Starting with the obvious one, the Walls of Dubrovnik. As massive walls surround the whole city, it is something you cannot miss.

Highly recommend waddling them, they are 1940 meters (6,360 ft) long, and it is a nice waddle around. You can see the city from above from the walls as the walls are 25 meters (82 ft) high. 

The overall waddle is from 1 to 2 hours long, depending on your pace ad how many pictures you take. The time how much you can spend on them is not set. 

The best time to visit is early morning when they open at 8 am, or then later in the day before they close at 7 pm. Sunset walks are popular. 

Read here how our waddle went – link.

Ploče Gate, the main entrance to Old Town from the Eastern side, is also known as Vrata od Ploča. It was built at the end of the 14th century. It also has a bridge like Pile Gate. The bridge was built according to Pile Gate’s bridge prototype by Ivan of Siena. 

Ploče Gates also has Inner and Outer Gates. The Inner Ploče Gate was built in Romanesque style and is small. The Outer Ploče Gate was built in 1450 by Simeone della Cava. In the 19th century, the gate was widened.

Above the entrance of the Gate, there is a statue of Sveti Vlaho, the patron saint of Dubrovnik. Right after entering, you go through the inners gates and come to St. Dominica Street.

It was the first gate we went through, and it was breathtaking to enter the old town. 

Pile Gate was built in the 14th century by Ivan of Siena, and today that is the main entrance into the Old Town and main street Stradun.

The drawbridge was replaced by a stone one a long time ago, so nowadays, the beautiful stone bridge leads across the small green passage.

Recommend also to go down to the park, many people don’t, and it’s a nice place to see.

Ponta Gate (which means “pier” in Croatian ) was designed by Juraj Dalmatinac and built by Paskoje Milicevic during the 15th century. This Gate leads to the Old Port of Dubrovnik Old Town.

When you exit the Old Town by this gate, you will see the circular St. John Fort on the right side.

The Ponta Gate is not far from the Peskarija Gate.

If you are taking a boat anywhere, you will waddle through the Ponta Gate.

Waddling down the St. Dominica street, you will also go around the Ponta Gate.

Peskarija Gate is the smallest of all gates, located at the main port of the old town.

It is believed to have been used mainly by the fisherman; therefore, some call it the fish gate.

It is interesting to note that the inner city gates are decorated with a gothic arch and double doorway built according to the prototype of the Peskarija Gate.

Today the gate will lead you into the beautiful alleys of Dubrovnik and restaurants. 

It is easy to miss the gate, but you will notice it when you realize only so many gates lead into the city.

The Church of St. Blaise is dedicated to St. Blasius, who has been revered in Dubrovnik as the patron saint for a long time. 

Legend says that in 971, on the night of 2nd to 3rd February, Venetian ships anchored in front of Dubrovnik under the pretense of taking up water and provision before proceeding further east. In truth, they wanted to attack. It was an old grey man named Vlaho (Blasius) who warned through a priest named Stojko that the city council and the surprise attack of the Venetians was not successful.

Since the year 972, a celebration in honor of St. Blasius is held in the city. This tradition is still alive today. Every February, the 3rd Dubrovnik welcomes thousands of visitors to participate in the celebration of the patron day in the Festival of St Blasius.

Like many things also, this church was rebuilt after the Great Earthquake.

The Church of the Holy Annunciation is a Serbian Orthodox church, the only one in the old town. Building it was also an achievement as the city was always very catholic. Because of it, the city had certain demands when building it. It needs to be built a little up; a few stairs are leading to it. It needs to be further from the street. Notice that all other churches have access almost from the street and a fence around the church was among the demands as well (the only church in Dubrovnik with a fence around it). 

The church owns a library of about 12 000 books. In addition to liturgical books in Slavonic language, there are also books on different themes in Italian, French, Russian, and other languages.

The Church is located in the Puča alley. 

The Church of St. Luke was mentioned for the first time in 1245 and is located right after entering the old city via the Ploce Gate. Around the corner by the Dominican monastery, on your left-hand side, will be Chapel of the Annunciation, then Saint Luke’s Church.

Between the chapel and the church is a collection of stone cannonballs.
Today the church is no longer in service, but is used as a gallery.

You will spot it easily when waddling around, thanks to its beautiful circular window.
Although truth be told, the first time going around, we didn’t notice it, cause we were mesmerized by the high walls.

The Church of St. Sebastian was built in the 15th century; it is located close to the Ploče Gate, under the wing of the Dominican monastery. 

Dedicated to St. Sebastian, they did it for a good reason as he is the protector against the plague.

