Dubrovnik – a Hollywood of its own

Dubrovnik has been considered one of the most attractive cities for filming films and series for decades. Its stone architecture, walls and sea view have made it a unique backdrop that is difficult to find anywhere else in the world. That is why directors have used it as a substitute for numerous historical and fictional cities, but also as an authentic location when it was necessary to show Dubrovnik. Over the years, the city has become a kind of Hollywood in its own right, a place where major global projects, domestic films and documentary series have been filmed.

Dubrovnik experienced its greatest global popularity thanks to the series Game of Thrones (2011 – 2019), in which the old city served as King’s Landing, the capital of the world of Westeros. Scenes were filmed on Lovrijenac, Minčeta, Stradun, Lokrum and Trsteno, and it was this series that brought enormous tourist interest to the city. After its broadcast, Dubrovnik became one of the most famous places for film tourism, and thematic tours dedicated to the series are still among the most sought-after today. Emilia Clarke, the actress from the series, often emphasized how impressed she was by Dubrovnik and how despite the heat and numerous tourists, she enjoyed filming on the walls of Dubrovnik.

Dubrovnik has also appeared in major Hollywood productions. In the film Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), it was transformed into the futuristic city of Canto Bight, while in the film Robin Hood (2018), it served as medieval Nottingham. In the action comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022), Nicolas Cage shot scenes in Scheherazade’s villa and in Trsten. It is interesting that Cage plays a fictitious version of himself in the film. Even earlier, in the movie Captain America (1990), Dubrovnik’s fortresses were used as a backdrop for the final scenes.

The city was also interesting for television productions. In the series Succession (2018-2023), the Roy family vacations in Dubrovnik, while in the historical series Borgia (2011-2014), it serves as Rome and other Renaissance cities. Locations in Dubrovnik were also used in the series Vikings: Valhalla (2022-2024), precisely because of its authentic look that easily fits into different historical periods.

The city’s film history goes back much further. As early as 1918, the film Aphrodite was filmed, one of the oldest feature films shot in Dubrovnik, while the film A Taste of Violence (1961) used Stradun and the surrounding streets as a backdrop. The city has also appeared in numerous Yugoslav and Croatian productions, often as a historical setting or a luxury resort.

Unlike foreign films in which Dubrovnik often plays other cities, in domestic projects it appears as itself. Croatian Radio and Television has filmed documentary and feature projects in the city, including the series Republic (2021), which depicts the history of the Dubrovnik Republic through several episodes. In such projects, the city is not just a backdrop, but an important part of the story itself.

Current shootings as well as announcements of future productions show that the movie popularity of the city under Srđ is not decreasing. One of them is the 5th season of the popular Netflix series Outer Banks, which was announced for release in 2026, and was filmed entirely in Dubrovnik and its surroundings in 2025.

Dubrovnik has also attracted some of the biggest names in world cinema over the years. It is known that Alfred Hitchcock was delighted with its beauty and architecture during his stay in the city, noting that few locations look so cinematic at first glance. It is precisely this combination of history, sea, and preserved walls that is the reason why directors often describe Dubrovnik as a finished set.

It is not uncommon for actors who come to film shoots to return later for private purposes. Over the years, the city has become a favorite destination for numerous foreign actors and film crew members, who often emphasize that they are attracted by the atmosphere of the old town, the sea, delicious food, and the feeling of staying in a place that looks like a film set.

Each new project filmed in Dubrovnik shows that the city is not just a historical backdrop, but a place whose beauty and unique atmosphere still inspires film stories and attracts productions, as well as tourists, from all over the world.