Can we agree that any self-respecting Game of Thrones^® addict would jump at the opportunity to explore the real-world Westeros? Well, Northern Ireland is home to more Seven Kingdoms locations than anywhere else. Follow this three-day itinerary to travel from the North, through the Neck and into the turbulent Stormlands.

Northern Ireland Day 1 – Winterfell and the North

Start your Game of Thrones tour in the Haunted Forest of Westeros, a.k.a. Tollymore Forest Park, to walk among the splendid redwoods, ancient stone constructions, and hopefully not come upon any of the inhospitable White Walkers.

Drive about an hour to visit the 12th-century monastic ruins of Inch Abbey on the Quoile River where the War of the Five Kings began after Ned Stark’s death. Travel Maestro tip: Nearby in Downpatrick, visit the St. Patrick Centre to learn about the life and works of the patron saint of Ireland.

Next, don’t miss a visit to Winterfell, a.k.a. 16th-century Castle Ward. Here you can dress in character and walk in the footsteps of Tyrion Lannister and Jon Snow, fire live arrows on the archery range movie set, and take a bicycle tour of filming locations on the demesne. Travel Maestro tip: With prior arrangement, you can meet and play with Odin and Thor, the actual Direwolves from Game of Thrones^®

Drive less than an hour to walk the sands of the azure waters below Castle Stokeworth, a.k.a. Quintin Castle, c. 1184. You’ll recognize the bay as the backdrop to the dramatic scene where Jaime Lannister and Bronn of the Blackwater hatched a plot to retrieve Princess Myrcella from Dorne.

Northern Ireland Day 2 – The Dark Hedges

Continue your Game of Thrones^® Northern Ireland tour in the craggy landscape of the Neck, a.k.a. the Antrim Plateau. The windswept plains against the ridge of basalt are the dramatic setting for the tense scene where Sansa Stark learns from Littlefinger that she is betrothed to the terrible Ramsay Bolton.

Nearby, drive to the Dothraki Sea, a.k.a. Shillanavogy Valley, where rowdy Khal Drogo rode with his new bride, Daenerys Targaryen, and her wicked brother Viserys. Continue toward the coast to Runestone, a.k.a. Glenariff, Queen of the Glens of Atrium, where Lord Yohn Royce takes Robyn Arryn to raise him. Travel Maestro tip: If you have time, explore more of the wild splendor of waterfalls and rugged cliffs of the nine deep glens along 80-miles of coastline.

If you dare, explore the 400 million years old Cushendun Caves on the Antrim coast. In Westeros, Melisandre used the caves to summon her demon to commit murder. Drive along the Causeway Coastal Route past Slavers Bay, a.k.a. Murlough Bay, where Tyrion Lannister and Jorah Mormont ran afoul of slavers on their way to Meereen. Travel Maestro tip: Although it’s not featured in Game of Thrones, you’re sure to enjoy a stop at the Giant’s Causeway.

Stop in Pyke, a.k.a. Ballintoy, home of the fearsome Ironborn. In real life, it’s a charming town. Travel Maestro tip: If you have nerves of steel, walk across the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge erected by fishermen 350 years ago.

Complete your touring day by walking the legendary Dark Hedges. The lane of 200-year-old beech trees was the setting for Arya’s flight from the Lannisters down the Kingsroad alongside the Night Watch.

Northern Ireland Day 3 – The Beaches of Dragonstone

Explore the coast of Dorne and the golden sand dunes of Portsteward Strand where Jaime and Bronn were captured and the Sand Sisters conspired to start a war. Very close by, you can watch from the pristine white sands of Downhill Beach as surfers take on the waves – the same beach where Stannis Baratheon rejects the seven old gods of Westeros and enters Dragonstone into the War of the Five Kings.

Travel inland to Binevenagh Mountain and walk the trails to take in epic panoramic views. You might even see dragons – Daenerys and her dragon found refuge here – or more likely gliders soaring from the mountain top.

Complete your Game of Thrones^® tour of Northern Ireland with a two and a half hour drive south to Pollnagollum Cave in the Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark. This is the place where the Brotherhood Without Banners shelter and Sandor Clegane faces a trial-by-combat. Travel Maestro tip: Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark straddles the border of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It offers a wide variety of sites of interest and is one of the Ireland’s best examples of sustainable tourism.

To plan your own Game of Thrones^® tour of Northern Ireland, contact your Covington vacation specialist today.