Split: City Walking Tour w/ Game of Thrones Locations

Split’s Game of Thrones sites are not tucked away on a studio lot. They’re woven into the streets and stone chambers of Diocletian’s Palace, a real Roman complex at the heart of the city. This 105-minute walk connects the show’s Meereen scenes with Split’s long history, so you get more than a parade of photo stops.

I like two things in particular: the guide uses video and photo material to help you match scenes to real locations, and the ticket includes entry to the palace cellars, known on the tour as the Dragons’ chambers, plus an Iron Throne photo. One consideration: the route packs many stops into a short visit, so you’ll get a lively introduction rather than a slow, in-depth look at every site.

• Meereen is Split in television disguise: See places used for scenes with Daenerys, the Unsullied and the Great Masters.
• Roman landmarks fill out the story: Visit Diocletian’s cellars, the Peristyle, Vestibul, Golden Gate and Jupiter’s Temple.
• Scene clips add useful context: Compare locations with images and video from the show as you go.
• Cellar entry and an Iron Throne photo are included: Both add value to the $45 price.
• Guides bring different strengths: Marko, Nina and Tomi are among the guides named by people who have taken the walk, with humor and history often part of the experience.

A film set inside a Roman palace

The tour’s central appeal is the contrast. Split’s Old Town is not a theme park built around Game of Thrones. The show used the real stone passages and chambers of Diocletian’s Palace to represent parts of Meereen, and the tour helps you see those spaces through both lenses.

That makes this a useful choice even if your interest in the series is casual. You’ll hear about the Roman emperor Diocletian, the city’s later history and the persecution of Christians, while also learning where key scenes were filmed. The guide’s job is to connect those stories without letting either one swallow the other.

The route begins by the statue of Gregory of Nin, near the Golden Gate. Look for the guide holding a black umbrella after you go up the stairs from the gate. Pickup may also be arranged at the cruise port or in front of your hotel or apartment, with the guide walking with you to the historic center.

The Riva and the palace cellars

The walk includes the Riva, Split’s waterfront promenade, as a first point of orientation. It gives you a sense of how the old center meets the seafront before the tour turns toward the palace and its maze of historic spaces.

The cellars are one of the most rewarding stops for fans of the show. These underground rooms served as filming locations for parts of Daenerys’s Meereen story, including the spaces associated with the dragons she chained and later fed. You’ll also hear about scenes involving the conflict between slaves and masters, and the Unsullied’s battles with the Sons of the Harpy.

Entry to the cellars is included in the tour price. That matters when comparing a guided walk with a simple route you might follow on your own: you get both the ticket and the guide’s explanation of how the setting was used. The chambers also help make the show’s scenes easier to picture, since you’re standing in the actual stone spaces rather than looking at a photograph from outside.

The tour is short, though, and the cellars are only one part of it. If Roman architecture is your main interest, you may want to return later and spend more time at the sites that catch your eye.

Peristyle, Vestibul and Jupiter’s Temple

Above ground, the route passes through the Peristyle, the palace’s grand central court. The scale and stonework make this one of the clearest places to see how much of the Roman complex remains part of everyday Split. Your guide ties the palace’s architecture to its past and its use as a filming location.

The Vestibul, a large domed space, offers another change of mood. Its shape and open feeling stand apart from the narrower palace lanes. Here, the guide can show how a real historic structure was made to serve the fictional city of Meereen.

Jupiter’s Temple brings another layer of history. The tour explains why a headless sphinx guards its entrance and discusses Diocletian’s persecution of Christians. That subject gives the palace story a sharper edge: this is not only an impressive monument, but a place linked to the power and beliefs of an emperor remembered for his treatment of Christians.

The route also includes the palace substructures, which are particularly useful for understanding how the show’s locations fit together. A guide can point out the relationship between rooms and scenes that might be hard to grasp if you simply wandered through without context.

Golden Gate and the streets of the Old Town

The Golden Gate is one of the palace’s major entrances and a natural point of orientation in the historic center. It is also close to the meeting point, so you’ll return to familiar ground as the walk reaches its later stops.

From there, the itinerary takes in the Split City Museum area, People’s Square and Fruit Square. These stops broaden the experience beyond the palace’s most famous Roman spaces and give you a look at the streets and squares that shape the Old Town today. The City Museum stop is listed as a photo stop and guided visit, so treat it as an exterior or location-focused pause rather than assuming a museum admission is part of the tour.

The guide also explains how Split changed hands over time, including how much the Venetians paid for the city. That kind of detail helps make the walk more than a set of Roman ruins and TV references. You hear how the city’s identity has been shaped by different periods of rule.

