Are you looking to visit the Game Of Thrones doors in Northern Ireland? You have come to the right place! The Game Of Thrones doors are such a cool and unique experience to have and one that you can only have if you visit Northern Ireland! The Doors Of Thrones [as they are officially called] are relatively new and gaining popularity, so if you want to check them out before they are mobbed, now is the time to do so! Our guide will teach you how to have a fun and enjoyable experience visiting the Game Of Thrones Doors in Ireland!

We have included our top 5 Doors Of Thrones that you must visit, as well as pertinent information for planning your trip to Ireland to visit these beautiful doors. We recommend spending some time getting to take in each door as they are so beautiful and well done that you really won’t want to miss any of them!

How To Visit The Game Of Thrones Doors In Northern Ireland

What Are The Game Of Thrones Doors

The Game Of Thrones doors are actually a cool little upcycle project! Have you heard of the Dark Hedges in Northern Ireland? They are a Game Of Thrones filming location and have become quite popular recently for tourists and photographers to visit. They are an avenue of 18th-century beech trees that line the driveway to an old manor house.

In January 2016, a big storm knocked down some of the famous trees. The ground underneath had been weakened by so many travelers driving their cars down the road and some of the trees sadly fell over.

Instead of just getting rid of the damage, the wood from the trees was salvaged and turned into 10 unique and intricate doors that depict detailed scenes from Game Of Thrones Season 6. These doors were then placed all around Northern Ireland in local pubs and small hotels and are now known as the Game Of Thrones doors or officially as the Doors Of Thrones. Below, we tell you which 5 of the 10 doors are our favorite and the ones that you must see. There are other ones you can totally visit, but we share our personal favorites in this article!

The Game Of Thrones doors were once trees that lined an actual Game Of Thrones filming location in Northern Ireland and have been beautifully transformed into works of art that you can see all around the country!

Where The Game Of Thrones Doors Are Located

The Game Of Thrones doors are located all around Northern Ireland, but many are on the northern and eastern coast of the country and along the Antrim Coast. The doors are all located in local pubs, restaurants, and hotels and these local establishments take great pride in their door. They were all somehow integral in the filming of Game Of Thrones and have been bestowed a door. This is so cool as the doors are handcrafted and so incredibly well made and beautiful. You can even see some of them when following our Ireland road trip itinerary!

If you decide to visit the Game Of Thrones doors, make sure you are respectful of these locations and their owners and do not take up too much space getting the perfect photo and disturbing other customers trying to eat or enjoy a pint. While you are visiting the GOT doors, make sure to ask the shop or store owner about their role in the filming. Someone at each location should be able to give you a tidbit about which actors and actresses visited that location and how it played a role during the filming process. For example, if the cast went there to hang out to get out of the rain when it rained for a week straight during filming. It is just so cool to learn all of these unique facts and details when visiting!

Our Top 5 Favorite Game Of Thrones Doors To Visit

If you have time, then you will be able to visit all 10 Game Of Thrones doors. If you are on a limited schedule, there are certain doors that are more easily accessible and easier to visit than others. For example, door #4 is located in Enniskillen which is to the far west of Northern Ireland so it is a bit more difficult and out-of-the-way to get to. We have compiled our top 5 favorite doors at of the 10 that are spread around the filming locations in Northern Ireland. We love these doors so much for the reasons listed below and really recommend visiting at least these five if you have the time!

Here are some of our suggestions to visit if you have a limited time to visit the Game Of Thrones doors and want to check out the top 5 best doors in Northern Ireland!

