In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Split and the Dalmatian coast around it stood in for Meereen and Braavos in seasons four and five of HBO’s Game of Thrones. The Dragon Cellars are the cellars of Diocletian’s Palace (€10, open daily 09:00 to 17:00); the Golden Gate and Papalićeva street were the city alleys; and Klis Fortress (€12, bus line 22 for €2.00) was the terraced walls of Meereen (Split-Dalmatia County tourism board). Or book a tour: Split Game of Thrones & History Walking Tour with Ticketsad (from €39, 4.9 stars from 686 reviews) includes admission to the Dragon Cellars with a guide, and Split Game of Thrones Evening History Walking Tourad (from €25, 4.9 stars from 15 reviews) ends with a photo on the Iron Throne.
⚠️ The palace cellars close at 17:00, with last admission at 16:30. They are closed on 18 November, 25 and 26 December, 1 and 6 January, and 28 March. If you tour independently, visit the cellars before mid-afternoon.
The filming locations at a glance
| Location | Game of Thrones setting | Real-world sight | Practical admission & hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diocletian’s Palace Cellars | Dragon crypt & throne room of Meereen | Palace substructures | €10 adult; daily 09:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30) |
| Papalićeva street & courtyard | Slave rebellion & “Kill the Masters” alley | Papalić Palace / City Museum | Free to walk street; museum €10; Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00 |
| Golden Gate (Porta Aurea) | Entrance gate to Meereen | North gate of Diocletian’s Palace | Free, open 24 hours |
| Peristyle & Vestibule | Imperial quarters of Meereen | Central palace colonnade | Free public square; adjoining sites ticketed |
| Klis Fortress | Mountain battlements & city terraces of Meereen | Klis Fortress | €12 adult, €4 child; daily 09:00–19:00; bus line 22 |
| Kaštilac, Kaštel Gomilica | Free City of Braavos (harbour & canal streets) | 16th-century sea fortress | Free to explore exterior and perimeter walls; bus 37 |
| Žrnovnica Quarry | Approach road to Meereen & champion duel | Abandoned limestone quarry | Free public access; 10 km east of Split; bus 27 or 28 |
| Antoničin Mlin, Žrnovnica | River bathing scene (Grey Worm & Missandei) | Historic watermill on river | Free along public riverside path; restaurant on site |
Papalićeva street and the City Museum courtyard. Photo: JoJan, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.
Guided filming tours
A filming tour shows production stills, explains how the effects team altered the local stone, and includes entry to the ticketed cellars.
Game of Thrones walking tour with tickets
From €39 · 4.9 stars from 686 reviews · 100 - 105 minutes · free cancellation
Split Game of Thrones & History Walking Tour with Ticketsad: Explore Split’s historical centre on a small-group guided walking tour. See the city’s historic landmarks as you pass filming locations from the Game of Thrones TV series.
Evening history & filming walking tour
From €25 · 4.9 stars from 15 reviews · 1 hour · free cancellation
Split Game of Thrones Evening History Walking Tourad: Explore Split on a Game of Thrones-themed walking tour. Visit filming locations, learn about the city’s history and sit on the Iron Throne.
DIY self-guided visit vs organised tour
| Feature | Self-guided DIY visit | Guided walking tour (€39) | Full-day Klis & Split tour (€60–€95) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sights covered | Palace streets, cellars, self-planned bus to Klis | Old Town, palace alleys, Dragon Cellars | Old Town, Dragon Cellars, Klis Fortress, private coach |
| Dragon Cellars admission | €10 paid separately at desk | Included in tour ticket | Included |
| Production insights | Your own research | Guide with still photo comparisons | Guide with props and filming anecdotes |
| Klis Fortress transport | Bus 22 (30 to 35 min) | Not included (walking tour in town only) | Minivan transport included |
| Total cost per adult | Cellars €10; Klis €12 | €39 | €60–€95 |
Locations inside Diocletian’s Palace
1. The Dragon Cellars (Palace substructures)
The vaulted subterranean halls beneath Diocletian’s Palace served as Daenerys Targaryen’s dragon crypt in seasons four and five. When her dragons Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion grow unruly and kill livestock, Daenerys leads Rhaegal and Viserion into the dark vaulted basements and chains them to heavy stone pillars. Later in season five, Tyrion Lannister enters the crypt to unchain the dragons.
