10 Game of Thrones Filming Locations in Malta and Gozo

Malta was the original King’s Landing in Game of Thrones and, as huge fans of the show, we made it our mission to track down as many of the Game of Thrones filming locations in Malta and Gozo as we could.

Most of Malta’s Game of Thrones scenes are from Season 1 and there are some very memorable locations: the gate where Catelyn Stark enters King’s Landing, the courtyard where Ned confronts Cersei, the spot where Ned meets his fate and the spectacular coastline where Daenerys and Khal Drogo were married.

We visited the locations independently while travelling around Malta and Gozo and found it really easy to incorporate them into our Malta itinerary.

Some of the locations are instantly recognisable from the show, some require a little imagination and a few can only be viewed from outside. If you’re planning your own Game of Thrones tour of Malta, these are the 10 locations we tracked down, what was filmed at each and what you need to know before visiting.

Warning: there are lots of Season 1 spoilers below!

Game of Thrones filming locations in Malta: quick guide

If you don’t have time to visit all 10 locations, I’d concentrate on Mdina, St Dominic’s Priory and Fort St Angelo on Malta, together with Dwejra if you’re visiting Gozo.

Mdina is particularly good because you can visit several recognisable King’s Landing locations just by walking around the old city.

A few of the other locations, including Fort Ricasoli and Verdala Palace, are primarily places to see from outside rather than attractions you can tour.

Map of Game of Thrones Filming Locations in Malta and Gozo

The Game of Thrones filming locations are split between Malta and Gozo. A rental car is the easiest way to visit all the locations across the two islands.

Renting a car in Malta can be relatively cheap. Make sure to shop around and book your rental car in advance for the best price. We recommend using DiscoverCars.com to reserve your car – click here to book now!

Renting a car in Malta tip: We recommend renting a compact car in Malta as the streets are quite narrow and parking spaces are small. It’s easier to navigate the Maltese roads in one of the smaller rentals!

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Click here for a link to the Google map of the locations

1 | St. Dominic’s Convent, Rabat, Malta

Game of Thrones location: Red Keep Garden
Appears in: Season 1, Episode 7, You Win or You Die

The beautiful courtyard doubled as the gardens of the Red Keep in the scene where Ned Stark confronts Cersei Lannister with what he has discovered about the true parentage of her children.

It’s also the setting for one of the most famous lines in the entire series: Cersei’s warning that when you play the Game of Thrones, you win or you die.

The gardens are private and are not maintained as a tourist site but the courtyard is instantly recognisable once you find the fountain where Ned and Cersei sat.

What surprised us most was how quiet St Dominic’s was. Despite being the location of such an iconic Game of Thrones scene, we were the only visitors when we went. It’s completely different from somewhere like Mdina, where you’ll almost certainly be sharing the location with plenty of other visitors.

Game of Thrones Malta tip: St Dominic’s is in Rabat and is just outside Mdina so it makes sense to visit both at the same time. The convent is one of the lesser visited sites in Malta and we were the only visitors! Opening and visitor access can vary, so check before making a special journey just for the courtyard. As well as its Game of Thrones fame, it has attracted pilgrims due to the presence of a miraculous statue of the Holy Virgin.

2 | Mdina Gate, Malta

Game of Thrones location: Entrance to King’s Landing
Appears in: Season 1, Episode 3, Lord Snow

Malta’s Mdina is one of Europe’s best preserved ancient walled cities and visitors are instantly transported back centuries upon crossing through its commanding gate. It was one of the major Game of Thrones filming locations in Malta and was used to represent King’s Landing during Season 1.

Mdina is an ancient fortified city filled with narrow lanes, huge limestone walls, grand entrances and beautiful old buildings so very little imagination is required to picture it as part of Westeros.

It was here at the Mdina Gate in Season 1, Episode 3, Lord Snow, that Catelyn Stark and Ser Rodrik Cassel rode into King’s Landing while secretly investigating the attempt on Bran’s life. The gate also appears later when Ned says his final goodbye to Catelyn before she leaves King’s Landing to return north.

