Essaouira Game of Thrones Locations: Visiting Astapor
Essaouira was Astapor in Game of Thrones Season 3 — the city where Daenerys buys the Unsullied — with its ramparts and Skala du Port appearing in episodes 1, 3 and 4, all walkable today and mostly free.
Key takeaways
- Essaouira appears as Astapor in Season 3, episodes 1, 3 and 4 — Daenerys's arrival, the Skala du Port scene with Ser Jorah, and the Walk of Punishment.
- The "Walk of Punishment" (S3E3) was staged on the Skala de la Ville ramparts, with crucifix bases built over the real cannon mounts.
- Cersei's Walk of Shame was NOT filmed here — that's Dubrovnik. The names confuse; the scenes don't overlap.
- Visiting is free (ramparts) or a few dirhams (port bastion); a guided city tour ($33–35) adds the film-history layer on request.
- Essaouira's screen résumé predates HBO: Orson Welles shot Othello here in 1949–50, and the town appears in John Wick: Chapter 3.
- Come before 10:00 for empty ramparts — the same advice for GoT photos as for everything else in our things-to-do guide.
Which scenes were filmed where in Essaouira?
| Scene | Episode | Real location | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daenerys arrives in Astapor, first sees the Unsullied | S3E1 "Valar Dohaeris" | Skala de la Ville ramparts | Free, always open |
| Jorah & Daenerys talk; the scorpion child | S3E1 | Skala du Port (blue boats visible) | Few dirhams entry |
| The Walk of Punishment | S3E3 "Walk of Punishment" | Ramparts — crucifixes built over cannon mounts | Free, always open |
| Unsullied negotiation with Kraznys | S3E3–E4 | Rampart bastion + set extensions | Free (bastion area) |
| "Dracarys" — plaza of Astapor | S3E4 "And Now His Watch Is Ended" | Essaouira locations blended with CGI | — |
How did Essaouira become Astapor?
The production needed a fortified slave-trading port on a warm sea, old enough to read as ancient and intact enough to shoot. Essaouira's 18th-century sea walls — built for Sultan Mohammed III, engineered by Théodore Cornut, and already a UNESCO World Heritage Site — offered cannon-lined ramparts with the Atlantic crashing beneath, plus a bastioned port that needed almost no dressing beyond banners. Morocco was already in the show's location stable: nearby Aït Benhaddou played Yunkai and Pentos. Filming took place in late 2012 for the March–April 2013 broadcast of Season 3.
What does the Walk of Punishment look like today?
Like a place where nothing so grim ever happened: the crucifix bases were temporary builds over the cannon emplacements, removed after the shoot. Stand at the northern stretch of the Skala de la Ville and the geometry of the scene assembles itself — the long wall, the regular cannon spacing the production used as rhythm for the crosses, Mogador Island offshore. Screenshots on your phone and morning light are all the equipment the comparison needs.
Is Essaouira worth visiting just for Game of Thrones?
As a pilgrimage alone, it's a half-day; nobody should ride three hours from Marrakech for that and turn around. But nobody has to: the locations happen to be the town's two best free sights anyway, and the rest of the day fills itself — the port's fish auction below the very bastion Jorah walked, a surf lesson in the bay Daenerys's ship sailed into, dinner in the medina. The show is a reason to come; the town is the reason to stay, a case we make at length in Is Essaouira worth visiting?
FAQ
Essaouira Game of Thrones FAQ
Was Game of Thrones filmed in Essaouira?+
Which Game of Thrones scenes were shot in Essaouira?+
Where was Cersei's Walk of Shame filmed?+
Where was the Unsullied army scene filmed?+
Can you visit the Game of Thrones locations in Essaouira for free?+
What else was filmed in Essaouira?+
Methodology: scene-to-location mapping is verified against episode footage and published location guides; historical facts cite UNESCO. The author walks these ramparts weekly.