Things to do in Dubrovnik
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Dubrovnik City Walls
No visit to Dubrovnik would be complete without a leisurely walk around the city walls. Built between the 13th and 16th centuries and still intact today, these powerful walls are the finest in the world and Dubrovnik's main claim to fame.
The first set of walls to enclose the city were built in the 13th century. In the middle of the 14th century the 1.5m-thick walls were fortified with 15 square forts. The threat of attacks from the Turks in the 15th century prompted the city to strengthen the existing forts and add new ones so that the entire Old Town is now contained within a curtain of stone over 2km long and up to 25m high. The walls are thicker on the land side - up …
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Adriatic Explore
Day trips to Mostar and Montenegro (both 380KN) are very popular. Excursions to Mljet, Korčula and the Elafiti Islands (250KN) are offered, too.
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Kamenice
Looks vaguely like a socialist-style canteen, with prices to match. Order the squid, anchovies or kamenice (oysters).
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Chihuahua Cantina Mexicana
No matter how good the local cuisine is, sometimes the palate cries out for exotic spices. The tapas, fajitas and empanadas may be ersatz Mexican, but it is a refreshing change from pasta, risotto and fish. Plus there are vegetarian dishes to fortify the lively young crowd.
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Rector’s Palace
The Gothic-Renaissance Rector’s Palace was built in the late 15th century and is adorned with outstanding sculptural ornamentation. It retains a striking compositional unity despite being rebuilt many times. Notice the finely carved capitals and the ornate staircase in the atrium, which is often used for concerts during the Summer Festival. Also in the atrium is a statue of Miho Pracat, who bequeathed his wealth to the Republic and was the only commoner in the 1000 years of the Republic’s existence to be honoured with a statue (1638). We may assume that the bequest was considerable. The palace was built for the rector who governed Dubrovnik, and it contains the rector’s o…
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Franciscan Monastery & Museum
Over the doorway of this monastery is a remarkable pietà sculpted by the local masters Petar and Leonard Andrijić in 1498. Unfortunately, the portal is all that remains of the richly decorated church, which was destroyed in the 1667 earthquake. Inside the monastery complex is a mid-14th-century cloister, one of the most beautiful late-Romanesque structures in Dalmatia. Notice how each capital over the incredibly slim dual columns is topped by a different figure, portraying human heads, animals and floral arrangements. Also enjoyable is the small square garden that’s shaded by orange and palm trees.
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Lucín Kantun
A modest-looking place with shabby-chic decor and a few pavement tables, but appearances are deceptive – this restaurant serves some of the most creative food in Dubrovnik. Virtually everything on the short meze-style menu is excellent, including amazing squid (stuffed with smoked ham and served with lemon and butter sauce), a lentil and shrimp creation, cheeses (including paški sir) and Dalmatian hams. Everything is freshly cooked from an open kitchen so you may have to wait a while at busy times.
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Explore Croatia
8 days (ex Dubrovnik)
by Intrepid
Walk the famed city walls of Dubrovnik, Dine on traditional treats in Korcula, Try travarica - the local tipple, Sip a cocktail at a waterside bar in Hvar, Expl…Not LP reviewed
from USD$1,495 -
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Memorial Room of the Defenders of Dubrovnik
Also in the interior is the Memorial Room of the Defenders of Dubrovnik, a heartbreaking collection of portraits of young people who perished between 1991 and 1995.
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Orhan
Fancy restaurant beautifully located by the Pile Gate. Fish and seafood are good here, but you’ll pay a premium for the location.
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Sloboda Cinema
This is the most centrally located cinema. Posters outside advertise the nightly showings.
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Fresh
Smoothies, wraps and other healthy snacks are on offer at this popular meeting place.
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Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin
Built on the site of a 7th-century basilica that was enlarged in the 12th century, the original Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin was supposedly the result of a gift from England’s King Richard I, the Lionheart, who was saved from a shipwreck on the nearby island of Lokrum. Soon after the first cathedral was destroyed in the 1667 earthquake, work began on this new cathedral, which was finished in 1713 in a baroque style. The cathedral is notable for its fine altars, especially the altar of St John Nepomuk, made of violet marble. The cathedral treasury contains relics of St Blaise as well as 138 gold and silver reliquaries largely made in the workshops of Dubrovn…
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Sponza Palace
The 16th-century Sponza Palace was originally a customs house, then a minting house, a state treasury and a bank. Now it houses the State Archives, which contain a priceless collection of manuscripts dating back nearly a thousand years. This superb structure is a mixture of Gothic and Renaissance styles beginning with an exquisite Renaissance portico resting on six columns. The 1st floor has late-Gothic windows and the 2nd-floor windows are in a Renaissance style, with an alcove containing a statue of St Vlaho. Also inside is the Memorial Room of the Defenders of Dubrovnik, a heartbreaking collection of portraits of young people who perished between 1991 and 1995.
