Croatia Travel Guides

My Top 5 Things to Do in Dubrovnik

February 11, 2017

Fort Lovrijenac, Dubrovnik

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I thought I’d start a new feature rounding up my top things to do wherever we visit. For any of our future trips, I’ll be posting when we get back, but I thought it’d be good to go back through all of the places we’ve been to and start recapping them over the next few months. Whenever we go anywhere, my first search is top things to do in … so I hope it might come in helpful for anyone planning a trip to Dubrovnik!

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Old City Dubrovnik

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1. Walk the Old Walls of Dubrovnik

This was my favourite thing that we did while we were in Dubrovnik. The views over the Old City were just stunning and not to forget the views of Fort Lovrijenac too! The walls are roughly 2km with a lot of steps, so be sure to pack some water, a hat and sunscreen as there’s not too much shade up there.

For the quietest times, go first thing in the morning before all the cruise ships arrive, or in the afternoon once all the tour groups have left. The walls are only a few metres thick, so it can get a little squishy at points. Keep your entrance ticket to get free entry to Fort Lovrijenac too or if you visit the Fort first, keep your ticket to get 20kn off the entrance to the walls.

We recommend starting your day at the Fort, stopping for lunch then walking the walls in the afternoon. Entry costs 120kn each.

Related: Walking Dubrovnik’s Old City Walls

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2. Take a Boat over to Lokrum Island

If you have a couple days in Dubrovnik, I’d definitely recommend taking a day to explore the nearby island of Lokrum. It’s an uninhabited nature reserve a 15 minute boat trip from the Old Port of Dubrovnik so you can’t stay on the island.

We spent the day wandering the shoreline, exploring the trails through the woods and then climbing the hills to the old Fort at the top. Theres’s a shop, bar and restaurant (which we highly recommend eating at) on the island, but other than that it’s all nature.

Boat tickets cost 120kn each and include admission to the island. Just head down to the Old Port and you’ll find all the stalls selling tickets to the huge boat parked up there. They leave every 30 minutes or so but be sure to note down the last boat back to Dubrovnik – you don’t want to get stuck on the island!

Related: A Day on Lokrum Island

3. Watch The Sunset on Mount Srd

After our day on Lokrum Island, we took the cable car up to Mount Srd to watch the sunset. If you can’t make it up for sunset, then the views are still incredible during the day.

There’s buggys to rent, a restaurant, shop and museum at the top if you’re looking for more things to do up there. For the best views of the sunset, head down the hill to an old amphitheatre and watch from there – it’s so peaceful (till all the photographers appear with their tripods haha).

You can either drive up, walk up from the old city, or take the cable car to the top. You can buy your tickets at the cable car station or from some shops in the area and they cost 120kn each for a return journey or 70kn for a single journey.

Related: Sunset on Mount Srd, Dubrovnik

Fort Lovrijenac, Dubrovnik

4. See the Amazing Views from Fort Lovrijenac

For some of the best views of Dubrovnik’s Old City and the walls (and the famous Kings Landing from GoT if you’re into that), head over to Fort Lovrijenac. Although there isn’t actually much to see at the Fort, the views are the best thing about it. It’s quite a hike up from the bottom, but it’s definitely worth it. Even if you don’t pay for entry to the Fort at the very top, the views from the gardens are still amazing.

We struggled to find it and had to go to tourist information to ask for directions, but it’s by a little water fountain in the square just outside Pile Gate behind Gallus restaurant – there’s a set of stairs going down and around the corner then you come to a little kayak centre and then take a hike up the many stairs to get to the fort.

Entry costs 20-30kn (I can’t remember for sure), but keep your ticket to get a reduced price for the walls. If you visit the walls first, keep your ticket to get free entry to the Fort. We recommend starting at the Fort and then heading to the walls.

Related: Exploring Fort Lovrijenac

Old City Dubrovnik

5. Get Lost in the Old City

Encased in the Old City walls, the Old City is just amazing to wander through. Filled with restaurants, shops and homes, it’s so beautiful! Head down to the Old Port for the best views, secret nooks and hidden swimming areas. Or find the famous Buza Bar for some amazing diving spots.

Related: Wandering Through Dubrovnik’s Old City

Our Lady of the Rocks, Perast, MontenegroKotor Old Walls, Montenegro

BONUS: Take a Day Trip to Montenegro

With Montenegro being only an hour or so away from Dubrovnik, you have to take a day trip over the border. We visited Kotor for the day which took us about 2 hours to get to, including the wait at border control (it’s slow). Make sure to take passports and any car rental/ownership agreements if you drive over yourself or you can take a bus trip.

We stopped in Perast first and took a boat for €5 each over to Our Lady of the Rocks, then continued the drive around the bay to Kotor. The highlight was definitely the hike up the Old City Walls. The old city isn’t as well preserved as in Dubrovnik and the walls are a crumbling mess (though they are slowly trying to restore/improve them), so good shoes are a must.

The walls go 1.2km up the mountain and take a good hour or two to walk up and there’s no facilities or water available, so be sure to pack some, but the views along the way are incredible! Entry to the walls costs a couple euros each.

Related: Perast & Our Lady of the Rocks and Hiking the Old Walls of Kotor

Have you been to Dubrovnik before? What were your top things to do in Dubrovnik?

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  • Reply
    Lucy
    February 17, 2017 at 8:48 pm

    Your posts about Dubrovnik have made me want to go sooo much! It looks like a world left back in time – so relaxing and beautiful! xxx
    Lucy @ La Lingua | Life, Travel, Italy

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