FORT RICASOLI (Kalkara): Doors to the Red Keep.
In the region of Kalkara in west Malta, it is situated the biggest fort in the whole country: Fort Rocasoli.
This mighty fort represented (as could not be otherwise) the Red Keep in the first season of the show. In the following seasons the seat of the King of the Seven Kingdoms moved to Dubrovnik in Croatia.
The distinctive pillars guarding the access to Fort Ricasoli became during the filming days the main entrance to King’s Landing’s castle.
This fort in front of The Grand Harbour in Malta was built in the 17th century and it has appeared as a filming location in other productions such as Agora, Troy or Gladiator.
The entry into the fort is not allowed. However, from the Upper Barraka Gardens in Valletta there are amazing open views to this construction.
From afar you will be able to appreciate better its monumentality and imagine that inside its walls is living the King of the Seven Kingdoms.
If you visit our ‘Activities’ section we recommend you a guided tour in Valletta so you can enjoy this magnificent views!
FORT ST ANGELO (Birgu): The Red Keep corridors.
Only 3 kilometres away from Fort Ricasoli, we encounter another big fortress in the city of Birgu: Fort St Angelo.
Arya got lost in its maze-like corridors following a little cat in the fifth episode of season one. Luckily (in this case) nothing ever happened within the walls of the Red Keep that went unnoticed by its guard, who brought Arya back to her father Ned Stark.
FORT MANOEL (Manoel Island): The execution of Ned Stark.
This execution was the brutal way the show decided to tell us that in this universe EVERY SINGLE character could die at ANY given second.
The spot chosen to film this traumatic (and iconic) scene was Fort Manoel. This fort is considered as a marvel of modern engineering from the 18th century. And it is located in a strategic place between the cities of Sliema and Valletta.
With its stunning views overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and surrounded by beautiful gardens there couldn’t be a greater contrast between the beauty of this scenery and the atrocity that took place in it.
SAN ANTON PALACE AND GARDENS (Attard): Red Keep''s Gardens.
Attard in a town in the Central Region of the island, 15 kilometres away from Valletta. In this town it is located the San Anton Palace, the official residence of the President of Malta
The political significance of this building in reality mimic its political importance in the show. For both the interior of this palace and its gardens were used as another location to recreate the Red Keep in Malta.
This is the real place we see the Stark family arriving to when they get to King’s Landing, after Ned Stark was declared Hand of the King by Robert Baratheon himself.
Do you want to pay a visit to these “royal gardens”? In our ‘Activities’ section, some tours and experiences are listed for you to discover every corner of Malta.
MDINA: King's Landing.
Mdina is a medieval walled city located in the interior of the island of Malta, only 25 minutes away driving from Valletta. It is also known as ‘The Silent City’ and it was the country’s capital for many years. Mdina is a mandatory stop if you visit the island.
The streets of Mdina, with over 4.000 years of history, transport us to the capital of the Seven Kingdoms, King’s Landing, in season one.
Cately Stark arrived here on her horse along Ser Rodrik to warn her husband Ned Stark about his potential enemies. Catelyn and Ser Rodrick crossed Mdina’s bridge towards the main gate into the walled city and, once inside, they were stopped by the guards in Piazza Mesquita.
This paradise of silence in the interior part of the island is within your reach! Click on the ‘Activities’ link where we will recommend you some guided tours.
CHURCH OF ST DOMINIC & THE BLESSED VIRIGIN (Rabat): A courtyard in the Red Keep.
About 4 kilometres away from Mdina, and half an hour away driving down the west from Valletta, it is situated the town of Rabat. Although this Maltese town is famous for its Catacombs, the show’s producers set their eyes on the Church of St Dominic & The Blessed Virgin.
The 15th century cloister of this Church was turned into a beautiful courtyard within the Red Keep. The place where it took place a conversation that would change the destiny of the Seven Kingdoms forever.
This is the spot where Ned Stark warned Cersei Lannister (who at the moment was still a Baratheon) about his intentions to unmask her before the King Robert Baratheon, her husband. Ned planned to tell Robert about the fact that his children with Cersei were, in fact, the children of Jamie Lannister, Cersei’s twin brother. Ned advised Cersei to escape the city with her three children before her secret came to light.
This “friendly” talk ended when Cersei said the following words: “When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die”. A sentence that came to be a veiled threat preparing us for what was yet to come.
Visit this and other sceneries from the show in a guided tour along the streets of Rabat. Click on ‘Activities’ to know more!
DINGLI CLIFFS: Dothraki territory.
On the west coast of Malta (17 kilometres away from Valletta), we encounter the majestic Dingli Cliffs. These natural monuments which tower more than 250 metres above the sea. Such wilderness area could only became part of the Dothraki territory.
Many scenes from the first season of the show were shot here. Among them, there are two outstanding moments: One when Khal Drogo, wounded, falls from his horse and the other when Daenerys walks out unharmed (and a bit scared) from the fire of his husband funeral pile with her baby dragons.
In this latter scene the Mediterranean Sea besides the cliffs was turned into a vast desert. In order to represent the vast plains of the Dothraki Sea.
You can also explore these impressive cliffs looking over the Mediterranean Sea. In the ‘Activities’ section, you will be able to know more about guided tours to these natural wonders combined with other touristic attractions on the island.
