How long does it take to get from Winterfell to King's Landing in Game of Thrones? Author George R.R. Martin created the vast world of Westeros to serve as the setting of his epic fantasy, and once the fictional continent made its way to the small screen, it had many fans wondering how the characters navigate the enormous terrain.
Most of the action in Game of Thrones takes place in Westeros. It sits to the west of the Narrow Sea, the body of water that separated the continent from Essos. Westeros is the home of the Seven Kingdoms (now Six, thanks to Sansa Stark), including the locations of all the Houses in the realm. Beyond the Wall, in the north of Westeros, is a vast expanse of untamed land occupied by the Free Folk, and it's unknown how far this land stretches as no one has been able to map the Lands of Always Winter. The continent also stretches thousands of miles south to Dorne. In between, there are a number of popular locations often featured in the series - the two most prominent being Winterfell and King's Landing.
Since much of Game of Throne's early conflict focused on the tension between the Starks and the Lannisters, it made sense that Winterfell and King's Landing heavily appeared in the series. Characters often traveled between the two locations with ease, particularly as the show went on, but exactly how long would the travel time take? A fan (via Reddit) composed the distances of key landmarks within Westeros. According to the breakdown, Winterfell and King's Landing are 1,460 miles apart.
In order to get from Winterfell to King's Landing, you would most likely need to take the Kingsroad. The highway of sorts begins at Castle Black and travels south of King's Landing before ending at the castle of Storm's End. Here are some timeframes for how long it would take based on different forms of travel.
- Walking at an average 3 mph: ~486 hours (over 20 days)
- On horse at an average 5 mph: ~292 hours (over 12 days)
- Dragon speed at speculated 50 mph: ~29 hours
It's highly unlikely that any character could travel this distance without making numerous stops along the way. That would mean the timeframe for the travel should be increased by days or even weeks. There's also the option of traveling from Winterfell to White Harbor and sailing to Blackwater Bay, which was a popular route in Game of Thrones. Despite the long distance, the series often made it seem like it was an easy task to travel throughout Westeros.
In Game of Thrones season 8, Daenerys and her fleet were able to leave Winterfell and arrive in King's Landing the very next episode. Even though she would have arrived quickly by with her dragon, her army would have taken weeks to get there. Jon left with his forces later and still showed up at King's Landing shortly after Daenerys. The same goes for Arya, the Hound, and Jaime who left after the Battle of Winterfell and arrived in King's Landing before Daenerys' massacre. Sometimes in these situations, it's best to overlook the reality and just enjoy the story.