If you want to build a holiday around the screen, Europe makes it easy: dozens of famous locations sit within a short flight or drive of one another. Here are three loops that each string several together, plus how to pace them.
Loop 1: the Mediterranean (about a week)
Start in Taormina, Sicily, where the San Domenico Palace anchored a season of resort drama and the ancient theatre frames Mount Etna. Fly on to mainland Spain for the Dornish courtyards of the Real Alcázar of Seville. If time allows, add a Greek-island coda on Skopelos, home to the clifftop chapel of a certain singalong wedding.
Loop 2: Britain and Ireland (about ten days)
Base in Scotland first. The Highlands give you the Glenfinnan Viaduct, the Hogwarts Express bridge , and the glens of Outlander. Drop south through central Scotland for Castle Leoch and Lallybroch, then into England for Bath and Greenwich, where the Regency facades of Bridgerton wait. A short hop to Northern Ireland closes the loop with Winterfell.
Loop 3: Iberia (about a week)
Western Spain is one big period set. The medieval old town of Cáceres and the castle at Trujillo became the capital of House of the Dragon. Swing through Madrid for the real-life targets of Money Heist, then north to the Basque coast for Dragonstone.
Pacing it
Two or three locations a day is plenty. Set-jetting is best when you leave room to actually enjoy the place, not just photograph the frame.
- Book ticketed sites (Alcázar, castles, the steam train) before you travel.
- Group spots by region and rent a car where the locations are rural.
- Shoulder seasons, May and September, give you the light without the queues.
Browse every destination on the map to assemble your own route.