By Kate Shapiro
“Game of Thrones” is set in a world bigger than South America, with roughly the same terrain of Europe. That means we get to see breath-taking highlands, ancient cities and the icy netherworlds every Sunday night. And good news! You can actually go to some of those places, or their rough equivalent.
Here are nine real life places that are just like “Game of Thrones:”
The Barne Glacier
The Barne Glacier is located on Ross Island in Antarctica. It ends in what’s basically a giant cliff which looks eerily like the 700 foot tall Wall at the border of the Seven Kingdoms. Now all we need to do is man it with dozens of castles, to make sure the White Walkers don’t kill us all.
The Westman Islands
The Westman Islands in Iceland are so stormy and menacing it’s surprising there aren’t longboats full of Iron Born sailors and salt-wives ferrying back and forth from the mainland to Pyke.
Carmarthenshire, Wales
When Roose Bolton does that “Everything you see will one day be yours,” speech from The Lion King to Ramsey, he pointed to breath-taking sloping planes and plateaus very reminiscent of Wales. Just wait until Winter comes and everything is covered in snow.
Dark Hedges Stanocum in County Antrim, Northern Ireland
This Irish road is actually where they film all of the “Kings Road” scenes in Game of Thrones. So if you’re tying to get anywhere in Westeros this is the road to take. It was most recently seen as Brienne of Tarth and Pod embark on their journey to find the Stark sisters.
Aberdeen Castle
We haven’t been to Casterly Rock, the illustrious ancestral home of the Lannisters, yet but it’s described as a heavily fortified castle built into a rock formation on the coast. Aberdeen castle in Scotland was situated on as similar rock formation but it wasn’t so fortified since it was burned down in 1308 by King Robert the Bruce, in what must have been a very Robert Baratheon fashion.
Ait Benhaddou in Morocco
This ancient city in present-day Morocco is the inspiration for Yunkai, a.k.a. the second stop on Daenerys’ breaker of chains, mother of dragons world tour.
Warwick Castle
Warwick Castle is built on a bend in the Avon River in Warwickshire, England. It’s not situated between two gushing, torrents like Riverrun but the river is still perfect to have a traditional Tully funeral. Get your canoes and flaming arrows ready.
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Dubrovnik is where they crew has filmed the King’s Landing scenes the last few seasons of “Game of Thrones.” It doesn’t have a Red Keep per say, or an economy the equivalent to Detroit, Michigan, but this rocky, seaside castle-town is the best setting for the Westerosi capital.
Val Bregaglia, Switzerland
With impassible mountains and a penchant for neutrality, Switzerland makes the perfect location for the Vale. Just take the highest mountain in the Alps overlooking a gorgeous alpine valley and put a moon door on it and you have the Eyrie.
If you could choose one place in “Game of Thrones,” where would you go?
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