Things to do · Dubrovnik · Croatia
17 best things to do in Dubrovnik
17 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
The essential sights in Dubrovnik are City Walls of Dubrovnik, Stradun and Fort Lovrijenac. Of the 17 picks below, 5 are free, 6 work on a rainy day and 3 suit children. Allow about 4 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- City Walls of Dubrovnik
- Free sights
- 5
- Good on a rainy day
- Rector's Palace
- Time to see the highlights
- 4 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| City Walls of Dubrovnik | Old Town (Stari Grad) | 1.5–2 hours | Expensive |
| Stradun | Old Town (Stari Grad) | 30 minutes | Free |
| Fort Lovrijenac | Pile | 45 minutes | Mid-priced |
| Rector's Palace | Old Town (Stari Grad) | 1 hour | Mid-priced |
| Mount Srđ and the cable car | Ploče | 1.5–2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Lokrum Island | Lokrum | Half a day | Mid-priced |
| Franciscan Monastery and old pharmacy | Old Town (Stari Grad) | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Cathedral of the Assumption | Old Town (Stari Grad) | 30 minutes | Free |
| Sponza Palace | Old Town (Stari Grad) | 30 minutes | Low cost |
| Church of St Blaise | Old Town (Stari Grad) | 20 minutes | Free |
| Dominican Monastery | Old Town (Stari Grad) | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| War Photo Limited | Old Town (Stari Grad) | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Dubrovnik Synagogue | Old Town (Stari Grad) | 30 minutes | Low cost |
| Old Port | Old Town (Stari Grad) | 45 minutes | Free |
| Buža cliff bars | Old Town (Stari Grad) | 1–2 hours | Low cost |
| Gradac Park | Pile | 30 minutes | Free |
| Sea kayaking around the walls | Pile | 3 hours | Mid-priced |
The 17 best things to do
Historic site · Old Town (Stari Grad)
1.City Walls of Dubrovnik
The walls run for about 2 kilometres around the Old Town, up to 25 metres high, with towers, bastions and the round Minčeta Tower at the highest point. The circuit takes in views over the Stradun's rooftops, the Old Port and the open sea. Entrances are by the Pile Gate, the Ploče Gate and St John's Fortress, and the ticket also covers Fort Lovrijenac.
Start as soon as the walls open or in the last two hours of the day; there is almost no shade, so bring water and a hat.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Iconic
- Views
- History
- Photo spot
- Kids
- Active
Street · Old Town (Stari Grad)
2.Stradun
The Old Town's main street runs about 300 metres from the Pile Gate to the Luža square and the Bell Tower, its limestone paving polished smooth by centuries of footsteps. The Large Onofrio Fountain stands at the western end, and narrow lanes climb steeply on either side.
Walk it before 9am or after 9pm to see it without cruise-day crowds; the stone is slippery after rain.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Architecture
- After dark
- Photo spot
Castle · Pile
3.Fort Lovrijenac
Built on a 37-metre rock outside the western walls, this fortress guarded the city against attack from the sea and land. Its gate carries the motto 'Non bene pro toto libertas venditur auro' (freedom is not sold for all the gold in the world). Its terraces look straight across to the walls, and Shakespeare plays are staged here during the summer festival.
Keep your City Walls ticket: it includes entry to Lovrijenac, so you can visit on the same day.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Views
- History
- Photo spot
Palace · Old Town (Stari Grad)
4.Rector's Palace
The seat of the Republic of Ragusa's government combines a Gothic and Renaissance loggia with an arcaded atrium used for summer concerts. Inside, the Cultural History Museum shows the rector's rooms, the old prison cells, coins and portraits from the republic's centuries of independence.
The Dubrovnik Pass covers the palace together with the walls and other museums; buy it if you plan to visit more than the walls.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
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Viewpoint · Ploče
5.Mount Srđ and the cable car
The cable car climbs to the 412-metre summit of Mount Srđ in a few minutes, giving a bird's-eye view of the walled city, Lokrum and the Elaphiti Islands. The Napoleonic Fort Imperial at the top houses an exhibition on the defence of Dubrovnik during the 1991–92 siege.
Go up an hour before sunset; fit walkers can hike the zig-zag path up or down in about an hour instead of taking the cable car.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Views
- Kids
- Couples
- History
- Photo spot
Island · Lokrum
6.Lokrum Island
A wooded nature reserve about 600 metres off the Old Town, reached by boat from the Old Port in roughly 15 minutes. Paths lead past a ruined Benedictine monastery, a botanical garden, roaming peacocks, a small saltwater lake called the Dead Sea and the hilltop Fort Royal. Visitors must leave on the last boat; overnight stays are not allowed.
Bring a picnic and water shoes; the rocks are the main swimming spots and island café prices are high.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Nature
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Couples
Religious site · Old Town (Stari Grad)
7.Franciscan Monastery and old pharmacy
Just inside the Pile Gate, the Franciscan monastery has a Romanesque cloister with double columns and a pharmacy that has been dispensing medicines since 1317, one of the oldest still operating in Europe. A small museum shows old pharmacy jars and manuscripts.