This is one of the easiest Game of Thrones locations in Malta to visit: everyone entering Mdina through its main gate walks straight through the filming location.

Game of Thrones Malta tip: Don’t rush through the gate. Stand outside and look back at it from the bridge as this gives you the most recognisable view from the show.

3 | Mesquita Square, Mdina, Malta

Game of Thrones location: King’s Landing/Littlefinger’s brothel
Appears in: Season 1

Once you’re inside Mdina, it’s worth seeking out Mesquita Square.

Deep in the Mdina, Mesquita Square was the setting for many of the scenes which led to the demise of Ned. It’s here where Jaime Lannister and his spearmen attack Ned and his guards in Season 1, Episode 5 ‘The Wolf and the Lion’.

The Mdina also houses the entrance and balcony to Littlefinger’s brothel as well as the Street of Steel, where the smiths have their shops.

In Episode 4 Season 1 ‘Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things’ Ned and Jory follow Jon Arryn’s last movements along the street.

Other streets around Mdina were used to represent King’s Landing, including scenes as Ned investigates Jon Arryn’s final movements and discovers Gendry working as a blacksmith.

One of the best things about the Mdina Game of Thrones locations is that you don’t need a formal tour to find them. Mdina is compact and exploring its maze of streets is one of the highlights of visiting Malta anyway.

Game of Thrones Malta tip: Mdina Gate and Mesquita Square are only a short walk apart, so allow some extra time to wander rather than just visiting the two exact filming spots.

4 | Fort Ricasoli, Kalkara, Malta

Game of Thrones location: Red Keep/King’s Landing gate
Appears in: Season 1

Sitting at the entrance to the Grand Harbour in Kalkara, the enormous Fort Ricasoli was used for exterior scenes around King’s Landing and the Red Keep.

Its monumental entrance appears as one of the gates of King’s Landing. It first made an appearance in Season 1, Episode 3 ‘Lord Snow’ when the Starks reach King’s Landing.

It featured again in Season 1, Episode 5 ‘The Wolf and the Lion’, when Arya attempts to reenter the Red Keep and is challenged by the guards who mistake her for a street urchin.

Game of Thrones Malta tip: Unlike Mdina, however, this isn’t really a location where you can simply wander around the exact filming spots. Fort Ricasoli is not generally open as a regular tourist attraction, so for most visitors this is one to appreciate from outside. I wouldn’t make Fort Ricasoli your number-one priority if you’re short on time.

5 | Verdala Palace, Buskett Gardens, Malta

Game of Thrones location: Illyrio Mopatis’s mansion in Pentos
Appears in: Season 1, Episode 1, Winter Is Coming

Not all of Malta’s Game of Thrones locations were used as King’s Landing.

The palace serves as the exterior of Illyrio Mopatis’s mansion in Pentos and features in Season 1, Episode 1 ‘Winter is Coming’ when Daenerys and Viserys Targaryen meet Khal Drogo before the wedding.

Verdala Palace, in Buskett Gardens, is the official summer residence of the President of Malta and, as a result, is closed to the public. That means this is primarily an exterior Game of Thrones stop rather than somewhere you should plan to tour inside.

The surrounding Buskett area is still worth seeing if you’re passing through this part of Malta.

6 | Fort Manoel, Malta

Game of Thrones location: Great Sept of Baelor
Appears in: Season 1, Episode 9, Baelor

The 18th Century Fort Manoel is located to the north west of Valletta on Manoel Island and doubles as the steps of the Great Sept of Baelor.

It appears in Episode 9, Baelor, during one of the most shocking moments of the first season: Ned Stark is brought before the crowd expecting to be allowed to take the black, only for Joffrey to order his execution.

Game of Thrones Malta tip: Access to Fort Manoel has changed over the years and the wider Manoel Island site is currently evolving so I’d check the latest visitor arrangements before travelling specifically to go inside. Even when you can’t enter the fort, it remains an impressive filming location to see from around the harbour.

7 | San Anton Palace and Gardens, Malta

Game of Thrones location: Red Keep
Appears in: Season 1

The San Anton Palace and Gardens make frequent appearances throughout Season 1 of Game of Thrones where it doubles as part of the Red Keep exterior.

