Dubrovnik city walls guide

The Dubrovnik city walls are among the finest in the world, encircling the historic heart of this Croatian city, and with spectacular views out to the Adriatic sea and over the red tiled rooftops. So no visit is complete without a walk around Dubrovnik’s walls, learning more about the city’s past along the way – or spotting a few Game of Thrones locations if you’re a fan.

If you’re not sure where to begin, we’ve got all the information and tips you need in our Dubrovnik city walls guide, from the key sights and landmarks to practical advice.

It’s thought that Dubrovnik’s earliest stone walls date back as early as the 8th or 9th century, and by the 13th century, the city had been completely surrounded by this defensive barrier.

Over the next few centuries, extra forts were added and other defences improved, with the walls stretching up to 25m high in places, and up to 6m thick on the side closest to land.

The original walls used seaweed, eggshells and sand as mortar, and limestone from a nearby quarry, and they were considered so vital that stories tell that during medieval times, the city’s government insisted every visitor to the Old Town brought a stone to help strengthen the walls.

Today you can still walk around the entire 2km of walls, spotting 16 towers, three fortresses, moats, drawbridges, turrets and other fortifications which kept the beautiful old city safe for centuries, recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.

Dubrovnik Old Town

It’s not free to walk the Dubrovnik walls, so you’ll need to buy a ticket to get access, either at the entrances near the Pile Gate, the Ploče Gate and the Maritime museum, or online in advance which lets you skip the queue at the ticket offices.

Tickets currently cost 35 Euros from March to October, and 15 Euros during winter, from November to February.

If you buy your ticket from the official website or ticket office, it will include the Minčeta tower, Fort Bokar, the fort of St Lawrence and the walls. If you visit the fort of St Lawrence first, your ticket won’t include access to the walls, but you should be able to update it later at the ticket office – it’s easier simply to buy it at the walls first though.

The route around the walls takes you in an anti-clockwise direction to avoid congestion as some areas are narrow enough that you’ll need to go in single file.

Wherever you start your explorations, you’ll be able to see the entire fortifications, although the main entrance if at Pile Gate gives you some of the best views to start with. The Ploče gate, at the eastern end of the Old town, has fewer stairs and tends to be quieter.

Allow around 90 minutes to two hours to walk the entire circuit, giving plenty of time to soak up the views, stop and take photos, and to navigate the crowds.

During peak season, thousands of people visit the Dubrovnik city walls every day, so arriving early is a good idea. The walls open at 8am in peak season (sometimes later during winter months) and normally close at 7pm (earlier during winter months).

If you’re visiting during summer, there’s no shade, so it’s best to attempt the walk first thing or later in the day to avoid the hottest weather. You will find some cafes along the route, which also have toilets, but taking your own water is a good idea. Don’t forget sun protection either.

One of the highlights of walking the Dubrovnik city walls is the fabulous views across the Old Town and the sea. At certain points, you can spot Lokrum island off the coast of Dubrovnik, with the deep blue of the Adriatic stretching away towards the horizon.

Looking towards land, you can gaze down onto the spires and tiled roofs of the Old Town. You’ll spot patches of tiles which are a brighter red, as the majority were replaced after being damaged during the Balkans War and don’t yet match the sun-faded terracotta originals.

The new tiles were sourced specially from Toulouse to keep the historic character of this UNESCO World Heritage site, with 200,000 shipped from France to Croatia. You’ll also get a taste of daily life for those who still live in Dubrovnik, overlooking gardens and courtyards. Along the way, you can see various landmarks, such as St Luke’s Tower, a high point along the wall, with some of the best views, as well as the gates and forts.

For centuries, you could only enter Dubrovnik through one of two imposing gates – the Pile Gate in the west, and the Ploče gate in the east, with the drawbridges raised at sunset and the doors to the city locked. A third entrance, the Buža Gate, was added to the northern wall in 1907.

Set off Stradun, as Dubrovnik’s attractive main pedestrian street is known, the Pile Gate is still the most impressive. Passing through the outer gate, there’s also inner gate, and a ramp and steps as you make your way to the wall, with a statue of Dubrovnik’s patron saint, St Blaise, looking down on all who enter.

The Ploče gate is less decorative but you walk across a stone bridge through a string of arches to enter. There’s another statue of St Blaise here too, this time holding the city in his hands.

The Dubrovnik walls help connect three separate fortresses (along with other towers and fortifications) called Minčeta, Bokar and St John, as well as letting you visit two other freestanding forts, Revelin and Lawrence.

The 15th century round Fort Minčeta sits at the highest point of the city walls, to protect the city from an attack by land, and replaced an earlier 14th century square tower. There are fantastic views from the terrace at the top, while the lower floor houses the Upper Corner Tower museum, including the remains of a medieval foundry. Left hidden under rubble after the 1667 earthquake, it was only excavated again between 2005 and 2008. Fort Minčeta also doubled at the House of the Undying in Qarth during filming of Game of Thrones.

The westernmost tower of the Dubrovnik city walls, Fort Bokar was built in the 15th century to protect the Pile Gate, and it has one of the most dramatic locations, set on a rocky outcrop with the waves crashing around the base. The fort itself is used as a venue for performances during the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, and there also some small displays inside, including a collection of precious stones, and several cannon. For Game of Thrones fans, the fortress was used briefly as a location with characters seen planning the defence of King’s Landing here.

The 16th century Fort St John (sometimes called the Mulo Tower) replaced a 14th century square tower, with only the outline of the original fortification remaining. There are cannon on the upper terrace, where you can look out to the views of the Old Town Port, and it also houses the Maritime Museum and an aquarium. You’ll need separate tickets if you’re planning to visit either of these attractions, as they aren’t included in entry to the Dubrovnik walls.

Near the eastern walls, Revelin is the largest of the forts, looking out over the Old Harbour and the eastern entrance into the Old Town at the Ploče gate. Today, it houses Dubrovnik’s archaeological museum, with exhibitions on the fort’s history, including its foundry, and on medieval sculpture – you need a separate ticket to enter. More unexpectedly, the top of the fortress is home to one of Dubrovnik’s most popular nightclubs.

Fort Lawrence (Lovrijenac) was used as the Red Keep in Game of Thrones

This large free-standing fortress was one of the main defences protecting the west of the city from invasion by land or sea. Its walls are up to 12m thick in places, and there are some great views onto the old town from its position on a 37m high cliff above the old town. Included in entry to the Dubrovnik city walls, the views from the battlements are one of the best parts of visiting Fort Lawrence, although during the summer, the courtyard is often used as a venue for outdoor theatre and concerts. Named for the Church of St Lawrence which used to stand here, there’s been a fort here since at least 1301. As you explore, you can spot another statue of St Blaise here too, while the fort also doubled as the Red Keep in Game of Thrones.

Discover Dubrovnik for yourself on an escorted tour or hotel holiday in Croatia