Dubrovnik is a coastal city in Southern Croatia; known for its spectacular location coupled along with the historic old town. The city is popular for its magnificent ‘City walls’; a combination of defensive walls, watchtowers, and forts completely surrounding the city. These walls run 1940 meters uninterrupted with a max height – 25m.
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King’s landing
Did you know that Dubrovnik was the main filming location in the famous TV series ‘Game of Thrones’?
Yes, the fictional city ‘King’s landing’ was filmed here. All around the city, I could only see ‘Game of Thrones (GOT) tour’ advertisements. For someone like me who didn’t watch a single episode of GOT, I felt it was overrated. But few of friends enjoyed to the core. If you are a GOT fan, Dubrovnik would be a dream visit.
Dubrovnik is fondly termed as the Pearl of the Adriatic and Venice, the queen of the Adriatic.
Why surround Dubrovnik with walls?
Raised in the 13th century, the walls helped to encounter dangerous foreign attacks to the city and the Dubrovnik Republic. The 15th century marked the addition of fifteen more towers to the walls, few of which are still preserved today.
Even today, the city walls stand tall, making it a UNESCO World Heritage Site (since 1979).
Currency
- Croatia official currency: Croatian Kuna
- Currency code: HRK
- Exchange rate: 1 € ~ 7.6 HRK, 1$ ~ 7.6 HRK, 1 HRK ~ 10.7 ₹
Entrance fee (HRK)
- Adult: 200
- Below 18 years: 50
- Student card*: 50
Ticket validity: 1 day
opening times
- Opening times * Summer: 8.00 – 18.00
- Winter: 9.00 – 15.00
Note: *Opening times differ each month slightly. Visit this info page to know more.
Tickets
- Tickets availability Online*, counter
- Accepted forms of payment Cash, all major cards (Visa, MasterCard, Maestro)
*Approved student cards: Croatia Student Card, International Student Card (ISIC) & European Youth Card
*Online – Viator (But still you have to collect the ticket at the counter. This is just a booking)
When to visit
- Season April – October
- Best time to visit Early morning or late afternoon
Walking through the city walls
There are two entrances to the walls through which you can enter
- Pile Gate (close to the ticket office). This is the most popular option.
- Ploce Gate
Walkthrough Pile Gate, take the stairs. This is an anticlockwise route starting from the seaside.
Now its time to walk, walk, and further walk. The journey is 2km long with 1,080 steps in total. In summers, avoid an afternoon walk.
Initially, you feel like ‘Everything looks the same’. Once you start walking, you start knowing better.
Tip: If you are a GOT fan, go for a guided tour. You could relate more.
Few cafes, ice cream points make your walk refreshing. Also, there are multiple toilets on your way.
Note: Once get down on the other end, you can’t climb the walls again; your ticket becomes invalid. So don’t get down until you are completely done. Take numerous breaks.
Lovrijenac Fortress
Often called Dubrovnik’s Gibraltar, Lovrijenac, or St. Lawrence fortress stands outside the Western wall. It’s the first point you notice when you walk from the Pile Gate entrance. Your city walls tickets also allow entry to this fortress.
Pro-Tip: You have to exit the walls to enter the fortress. So keep this your last destination.
Apart from that, you can pass through many little forts like Tvrđava Bokar, Tvrdava Revelin, Svetog Petra, and watchtowers like Sveta Margarita, Sveti Stjepan, Sveti Spasitelj.
Too difficult to pronounce? Ignore it !!
Old Port
Located on the city’s eastern side, the port marks your journey’s halfway point. The old port was a safe point for many private boats. I visited in April. It was still Spring. So water activities had not started. And you can see boats of all kinds at the dock.
Minceta Fortress
A 14th-century Fortress offering sea views. This is the highest point in Dubrovnik making it a picture-perfect point. The fortress has a massive outer wall visible from any point in the city.
Finally, you can exit via the Ploce Gate (another side of the city walls).
My experience
Due to the high entrance price (~ 27 €), some say that the city walls are not worth the price. But for me, it was the best thing I did in Dubrovnik. Walking around the walls gave me a majestic feel. I never felt bored. You can spend three complete hours. There was always something new to watch out for.
The first thing Todo in Dubrovnik: Walk around the city walls
Overall experience: 
out of 5.
Time of visit: April 2017
“What inspires me most to write is the act of traveling – Tea Obreht”