Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dubrovnik is the definitive set-jetting destination, the city that proved a single television series could transform an entire destination's global identity. Featured as King's Landing in Game of Thrones from Season 2 (2012) through the finale in 2019, the Croatian coastal city has sustained a tourism boom stretching across 14 consecutive years — a durability no other set-jetting destination has matched. The medieval Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, provided HBO's production designers with limestone streets, fortified walls, and Baroque architecture that required virtually no modification to become Westeros's capital. The Jesuit Staircase on Gundulic Square served as the site of Cersei's walk of atonement; Fort Lovrijenac became the Red Keep exterior; Pile Gate stood in as a city entrance. All remain open to visitors. The economic impact has been profound. Pre-Game of Thrones, Dubrovnik welcomed approximately 1.2 million visitors annually. By 2018 that figure had climbed to over 1.8 million, prompting the city to introduce visitor caps (4,000 inside the Old Town walls at any one time) and a cruise-ship entry management programme — the first Croatian city to manage overtourism at that scale. Tour operators offering dedicated Game of Thrones walking tours now number more than 40, commanding premium prices of €40 to €120 per person. The Dubrovnik Tourism Board formally markets the city's screen association through its King's Landing Experience programme. In 2026, with the Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon continuing to air and fresh audiences discovering the original series through streaming catalogues, Dubrovnik's set-jetting appeal shows no sign of diminishing. The city's genuine architectural grandeur — the 2km city walls walkable by any visitor, the Rector's Palace, the Franciscan Monastery pharmacy dating to 1317 — means the travel experience stands entirely on its own merits once the fantasy associations are stripped away.