It is easily noticed due to its steps, and it is also kind of in a corner. 

Currently, the building houses the gallery of Sebastian, which is the venue for various cultural events and exhibitions. 

We recommend also getting the ice cream not far from there. 

The Cathedral was built in the 12th-14th century, but like many, it crumbled in the earthquake and was rebuilt. 

Legend says it was Richard the Lionheart who commissioned the Cathedral to be built. Apparently, when returning from the Crusades in 1192, he was shipwrecked in a storm and cast aground on Lokrum Island. In order to thank God for his life, he vowed to build a great church on the spot where his life was saved. When he had layed-up his intentions to the shrewd Dubrovnik leaders, they convinced him it would be much better to build the church in Dubrovnik instead.

In 1981, when the current Dubrovnik Cathedral underwent renovations, the experts were fascinated to discover that another Cathedral was under the foundations. This is quite a discovery as it can tell that Dubrovnik is even older than we know now. The analysis of the discovery are still ongoing with experts in Germany.

The Church of St. Salvation was constructed as a gratitude for the salvation from the scary earthquake of 1520. 

The extent of their gratitude is perhaps miraculously revealed by the fact that the church remained intact in the disastrous earthquake of 1667.

Legend has it that the aristocrat women of Dubrovnik took part in constructing this church with great enthusiasm and carried the wooden and stone construction materials themselves.

The Church of Saint Saviour is located between the Franciscan Monastery and the city walls.

The Church of St. Nicholas is situated at the end of Prijeko Street.

During the years it underwent great rebuilding. 

Dedicated to St. Nicholas, who is the one in Slavic tradition bringing the gifts to children during Christmas time, but not on Christmas Day, but rather on the 6th of December. 

The children have to prepare their boots, polish and clean them the day before and put them in the window and during the night St. Nicholas will bring them gifts putting them inside the shoes. 

It is a small church and would we not go to the beautiful Prijeko Street, we wouldn’t even know there is such a beautiful small church there. 

Stradun Street is Dubrovnik’s most famous street, stretching just 300 meters between the east and west gates. Most of Dubrovnik’s historically important buildings and monuments are on Stradun. 

Paved in 1468 with limestone, it has been polished to a smooth finish by the millions of feet that have walked its length.

Placa street was created as a consequence of trade and growing socio-economic ties between the Roman-Greek settlement on the islet Lave and the Croatian-Slav settlement on the mainland.

Legend says, then aristocrats never walked the whole distance of the street because that is something that only the peasants did and they didn’t want to be mistaken for a peasant. 

The Rector’s Palace recalls the time when Dubrovnik was the center of a republic by the name of Ragusa. At this time, the city was ruled by a rector, whose seat was this historic building. 

From time to time, the palace was destroyed or heavily damaged by fires, gunpowder explosions, or earthquakes that required a total or partial reconstruction or repair of the building. So over time as it was rebuilt each architect put something of his own there. 

Did you know that in the old Republic of Dubrovnik, a major was elected and he could not have been younger than 50 years old?! No wonder Dubrovnik prospered, when they had leaders with experience, and the rest of Europe has kids sitting on the throne because of inheritance. 

Today the Rector’s palace is the home to the history department to the museum of Dubrovnik.

Jesuit stairs, remind me a little bit of the Spanish steps in Rome. 

Designed by Roman architect Pietro Passalacqua, stairs are another fine example of Baroque architecture in Dubrovnik.

If you walk up the stairs, you will end up on Jezuite Street where the church of St. Ignatius of Loyola and the Jesuit College is located.

Today they are also known as Cercei’s steps, due to the show Game Of Thornes when Cercei had her famous Walk of Shame. 

The Clock Tower or Bell Tower, was originally constructed in 1444, but suffered damage over the year, in the earthquake, then in 1928 it was demolished, but the biggest damage was during the 1989 Montenegro earthquake and was restored in 1988. 

The bronze bell which strikes the hours was cast in 1506 by Ivan Rabljanin.

It is over 31 meters (100 ft.) high.

Two bronze figures, the bell strikers, popular ‘zelenci’ (green twins) are locally called Maro and Baro.They were made some 21 years ​​before the famous Venetian ‘Moors’. The Zelenci, who bear traditional Dubrovnik names – Maro and Baro, are Roman soldiers covered with a green patina which is how they got their name. No one knows who made ​​them because there are no written documents.

The local market is an everyday market in the old town, close to the Jesuit stairs. 

They sell fresh produce, from vegetables to fruits, fish, and other seafood. 

