Top Things to do in Dubrovnik Croatia

🇭🇷 This guide is part of our comprehensive Croatia Travel Guide.

Planning your trip to Dubrovnik Croatia then here are the top things to do in Dubrovnik Croatia to include in your Itinerary.

Anyone visiting Dubrovnik should make sure to take a tour of every corner of the city's famous walls and the old town. The city's fame has grown since Game of Thrones showcased the stunning architecture of the city, tourists have come to Dubrovnik to view "King's Landing", "Qarth" and the gardens of the "Red Keep" in real life.

You can stroll across the top of the city's walls, and ascend the towers around the perimeter or stroll down the picturesque avenues of old-town to explore the monasteries, churches, and intriguing landmarks of the old town, each of which has an intriguing story to relate.

Let's take a look at the most enjoyable activities to enjoy during your time in Dubrovnik:

If you are planning your trip to Croatia then here is the One Week In Croatia for Croatia which you can try. If you are still in the planning phase for Dubrovnik then here are the Hostels In Dubrovnik

Top Things to do in Dubrovnik Croatia

Pile Gate

Old Town's famous Pile Gate, which was built in the 15th century and gets its name from the Greek word for gate, pylaj, once had a wooden drawbridge that was raised at night to keep trespassers out of the walled, medieval city.

Since the drawbridge was long ago replaced by a stone one, the lovely stone bridge (see top photo) now spans the once-moat-like tiny green passageway through the Gate to the Old Town and descends stairs to Stradun, the town's major promenade.

Dubrovnik West Pier – Blackwater Bay

The quickest route to the Pile Gate is available from West Harbor, which served as Dubrovnik's primary entrance for a time. It makes sense that this location was selected as one of the primary shooting locations for the Game of Thrones television series.

With its stone pier, the lovely harbor served as Blackwater Bay in Season 3, Episode 1 of "Valar Dohaeris," where Sansa and Shae watched the ships as Littlefinger approached to speak with Sansa and offer her a way out. Other scenes, notably the most famous one from Season 2 in which the Gold Cloaks were given the command to execute King Robert in his entirety, were also shot on this small bay, which also served as the backdrop for the epic battle of Blackwater Bay.

Dubrovnik West Harbour

City Walls

Dubrovnik's imposing walls are one of the reasons that led this city to be included in the UNESCO listing. If you've ever watched Game of Thrones you'll recognize numerous spots.

The limestone defenses in these white stones date back to the 1600s however their current design dates back to the 15th century. The falling of Constantinople was the only warning the officials of Dubrovnik needed to know to know that the Ottomans were coming!

It'll take you around an hour for the complete tour through the battlements, stopping for stunning views of the city that is backed by the Adriatic. Guided tours will provide you with additional information and it's an excellent idea to start early to beat the crowds.

We would recommend you to go on this Dubrovnik City Walls Sunset Walking Tour T146235 to enjoy a nice evening at Dubrovnik Walls.

We would recommend you to go for the City Wall Tour early in the morning or maybe in the Evening Time during the time of Sunset because you will be able to see some of the Sunset during that window and it will relatively cool during this time. We did it during the mid of the day and it was too hot and we had to take multiple stops in between on the Restaurants to drink the Fresh Orange Juice which costed around 4 EUR.

The city walls tickets can be bought from any of the ticket store below the entrance of walls for 250 Croatian Kuna or 33.29 EUR at present. Since, there are multiple entries to the city wall you have to keep the ticket safe with you when you are walking on the city walls because they may check you tickets at one of the other entries of the city wall.

Below is the sample Dubrovnik City Walls Tickets from our Trip.

Old Town

The winding streets of Dubrovnik's Old Town could be like a movie scene, and you can cook to a full stomach by letting your curiosity lead you through every alleyway in this area.

You'll be able to find your way on Placa which is Dubrovnik's main road which is a straight and wide limestone channel that runs beneath magnificent old homes.

While walking around you'll find that a majority of these structures have the same floor plan which is due to an ordinance that was issued by the city council on the design of buildings in the aftermath of a fire and an earthquake during the 17th century.

On the day of St. Blaise's day, on the 3rd day of February, There's a procession on Placa to honor the patron saint of Dubrovnik.

We would recommend you to go on this Discover Dubrovnik Old Town Guided Walking Tour T12445 to learn the most about the City Walls of Dubrovnik.

Cable car

Perhaps the most stunning views of Dubrovnik are to be enjoyed from the top of Mount Srd, which looms 412 meters high above the city just a little inland.

In 1969, they constructed a cable car to serve the summit. It was operational through the night during the high summer months.

During the day, you'll be able to remember the stunning views of Dubrovnik's walls and walls as well as ceramic tiles that line the city's buildings and the evergreen offshore island set against the blue Adriatic. In the evening, you can look in the west to watch the sun set behind the city.

