Ok lets not beat around the bush. Dubrovnik is absolutely stunning! And for a small city (only 21kmsq) there are plenty of fantastic & fun things to do in Dubrovnik!
But before you read through all my suggestions, let’s just clarify what all the fuss is about this ancient UNESCO world heritage city.
The main thing is it’s truly ancient! Founded in the 7th Century, the old city is surrounded by its majestic defensive city walls built during the 15th & 16th centuries.
While much of the City was destroyed by a huge earthquake in 1667, some of the original buildings in the old town survived and are still there to this day.
Add to that smooth cobble stoned streets, winding back alleys, magnificent baroque style architecture, the most incredible views over the Adriatic coast, and lots and lots (and lots) of steps and you have yourself a stunningly beautiful city to explore.
Plus it’s most recent claim to fame is as the filming location for many of the most iconic Games of Thrones episodes (mainly used for scenes at King’s Landing), ‘Nottingham’ in the 2018 Robin Hood movie and scenes in the Last Jedi, part of the Star Wars saga!
And you’ll soon see why when you visit and see for yourself!
I recently spent 3 fantastic days in this fabulous city and here are my top recommendations of the best things to do in Dubrovnik.
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Top 10 Very Best Things to Do in Dubrovnik; TL;DR;
- Walk the Dubrovnik City Walls
- Explore Dubrovnik Old Town
- Jump the Cliff at Buza Bar
- Take the Cable Car to Mount Srd
- Do the Game of Thrones Walking Tour
- Explore Lovrijenac Fort
- Take the Ferry to Lokrum Island
- Take a Boat trip to the Elaphite Islands
- See the Dubrovnik Coastline by Sea Kayak
- Take a Day Trip to Montenegro or Bosnia
Top 10 Best Things to Do in Dubrovnik;
1. Walk the Dubrovnik City Walls
Some 1940 meters long, and completely surrounding the old town, the city walls are an absolute must do, when visiting Dubrovnik.
With six fortresses (four within the walls, two external), four gates and multiple towers & bastions, plus the most incredible views over the Adriatic Sea, the city harbor and the entirety of the old town, it took me around two hours to explore the city walls.
Of course it’s obligatory to stop for the odd cold refreshment en route plus plenty of photo taking. In fact, close to the end of the walk there is a fabulous little bar built into the walls where you can stop for a cold Croatian beer while enjoying the views.
So beautiful are Dubrovnik’s city walls that many Games of Thrones scenes were filmed here.
Entering the city walls costs 250 HKR (around $30) but that also includes the entrance fee to the Lovrijenac Fortress.
2. Explore Dubrovnik Old Town
Probably the one of the most important things to do in Dubrovnik is to explore the old town.
Old town Dubrovnik is absolutely beautiful and took me completely by surprise.
The Stradun otherwise known as the Placa is the wide, main cobbled street that runs through the center of the old town.
Housing multiple cafes, bakeries, shops and restaurants, it’s also the entrance to numerous alleys and walkways where you’ll find even more restaurants, shops and cafes.
Much of the city was destroyed in the 1667 earthquake. Only The Sponza palace, Rector’s palace, and Revelin fortress survived. The rest of the city was rebuilt, damaged again during the Croatian War of Independence in 1991 and then repaired and restored in the late 1990’s to become one of the Mediterraneans top tourist destinations.
When you start exploring you get the feeling it’s big and confusing to get around, however, after an hour or so you realize it’s actually quite small, yet majestic in its appearance because you’re surrounded by the most beautiful baroque, renaissance and gothic architecture.
Places to look out for while wandering the streets of the charming old town include;
Dubrovnik Cathedral
Otherwise known as ‘The Assumption of the Virgin Mary.’ The Dubrovnik Cathedral is the seat of the Diocese of Dubrovnik and was partially funded by King Richard the Lionheart following his survival of a shipwreck near Lokrum Island in 1192.
Visit the Cathedral Treasury which holds 182 reliquaries holding relics from the 11th – 18th centuries and be sure to study the painting of the Assumption of the Virgin over the main altar.