The cellars are also where the Unsullied patrol the passages of Meereen and the Sons of the Harpy ambush them in narrow corridors. Adult admission to the sightseeing halls is €10 (Split City Museum).
2. Papalićeva Street
Running east off Dioklecijanova ulica, Papalićeva street is a narrow Gothic and Renaissance alley. In season four, episode four (“Oathkeeper”), Unsullied officer Grey Worm sneaks into this street to distribute daggers to enslaved citizens, urging them to rebel against their masters. A slave writes “Kill the Masters” in blood-red paint on the stone wall under the Gothic carved window of the Papalić Palace.
The courtyard of the Papalić Palace (now the Split City Museum) has a late-Gothic open stone staircase and loggia by Juraj Dalmatinac (Giorgio da Sebenico), the backdrop for the rebels’ night meetings.
3. The Golden Gate (Porta Aurea)
The palace’s Roman north gate was one of the entrances to Meereen. In season four its double gates and stone niches framed the Unsullied patrols. The area outside, where Ivan Meštrović’s statue of Gregory of Nin stands, was cleared of modern fixtures for wide approach shots.
Locations outside Split
Kaštilac in Kaštel Gomilica, the filming location for Braavos. Photo: Ivan T., Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
4. Kaštilac in Kaštel Gomilica (Braavos)
Situated 13 km west of Split along the shore of Kaštela Bay, Kaštilac is a 16th-century fortified settlement built on a shallow sea reef by Benedictine nuns from Split following the fall of Klis to the Turks. Connected to the mainland by a single arched stone bridge, its stone houses, seawalls and defensive square watchtower rise directly out of the seawater.
In season five, Kaštilac represented the Free City of Braavos. In episode two (“The House of Black and White”), Arya Stark arrives in Braavos aboard the merchant ship Titan’s Daughter. Digital artists inserted the Titan of Braavos statue into the entrance of Kaštela Bay, while the real stone bridge, waterfront alleys and boat moorings of Kaštilac served as the canals where Arya sells oysters and clams from a wooden handcart.
- Getting there: Promet Split bus line 37 towards Trogir leaves the Sukoišan terminal every 20 minutes. Get off at the Kaštel Gomilica stop and walk 400 metres downhill to the water. Free to explore from the outside.
5. Klis Fortress (The battlements of Meereen)
Rising above the mountain pass 12 km north-east of Split, Klis Fortress provided the exterior walls, gates and terraced city ramps of Meereen. In season four, episode three (“Breaker of Chains”), Daenerys Targaryen and her Unsullied army arrive outside the city. The views south towards Split and the Adriatic are the backdrop for Slaver’s Bay.
Key scenes filmed at Klis:
- The city champion duel: outside the lower gatehouse, Daario Naharis challenges and dispatches the champion of Meereen before urinating in front of the city gates.
- The crucifixion of the Masters: Daenerys walks the stone battlements along the Second Gate and orders 163 Great Masters crucified on wooden crosses along the zigzagging mountain road.
- The Meereen city council: Daenerys and her advisors look out from the highest ramparts over the surrounding plains.
Admission is €12 for adults (Klis Fortress). The former Austrian quarters hold a Game of Thrones photography exhibition. Bus line 22 runs from Split to Klis Megdan square below the gate.
The abandoned quarry in Žrnovnica. Photo: Kigsz, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
6. Žrnovnica Quarry
This disused limestone quarry, 10 km east of Split below the Mosor mountain, was the barren ground outside the gates of Meereen. The production built a set of the lower city walls and gatehouse here, where Daenerys addresses the enslaved crowds on the quarry floor.
