A Little Time and a Keyboard: Touring Game of Thrones Sites in Iceland

Touring Game of Thrones Sites in Iceland

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Gjáin Gorge in Iceland features remarkable rock formations, waterfalls and rapids.

While in Iceland, we experienced Grayline's Game of Thrones tour and explored some of the truly magical places that provide epic settings for the popular show. Striking landscapes are a crucial element of the show, so Iceland easily provides some fantastic shooting locations. However if you are not a fan of the show, you will still appreciate the stunning natural settings.


Powerful waterfall in Iceland that is a setting for Drogon in Game of Thrones.
Drogon emerges near this waterfall. Watch out!
Our first stop brought us to the waterfall where Daenerys' dragon Drogon snatches a goat. The powerful waterfall sets a dramatic backdrop to Drogon's startling appearance.

Thingvellir in Iceland serves as the path to Eyrie in Game of Thrones.
The arduous path to Eyrie.
I cannot visit Iceland without a stop at Thingvellir. Truly one of the most beautiful places on Earth. So, it is no shock that the national park was chosen as a filming location. In Game of Thrones, Thingvellir is home to the path to Eyrie.

A lovely waterfall provides a scenic backdrop in Thingvellir in Iceland.
A lovely waterfall provides a scenic backdrop in Thingvellir.
Thingvellir also is the filming location for a scene between Arya and the Hound. In addition to being a stunning filming location, Thingvellir is culturally significant for being the location where Iceland's parliament was founded in 930. Iceland's parliament is the world's oldest. Geologically, Thingvellir is the location where the Eurasian and North American plates drift apart. You will be swept away when visiting this portion of Iceland!

Turf church at Stong Farmstead in Iceland.
Turf church at Stong Farmstead.

A gentle waterfall at the Stong farmstead in Iceland.
The waterfall at the Stong farmstead looks amazing surrounded by the warmth of fall colors.
Early communities and farmsteads featured turf houses. The reconstructions of the Stong Farmhouse, a Viking-age longhouse, and a church provided a setting for a scene with Ygritte. The location was captivating especially with the fall colors.

Gjáin Gorge  in Iceland featuring a magical landscape was a filming location for Game of Thrones
 Gjáin Gorge features a magical landscape.
Our last portion of the excursion brought us to a slice of paradise, Gjáin Gorge. As we stood above the gorge, we could not believe we were viewing a real place. Standing above was surreal. There are so many different paths leading to brooks, waterfalls, rock formations and more. The area was featured in scenes with Arya. Really a natural wonderland! Maybe I have a new favorite place in Iceland?


Visiting Gjain in Iceland.


We loved our day visiting Game of Thrones sites. I was worried that the tour would disappoint but every site was absolutely stunning! We would have been totally enamored with each site even if we were not Game of Thrones fans. If you are thinking about the tour, we loved it but I do recommend bringing some extra snack options with you as the lunch portion was a bit disappointing. (Not included but options were sparse.) Other than that, we had a magnificent day!

**Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Touring Game of Thrones Sites in Iceland

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