10 Best Things to Do in Dubrovnik, Croatia

No list of things to do in Dubrovnik is complete without the city walls. This 2 km loop of stone fortifications encircles the entire Old Town, rising up to 25 metres high and stretching 6 metres thick in places. Built between the 13th and 17th centuries, the walls are among the most complete and best-preserved defensive systems in Europe. Walking them offers an unbroken panorama of terracotta rooftops, the shimmering Adriatic, and the island of Lokrum floating just offshore.

The circuit is one-way (counterclockwise) and takes between 1 and 2 hours depending on your pace and how often you stop for photos. The highest section is along the northern landward wall, where Minceta Tower provides a commanding 360-degree view of the city. The seaward stretch on the south side passes directly above the cliff bars and the crashing waves below. There are three entry points: Pile Gate (busiest), Ploce Gate, and near the Maritime Museum at St. John's Fortress. Tickets cost around 35 EUR and include entry to Fort Lovrijenac.

Pro Tip: Enter at the Ploce Gate entrance at 08:00 when the walls open in summer. You will have the first 20-30 minutes nearly to yourself while the cruise ship crowds queue at Pile Gate. Bring water and sun protection - there is almost no shade on the walls.

The Stradun (also called Placa) is Dubrovnik's main street and the pulsing artery of the Old Town. Running 300 metres from Pile Gate to the Clock Tower at Luza Square, this broad limestone boulevard was paved in 1468 and has been polished to a mirror-like sheen by centuries of foot traffic. It was originally a marshy channel separating two settlements before being filled in during the 12th century.

The Stradun is flanked by uniform Baroque townhouses - all rebuilt to the same design after the catastrophic 1667 earthquake. At the Pile Gate end, the Onofrio's Large Fountain (1438) provides a popular meeting point and a cool drink from its 16 carved masks. At the opposite end, the Clock Tower, Sponza Palace, and Orlando's Column mark Luza Square, once the commercial heart of the Republic of Ragusa. Today the Stradun fills with visitors during the day and locals in the evening, when the cafes come alive.

Pro Tip: Walk the Stradun at dawn (before 07:00) or after 21:00 in summer to experience it without the crowds. The polished limestone reflects the streetlights beautifully at night, and you can hear your own footsteps echo off the stone facades.

Perched on a 37-metre-high sea cliff just outside the western walls, Fort Lovrijenac (St. Lawrence Fortress) has guarded Dubrovnik's seaward approach since the 11th century. The inscription above its entrance reads "Non Bene Pro Toto Libertas Venditur Auro" - Freedom is not sold for all the gold in the world - a motto that captures the defiant spirit of the former Republic of Ragusa. The fort's walls are up to 12 metres thick on the seaward side, tapering to just 60 cm facing the city, so that Dubrovnik could destroy it if the fortress ever fell to an enemy.

Today the fort serves as a performance venue for the Dubrovnik Summer Festival (July-August), when it transforms into a dramatic open-air theatre. Game of Thrones fans will recognise it as the Red Keep. The views from the upper terraces are spectacular - looking back across the old port, the city walls, and out to the open Adriatic. Entry is included with the city walls ticket, so plan to visit both on the same day.

Pro Tip: Visit Fort Lovrijenac in the late afternoon when the light is golden and the cruise ship crowds have thinned. If you are visiting during the Summer Festival (July 10 - August 25), book tickets for an evening performance inside the fort - it is one of the most atmospheric theatre experiences in Europe.

Just 600 metres offshore from Dubrovnik's Old Port, Lokrum is a lush, car-free nature reserve that feels like a different world from the bustling Old Town. The island is covered in dense Mediterranean pine and cypress forest, dotted with peacocks that roam freely, and surrounded by crystal-clear swimming spots. A ferry runs every 30 minutes from the Old Port in summer (about 15 minutes each way, round trip around 20 EUR including the nature reserve entry fee).

The island's highlights include the ruins of a Benedictine monastery founded in 1023, a botanical garden planted by Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg in the 1860s, the Dead Sea (Mrtvo More) - a small saltwater lake perfect for swimming, and a clifftop fort with panoramic views back to Dubrovnik. There is also a nudist beach (FKK) on the southeastern shore. One restaurant and a couple of beach bars serve food and drinks, but bringing your own water and snacks is a smart move.

Pro Tip: Take the first ferry of the day (usually 09:00) to reach the Dead Sea before it gets crowded. The saltwater lake is shallow and warm, ideal for floating. Check the last return ferry time before you go - it is typically 17:00 or 18:00 depending on season, and there is no accommodation on the island.

The Rector's Palace served as the seat of government for the Republic of Ragusa for centuries, housing the rector who was elected for a single month at a time and was not allowed to leave the building during his term. The palace blends Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque styles - a result of multiple reconstructions after gunpowder explosions and earthquakes. The elegant atrium with its arched colonnade is one of Dubrovnik's most photographed interiors.

Today the palace operates as the Cultural History Museum, displaying furniture, costumes, pharmacy equipment, and portraits from the Republic era. The collection gives tangible context to what daily life was like in this once-powerful city-state. Entry costs about 15 EUR, or you can buy a combined ticket that includes the Maritime Museum and Ethnographic Museum for better value. During the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, the atmospheric atrium hosts classical music concerts.

Pro Tip: Visit mid-afternoon when many visitors are at lunch or the beach. The palace is small and can feel crowded with tour groups in the morning. Look for the shelf carved into the stone wall outside the main entrance - it was used for measuring grain in the medieval marketplace.