The Cuan. The Cuan is an adorable inn and restaurant located about 1 hour south of Belfast in Strangford. It is easy to hit on your way coming up from Dublin if you fly into Dublin and make your way into Belfast. We love The Cuan because this is where the cast actually stayed during the filming of GOT! It played a big part in filming and it makes sense that it is the first door as this is truly where Game Of Thrones originated! There are also many filming locations nearby so you can hit multiple things all in one day!
Gracehill House. You know that no trip to Northern Ireland is complete without being one of the mobs of people who visit the Dark Hedges. Gracehill House is located right next to the Dark Hedges and is home to the 7th Game Of Thrones door. If you are visiting the Dark Hedges, it makes sense to easily pop in and check another door off your passport. When visiting the Dark Hedges and Gracehill House, make sure to arrive early if you want to visit without all of the crowds from tour buses. Alternatively, you can arrive later in the day and have the whole place to yourself too!
Ballygally Castle. The cool part about visiting the Game Of Thrones door at Ballygally Castle is that you can actually stay in the castle AND the castle is haunted [for reals!] by 3 ghosts that have been around for hundreds of years. The hotel is right on the water and even hosts Game Of Thrones dinners and afternoon tea [we did the dinner and we highly recommend it!] Door 9 features the epic Battle Of The Bastards and the Game Of Thrones door at Ballygally Castle is near to 5 other filming locations. You can visit the door and the locations and spend the night in a haunted castle all in the same day! We really enjoyed seeing this door as the Battle Of The Bastards is one of our favorite scenes from GOT.
Fullerton Arms. Let’s be real, Fullerton Arms is on our list of must-see Game Of Thrones doors because it is the door dedicated to Daenerys and her dragons which makes it an automatic must-see! Door 6 is located in Ballintoy which is also where a famous filming location for the Iron Islands is located. It is also quite near Dunluce Castle which is also part of the Iron Islands. This Game Of Thrones door is located in an adorable pub so you should totally get a bite to eat and a pint!
Mary McBrides. This door is all focused on Arya and is close by 5 other Game Of Thrones filming locations. We love the Game Of Thrones doors that are near a lot of locations because it makes it easy to see all sorts of things in one day without having to go out of your way! This one is near some epic caves used in the filming and a variety of waterfront and mountain locations. It is a pub and was once known as the smallest pub in Ireland! It is a great place to stop in and see the door and have a pint to relax and enjoy the quaint Irish pub.

Of course, we think all of the Game Of Thrones doors are worth stopping and seeing, but if you can only hit a few, these are our favorites as explained above! If you go, let us know which door was your favorite! These are our top 5 out of the 10 possible doors to visit during your Game Of Thrones trip in Ireland.

How Much Time To Allow To See The Game Of Thrones Doors

You can see a few Game Of Thrones doors in a single day if you allow enough time. To see all of the doors, you will probably need to budget at least 2-3 days of time. Otherwise, it is pretty easy to see a few of the 10 Game Of Thrones doors in one day as some of the locations are grouped together, especially along the Causeway Coast. Check out the map we have below of the Game Of Thrones Northern Ireland app to find the exact locations of the doors all around the country.

At each stop, we recommend allowing at least 10-15 minutes so you can see the door and take a bathroom break. If you are going to grab a pint or a bite to eat at one of the locations, then obviously budget longer so you can enjoy your meal and drink. Allowing time to enjoy the doors and talk with locals who may have been involved with the filming is truly the best part of this experience. Ask about some of the history of the doors and each location’s role in the filming process.

What To Know About The “Game Of Thrones Filming Locations Northern Ireland App”

If you plan to visit the Game Of Thrones doors in Northern Ireland and other Game Of Thrones filming locations as well, you are going to want to download the “Game Of Thrones Filming Locations Northern Ireland App.” It is completely FREE and created by the Northern Ireland tourism board to show off the Game Of Thrones doors and accessible filming locations around the country. Honestly, this is one of the best apps created by a tourism board that we have ever used!

The Game Of Thrones Northern Ireland app is free to download on IOS and Android and is very user-friendly. We love the interactive map included in the app and how it shows off the difference between the Game Of Thrones doors vs the Game Of Thrones filming locations. If you download the app and click on one of the “door” icons on the map, it will open to a page that talks about that specific door along with which filming locations that door is near and GPS directions on how to find that door!

If you are planning a Game Of Thrones trip to Northern Ireland, you must download the app! It is so user-friendly and you don’t need the internet to access all the features! You won’t regret it and it really adds to your trip and provides you with tidbits of information you would never think of otherwise. We really enjoyed using this app to discover Game Of Thrones filming locations all around Ireland during our trip. It really adds to the experience.