- Getting there: Promet Split suburban bus lines 27 and 28 depart from Sukoišan to Žrnovnica. The quarry lies 1.5 km walk up the valley road.
Antoničin Mlin watermill on the Žrnovnica river. Photo: Kigsz, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
7. Antoničin Mlin on the Žrnovnica River
In the village of Žrnovnica, the 300-year-old Antoničin Mlin watermill on the Žrnovnica River was the location for a season four bathing scene. In episode eight (“The Mountain and the Viper”), Missandei bathes in the shallow river among overhanging trees and stone mills while Grey Worm, the Unsullied commander, watches from the bank.
The mill still grinds grain by water power and has a riverside restaurant (Konoba Antoničin Mlin) serving Dalmatian peka (meat or octopus baked under an iron bell) beside the river.
Suggested self-guided filming route (1 day)
- 09:00 — Diocletian’s Palace Cellars: Enter the substructures from the Riva through the Bronze Gate. Walk the central vaulted halls and western chambers where the dragons Rhaegal and Viserion were chained.
- 10:15 — Peristyle & Golden Gate: Walk up through the Vestibule to the Peristyle, then head north along the ancient cardo street to the Golden Gate where Unsullied forces patrolled.
- 11:00 — Papalićeva Street: Walk east into the narrow alleyway to view the Gothic courtyard and exterior walls where “Kill the Masters” was painted.
- 12:00 — Klis Fortress: Walk 10 minutes to the HNK bus stop and take Promet bus line 22 to Klis Megdan. Allow 2 hours for the battlements and the fortress exhibition.
- 15:00 — Kaštilac (Braavos): Return on bus 22 to Split Sukoišan, then take bus line 37 to Kaštel Gomilica to view the island fortress of Braavos where Arya Stark arrived by sea.
What to see next
- Diocletian’s Palace cellars guide: tickets, opening hours and Roman history of the Dragon Cellars.
- Klis Fortress and Salona day trip: full logistics for visiting the walls of Meereen and the Roman capital.
- Diocletian’s Palace guide: the gates, colonnades and Roman architecture of the palace.
- Trogir day trip from Split: another historic UNESCO island town on the bus 37 route.
- 3 days in Split itinerary: filming sites alongside the main sights across three days.
- Free things to do in Split: palace gates, streets and viewpoints that cost nothing.
Common questions
Which city did Split represent in Game of Thrones?
Split was the main filming location for Meereen, the largest of the three slave cities of Slaver's Bay, in seasons four and five. The cellars of Diocletian's Palace were the dragon dungeon and palace interiors, and Klis Fortress was the exterior battlements and terraced city walls.
Where are the Dragon Cellars in Split?
The Dragon Cellars are the subterranean substructures of Diocletian's Palace, reached via the Bronze Gate on the Riva or down from the Peristyle. Standard adult entry is €10, open daily from 09:00 to 17:00 (Split City Museum price list).
Where was the 'Kill the Masters' scene filmed?
On Papalićeva street in the north-eastern quadrant of Diocletian's Palace. The Gothic courtyard of the 15th-century Papalić Palace (now housing the Split City Museum) provided the stone alleyway where enslaved citizens debated rebellion and graffitied the walls in season four.
Where is the filming location for Braavos near Split?
The 16th-century fortress of Kaštilac in Kaštel Gomilica, situated 13 km west of Split, served as the Free City of Braavos in season five. It is the sea fortress where Arya Stark sells oysters from a wooden handcart and arrives by rowboat.
How much does it cost to visit Klis Fortress?
Admission to Klis Fortress is €12 for adults and €4 for children up to 15. The fortress is 12 km from Split and can be reached on local bus line 22 from the HNK stop in 30 to 35 minutes, with tickets in the Promet mobile app.
What was filmed at Žrnovnica near Split?
The abandoned limestone quarry at Žrnovnica provided the rocky approach to the gates of Meereen where Daario Naharis decapitates the city champion. Upstream along the river, the 300-year-old Antoničin Mlin watermill was the location for the river bathing scene with Grey Worm and Missandei.