Visit right after the walls, since the entrance is at the foot of the Pile Gate stairway.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Religious site · Old Town (Stari Grad)
8.Cathedral of the Assumption
Rebuilt in baroque style after the 1667 earthquake, the cathedral holds a polyptych of the Assumption attributed to Titian's workshop above the altar. Its treasury displays gold and silver reliquaries of St Blaise, the city's patron saint.
The cathedral itself is free; the treasury has a small fee and is worth it for the reliquaries.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
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Palace · Old Town (Stari Grad)
1.Sponza Palace
A 16th-century Gothic-Renaissance palace on Luža square that survived the 1667 earthquake, once the customs house and mint and now home to the State Archives. A memorial room inside remembers the city's defenders killed in the 1991–92 siege.
Step into the arcaded courtyard even if you skip the exhibitions; it is one of the calmest spots on the Stradun.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
Religious site · Old Town (Stari Grad)
2.Church of St Blaise
The baroque church of the city's patron saint faces the Stradun's eastern end. On the altar a silver-gilt statue of St Blaise holds a model of Dubrovnik as it looked before the 1667 earthquake, a valuable record of the lost city.
Look closely at the model in the saint's hand to spot buildings that no longer exist.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Architecture
Religious site · Old Town (Stari Grad)
3.Dominican Monastery
Built against the eastern walls near the Ploče Gate, the monastery has a Gothic cloister with palms and orange trees and a museum of Renaissance paintings by Dubrovnik artists such as Nikola Božidarević, alongside a Titian altarpiece in the church.
It is usually much quieter than the Franciscan monastery at the other end of the Stradun.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- History
- Off the beaten path
- Rainy day
Gallery · Old Town (Stari Grad)
4.War Photo Limited
A gallery devoted to conflict photojournalism in a lane off the Stradun, with a permanent exhibition on the wars in the former Yugoslavia and changing shows on other conflicts. It is sobering but gives context to the shell damage maps you see at the Pile Gate.
Allow time to read the captions; the photographs are powerful and not suitable for young children.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Art
Religious site · Old Town (Stari Grad)
5.Dubrovnik Synagogue
On narrow Žudioska street, this small Sephardic synagogue dates back to the 14th–15th centuries and is among the oldest still in use in Europe. A museum on the floor below displays Torah scrolls and objects from the city's Jewish community.
The entrance is easy to miss; look for the small sign on Žudioska, a lane leading north from the Stradun.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Off the beaten path
- Rainy day
Waterfront · Old Town (Stari Grad)
6.Old Port
The small harbour on the eastern side of the walls is where boats leave for Lokrum and Cavtat and glass-bottomed boats run short coastal trips. St John's Fortress guards the harbour mouth and houses the Maritime Museum.
Sit on the breakwater in the late afternoon for views of the walls and boats coming in from Lokrum.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Photo spot
- Views
Experience · Old Town (Stari Grad)
7.Buža cliff bars
Small openings in the southern walls lead to simple bars perched on the rocks above the sea, where you can sit with a drink at sunset and swim from the ledges below. Signs reading 'Cold Drinks' point the way through the lanes.
Arrive well before sunset to get a ledge seat, and pay attention to the steep, uneven rocks.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Couples
- Views
- After dark
- Off the beaten path
Park · Pile
8.Gradac Park
A pine-shaded park on the cliffs just west of the Pile Gate, with benches looking across a small bay to Fort Lovrijenac and the western walls. It is a quiet place for a picnic away from the Old Town crowds.
Come in the early evening for soft light on the walls and Lovrijenac.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Off the beaten path
- Outdoors
Experience · Pile
9.Sea kayaking around the walls
Guided kayak trips paddle from the bays near Pile under the city walls and Fort Lovrijenac, often crossing to Lokrum and stopping at sea caves to swim. It is one of the best ways to see the fortifications from the water.
Book a morning trip in summer, when the sea is calmer and the heat less intense.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Active
- Outdoors
- Views
- Couples
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Cathedral of the Assumption, Dominican Monastery and War Photo Limited |
| History | City Walls of Dubrovnik, Fort Lovrijenac, Rector's Palace and Mount Srđ and the cable car |
| Views | City Walls of Dubrovnik, Fort Lovrijenac, Mount Srđ and the cable car and Old Port |
| Outdoors and nature | Lokrum Island, Gradac Park and Sea kayaking around the walls |
| After dark | Stradun and Buža cliff bars |
| With children | City Walls of Dubrovnik, Mount Srđ and the cable car and Lokrum Island |
| On a rainy day | Rector's Palace, Franciscan Monastery and old pharmacy, Cathedral of the Assumption and Dominican Monastery |
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Dubrovnik?
City Walls of Dubrovnik. The walls run for about 2 kilometres around the Old Town, up to 25 metres high, with towers, bastions and the round Minčeta Tower at the highest point.
+What can you do for free in Dubrovnik?
Stradun, Cathedral of the Assumption, Church of St Blaise, Old Port and Gradac Park. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Dubrovnik when it rains?
Head indoors to Rector's Palace, Franciscan Monastery and old pharmacy, Cathedral of the Assumption and Dominican Monastery.
+What is there to do in Dubrovnik at night?
Stradun and Buža cliff bars are best after dark.