However, stop by when you also want a small snack, something traditional which they eat in Croatia. 

It is a nice experience when you seek to try out foods.

The statue of Ivan Gundulić, is located next to the local market. 

He was the most prominent poet from the Republic of Ragusa (now in Croatia).

Born in Dubrovnik into a wealthy Ragusan noble family and thus received an excellent education. 

He is also called the major never to be because he died at the age of 49 before he could apply for the major’s position. 

Today you can find him also on the 50 kuna banknote. 

Among his most famous work is for example the poem Osman. Today you can find him also on the 50 kuna banknote. 

Port is another location you should waddle to. Although sooner or later you will end up here, especially when taking a boat to Lokrum Island. 

There are nice restaurants located there with a view over the port, so you can have nice lunch. 

We enjoyed waddling around and going to St. John Fortress. 

Onofrio’s Fountain is one of the things Dubrovnik is proud of. During the days of the Dubrovnik Republic, a lot of work was dedicated to ensuring a sufficient supply of fresh water.  At first, Dubrovnik was supplied by so-called cisterns, a sort of rainfall collecting tanks that used an intricate system to collect the rain from the rooftops. The cisterns were either private or public.

The water is drinkable and very tasty. 

Note there is a statue of a dog on top of the fountain. Apparently, there used to be more animals, but only the dog is left. 

St. Dominika Street is a cobbled street located right behind the  Ploče Gate.

It is narrow, curved, and cobbled, flanked by very high walls, providing you a glimpse into medieval Dubrovnik.

Waddling from Ploče Gate you will be passing the small Church of St Annunciation to the east of the Dominican monastery, and ends at Sponza Palace.

The streets is also famous thanks to Game of Thrones. Many scenes were filmed here. 

Overall, it was the most impressive street we waddled on, with the walls lemming it, the sun never really reaching it fully, and waddle more than once.

Franciscan Monastery is situated at the very beginning of Placa, to the left of the inner Pile Gate, next to the Holy Savior Church.

The first Franciscan monastery was built in the 13th century, however as the city was threatened with war, in 1317, the decision was made to demolish that monastery to prevent its use by the enemy in the eventual case that the city might be besieged.

The new monastery was constructed the same year in 1317, but the work on the monastery continued throughout the centuries.

The same year is taken for the establishment of Friars Minor pharmacy. The rule of the Franciscan order was to take care of the sick brethren and you can visit the Old Pharmacy today.

The monastery owns one of the richest old libraries in Croatia (having over 70 000 books).

Old Pharmacy is one of the oldest pharmacies in Europe.

Founded in 1317 as an in-house pharmacy for Franciscan friars it was later introduced to the public servicing the whole Town’s population and even beyond the town’s walls.

Nowadays, the pretty courtyard of Franciscan Monastery’s complex, intricate cloister leads to the Old Pharmacy Museum where among the exhibits you can see various pharmaceutical tools, containers, grinders, and similar from the times of old Ragusa.

There is also a functioning pharmacy on the premises where it is recommended to buy skincare products. The pharmacy also uses some of the 2000 years of recipes toll today. 

It is worth the visit. See how our visit went here – link.

Prijeko street, runs parallel to Stradun and is a narrow street filled with restaurants.

At the end of it (when coming from Pile Gate) is the Church of St. Nicholas. 

A stroll down Prijeko Street allows you to discover some of Dubrovnik’s most interesting buildings and untouched facades. Prijeko Street was once occupied by the city’s richest merchants.

The street provides a walk through history with its Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque style buildings, just look beyond the many restaurant and terraces. 

Amerling Fountain is one of the best works of the Croatian sculptor Ivan Renditch. It was installed in 1900 as a gift.

This beautiful fountain is called also Jewish because earlier Dubrovnik Jews were allowed to take water only from him. 

The construction is an excellent four-meter composition depicting Satyr and Mavka. According to legend, the nymph Dubraўka met at this place one of the satyrs.

It is located at Pile Square and is a popular spot for tour starts, so there are many people and groups gathering there. 

The water is drinkable and tasty. 

Park or Playground of Dubrovnik is located beneath the walls, next to Pile Gate. 

You might not want to work out there, but waddle around as in the part it used to serve as a defense, and the whole area was filled with water, making it harder to invade the city. 

Today it is a. popular spot for old and young to hang around. 

West Harbour will greet you when waddling towards Lovrijenac Fortress. 

It is popular for many Game of Thone scenes, but we mostly enjoyed the view it gives you, walls on one side and the Lovrijenac Fortress on the other.

It is somewhat peaceful there. 

