Julie Croatia 24 Comments

I think we fell in love with Dubrovnik even before setting foot in Croatia. An ancient, walled medieval city on the Adriatic Sea, filled with world class restaurants and narrow cobblestoned lanes to explore…what’s not to love?

One day is all you need to see the best of Dubrovnik, although we recommend spending more time here if it works in your itinerary. Dubrovnik has a way of grabbing ahold of you, making you want to stay longer than you planned.

Whether you plan on being in town for a day or more, here are the best things to do in Dubrovnik.

Dubrovnik from the road

Dubrovnik seen from highway D8

Best Things to do in Dubrovnik

1. Walk the Dubrovnik Walls

If you only do one thing, you must walk the Dubrovnik Walls. There is no better way to experience Dubrovnik than to see it from the medieval walls.

It takes approximately two hours to walk the entire loop around the city. The views are spectacular the entire way. Highlights include climbing the Minceta Tower and views over the Old Town. Be prepared to take tons of photos!!

Dubrovnik Walls

Dubrovnik View from Minceta Tower

For more information (and lots more photos), read our post about the Dubrovnik Walls.

2. Wander the Old Town of Dubrovnik

After your tour on the medieval walls, it is time to wander the streets of the Old Town. The main part of Dubrovnik is compact and easy to walk. The narrow streets are filled with restaurants and small shops, perfect places for pit stops on a leisurely stroll through the city.

View of Ploce Gate

Dubrovnik Street

3. Walk Along the Stradun

The Stradun is the main thoroughfare through the Old Town. It is also a filming location for Star Wars Episode IX.

Stradun

4. Get a Bird’s Eye View of Dubrovnik

Taking a ride on the cable car is a must-do if you want an aerial view over Dubrovnik. The views of the city and the Adriatic Coast are spectacular from up here.

We also recommend dining at the Panorama Restaurant. If you want a table with a view of the city, call ahead for a reservation. Dinner here at sunset would be amazing.

Dubrovnik Cable Car

Ticket Prices: 90 kn for a one-way ticket, 170 kn for a round-trip ticket. For more information, including hours of operation, visit the Cable Car website.

5. Visit Fort Lovrijenac

This ancient fortress is worth a visit for two reasons. Number one, the view of Dubrovnik from here is stunning. And number two, this is a Game of Thrones filming site. Lovrijenac Fortress is where the tournament was held on King Joffrey’s name day.

Lovrijenac Fortress

View of Dubrovnik

6. Take a Tour of King’s Landing

If you are a Game of Thrones fan, rejoice. Dubrovnik is King’s Landing. This city is one of the best Game of Thrones filming locations you can visit since so much of the city was featured in the show.

St. Dominika Street is where Cersei made her walk of shame. Minceta Tower is used as the House of the Undying and this is where Daenerys recovers her dragons that were stolen from her. Pile Bay is Blackwater Bay, used multiple times in the Game of Thrones.

Blackwater Bay

Pile Bay and Lovrijenac Fortress

Game of Thrones Tours in Dubrovnik

Here are several highly rated Game of Thrones tours in Dubrovnik.

 

7. Gornji Ugao Tower

For a Dubrovnik history lesson, visit the Gornji Ugao Tower. This is an interesting look at the history of the city as you tour the excavated foundry.

Gornji Ugao

The Gornji Ugao Tower is difficult to find. It is located near Minceta Tower but you do not enter it from the city walls. You have to walk up to Minceta Tower from the Stradun. To get to the entrance, walk across the basketball court to the doorway on the far side of the court.

Currently, there is a new entrance being constructed. Once this is complete, access will be from the base of the Minceta Tower.

8. Visit Lokrum Island

This is one of the most popular excursions to take while visiting Dubrovnik. A short ferry ride connects the Dubrovnik harbor to this island. Visit Lokrum Island if you want a break from “city life” by spending the day at the beach or wandering the gardens. Peacocks and large rabbits roam the island.

Swimming in Lokrum

Peacock

For Game of Thrones fans, here is your chance to sit on the Iron Throne and visit another filming site at the Benedictine Monastery.

9. Go Wine Tasting

Did you know that Croatia produces awesome wine? To sample Croatian and Montenegrin wine, don’t miss D’Vino Wine Bar. Take a wine flight and try the meat and cheese platters…delicious!! This was one of our favorite experiences and we visited D’Vino on two of our three nights here.

Dvino Wine Bar

PRO TRAVEL TIP: Call ahead for a reservation, especially during the busier summer months. This is a small place with only a handful of tables. Visit their website here.

10. Eat Your Way through Dubrovnik

With a location on the sea, many restaurants serve fresh fish and seafood. But you can also find Italian, Vegan, Japanese, and Bosnian restaurants in town. We would visit Dubrovnik again just for the food.