Franciscan Monastery
Built in 1317, the original church was destroyed in the 1667 quake, leaving only the decorated portal overlooking the placa, (Dubrovnik main street). However, the pharmacy is still standing and open and is the oldest functioning pharmacy in Europe and third oldest in the world!
There’s also a library built in the 17th century housing over 20,000 books.
Sponza Palace
Sponza Palace is the home of the city archives with documents dating back to the 12th century. One of only three main buildings to have survived the 1667 earthquake, the palace was built between 1516 and 1522 in a mixed gothic and renaissance style.
Over the years it’s been a bank, a school, a customs office, an armory, a treasury, a cultural center and a trading center and business meeting place.
Nowadays it’s used as a performance venue for the summer festival and the Luza square in front of the palace hosts the opening of the annual Summer Festival.
Clock Tower
Right next to Sponza Palace and at the end of the main street of Dubrovnik overlooking the whole of the place is the awesome Clock Tower.
Standing at 31 meters high, it’s unmistakable from all viewpoints around the city.
There are two figures or ‘jaquemarts’ (mechanic bell strikers) which strike the bell each hour and are known as Maro and Baro or the green ones for obvious reasons.
Due to there being several churches and the clock tower in and around the old town, the sounds of the bells each hour are quite powerful!
Church of St Blaise & Orlando’s Column
A beautiful baroque church built in 1715, its namesake Saint Blaise is the patron saint of the city of Dubrovnik.
When the Venetians anchored their ships in the city port in the 10th Century promising to leave after they had supplied themselves with food and drink, they were actually surveying the city and taking note of the weaknesses in the cities defenses. However, St Blaise revealed their intentions to the parish priest and the planned night attack was thwarted.
St Blaise saved the city and was named the city’s patron saint. He is celebrated every year with St Blaises Day on the 3rd February, also known as the City of Dubrovnik Day.
The church itself is a stunning building and one of the most important in Dubrovnik.
Standing at the front of the church, in the middle of Luza Square, is Orlando’s column. Unfortunately it was enclosed in scaffolding during our visit, but serves as a well known meeting place and features the knight Orlando who helped Dubrovnik to remain a free trade city state by defeating invaders in the middle ages.
City Harbor
Simply stunning is the Old Port Dubrovnik just a short walk from St Blaise Church and Luza Square.
Home to the Lokrum ferry line, many Dubrovnik sightseeing boat tours and serving as a marina for local private boats, it’s overlooked by the majestic St John’s Fortress, the 360 restaurant, the city walls and looks out to the East Coast of Dubrovnik.
Spend some time simply sipping a coffee, or enjoying lunch or dinner while taking in the wonderful ambience of the beautiful surroundings.
St John Fortress
The St Johns Fortress also known as the Mulo Tower is on the South Eastern side of the old city port.
As part of the defensive structure of the old town, it’s an impressive building which really lends itself to the entire ambience of the old city and in particular the port.
As you leave the port on the ferry to visit Lokrum Island you couldn’t wish for a better James Bond style movie setting!
Nowadays it houses an aquarium and a maritime museum.
Pile Gate
Known as the main entrance to the city, Pile Gate is also very famous for some iconic scenes in the second and third seasons of Game of Thrones!
One of four city gates, this is the main meeting point for locals and visitors and where we met up with our walking tour guide.
There’s also a fabulous restaurant just outside the gate overlooking Fort Lovrijenac and the bay below, called Nautika. Unfortunately we only had time to experience breakfast here, but if that was anything to go by, dinner would have been superb!
Large Onofrio’s Fountain
Living in Asia I’m so used to drinking bottled water it was strange to be able to fill up my water bottle from a public fountain in the middle of town. However, in the old city Dubrovnik you’ll find freshwater fountains in several locations.
The biggest is the Large Onofrio Fountain next to the entrance to the City Walls.
A sixteen sided structure displaying a unique stone-carved masked face on each side, with the faucet protruding from the mouth of each face.
Another iconic meeting place and beautifully designed fountain.