You can get the ticket for the Dubrovnik Cable Car along with the discount of 10% of the Panorama Restaurants on the Mount Srd from the Store situated at the Pile Gate or the Cable Car Station. We would recommend you to get the tickets from the Store because you will get the 10% discount for the Restaurants and you enjoy your dinner while watching the Sunset.

Dubrovnik Cathedral

Dubrovnik Cathedral

The cathedral in the city is one of Dubrovnik's many ensembles of baroque-style architecture. One of the reasons to pay this cathedral the honor of the diocese is to look at the inside's artwork.

On the main altar is an octagon depicting The Ascension of Mary by the Renaissance painter Titian dating from 1550. On the altars of the side of the church are other works of art from Croatian as well as Italian artists of the same period.

The Treasury is home to an array of rare sacred items from the early 1700s through the 1000s such as the gold-plated bone that belonged to St. Blaise.

Jesuit Staircase by Saint Ignatius Church

The Jesuit Church of St. Ignatius in Dubrovnik, which is devoted to the Society's founder, St. Ignatius, draws inspiration from the imposing model of Il Gesù, the Jesuit church in Rome. However, Andrea Pozzo altered this Early Baroque model to reflect the High Baroque's artistic sensibilities. The Church of St. Ignatius in Dubrovnik, like the majority of Pozzo's buildings (such as the Jesuit Church of St. Ignatius in Rome), is a nave-shaped, barrel-vaulted church with side chapels and lofts and is illuminated by a basilica.

But the alternation of wide bays with chapels and tiny bays with galleries animates the monotonous rhythm of the spatial units (separated from each other with Corinthian pilasters). The transversal axis of the side entrances draws attention to the central bay. The sanctuary is given a scenic treatment that is powerful in its plastic articulation and rich in wall paintings. This is similar to how Pozzo reworked the Jesuit church in Vienna.

Lovrijenac Fort

A soaring spur that is guarded by a tiger that is 40 meters high above the ocean can be described as one of Dubrovnik's picture book defense installations.

Lovrijenac gained an honorable place in city folklore through the lengthy tussles against the Venetians. The invaders attempted to build an outpost on the site in the course of their attempt to capture the city but the locals fought back to it and built this fortress within three months, at the beginning of the 11th century.

If you're visiting town for this summer's Festival of Dubrovnik be sure to see the production of Hamlet which takes place at this stunning location.

St. John Fortress / Bokar Fort

As part of the city wall, St John Fortress is situated on the southeast side of the defenses that protect the port of Dubrovnik.

For centuries Dubrovnik was a target for pirate raids, and they developed an effective way to deter pirates.

After the alert was issued, they'd take the chain of heavy metal which ran from the fortress and to Kase Jetty. Kase Jetty in the port to cause damage to vessels.

If you decide to visit the tower, you can see the aquarium, which is tiny, on the ground floor, and go upstairs to explore the museum for maritime art.

Tips: Take a food and wine tour that you can reserve here.

Franciscan Monastery

The complex dates back to the 1300s. It was relocated inside the city walls following an earlier monastery was built and later decommissioned beyond the walls.

The famous 17th-century earthquake destroyed the cathedral, and it was then rebuilt in baroque style as the remaining area of the church is Romanesque and gothic.

The most popular must-see is the monastery's pharmacy, which dates back to 1317, making it among the oldest operating pharmacies in the world.

The library is equally impressive It houses 20,000 books including 1200 valuable manuscripts.

Sponza Palace

The rectangular palace that has beautiful loggia dates back to the 1500s and has been used as a public secular building since its construction.

The atrium at the gates of the building was a business area for traders and merchants until the 20th century. there's even an inscription inside the archway warning that they should not rip one another off.

Sponza Palace was also one of the few buildings from the Renaissance that survived the devastating earthquake of 1667 without damage.

Today, the palace functions as the city's archives, which house around 100,000 documents dating from the 10th century.

Clock Tower

Clock Tower

The most well-known landmark in Luza Square, Dubrovnik's clock tower measures 31 meters in height. It was built in 1444.

The bronze figure has two figures "Baro" and "Maro" on either side of the huge bell on top, each one holding mallets and creating the mechanism behind the church chime around noon each day.

After decades of exposure to salty air, Adriatic Baro and Maro changed to a bizarre color of green. This earned them the famous name, Zelenci, also known as "Green Men".

Recommended Read: Hostels In Dubrovnik.

Church of St. Blaise

A baroque-style church with elaborate details, St. Blaise's, replaced the Romanesque structure on the site that was destroyed by the earthquake.

The present structure was constructed by the Venetian designer Marino Gropelli at the start of the 17th century.