Takenoko Dubrovnik

For a nice view and great food…this is Takenoko Restaurant

11. Take a Day Trip

It’s hard to leave Dubrovnik, but this city makes a great home base if you want to take day trips to explore the surrounding towns.

Korcula. This gorgeous, medieval city located on the Adriatic Sea is the birthplace of Marco Polo.

Kotor, Montenegro. If you want a quick visit to Montenegro, consider taking a day trip to Kotor. Montenegro, with its Bay of Kotor and medieval towns, is amazing. We recommend spending two days or more in Montenegro, but if all you have time for is a day trip to Kotor, it will still be time well spent. On this day tour from Dubrovnik, visit Kotor, Perast and the Montenegro coastline. 

Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina. Mostar is a town in Bosnia & Herzegovina with a charming old town and a bridge that looks like it belongs in a fairytale. On this day tour from Dubrovnik, visit Mostar and Kravica waterfall. 

When to Go to Dubrovnik

Visiting in June, July, or August. The summer months are peak season in Dubrovnik. Expect large crowds and hot weather. There could be long queues to get onto the medieval walls. Plan on making reservations at restaurants and booking your accommodations in advance.

Dubrovnik in April. We toured Croatia during the month of April. I was concerned about being here in the off-season, but it was awesome!! Crowds were low, restaurants were open, temperatures were 70°F (21°C), and evenings were a little chilly. It’s not ideal weather to go to the beach, however, it was wonderful not having to deal with large crowds of people.

May and September are great months to visit Dubrovnik if you want to avoid the crowds and have warm weather.

Where We Stayed

We stayed at the Villa Ani Apartments, just a 5 minute walk from Pile Gate. This place is awesome, especially for families. We had a penthouse apartment (apartment Ariel) with two bedrooms, one bathroom, a full kitchen and living area. From our windows we could look out over the Dubrovnik Walls and Lovrijenac Fortress. This place was perfect and without a doubt we would stay here again.

Villa Ani

If you have any questions about the best things to do in Dubrovnik, let us know in the comment section below.

More Information about Croatia

Planning a trip to Croatia? Read all of our articles in our Croatia Travel Guide.

You Might Also Like:

 

Dubrovnik Croatia Travel Guide

 

Dubrovnik Croatia Must Have Experiences

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Comments 24

    1. Post
      Author

      Thanks! We visited Dubrovnik and I wrote this article before Star Wars was in theaters, so at the time, it was a “rumor.” 🙂

      Reply

  7. Hi, how many nights would you recommend for Dubrovnik? I plan for two but your article were great and make me rethink if it was enough!

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    1. Post
      Author

  9. Any recommendations for where to stay (lodging) in the old town of Dubrovnik? We will be there mid September. Thanks!

    Reply
    1. Post
      Author

      The only specific recommendation I have is the Villa Ani Apartments, where we stayed. It’s not in the walled old town of Dubrovnik but it sits right outside of it. We really liked this place. If you want to search more, we use Booking.com to find and reserve our hotels when we travel. Cheers, Julie

      Reply

  10. Thank you for this very insightful and informative page! My sons are Game of Thrones fans so joining a GoT tour will give us something to talk about with them when my husband and I stop in Dubrovnik on our anniversary cruise.

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      Author

  11. I love your site, it was very helpful, love the pictures and get some great tips for our coming trip. Thanks for sharing

    Reply
    1. Post
      Author

  12. It seems that Croatia is more of exploring nature made sites than man made architectural standards. The pleasant seashore, the mountain for hiking and forests for camping can make anyone’s heart to travel Croatia. Also you might see those beautiful orthodox churches and roman heritage which are still preserved to these days.

    Reply

  13. Thank you for sharing your wonderful experiences of Dubrovnik as we know that Dubrovnik consists of both older heritages sites and modernized places where we can explore and view the places. The islands tours in Dubrovnik are simply amazing. The environment and climates is so fresh and pleasant.

    Reply

  14. Se ve muy interesante la ciudad. En la sección de horarios no aparece el mes de mayo, mi pregunta es: funcionan todas las atracciones de interés cultural en este mes? Gracias!

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      Author

      Yes, you can do everything in this article in May. It will all be open. We visited all of these attractions in April. Cheers, Julie

      Sí, puedes hacer todo en este artículo en mayo. Todo estará abierto. Visitamos todas estas atracciones en abril. Saludos, Julie

      Reply

  16. WE are visiting October half term, so some useful trips of interesting sites and beach recommendations which I have made note of for my young family

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      Author

  17. Thanks for this information about Dubrovnik. I would love to go there sometime in the not too distant future. The views seem to be something really special. I would like to walk those ancient walls. Thanks for the tip on how to miss the crowds by going in April or September. I could do with those time, as I don’t do well with crowds at all.

    Reply

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