One of the most memorable scenes from San Anton is in Season 1, Episode 10 ‘Fire and Blood’ when Joffrey took Sansa to the balcony to see the heads on spikes – her father, Ned Stark’s included.

It first appeared in Season 1, Episode 3 ‘Lord Snow’ when the Starks arrive at Red Keep and use the stables and later in Episode 8 ‘The Pointy End’ when Arya finds the Stark attendants murdered but reclaims her real sword Needle.

San Anton is still the official residence of the President of Malta, so the palace itself isn’t a normal visitor attraction. The gardens, however, are open to the public and are the part most visitors come to see.

2026 update: restoration and conservation work is currently taking place in San Anton Gardens. The project is being completed in phases so the gardens can remain open, although individual sections may be temporarily inaccessible.

8 | Fort St Angelo, Malta

Game of Thrones location: Red Keep dungeons
Appears in: Season 1

Fort St Angelo, at the centre of the Grand Harbour, was the location for the Red Keep Prison and the Underground Chambers.

It’s here where Arya chased the cat into the dungeons under the castle while doing her sword training in Season 1, Episode 5 ‘The Wolf and the Lion’ and overhears Varys and Magister Illyrio Mopatis of Pentos.

Fort St Angelo is also where Ned Stark was imprisoned in the chambers under the Red Keep before being taken to the Sept of Baelor for his beheading.

Unlike a number of the forts used during filming, Fort St Angelo is a proper visitor attraction and is managed by Heritage Malta.

That makes it one of the better Game of Thrones locations to include in your Malta itinerary: you get the filming connection as well as one of Malta’s most important historic forts and some fantastic views across Grand Harbour.

9 | Mtahleb Cliffs, Malta

Game of Thrones location: Dothraki camp
Appears in: Season 1, Episodes 9 and 10

On the Western side of the Island, the Mtahleb Cliffs appeared in some of the Dothraki camp scenes towards the end of Season 1.

In Episode 9 ‘Baelor’, it was here that Khal Drogo collapsed and, in Episode 10 ‘Fire and Blood’ represented the location of his funeral pyre.

The most memorable scene set at the Cliffs is that of Daenerys emerging from the flames with her baby dragons. It’s along these Shadow Cliffs where Khaleesi and her Dothrakis travel on their way West.

Game of Thrones Malta tip: We loved visiting Mtahleb but it’s definitely a site that is more worthwhile for serious Game of Thrones fans than for someone just looking for Malta’s biggest attractions. For us, hunting down locations like this was part of the fun of making our own Game of Thrones road trip.

10 | Dwejra and the former Azure Window, Gozo

Game of Thrones location: Daenerys and Khal Drogo’s wedding
Appears in: Season 1, Episode 1, Winter Is Coming

One of Malta and Gozo’s most famous Game of Thrones filming locations has changed dramatically since Season 1 was filmed.

The Azure Window in Gozo was the scene of the Dothraki wedding feast between Khal Drogo and Daenerys Targaryen on the coast of Pentos in Episode 1, ‘Winter is Coming’.

Unfortunately, the Azure Window no longer exists: in 2017, the rock formation succumbed to the elements and collapsed into the sea after heavy storms.

We were lucky enough to see the Azure Window before it disappeared and it really was an incredible sight. We recently visited the Great Pollet Sea Arch in Donegal, Ireland and it reminded us of the magnificence of the Azure Window before it fell.

Even without the arch, however, Dwejra is still worth visiting if you are exploring Gozo. The surrounding coastline remains spectacular and you can still identify the landscape used in the wedding scenes. Dwejra is also home to the Inland Sea, Blue Hole and Fungus Rock and is one of the most dramatic areas of Gozo.

For more Game of Thrones filming locations check out

• 10 Game of Thrones filming locations Croatia
• 18 Game of Thrones filming locations Dubrovnik
• 11 Game of Thrones filming locations Northern Ireland
• 18 Game of Thrones filming locations in Spain