Matching Meereen to the screen

Game of Thrones fans will recognize several story threads along the route. Daenerys spent three seasons in Meereen, and Split’s locations were used for scenes involving her struggle with the Great Masters, the liberation of slaves, Grey Worm and the Unsullied, and the death of Ser Barristan Selmy.

The tour’s video and photo material is a practical touch. A stone passage can look like just another old passage until you see how it appeared on screen. Comparing the filmed scene with the real place helps you spot details and makes the location feel more specific than a quick photo stop.

The walk focuses on filming locations from seasons four and five. The guide shows scenes at the relevant stops, rather than asking you to rely on memory alone. That approach works well if you know the show but don’t remember every episode. It also helps a companion who has seen only some of the series follow along.

At the same time, don’t expect the tour to recreate the show or turn the city into a production set. You’re visiting a living historic center, and the value comes from seeing how an existing place was used in the story.

The Iron Throne and the Game of Thrones stops

The itinerary includes the Game of Thrones Split Fan Shop, where you can sit on the Iron Throne for a photo. That small extra is included, rather than being an add-on, and it gives fans a playful souvenir moment after the walk through the real filming locations.

The Game of Thrones Museum is also on the route. The tour includes a guided stop there, but the stated inclusions specify cellar entry and the Iron Throne photo, not museum admission. If you want to go inside, check what is included in your selected option before booking.

Together, the shop and museum stops add a more overt fan element to a walk that otherwise moves between Roman sites, city squares and filming locations. If you’re not a fan, these may be the least essential parts. If you are, they round out the experience without taking the whole tour away from Split’s history.

What the guides add

The guide is central to the experience. Marko, Nina and Tomi are among the names associated with the tour. Marko is often described in terms of his humor and his ability to move between show details and Croatian history. Nina is noted for keeping the walk lively while sharing historical context, and Tomi is known for an entertaining presentation of both subjects.

Your assigned guide may vary, so don’t book on the assumption that you’ll get one specific person. The consistent strength is the mix of local history and show knowledge. Guides have used scene references at the locations, made time for photos and offered restaurant or activity recommendations.

Small groups are another advantage reported by people who took the walk. A smaller group can make it easier to hear explanations in the narrow historic streets and to ask questions without turning each stop into a lecture. Private groups are also available if you want a more personal format.

Is $45 good value?

At $45 per person, this is not the cheapest way to walk around Split. You can see many streets and public spaces without a guide. The value lies in the licensed English-speaking guide, the cellar entry, the Iron Throne photo and the show clips that connect the actual sites to specific scenes.

If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, those elements make the price easier to justify. The guide saves you the work of locating each filming spot and explaining why it matters. If you’re mainly interested in Split’s history, the tour still covers major palace landmarks and offers useful context, but a history-focused walk may suit you better if the show holds no appeal.

The 105-minute duration is a strength if you have limited time or want an introduction before exploring on your own. It is also the main limit: with a dozen stops, there isn’t room for a long visit at each one. Think of it as a compact orientation, not a full-day study of the palace.

Practical details before you book

The tour is in English, lasts about 105 minutes and ends back at the meeting point. Starting times depend on availability. Water is the only item specifically recommended to bring, a sensible choice for a walking tour through the historic center.

The activity is listed as wheelchair accessible, and the guide can meet you at the cruise port or outside your accommodation if you select pickup. A separate entrance is listed for skipping the line. The tour also offers private groups.

Booking is flexible: you can reserve now and pay later, and cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund. Since the route has many stops and relies on seeing real streets and stone chambers, check the details of your chosen start time and option before you set out.

Who should book this walk?

I’d choose this tour if you want to see Game of Thrones locations and understand the real city around them, rather than spending your time hunting for filming sites alone. It is especially well suited to fans who enjoy history too, or to mixed-interest groups where one person loves the show and another wants to learn about Diocletian’s Palace.

It is less ideal if you want a slow architectural tour or prefer to explore at your own pace. The route moves through a lot in a short time, and several stops are brief. But if you want an entertaining, practical introduction to Split with a clear link to Meereen, the combination of cellars, palace landmarks and scene comparisons makes the $45 fare a reasonable choice.

FAQ

How long is the Split walking tour?

The tour lasts about 105 minutes, or one hour and 45 minutes. Starting times depend on availability.

What language is the tour in?

The live guide speaks English.

Is entry to Diocletian’s cellars included?

Yes. Entry to the Split basements, also described as the Dragons’ chambers, is included.

Is an Iron Throne photo included?

Yes. The tour includes a photo on the Iron Throne at the Game of Thrones shop in Split.

Where does the tour start and end?

The usual meeting point is by the statue of Gregory of Nin, near the Golden Gate. The guide holds a black umbrella, and the tour ends back at the meeting point. Pickup may be available at the cruise port or in front of your hotel or apartment.

Can I cancel or pay later?

Yes. You can reserve now and pay later, and cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.