Game of Thrones locations vs. the real places (photos)

The fifth season of the hit series Game of Thrones kicks off on April 12 and promises another 10 episodes full of fantasy, intrigue, sex and violence in the mythical kingdom of the Westeros and Essos. Each episode costs 6 million dollars to produce and the actors travel to amazing locations in Iceland, Morocco and ireland in order to find the best places to depict the frozen cliffs of Vale, the deserts of the North and cities around Slaver Bay.

Locations used soon become sites of pilgrimage to fans of the series.

Photographs of Meteora in Thessaly, Greece, where important complexes of orthodox monasteries have been carved into the natural sandstone rock pillars were used to create some of the scenes filmed in Northern Irelans.

The real Meteora?

Winterfell, where House Stark is located is actually in Northern Ireland.

Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo's marriage ceremony took place at a fantasy area in Malta.

The Crownlands are in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Fort Lovrijenac is a fort at Dubrovnik where the Iron Throne of the Game of Thrones is located.

Grjótagjá cave in Iceland is the thermic lake in the north of the wall.

Fort Manoel in Malta is the Game of Thrones' Great Sept of Baelor.

Larrybane, in Northern Ireland Stormlands, near Storm End in the Game of Thrones.

Vatnajokull National Park in Iceland is the northern Wall of the Game of Thrones.

Ait-Ben-Haddou in Morocco is a city of  Slaver Bay from where Daenerys Targaryen was freed.