What makes the church an iconic landmark is its association with St. Blaise, famed for helping to thwart an attack from Venetian troops in the early 900s. St. Blaise had long passed away (killed by Diocletian during the 300s) however, she appeared to Dubrovnik the cathedral's priest in a dream to warn him of the imminent attack.

Orlando's Column

The easternmost point of Placa just in the direction of the Church of St. Blaise is this flagpole and stone column dating back to the 1400s. It is a place of meeting in the heart of the historic town.

The knight of the medieval period featured in this column was Orlando who is said to have been a part of the defense of the Republic of Ragusa during the 15-month-long Saracen siege in the early 800s which allowed Dubrovnik to continue to be recognized as a no-trade city-state.

Naturally, the column has become an emblem of Dubrovnik's independence and, during Dubrovnik's Festival, the mast will be flying that Libertas flag.

Ethnographic Museum

The Ethnographic Museum has its origins in the collection of traditional culture that began to be formed in the first decades of the twentieth century. Its holdings were very much enlarged with specimens of traditional attire and lace donated several times by that great benefactor of the museum, Jelka Miš (1875 -1956).

In the course of time, the collection grew into the ethnological department of Dubrovnik Museum, and in 1950 opened its first display of original ethnographic folk handicrafts from the local area on the second floor of Fort St John.

Lokrum Island

There is a ferry service at the dock to this island, which is located in the middle of Dubrovnik all time of the day. It'll take about 10 minutes to arrive and it's an easy method to get away from the crowds and enjoy a break.

The island is mostly of dense green pine forests that can be explored on hiking trails. We should recommend you to carry enough water from Konzum Store to the Lokrum Island because eventually when you will climb the Path of Paradise you will be hell tired and you will not get anything to drink there.

The walking trails also take you to the coastline which is where you'll see the rocky coves, with water that is ideal for swimming, and even families of peacocks that were brought into the islands by Maximilian who was the 19th-century Austrian Archduke.

The monastery that was once on the island can also be used as a restaurant in the summer. If you are Game of Thrones fan then couple of shooting of Game Of Thrones Locations In Dubrovnik was also done on this Island and also you will get to see the original Game of Thrones Iron Throne kept on this Island where you can get your favourite click.

The ticket to the Lokrum Island can be bought from the Old Port of Dubrovnik and it cost you around 33 EUR which you can pay with your Revolut Travel Card Review just to avoid any charges for payment in Croatian Kuna.

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Trsteno Arboretum

This beautiful park situated perched on a hill close to the sea dates back to the 1400s and is one of the oldest arboretums.

Dubrovnik's position as a center of commerce enriched the Arboretum with species of trees from around the globe.

Enjoy the majestic pair of plane trees from the east here, about a half millennium old, and unique in Europe.

The arboretum is part of an estate dating from the same period and is an unforgettable spot for a stroll because of the fountains and sculptures and an aqueduct that was designed to water the park.

It was also the shooting site of Red Keep's gardens. Red Keep gardens for (you probably guessed it!) Game of Thrones in the third and fourth seasons.

Beaches

A few of the beaches along this stretch of the Adriatic are sandy. Their appeal is in the clear waters that lap the shore, and the pine forests or the historic structures that make up the background.

Lapad beach is one of the more tourist-friendly spots to relax with the Adriatic sea.

There's a pedestrian zone in front of the beach that has restaurants and bars, and the gently arcing bay features an averagely large beach that is paved and white pebbles. In the area around the bay, there is also the possibility of entering the water for a swim off the rocks

Pile Harbour: Bokar Fortress Sailing and Sea Kayaking

Lokrum island is only the tip of the iceberg as a vast number of islands are waiting for you on the shores of Dubrovnik beginning with the beautiful natural reserves of the archipelago of Elaphite.

There are a variety of charter companies that are situated at the marina if you wish to rent a motorboat for the day, or to weight anchors on a serious sailing trip.

If you want to experience something more intimate, go on a sea kayak trip to view Dubrovnik's walls and towers in a different manner.

An Olympian doesn't need to compete because the pace is leisurely and slow, with English guidebooks that can fill in the necessary details.

We absolutely loved this Sea Kayaking Dubrovnik Half Day Tour T45525 which you can also try in Dubrovnik.

Recommended Read: Hostels In Dubrovnik.

Where to stay in Dubrovnik on Budget?

Wondering about where you can stay on Budget in Dubrovnik then why not check that as per your plan using the tool below.

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I hope you liked our list of Top Things to do in Dubrovnik Croatia on your next trip. If you are done exploring Dubrovnik then we would suggest you to go on [Dubrovnik To Mostar Day Trip](https://chasingwhereabouts.com/blog/dubrovnik-to-mostar-day-trip/).

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