Game of Thrones tour in Split — honest review of all the filming locations

Split as Meereen — what actually filmed here

For five seasons of Game of Thrones, the ancient Roman walls of Split’s Diocletian’s Palace doubled as Meereen, the slave city on Slaver’s Bay. The production team chose Split for reasons obvious to anyone who walks through the palace today: the stone corridors, arched gateways, and subterranean vaults look genuinely ancient because they are — built by Emperor Diocletian between AD 293 and 305.

The most photographed scene is Daenerys’s liberation of the Meereenese slaves, filmed in the palace’s underground cellar complex (the “substructure”), where thousands of slaves emerge into daylight through stone corridors. The cellars have been used commercially since Roman times — markets, storage, and eventually tourist shops — but in the early episodes they were dramatically emptied and lit for the slave scenes.

Other key filming spots inside the palace:

• The Peristyle (central courtyard): crowd scene backdrops, procession sequences
• The Vestibule (round domed hall above the cellars): entry to throne room sequences
• The Golden Gate (north gate): slave-freeing processional scenes
• The streets of the old town: merchant quarters, crowd scenes, Daenerys’s balcony speech

The split (no pun intended) between what was filmed in Split and what was filmed in Dubrovnik is often confused. Dubrovnik is King’s Landing — the Red Keep, the city walls, the Sept of Baelor. Split is Meereen, a different continent within the show’s geography. If you want the full tour experience, you need both cities.

What the 3-hour group tour covers

The standard 3-hour walking tour starts at the Peristyle and works through the palace systematically. A good guide does three things simultaneously: explains the Roman history, overlays the GoT filming context, and points out the best photography angles.

Stops on most routes:

1. Peristyle courtyard and Cathedral of Saint Domnius (former Diocletian mausoleum)
2. Vestibule — the atmospheric domed room central to Meereen scenes
3. Palace cellars/substructure — the single most memorable GoT location
4. Silver Gate (east gate) and street scenes
5. Golden Gate (north gate) — liberation procession

The pace is unhurried but the 3 hours go by quickly. Guides typically carry laminated scene stills to overlay on current locations — effective, if low-tech.

What the cellar adds to the experience

The palace substructure (cellars) is the single most photogenic location on the tour. The vaulted stone corridors — built to support Diocletian’s personal quarters above — were partially excavated in the 20th century. They are vast, dim, and impeccably Roman.

For GoT fans, these corridors are unmistakable from the slave-freeing scenes. For everyone else, they are an extraordinary piece of Roman engineering: a raised platform city on stilts, designed so the emperor’s rooms above could maintain consistent flooring despite the sloping terrain.

Entry to the cellars costs approximately €10–12 on its own. Some tours bundle this in. Confirm before booking.

Comparing tour formats

This tour explicitly includes the cellar entrance, with more time in the substructure and a focus on the filming scene breakdown. Best for fans who want the most immersive GoT experience.

A dual-track tour that equally weights Roman history and GoT filming. Works well for groups where some members care about GoT and others do not. More educational context throughout.

Longer format (3.5–4 hours) with additional stops in the broader palace area and context about each historical period. The most comprehensive option; worth the extra time if the historical detail interests you.

Pricing

• Standard group tour (3 hours): €25–45 per person
• With cellar ticket included: €35–55 per person
• Private tour (group of 2–6): €80–200 depending on duration and inclusions

The museum entrance (separate, standalone) costs €15–18 and takes 30–45 minutes. It is not included in walking tours. Fans of the show will enjoy it; non-fans can skip it.

Who should book the GoT tour vs. who should self-guide

Book a tour if: You watched the show and care about scene-specific context; you are visiting the palace for the first time; you travel with a mixed group (history + GoT fans); you want photographic help with angles.

Self-guide if: You have already visited the palace; you care minimally about GoT and primarily want to explore the Roman architecture at your own pace; you are staying in Split for 3+ days and will absorb the palace gradually.

The palace itself is free to enter — you can walk the main streets, sit on the Peristyle, and find most outdoor filming locations with a basic map. The cellar requires a ticket regardless. The guide’s value is the context layer.

Practical details

Duration: 3 hours (standard group) or 2–4 hours (private)
Language: English-language tours are the most common; check tour listings for other languages
Meeting point: Almost always at the Peristyle (central courtyard) — easily reached from any Old Town entrance
Group size: 8–15 for standard tours; cap varies by operator
Physical demands: Flat cobblestones and stone stairs in the cellar. Appropriate for most fitness levels.

For deeper historical context on the palace beyond the GoT angle, read our Diocletian’s Palace guide and the Game of Thrones filming locations guide. If you want to combine Split’s GoT sites with a visit to Klis Fortress — also featured in Game of Thrones — our Klis Fortress guide covers the Meereen exterior shots filmed up in the hills north of Split.

The Split old town walking guide is useful for exploring the palace neighbourhood at your own pace after the tour.