Game of Thrones filmed at over 40 locations across Northern Ireland — enough for a multi-day trip covering Belfast, County Down, and Fermanagh. This guide sticks to what’s realistically a day trip (or two) from Portrush along the Causeway Coast, where most of the well-known locations actually are.
Journey of the Doors
After a storm damaged trees at the Dark Hedges in 2016, local craftspeople carved the salvaged wood into 10 doors, each depicting a season-6 storyline. They’re displayed at pubs, hotels, and visitor centres across Northern Ireland — pick up a Doors passport at any location and get it stamped at each stop.
The locations
Dunluce Castle — Pyke, seat of House Greyjoy (CGI-enhanced for the show).
The Dark Hedges — the Kingsroad, where Arya Stark escapes King’s Landing dressed as a boy (Season 2). Cars are now banned on the road itself due to root damage; park at Gracehill House and walk down.
Gracehill House — at the western end of the Dark Hedges, holds Door 7 (the Three-Eyed Raven), plus a visitor centre and grounds with named rock formations (the Granny, the Wishing Chair).
Ballintoy Harbour — Lordsport Harbour, Pyke, where Theon is baptised into the Drowned God’s faith (Season 2), and later the site of the Bannermen-burning scene (Season 4).
The Fullerton Arms, Ballintoy village — Door 6 (House Targaryen/Drogon), a good stop for food before or after the harbour.
Larrybane (now the Carrick-a-Rede car park) — Renly Baratheon’s Stormlands camp, and where Brienne of Tarth is named to the Kingsguard (Season 2). Right next to Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge itself.
Portstewart Strand — doubled for Dorne (Season 5), where Jaime Lannister and Bronn come ashore.
Downhill Strand — where Stannis Baratheon and Melisandre burn effigies of the Old Gods (Season 2), overlooked by Mussenden Temple.
Binevenagh — the Dothraki grasslands north of Meereen (Season 5), where Daenerys is rescued by Drogon.
Fairhead, near Ballycastle — Dragonstone, where Jon Snow first meets Daenerys (Season 7).
Murlough Bay — used across several storylines: Theon and Yara’s return to the Iron Islands, Renly’s camp, Davos Seaworth’s shipwreck, and Slaver’s Bay (Season 5). Only reachable on foot down a steep path — genuinely remote, and worth it for the views to Rathlin and Scotland alone.
Getting between them
Most of these sit along the Causeway Coastal Route east of Portrush, so a single day covers Dunluce Castle, the Dark Hedges, Ballintoy, and Carrick-a-Rede comfortably. Fairhead and Murlough Bay are further out near Ballycastle — worth a second day if you want to properly explore that stretch too. A free official Game of Thrones map app from Tourism NI has 360° panoramas and scene details for locations across the whole of Northern Ireland, useful if you want to extend the trip beyond the Causeway Coast.
