A Guide to Walking the City Walls of Dubrovnik


Lokrum island.
Lokrum island.

When I came to Dubrovnik, the first activity I was determined to complete was walking its famous city walls.

Yes, the old town of Dubrovnik is surrounded by a medieval wall and several forts, and these days, you can climb up on to them and walk the perimeter of the old town. The wall was originally built in the 10th century to protect the buildings from Serbian attacks, and it’s just 2 kilometres, making it an easy stroll that offers fantastic views.

It takes about 2 hours to walk all the way round, as you’ll be wanting to stop regularly in order to take some photos, so if you’re visiting in the middle of summer, make sure you do this walk in the morning or early evening!

I decided to walk the city walls at midday in August and it just about killed me. Fortunately, there are cafes dotted around the walls, selling some seriously overpriced bottles of water that were there to save my life. Of course, sunscreen is therefore a necessity, too.

The view of the city walls from outside Dubrovnik.
Views of Dubrovnik’s Old Town and the city wall.

As well as the walls themselves, another form of protection was provided by the separate fortress known as Fort Lovrijenac. Lovrijenac was the most important part of the defence system for western Dubrovnik, defending against attacks from both land and sea. It is now used as a theatre in the summer.

Fort Lovrijenac

Whilst walking the city walls, there are beautiful 360 degree views of the deep blue adriatic sea, as well as the jumble of red rooftops of the Old Town buildings.

The Old Town as seen from the city walls.
Dubrovnik Old Town
Old Town
Old Town ruins.

At certain points along the wall, you can see the nearby Lokrum island, about 600 metres off the coast of Dubrovnik.

Lokrum island and the Old Town.

Towards the eastern side of the walls there are panoramic views of the Old Port. The quaint and pretty harbour still shows what it would have looked like in the Middle Ages when this was one of the busiest ports of the Adriatic. There are a number of small boats, and in the morning locals still go out into the bay to fish. Here is also where you can catch a boat to one the small islands close by.

Dubrovnik harbour.
Dubrovnik harbour

One of the more dangerous activities that you can take part in in Dubrovnik is cliff jumping. Dubrovnik has twice hosted events in the World Series Cliff Diving Competition, and there are spots along the way where you can watch those who are brave enough jumping into the sea below.

Cliff jumpers.

The walls of Dubrovnik are open everyday between 8am and 7pm, and it costs 70 kuna to enter.

Where to Stay in Dubrovnik

I stayed at Dubrovnik Backpackers Club, which fast became one of my favourite hostels in Eastern Europe. I cannot talk up the owners enough!

I felt like I was staying with a family, as the mother welcomed me with open arms and the father was keen to give me lots of information about the surrounding area. There were day trips available, too. I took the one to Bosnia and enjoyed it thoroughly.

The family meal put on each night is fantastic value and they’ll keep feeding you until you’re full! Everyone took great care to hand me piles of food, and kept trying to fatten me up while I was there! The only downside to the hostel is its location — it’s not in the old town, but is only a ten minute bus ride away.

Still, I can wholeheartedly recommend staying at Dubrovnik Backpackers Club.

Related Articles on Croatia

💰 The Cost of Travel in Croatia: My Detailed Budget Breakdown
🧳 How to Pack for a Trip to Croatia
☀️ 30 Incredible Things to Do in Dubrovnik, Croatia
🇭🇷 20 Best Things to Do in Zagreb, Croatia

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About the author

Lauren Juliff

Lauren Juliff is a published author and travel expert who founded Never Ending Footsteps in 2011. She has spent over 12 years travelling the world, sharing in-depth advice from more than 100 countries across six continents.

Lauren's travel advice has been featured in publications like the BBC, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Cosmopolitan, and her work is read by 200,000 readers each month. Her travel memoir can be found in bookstores across the planet.

24 Comments

  1. Toni
    August 1, 2011
    Reply

    Right girlie, that’s it, I’m going to have to unfollow through jealousy. Ouch – these photos make me wanna jump on a plane to your right now =)

    • August 2, 2011
      Reply

      Hahahaha, would be awesome if you were here! Croatia rocks!

  2. Kris Koeller
    August 1, 2011
    Reply

    Wow, looks like an amazing place. Beautiful photos!

    • August 2, 2011
      Reply

      I loved it there, was definitely sad to leave!

  3. Danielle
    August 1, 2011
    Reply

    These photos are absolutely beautiful. The water is so blue!

    • August 2, 2011
      Reply

      Thanks Danielle, I was surprised at how blue the water was, it was amazing!

  4. fotoeins
    August 2, 2011
    Reply

    Beautifully red!

  5. pokeken
    August 2, 2011
    Reply

    Great place! The habour looks like a place to sit back and take a deep breath and relax.

    Just a quick suggestion with the camera settings. The 550d tends to slightly over expose so I always set it to -1 ev. This will help improve contrast in bright locations like Dubrovnik.

    Looking forward to more photos!
    Ken

    • August 2, 2011
      Reply

      It was really chilled out. Would have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t been exhausted and dripping with sweat!

      Thanks for the tip! :D

  6. Jaime
    August 2, 2011
    Reply

    So this is the long walk that almost killed you??? Sounds like an amazing walk and site to see. I love all the pics… so pretty!!!

    • August 3, 2011
      Reply

      Yes, it was!! It was gorgeous there, just wish I hadn’t done it in the middle of the day!

  7. Bob Crunch
    August 3, 2011
    Reply

    These are some awesome pictures. The one of the Adriatic sea is absolutely beautiful. I see you keep adding to your Not Top 10’s. :)

    • August 3, 2011
      Reply

      Hahaha, can’t stop adding to it at the moment!

  8. Jim
    August 3, 2011
    Reply

    I regret not visiting Croatia when I travelled Europe, looks beautiful. Will probably try to visit some day.

    • August 3, 2011
      Reply

      You definitely should, Jim, I love it here!

  9. Mediterranean Boat
    August 10, 2011
    Reply

    Croatia is often overlooked for more popular destinations, but it is such a beautiful country with a rich cultural heritage. Glad you had a great time, love your pics!

  10. Ian [EagerExistence]
    October 8, 2011
    Reply

    So you paid the 10 euro? I managed to talk the security guy into letting me up for free :)

  11. Megan Eileen
    December 17, 2011
    Reply

    Dubrovnik looks amazing! I love exploring cities with medieval architecture – I secretly think I was a princess in a past life!

  12. Kurt W
    January 23, 2012
    Reply

    Probably one of the best “old towns” there is anywhere. The water is always the perfect tint of blue.

  13. January 31, 2012
    Reply

    Fantastic photos!

  14. Kerri
    August 22, 2012
    Reply

    Love the photos – I made the same mistake when I walked the town walls back in July. Kept meaning to go up in the morning or evening but in the end, ended up doing it at midday on my last day in Dubrovnik. Still amazing though :)

  15. Amazing pictures, I so want to go to Dubrovnik, not sure what I’m waiting for!

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