Dubrovnik is a town located at the southernmost tip of Croatia. The tourism of Dubrovnik (and Croatia as a whole) grew exponentially after the locations of popular TV series Game of Thrones were identified.
Dubrovnik became the most popular city of Croatia because it is where King’s Landing is located. There are a lot of things to do in Dubrovnik like visiting Game of Thrones & Star Wars locations, enjoying the splendid sea, mouthwatering food & soaking in the Adriatic climate. It definitely makes Dubrovnik the perfect place to visit in Europe.
How to reach?
Dubrovnik is very well connected by air from almost all popular European cities. If you are coming from other continents, you can get down at Zagreb (Croatia’s capital) & catch a flight to Dubrovnik.
No trains go to Dubrovnik. In fact, no trains go beyond Split in Croatia, which is a mid-point in Croatia. You can catch a train from Zagreb to Split & then catch a bus, hire a car to reach Dubrovnik.
Read our review on Croatian Railways!
If you love driving, get a car on rent & drive to Dubrovnik. The road is 90% coastal road & it makes for the perfect road trip.
Dubrovnik Card
There is something called Dubrovnik Card but we don’t know how legit it is because we couldn’t find it on Dubrovnik Tourism’s website. The Dubrovnik Card comes in 3 variants – 1/3/7 days & the cost of it is Kn 171/225/315 respectively.
However, we recommend you to identify all the things to do in Dubrovnik first, choose them according to your taste & then calculate the cost. You can come to the conclusion about buying (or not buying) the Dubrovnik Card.
Things To Do In Dubrovnik
1. Walk On The Walls Of Dubrovnik
The most famous attraction of Dubrovnik is its walls. The Walls of Dubrovnik made it secured throughout centuries against all foreign attacks. Most of the wall area is still intact and you can freely roam around on the wall.
You can see most of the old town Dubrovnik from bird’s eye angle when you’re on the wall. Just make sure you keep walking in single direction only. Going reverse is not allowed & guards will shoo you away.
2. Visit Lokrum Island
One of the best things to do in Dubrovnik is definitely visiting the Lokrum Island. Only a boat ride of 10 mins away from Dubrovnik city, Lokrum is a treat for nature lovers. The island is untouched & hence preserved perfectly. You can not stay overnight on the island & you are not allowed to bring any animals as well. Do carry your swim suit, if you love swimming. This Island would allow you to dive in and let you enjoy the sea. If you don’t have your perfect swimsuit, you can surely try The Hut Discounts here.”
3. Admire Fort Lovrijenac (St. Lawrence Fortress)
If you are a Game of Thrones fan, remember the location from where Gendry started rowing his boat? Yeah? That’s St. Lawrence Fortress. You can sit down near the Fortress for hours, just admiring the sea, the nature & the man-made structure.
Tip: Be near the small beach around St. Lawrence Fortress before sunset to witness the most magical sunset of your life! Alternatively, you can go for Sunset Kayaking from here as well. Check for Kayak companies around the area (there are many)!
4. Be At Peace At St. Blaise’s Church
When you are in Dubrovnik’s old town square, you will notice a legendary Baroque structure which is known as St. Blaise’s Church. This church is about 300 years old & the experience inside the church is simply beautiful. Keep at least 30 mins to visit St. Blaise’s Church & know its story.
5. Try Water Sports & Trips
Dubrovnik is famous for its water sports. If you are looking for things to do in Dubrovnik in terms of water sports, you will find a lot of travel agencies offering a variety of activities. There’s scuba diving, kayaking, submersible tour, glass bottom tour, pirate ship tour & a lot more. Don’t forget to bargain if you find the prices on a higher side.
Read about my Kayaking experience in Split, Croatia!
6. Take A Picture Around Dubrovnik Cathedral
Dubrovnik Cathedral is an iconic structure located near the Dubrovnik walls entrance. Once you walk up, you will find yourself in front of the Dubrovnik Cathedral (bird’s eye view, again) & that photo opportunity is NOT to be missed! I did not go inside the cathedral but from outside, it defines Dubrovnik.
7. Listen To Street Musicians Of Dubrovnik
Since walking is the only way of seeing the old town of Dubrovnik, you will bump in to many street musicians of Dubrovnik. Each one of them are different from others & they are incredibly talented. If you can be around Dubrovnik Cathedral around evening time, make sure to stay around & spot some authentic folk musicians!
Are you in Croatia for 10 days (or less)? Check out this guide!
8. Take A Cable Car Ride
There’s a cable car that takes you from the old town square to one of the highest hills around Dubrovnik. It is possible to spot the entire old town from above. The view is incredible & you should do it twice (Once during the daytime & once at night). There are some restaurants & cafe on the hill as well (but we found most of them overpriced).
9. Chill at Buža Bars (Cliff Bars)
Ah! This is my favorite. I was recommended Buza bar by a friend. There’s Buza 1 & Buza 2. These bars are made on & around cliffs of Dubrovnik. You can simply chill at one of these bars for hours. Get a drink, socialize with different nationalities or simply go for cliff diving! 😉
10. Eat At Restaurants Near The Port
Finally, if you are tired & hungry, go to the port of Dubrovnik. There are many amazing restaurants around which serve tasty food & are well-priced. The one place I MUST recommend is Barba. Do not forget to visit Barba if you are going to Dubrovnik.
We stayed at this beautiful AirBnb in Dubrovnik. Check out our review!
Picture Credits: Parichay Mehta
Croatia is on my never ending bucket list and I hope next year I can manage to visit. Dubrovnik looks gorgeous, I would love to walk on the walls, do some water sports, eat delicious food and chill at Buza bars. I love your photos, I will check out the water sport post in Split as well as it sounds interesting to me.
I really need to put Croatia on the list for future Europe travels. I just looks so nice!! and that cliff bar just looks like a fabulous spot!!
I am going to Croatia in a few weeks and accidently stumbled across your post. I am visiting Zadar, but your post made me doubt if I have to add Dubrovnik to my list…
I actually had no idea that Game of Thrones & Star Wars took partly places in Dubrovnik! Good to know! I haven’t visit Croatia yet but its on my list. I am surprise its not as popular as other cities in Europe as it looks so beautiful! And seems like its so much to do over there!
I am a MASSIVE Game of Thrones Fan and already for this reason I would love to visit Dubrovnik. But even without my fan girl status, I am sure I would like it a lot; i love those old towns by the sea!
I have to tell you that Dubrovnik was already the most loved city in Croatia far before Game of Thrones-and Croatia was also already a top beach and getaway destination for Europeans for decades. It had a sort of slump in tourism after the Balkan wars but then surged back into popularity when the EU dumped money into it’s infrastructure.
Game of Thrones simply added even more craziness and crowds to Dubrovnik. It did not cause the city to be as popular as it is.
It is a beautiful city, that I love best before 8 am (before the cruise ships arrive)
I’m visiting Dubrovnik this winter so it’s good to see what there is to do there. I’ll definitely walk the walls and get a good snap of the cathedral. A trip over to Lokrum sounds like a must too, I think it’s a UNESCO site too?
A beautiful city. The St. Lawrence Fortress and Lokrum Island particularly look interesting to me. Even the other attractions look promising. I would love to visit here next and will save your writeup for future reference.
Very nice town. We love walk-friendly and scenic towns such as these. We hope to visit Dubrovnik when we get the chance to travel abroad.