Getting Your “Journey Of Doors” Passport

Even if you are only visiting a few of the Game Of Thrones doors, you are going to want to get your “Journey Of Doors” passport. You can pick up your “passport” at ANY of the Game Of Thrones doors locations around Northern Ireland. If you don’t see the passport on display, simply ask a member of the staff and they will be more than happy to provide you with a free passport. This is a totally awesome memento to keep from your trip and the fact that it is free makes it even better!

Once you pick up your free Journey Of Doors passport, make sure to ask the location where you got it to give you a stamp. Congratulations on receiving your first Game Of Thrones doors stamp! Now, at every door you visit, make sure to ask the staff for a stamp so you can continue to fill out your passport and be all official and cool.

You will have to ask for a stamp at each location and a member of the staff has to officially stamp your passport, you cannot do it yourself. So do not be afraid to waltz into a pub or hotel and kindly ask for a Game Of Thrones doors stamp. The staff are used to it and have the stamp readily available to stamp your passport.

These passports are so popular that people have turned to fill out their passport and then selling them online for a lot of money! THAT is how unique and popular visiting the Game Of Thrones doors really is! Don’t be that person, so make sure to pick up your very own GOT Doors passport during your trip and get it filled out yourself!

Where To Fly Into When Visiting The Game Of Thrones Doors

If you hope to visit the Game Of Thrones doors you obviously have to get yourself to Northern Ireland. You have three options. Fly into Dublin, fly into Belfast, or take a ferry from the UK. We flew into Dublin and it is quite affordable from most destinations, especially in the USA. If you are based in Europe, flying into Belfast will be easy and affordable for you as well. We don’t recommend the ferry option, but had to include it as it is indeed a way to arrive in Northern Ireland!

If you choose to fly into Dublin, it will take roughly 1.5 hours to get into Belfast. If you don’t want to go straight to Belfast you can always drive to one of the doors first anywhere in the country. We just use Belfast for reference as it is a popular place to begin your stay in Northern Ireland.

If you fly into Belfast, you are in for a real treat! Belfast is located in the heart of Northern Ireland and it is very close to many Game Of Thrones Doors all around the country. Sometimes, flying into Belfast can be a bit more expensive, but it is a great option if you want to be right in the heart of the country when you begin your trip. Flying into Belfast is often more affordable depending on where you are coming from. Make sure to check both airports when planning your visit!

How To Get Around Northern Ireland

For seeing the Game Of Thrones doors, you pretty much have two options. You can do a self-drive road trip or you can take a tour. Many tours don’t stop at all of the Game Of Thrones doors so if you want to see them all you will have to rent a car and drive yourself. Renting a car in Ireland or Northern Ireland is surprisingly easy and affordable and you should have no problem if you want to go this route.

There are a variety of great Game Of Thrones tours in Ireland, but not all of them take you to the Game Of Thrones doors. Many just take you to popular sights such as Giant’s Causeway and the Dark Hedges but skip visiting the Game Of Thrones doors. If you are taking a tour, make sure that you are 100% certain that they visit at least a few doors on your itinerary so you don’t miss out.

Map Of Game Of Thrones Doors Locations

If you want a quick visual guide to the Game Of Thrones doors locations around Northern Ireland, this map created by the Ireland tourism board is perfect for you! We also love that this map includes the area that each location was used in the series so you know if you want to visit or skip different parts of Northern Ireland depending on which filming locations and doors you want to see. Download the app for an even more detailed and informative map!

Visiting the Game Of Thrones doors in Northern Ireland is such a fun and unique thing to do! We love that they are fashioned out of recycled wood from another Game Of Thrones filming location and are all in local establishments. We love the app and the Journey of Doors passport for making the experience fun and easy as well!

You are going to want to visit the Game Of Thrones doors before they become super popular and hard to visit without a crowd of other tourists. There is no better time to plan your Game Of Thrones trip to Northern Ireland than NOW! You are going to love the doors and the countryside! It is no surprise that Game Of Thrones was filmed there!

Please note: We were invited on a press trip with Tourism Ireland for the purpose of this post. All opinions are our own and do not reflect Tourism Ireland or Discover Northern Ireland.

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5 Best Game Of Thrones Doors In Ireland + How To Find Them