Dubrovnik’s City Walls: The Walk That Explains the City

The first thing you understand when you walk the walls of Dubrovnik is that this was a city-state, not a village with ambitions but a genuine maritime republic with its own flag, its own coinage, and a foreign policy independent enough to maintain diplomatic relations with both the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg monarchy simultaneously. The walls, 1,940 metres of them, constructed and reinforced between the 13th and 17th centuries, make that history comprehensible in a way that no museum can.

The walls are currently the most visited paid attraction in Croatia and admission reflects that: around €35 for adults, with the price having increased significantly as cruise ship traffic grew. You pay it and walk anyway, because the elevated perspective over the old town’s red rooftops, the Adriatic below, and the successive fortresses at the corners is genuinely extraordinary.

The Walk

Start at the Pile Gate entrance on the west side and walk counterclockwise. The circuit takes 1.5-2 hours at a comfortable pace without stops. Counterclockwise keeps the sea views on your left for most of the walk; clockwise is the slower-moving direction that tour groups tend to take, so going counterclockwise puts you ahead of them.

Fort Lovrijenac, visible from the walls but reached separately, stands on a rock promontory outside the walls on the western side. “Liberty cannot be sold for all the gold in the world” is inscribed above the gate in Latin. The fortress’s main hall became one of the filming locations used in Game of Thrones; the views from its walls over the Adriatic and back toward the old town are the best available from outside the city.

St. John’s Fortress at the harbour entrance houses the Maritime Museum and the Aquarium on different floors. The Maritime Museum covers Ragusa (the Ragusan Republic, as Dubrovnik was known until 1806) with a seriousness the subject deserves.

The Old Town Itself

The Stradun, the main street of the old city, was rebuilt after the 1667 earthquake in uniform baroque style and is one of the more elegant public spaces in the Adriatic. The crowds on it in summer are near-constant from 9am to midnight. Walk parallel streets one block north or south of the Stradun and the density drops significantly.

Cathedral of the Assumption: rebuilt after the 1667 earthquake, the interior holds the Treasury with relics of St Blaise, Dubrovnik’s patron saint, and a collection of religious art including a polyptych by Titian.

Where to Eat

The restaurants directly on the Stradun and around the Pile Gate cater almost exclusively to tourists at prices reflecting their position. Walk 3-5 minutes into the residential sections of the old city and you find restaurants where Dubrovnik residents eat, at lower prices and with better food.

Restaurant Kopun near the Dominican monastery does Croatian food seriously, including lamb peka (slow-cooked in a bell-shaped lid over coals) and good local wine. Konoba Dubrava in the neighbourhood above the old city serves local ingredients in a setting that is not designed for tourist photographs.

When to Go

May, June, and September. July and August Dubrovnik is managing approximately 8,000-10,000 cruise passengers arriving daily during peak months, a number that makes the old city’s narrow streets feel genuinely dangerous. The walls should be walked before 9am or after 6pm if you visit in high summer. Dubrovnik has been implementing cruise ship quotas; the situation has improved but remains significant.