When we booked our trip to Belfast we knew Northern Ireland played a huge part in the production of Game of Thrones. There are so many filming locations including the Dark Hedges aka the Kings Road, Castle Ward home of Winterfell and Cushendun Caves where Melisandre had her shadow baby. However it was by complete chance that our trip coincided with the Game Of Thrones Exhibition visiting Belfast. We didn’t realise until after we had booked our trip but we were delighted with our luck. The Game Of Thrones Exhibition is touring across the world but there are specific items that are exclusive to Belfast as so much of the filming was done there. This is our honest Game Of Thrones Exhibition Review.

game of thrones exhibition sign

Game Of Thrones Exhibition Review – Belfast Dates

The Game Of Thrones Exhibition is in Belfast until 1st September 2019. There are time slots available every 15 minutes from 10am until 6pm and you can buy your tickets online (£1 booking fee) or simply get your tickets on the day.

Game Of Thrones Exhibition Review – Ticket Cost

The tickets at Belfast were priced at £15 per adult and £10 per child Monday to Thursday, or £17.50 for adults, £12.50 for children Friday to Sunday. Children under five go free. If you visit the Titanic Museum prior to the exhibition you can get £2 off per adult ticket.

Game of thrones exhibition westeros sign

Game Of Thrones Exhibition Review – Location and Parking

You can visit the Game Of Thrones Exhibition at the Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast. Situated in the Titanic Quarter, it’s easy to find and well signposted. We drove in from our hotel in Templepatrick and found there was a large carpark right outside the venue charging £5 per car. Right next door you can just about spot the (now destroyed!) Kings Landing set from season 8 at the Titanic Studios. You can’t access the set so this is as close as you can get!

kings landing set belfast

Game Of Thrones Exhibition Review – Our initial experience

We entered the exhibition with our three kids in tow and there were just a handful of other people with us at our allotted time. We visited on a Wednesday at 11am and bought our tickets from the venue.

They showed us clips from the show (child friendly so it was very short!) to get us in the Game Of Thrones spirit. There was an opportunity (paid) to have your photo taken to make it look like you’re either riding a dragon or stroking one. We decided just to get the kids’ photo taken and were really pleased with it!

Game of thrones exhibition - dragon photo opp

There’s so much to see. As huge Game Of Thrones fans my husband and I were like kids in a sweet shop! We didn’t know where to look first. We loved seeing the outfits and costumes that were instantly recognisable from the screen. You just don’t realise quite how much detail and attention has gone into each costume until you see them up close. Margaery Tyrell’s wedding dress was particularly stunning.

Game of thrones exhibition - Joffrey wedding

Game Of Thrones Exhibition Belfast Review : Costumes and artefacts

There’s the opportunity to see the Brothers of the Night Watch including Jon Snow and the infamous traitor sign.

You can see the outfits from various characters and houses, including Tyrion Lannister, Ramsay Bolton and Oberyn Martell. Daenerys and Missandei’s dresses were also on display surrounded by Unsullied soldiers.

Game Of Thrones Exhibition Belfast Daenerys Missandei

I loved being able to see the costumes of my favourite characters including Jaime Lannister (who will always have my heart!) and The Hound. Next to his armour you can see just how small Arya was!

Game Of Thrones Exhibition Belfast the hound and arya

There’s not just large items and costumes on display; you can also have a close up view of various swords including Arya’s needle and Jon Snow’s Long Claw. There’s also lots of smaller items including the stag carved by Ser Davos for Shireen Baratheon and Jaime’s gold hand.

Game Of Thrones Exhibition Belfast golden hand

One of the highlights is definitely the Red Keep where we get to see not only the costumes of the likes of Joffrey and Cersei but also the Iron Throne.

Game Of Thrones Exhibition Belfast the red keep

Game Of Thrones Exhibition Belfast Review – Exclusives

Due to the amount of filming that was done in Belfast, the exhibition hosted exclusives that won’t be seen elsewhere. The Stark Crypt was one of the exhibits we were glad we could see. Good old Ned can be seen along with other Starks who had met their demise. 

The most impressive collections though was the huge dragon skulls. The kids loved seeing them and there was something quite eerie about them. The lighting and layout created a great atmosphere.

Game Of Thrones Exhibition Review- Suitable for kids?

Obviously the exhibition isn’t something you’d necessarily think of when it comes to days out with kids. We were worried about how suitable the exhibition would be for our three. Obviously they have never seen the show so didn’t know what they were looking at! There’s nothing explicit that would make it unsuitable for children. The kids actually really enjoyed the exhibition. They loved touching the items they were allowed to, especially the swords!

Game Of Thrones Exhibition Belfast Jon snow sword

The kids, especially the boys also loved the dragon skulls! Our boys also took part in a photo opportunity where they could lie down and the reflected mirror image made it look like they were climbing The Wall. It was the little touches like this that kept them entertained throughout what could have been a boring experience for them.

Game Of Thrones Exhibition Belfast the wallPlus who wouldn’t want to sit on the Iron Throne?! There was a paid photo opp for the Iron Throne or you could take your own photo for free. Game of thrones exhibition - iron throne

Game Of Thrones Exhibition Review- Gift Shop

We were quite disappointed with the gift shop. We were hoping for items we hadn’t seen before but there seemed to be a very limited selection.

Game Of Thrones Exhibition Belfast Review – Summary

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Game Of Thrones Exhibition. It was the ultimate treat for Game of Thrones fans and well worth every penny. To find out where the tour is headed to next, check out the official website.