Lokrum Island is only 10 minutes from Dubrovnik by boat. 

The first mention of Lokrum in writing came in 1023, in connection with the founding of the Benedictine abbey and monastery. According to legend Richard, the Lion-Heart was cast ashore here after being shipwrecked in 1192 while returning from the Crusades. 

Lokrum is a nature reserve and had a rich diversity of flora there. Many also go there to see the wild peacocks or sit on the original Iron Throne, from Game of Thrones. 

Do not hesitate to visit the island.

We fell in love with it easily. See how our waddle went here –link. 

Banje Beach is located outside the old town, about a 10-minute waddle from Ploče Gate. 

It is among the closest beaches to go and relax. 

There is also a beach bar where you can rent umbrellas and chairs to sit on, but also a free area where you only put down your stuff and enjoy. 

The water is clear and even in May, it was very warm. 

It was not as crowded yet and for your convenience, there are also dressing rooms where you can change into your bathing suit.

Also, you can rent a kayak there. 

Porporela is a pier and breakwater in Dubrovnik’s Old Harbour originally built in the old times to reduce the intensity of waves. 

It is a very popular Dubrovnik sight to waddle. 

You can see Lokrum Island from the pier and basically also waddle beneath St. John Fortress. 

There are numerous benches to sit and relax, but you can also bath there. There is access to the water and many come to swim during the summer months.

Cablecar Dubrovnik is honestly something we didn’t manage to do, but wish we did. It is highly recommended and we decided to leave it for the next time in Dubrovnik. 

If you have time to spare, then don’t hesitate to go.

You can find all information on their site here – link.

Fort Lovrijenac or fortress of St Lawrence is also known as ˝Gibraltar of Dubrovnik˝. 

It was built on the 37m high cliff outside the western part of the city walls. The fortress has a triangular shape with three terraces, the seaside of the fortress has walls that are thick 12 m (40 feet), and the ones facing the land are thick 60 cm (2 feet).

Throughout the centuries the fortress was adapted numerous times. 

Above its entrance, there is a message engraved meaning “Freedom is not sold for all the gold in the world.”

There is an interesting story about the building of the fortress. Read more here – link. 

Bokar Fortress also called Zvjezdan designed and built mostly during the 1460s, Bokar Fortress defended the western entrance to Dubrovnik.

It was key to the defense of the strategically vital Pile Gate.

They started to build the fort in 1461, according to the designs of Michelozzo di Bartolomeo of Florence. It was built as a two-story casemate fortress projected in front of the medieval walls.

There was a debate about the necessity of finalizing the project in 1470. In 1555 the fort was roofed and upgraded to its present state in 1570.

You can waddle in it when visiting the Walls of Dubrovnik. 

Minčeta Tower is a huge round fort dominating the north-western section of Dubrovnik. Completed in 1464.

Minceta is a large round fort with a massive base in the form. It is also the highest point in the Dubrovnik defense system. 

The name Minčeta derives from the name of the Mencetic family who was the owners of the ground where the tower was built. 

They started building it in 1319, according to the design of architect Ranjina.

Minceta is a symbol of the unconquerable City of Dubrovnik. It provides a magnificent view of Dubrovnik and stands high above the rest of Dubrovnik.

Accessible when waddling the Walls of Dubrovnik. 

Fortress of St. John also called Mulo tower, is a complex of the monumental fortress located on the south-eastern side of the old city port. It was one of the most important forts in the Dubrovnik City Walls defense and part of the port protection.

They started building it in 1346. 

The Maritime Museum and Aquarium are part of the St. John fortress today.

You can waddle on it when going to the Walls of Dubrovnik and beneath it when waddling to the Porporela pier. 

The photo you see we took from a boat while returning from Lokrum Island. 

Fort Revelin is located in the eastern part of the City. The initial fort was built in 1463. The name derives from rivelino ( ravelin ) which is a term in architecture that refers to forts built opposite the weakest points in the defense system. 

It took 11 years to build it. 

Revelin has an irregular quadrilateral form. The fort was not harmed by the earthquake of 1667 because of its perfect and strong construction.

And we didn’t plan to do so in Dubrovnik. However, by accident, we did book one. 

You may ask how can you buy one by accident? Well, we thought we bought a tour for the Walls of Dubrovnik, and when our tours started it took us 3 stops in the city to realize we are not going to the walls. 😅

It was for us the first tour we ever booked (although always intrigued by it). 

And as first experiences, we have only praise to give. We booked the Early Bird Tour and learned a lot of interesting facts. Book the tour now (commissions may apply).