The Walls of Dubrovnik
One of the things that constantly came up in our research was that walking the 1,940 meters on top of the Dubrovnik City walls was a must-do. While the cost may seem steep, it was quickly forgotten as soon as we ascended the stairs and saw what awaited us.
We have two tips when visiting the walls of Dubrovnik:
Go early
Get the Dubrovnik Pass
We began our wall walk by taking a bus that dropped us off in front of Pile Gate (to be fair, pretty much all buses to Dubrovnik old town stop here). The ticket booth for the wall is a little ways in on the left side. There’s at least one other ticket booth inside, but this is the easiest one to find.
We got to the ticket booth as soon as it opened and had no line up. After climbing a steep set of stairs , we were rewarded with our first great view staring down a nearly-empty Stradun and overlooking D’Onofrio’s big fountain.
To keep foot traffic flowing, everyone goes the same way around the walls. But even then, I still stopped to take many pictures. The left side of the walls hosts stunning views of stone walls and tiled roofs.
The other side of the walls borders the water and town beyond the walls. This is going down the east wall with Lokrum Island in the background.
The walk can be a little hot and tiring under the sun, but there are some well-placed refreshment stations (and one public bathroom…).
There are several museums that we encountered on the wall. And while I am not getting paid to plug the Dubrovnik pass, one of the benefits is that you can just breeze in for a quick peek and breeze out without fumbling for individual entrance fees (which could add up) or wondering what you missed. This gallery holds the artwork and the old studio (beyond the far door) of local artist Đuro Pulitika.
A rare corner of green along these stone walls. Note the cat in the top left corner also going for a morning stroll.
Looking down at the city between the walls. Not all of the streets are small and twisty.
Of course, being this high up, we are bound to pass very close to the tops of a building or two. Some roofs are covered in the beautiful red tile, but I find the older ones are no less lovely.
Taking a peek outside the north walls, and at the parking situation. Yikes.
Never a dull view. Seriously. The old port is a calm area, teeming with fish in the waters, and also where the ferries to Lokrum Island depart from.
Minceta tower is the highest point on the wall. There are no admission fees, the only cost is more stairs to reach the top. But of course, it’s a good view.
Although the number of people who reside permanently in the Old Town is declining, there are still hints of local life in this city. There is even a school inside the walls (complete with an unusually sized basketball court).