scene).
Perun Quarry
To end the tour we arrived at the Fortress of Klis, known as the Meereen headquarters. Closed to the public at 19h and open especially for our group, we timed our steps to be there perfectly at sunset, overlooking what seemed to be the small city of Split beneath us. After a walk around the fortress, visiting the museum, the chapel, and various peaks for even better views, our authentic Dalmatian dinner awaited us. Greeted in a dimly lit room, Game of Thrones style torches and cutlery, a custom built dragon, and a table full of peka, salad, and homemade bread, we were suddenly in heaven.
Sitting outside under the sunset lit sky, gnawing on chicken, veal, and potatoes, and sipping homemade red wine with the fortress fully encompassing, I thought to myself, “will I have an experience this cool again?”
Thank you Vetus Itinera for a truly magical experience, I would recommend this to anyone, anywhere, all the time.
