So this trip wasn’t even the plan. I was in Croatia for a wedding, wandered off one afternoon because the ceremony ran long and I needed air, and ended up on the city walls of Dubrovnik going “hold on, I’ve seen this.” Out loud. To myself. A stranger next to me just nodded like Yeah, everyone does that here. That one moment turned the game into me chasing filming locations across four countries over the next couple of weeks, which is a wildly impractical way to plan a trip but here we are.
Dubrovnik Is Basically What Everyone Says It Is
I went in braced for it to feel gimmicky, like a theme park version of itself. It didn’t. Those walls are old, really old, and walking them with the rooftops going red-orange below and the sea just smashing into the rocks the whole time, it’s hard to stay cynical about it. I got there around 9 am on a Tuesday, thinking I was being smart, only to find it was already filling up. Go earlier than that if you can manage it, whatever “earlier” means for you.
Fort Lovrijenac is right outside the main walls and honestly might be the better photo spot, fewer people, same dramatic cliff-castle thing going on.
Northern Ireland, Which Nobody Talks About Enough
I’ll die on this hill: Northern Ireland is more interesting than Dubrovnik and gets a fraction of the credit. The Dark Hedges, that tree tunnel everyone’s seen a picture of, is smaller in person. I won’t lie. Kind of underwhelming at first honestly. But I went back at dusk on a whim and it was a completely different thing, quiet, a little eerie, worth the second trip.
Ballintoy Harbour wrecked me a little, in a good way. It’s small, nothing’s really there, and I sat on a rock for probably 40 minutes doing absolutely nothing. Didn’t even take that many photos. Sometimes you just need to sit somewhere.
Iceland Doesn’t Feel Like Earth
I don’t have a clever way to describe Iceland, so I’ll say it plainly: black sand, glaciers, volcanic ground that stretches out forever with basically nothing on it. It’s the one place on this whole trip where the show connection genuinely didn’t matter it would’ve been worth going regardless.
Þingvellir and the area near Vatnajökull glacier are where you’ll end up, most people do. Pack more layers than you think, and then pack one more after that. The weather does not care about your plans.
Spain Kept Getting Skipped in Every List I Read Before Going
Nobody mentioned Girona or Peníscola to me before this trip and I genuinely don’t get why. Girona’s old town, all those narrow stone stairs leading up to the cathedral, feels lived-in in a way that’s hard to describe until you’re actually there. Peníscola is this small walled town on the coast that feels like it was built specifically for rooftop shots, which, okay, it basically was.
Both are small, doable in a day each, easy to bolt onto a Barcelona or Valencia trip if that’s already on your route.
Morocco Threw Me Off Completely
By this point I thought I had a feel for what “filming location” trips looked like, cliffs, castles, moody weather. Morocco just doesn’t play that game. Ait Benhaddou near Ouarzazate is clay towers rising out of actual desert, dust everywhere, light that looks fake but isn’t. It’s a proper trek getting out there and there’s no shortcut, but honestly that’s part of why it felt different from everywhere else on this list. Way fewer people around too.
The Phone Thing, Because I Have to Mention It
Four countries in two weeks means your signal situation gets chaotic fast, and half these spots aren’t near any actual town. Losing GPS on a cliff road in Northern Ireland, or somewhere in the Atlas Mountains with zero signage, is not a fun problem to have.
I set up a Commbitz eSIM before I left, mostly because I didn’t want to deal with SIM card kiosks at every airport, and it ended up being the one thing on this whole trip that just worked without me thinking about it. Landed, had data. No swapping cards, no standing in a queue half asleep after a flight. Whether I was trying to find Ballintoy Harbour with no signage in sight or booking a car in Dubrovnik at the last minute, it was just there.
FAQs
Only have time for one location, which do I pick? Dubrovnik. Most concentrated, walkable, no car needed.
Is Northern Ireland worth it if I’ve already done Dubrovnik? Yes. Completely different feeling, rougher and moodier. Both are worth doing on their own terms.
Do I need a car for all of this? For everywhere except Dubrovnik, yes. Get a rental or a tour, especially for Iceland and Morocco.
When’s the best time to go? Late spring through early fall for Croatia and Spain. Summer in Iceland if you want the extra daylight. Spring or fall for Morocco, so you’re not melting.
Do I really need an eSIM? If you’re bouncing between countries like I did, yes, honestly. A Commbitz eSIM meant I never had to think about signal, which is more than I can say for most things on this trip.
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