If you try to list all Dubrovnik attractions, the list will be quite long and all are located within the city walls.
To visit all of them, will depend how many days you have available. If you are time limited, you can do all of this in a day, but I don’t recommend it. In such a short time, you are going to miss something.
You can see the major attractions within the walled city in two full days, but adding another extra day you’ll be able to explore the surrounding area on some day-trips.
Dubrovnik Attractions Map
Top landmarks of Dubrovnik
- Ancient city walls
- ‘Stradun’ promenade
- Dubrovnik cable car
- Ploce gate
- Pile gate
- St. John’s Fortress
- Revelin Fortress
- Fort Bokat
- Minceta Fortress
- Fort Lovrijenac
- Orlando Column
- Franciscan Monastery
- Onophrian Fountain
- Rector’s Palace
- Church of Saint Blaise
- Synagogue
- Sponza Palace
- Maritime Museum
Dubrovnik Attractions Visiting Itinerary
No matter how much time you’re going to stay in Dubrovnik, some Dubrovnik attractions have to be on the priority list.
Dubrovnik City walls
There’s no better way to appreciate Dubrovnik’s history and architecture than by walking across the beautiful walls that surround the Old Town. They are one of the main tourist attractions.
The entire inner city is enclosed by massive walls and fortifications, which were built , reinforced and expanded from the 12th to the middle of the 17th century. There are three entrances to the city walls, entering through Pile Gate, Ploce Gate and St. Ivan fort (see the map above).
The best (and most popular) is on the left side of Stradun street, just after you enter the city from the Pile Gate (with a large Croatian flag on the top.)
I recommend taking something to drink when you start your walking tour and try to avoid period between 11 AM to 15 PM during the high season (July and August). The entrance fee is 120 Kuna (children 30). With Dubrovnik card you’ll have free entrance to the walls!
City walls working hours
- 1 January – 28 February – 10.00 am – 3.00 pm
- 1 March – 31 March – 9.00 am – 3.00 pm
- 1 April – 31 May – 9.00 am – 6.30 pm
- 1 June – 31 July – 8.00 am – 7.30 pm
- 1 August – 15 September – 8.00 am – 7.00 pm
- 15 September – 31 October – 9.00 am – 6.00 pm
- 1 November – 31 December – 9.00 am – 3.00 p
City Wall Fortresses /Towers
The wall is 2 km long and up to 25 meters high and it includes 16 smaller and larger fortress and towers. Each of these tower offer outstanding views into the Old Town and its red-tiled roofs, the Old Port (and the nearby island of Lokrum).
There are five biggest fortresses (towers), three of which are an integral part the walls, while two are outside the city walls:
- Minceta Fortress (number 8 on above map) – one of the most important and most visited Dubrovnik’s towers and the highest point of city’s defense system.
- Bokar Fortress, located at the top of steep cliff on the western corner of city walls, built with intention to defend the town’s main entrance Pile Gate.
- St Ivan Tower – massive fortress at the city’s sea gate built to protect the town from the eastern side. Today it houses two Dubrovnik attractions, aquarium and maritime museum.
- Revelin Fortress – located just outside the town walls as part of the Ploce Gate entrance to the Old town was built in 16th century as protection of the Eastern side of the Town and its harbor (Old Port) .
- Tower Lovrijenac is also known as St. Lawrence Fortress, located on a large cliff just outside the western part of Dubrovnik’s city walls. This fortress is open to public from 08 AM to 18,30 PM.
Stradun Street
The town’s main street, called Placa, long about 300 meters, is the main outdoor communal area of Dubrovnik, a popular promenade and meeting place, a place of the most important festivities and processions. The Stradun is the broadest and most beautiful city street and the most popular of Dubrovnik attractions venue.
It divides the old town on the northern and southern part and is the main commercial artery of the old core of the Dubrovnik.
No matter which gate you use to enter the Old City, Stradun or Placa is the central street of Old Dubrovnik. It’s the main route and the place where you can best feel the ‘pulse of the city’, the favorite promenade walk of all Dubrovnik citizens, young and old, as well as of all tourists coming from all over the world.
The best way to admire Stradun is walking back and forth. Once you get tired a bit, sit in front of one of the cafes, get your drink and enjoy watching people passing by.
If you prefer, you can take a rest on the steps of Sveti Vlaho Church (St. Blaise) or in front of Orlando’s Column. Another nice place to enjoy views of the street is to get to the top of Dubrovnik walls from where you can see Stradun (as well as rest of the town) from the bird-eye perspective.
On the left, when one enters the Placa (Stradun) from the Pile Gate, is the beautiful Renaissance church of the Holy Savior (Sveti Spas) and net to it, Franciscan Church and Monastery, the monumental complex with a cloister, housing the oldest pharmacy in the world that works without interruption since 1317.
On the right you can see some Dubrovnik attractions such as a splendid polygonal fountain, called Onofrio’s large fountain, while on the eastern end of the Stradun there is a second fountain, Onofrio’s Small Fountain.
Luza Square
Luza Square is one of the most crowded squares located at the eastern end of the Stradun. On this square takes place the opening of two most Dubrovnik events, Summer Festival (68th edition took place from 10 July to 25 August 2017) and February procession of Sveti Vlaho’s day (St. Blaise).
Luza square hosts several of most important Dubrovnik attractions and monuments of Dubrovnik Republic:
Sponza Palace
Gothic-Renaissance building of the 16th century. It is one of the very few buildings to survive 1667 earthquake. Its original form has been preserved to this day.
Today, the palace is a home of the Dubrovnik’s State Archives (in which is stored the complete documentation of the Dubrovnik Republic) and the Museum to the Dubrovnik Defenders (Open 8am–2pm daily).
Rector’s Palace
A prestigious palace, the most important public building in the old Dubrovnik, which was the seat of government of the Dubrovnik Republic.
Duke’s palace is now a museum, and the atrium of the palace is often used as a concert venue for outstanding acoustics. The palace house the Town Museum, opened for visitors daily from 09 am until 07 pm.
Orlando’s column
Orlando’s Column in Dubrovnik is a well known monument situated in the very heart of the Old Town, in the center of Luza Square right in front of St Blaise’s Church.
It’s one of Dubrovnik attractions that symbolizes one of most precious word of Dubrovnik republic, Libertas (freedom). The stone Gothic statue of a young knight Orlando in armor with a shield and raised sword in hand, is a symbol of Dubrovnik.
He helped to defeat invaders in the middle ages and therefore helped Dubrovnik to remain a free trade city-state.
It’s a monument to freedom, nowadays the column also features Libertas (freedom) flag of Dubrovnik Summer festival as well as St Blaise festival flag.
Dubrovnik Cathedral
Dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Dubrovnik Our Lady cathedral called Great. It was built in 1713 in Baroque style, on the site of the Romanesque cathedral from the 12th century, heavily damaged in the great earthquake of 1667.
The cathedral has a lovely interior, with numerous old religious paintings, one of them of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary that is attributed to Titian. The cathedral offers the free entrance to its visitors and is one of the must see Dubrovnik attractions.
Dubrovnik Cable Car
To get most of your stay in Dubrovnik, I suggest to book two tours in one. The first one is a short trip to Mount Srdj by cable car, enjoying the view to the Old Town, as a perfect intro to the history Dubrovnik.
Then, head back down and go on a guided walking tour of Dubrovnik, strolling its limestone streets and learning about the history of some of Dubrovnik attractions from St Onofrio’s Fountain to the Cathedral of the Assumption.