The Dubrovnik Cable Car whisks you 405 metres up to the summit of Mount Srd in under four minutes, delivering what is arguably the single best viewpoint in the entire city. From the upper station, the Old Town spreads out below like a scale model - every tower, dome, and alleyway visible against the deep blue of the Adriatic. On clear days you can see the Elafiti Islands, the Peljesac Peninsula, and even across to Italy.

The lower station is just outside Ploce Gate. A return ticket costs about 27 EUR for adults. At the top there is a restaurant with a terrace, a small museum dedicated to the Croatian War of Independence (the Homeland War Museum, housed in the Imperial Fort Napoleon), and the starting point for hiking trails along the ridge. The cable car was destroyed during the 1991-1992 siege and rebuilt in 2010 - the war museum at the summit tells that story with photographs, weapons, and personal accounts.

Pro Tip: Go up about 45 minutes before sunset for the best light over the Old Town. The queue is shorter then than at midday. If you are feeling adventurous, hike up via the zig-zag trail from behind the Old Town (steep, about 45 minutes) and take the cable car down.

Tucked just inside the Pile Gate entrance, the Franciscan Monastery dates to the 14th century and shelters one of Dubrovnik's most peaceful corners. The highlight is the Romanesque cloister - a double colonnade of slender columns topped with carved capitals depicting human faces, animals, and plant motifs. Each column is unique. The cloister garden, planted with orange and palm trees, feels miles away from the Stradun crowds just metres outside.

Inside the monastery is the Mala Braca Pharmacy, which has been in continuous operation since 1317, making it the third-oldest working pharmacy in Europe. You can still buy natural remedies - rose cream and lavender water are popular souvenirs. The adjoining museum displays old pharmacy equipment, manuscripts, and religious art. The monastery church, largely rebuilt after the 1667 earthquake, contains a marble Pieta above the main altar. Entry to the cloister and museum is about 8 EUR.

Pro Tip: Before entering the monastery, look to the left of the church portal on the narrow lane - you will spot a small stone head protruding from the wall. Local tradition says you should stand on the ledge below it and try to balance on one foot while removing your shirt. It looks absurd, but it draws a crowd every evening.

Buza (meaning "hole in the wall" in Croatian) is Dubrovnik's most famous open-air bar, carved into the rocky cliffs on the seaward side of the Old Town walls. There are actually two Buza bars - Buza I and Buza II - both accessed through small openings in the southern city wall. Buza II (the more well-known one) is signposted with a small "Cold Drinks" sign near the Jesuit Church. You step through a gap in the stone wall and suddenly find yourself on a series of rock platforms hanging above the crashing Adriatic.

The drinks are simple and priced at a premium (beer around 8 EUR, cocktails 12-15 EUR), but you are paying for the setting. Tables are scattered across flat rocks with the sea below and the fortress walls above. Brave visitors jump from the lower rocks into the clear water. There is no food service - just cold drinks. The bar is cash-only and can be hard to find if you do not know where to look, which adds to its charm.

Pro Tip: Arrive by 16:00-17:00 to secure a good spot for sunset. The bar fills up fast on summer evenings. From the Jesuit Church steps, walk south along Ul. od Margarite and follow the "Cold Drinks" sign through the hole in the wall. Bring cash - cards are not accepted.

Banje is the closest proper beach to Dubrovnik's Old Town and the one you see in every postcard, with the city walls and Fort Revelin as its backdrop. This pebbly beach sits just east of Ploce Gate, about a 5-minute walk from the Old Town entrance. The water is crystal clear and the views are stunning, making it one of the most photogenic urban beaches in Europe.

The beach has a free public section on the left side and a beach club on the right that charges for sunbeds (around 30-40 EUR for two loungers and an umbrella). The beach club has a bar and restaurant. The public section gets crowded by mid-morning in summer, so arrive early or later in the afternoon. The water is deep enough for swimming within a few steps and there are kayak and paddleboard rentals available nearby. The beach faces east, so it gets morning sun and falls into the shadow of the cliffs by late afternoon.

Pro Tip: For a quieter swim, walk 10 minutes further east along the coastal path to Sveti Jakov beach. It is smaller, less crowded, and has equally beautiful water with views back to the Old Town. Access is via a steep staircase from the road above.

The Elafiti archipelago - a chain of 13 islands northwest of Dubrovnik - offers the perfect antidote to Old Town crowds. Only three are inhabited: Kolocep, Lopud, and Sipan. All are car-free, draped in pine forests and olive groves, and surrounded by some of the clearest water on the Adriatic. A Jadrolinija ferry from Gruz port serves all three islands, with the journey to Lopud taking about an hour (around 6 EUR each way).

Lopud is the most popular for day trippers thanks to Sunj Beach, a rare sandy beach in this part of Croatia, tucked into a bay on the island's far side (a 20-minute walk or golf-cart shuttle from the ferry dock). Kolocep is the smallest and quietest, perfect for swimming and a lazy seafood lunch. Sipan is the largest, with two small villages, wine production, and the most authentic local atmosphere. Many operators run Three Island tours from Dubrovnik for around 50-60 EUR including lunch, but you can easily do it independently with the public ferry for a fraction of the price.

Pro Tip: Take the morning ferry to Lopud, walk across to Sunj Beach for the morning, then catch an afternoon ferry to Kolocep for a swim and late lunch before the last boat back to Gruz. Check the Jadrolinija timetable carefully - ferries run only a few times per day.