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Dominican Monastery & Museum
This imposing structure is a real architectural highlight, built in a transitional Gothic-Renaissance style, and has a rich trove of paintings. Constructed around the same time as the city walls in the 14th century, the stark exterior resembles a fortress more than a religious complex. The interior contains a graceful 15th-century cloister constructed by local artisans after the designs of the Florentine architect Massa di Bartolomeo, and a large, single-naved church with an altarpiece by Vlaho Bukovac. The eastern wing contains the monastery’s impressive art collection; notice the works of Nikola Božidarević, Dobrić Dobričević and Mihajlo Hamzić.
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State Archives
The 16th-century Sponza Palace houses the State Archives, which contain a priceless collection of manuscripts dating back nearly a thousand years. This superb structure is a mixture of Gothic and Renaissance styles beginning with an exquisite Renaissance portico resting on six columns. The 1st floor has late-Gothic windows and the 2nd-floor windows are in a Renaissance style, with an alcove containing a statue of St Vlaho. Also inside is the Memorial Room of the Defenders of Dubrovnik, a heartbreaking collection of portraits of young people who perished between 1991 and 1995.
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Ethnographic Museum
The ethnographic heritage of Croatia is catalogued in this museum inside a domed 1903 building. Out of 70,000 items, about 2750 are on display, including ceramics, jewellery, musical instruments, tools, weapons and Croatian folk costumes, including gold-embroidered scarves from Slavonia and lace from the island of Pag. Thanks to donations from the Croatian explorers Mirko and Stevo Seljan, there are also artefacts from South America, the Congo, Ethiopia, China, Japan, New Guinea and Australia. Temporary exhibitions are often held on the 2nd floor.
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Cable Car
Now reopened after 19 years, Dubrovnik’s cable car whisks you from just north of the city walls up to Mt Srđ in under four minutes. At the end of the line there’s a stupendous perspective of the city from a lofty 405m, down to the terracotta-tiled rooftops of the old town and the island of Lokrum, with the Adriatic and distant Elafiti Islands filling the horizon. Telescopes help you pick out details far, far below. There’s a snack bar and a restaurant and the Museum of the Homeland War (currently under renovation) is close by.
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St Ignatius Church
Built in the same style as the cathedral and completed in 1725, the St Ignatius Church has frescos displaying scenes from the life of St Ignatius, founder of the Jesuit society. Abutting the church is the Jesuit College, located at the top of a broad flight of stairs leading down to the square Gundulićeva Poljana, where a bustling morning market is held. The monument in the centre of the square is of Dubrovnik’s famous poet, Ivan Gundulić. Reliefs on the pedestal depict scenes from his epic poem, Osman.
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Montenegro Day Trip from Dubrovnik
12 hours (Departs Dubrovnik, Croatia)
by Viator
Montenegro, with its vast, awe-inspiring landscapes, is one of Europe’s best-kept secrets, but the word is gradually getting out, so see it relatively crowd-fre…Not LP reviewed
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Mostar Day Trip from Dubrovnik
11 hours (Departs Dubrovnik, Croatia)
by Viator
Visit the city sights of Mostar, a city on the Neretva River in Bosnia and Herzegovina. On this day trip from Dubrovnik, see the Old Bazaar, the Turkish House a…Not LP reviewed
from USD$67.64 -
Cruise of the Elafiti and Green Islands from Dubrovnik
9 hours (Departs Dubrovnik, Croatia)
by Viator
Enjoy a Croatian cruise aboard a historical galleon, a pirate-style sailing ship that offers the best way to discover the Elafiti Islands and Green Islands. Sav…Not LP reviewed
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Gil’s
Gloriously glitzy or ridiculously pretentious, everyone has an opinion about Gil’s. Whatever your take on it, the cooking certainly hits the heights – scampi-stuffed veal, grilled turbot with confit lemon and pine nuts – and there’s a wine cellar stocked with 6000 bottles. The setting is unmatched, on top of the city walls with tables positioned so you can peer through the battlements over the harbour.
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Island of Korcula Day Trip from Dubrovnik
10 hours (Departs Dubrovnik, Croatia)
by Viator
Lying on a small peninsula on the island of the same name, surrounded by city walls and fortresses, Korcula is one of the most beautiful medieval cities on the …Not LP reviewed
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Defne
Enjoy unique old-town ambience at this fine restaurant, which has a huge outdoor terrace and serves (mainly Eastern) Mediterranean cuisine, so there’s lots of Turkish, Greek and Balkan food. The menu is a little annoying, with dishes that have been given Asian themes – Sultan’s Dreams is beefsteak rolled in foil with herbs – but the cooking is accomplished and setting lovely.
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