One Day Itinerary of Best Things to Do in Dubrovnik
Our itinerary of Dubrovnik, Croatia, organizes the best things to see and do while visiting in just one day this must-see walled city, often called the "Pearl of the Adriatic".
The old town of Dubrovnik, Croatia is a stunningly beautiful walled city. The wall itself was built between the 11th an 13th century and is 6,400 feet (1,940 m) long and surrounds an area of .1 square miles (.25 sq-km). Given its size, the old town of Dubrovnik is easily manageable in one day of sightseeing. And what a day it will be! The gorgeous historic center sits right on the Adriatic Sea with a large harbor and jaw-dropping views from its walls over the red clay tiled roofs of its homes and buildings. If you're a Game of Thrones fan, you'll love this city even more as there are many sites which you'll recognize as we point them out. Bring your walking shoes as there's plenty to see and do in this beautiful town and only one day to do it.
A Walking Tour of Old Town Dubrovnik
Here is a map of old town Dubrovnik that Bubbly Tourist picked up outside Pile Gate at the Tourist Office. It has all the things you might want to see while on your trip. However, we've condensed the list into a one day walking tour of the Old Town so that you'll get to the best things to see in the order that makes sense.
Bubbly Tip: You do not need a ticket to get into the Old Town. You will need to buy tickets however, to walk the city walls. FYI, the city wall tickets are not timed entry. We bought our tickets at the Tourist Office just to the left of Pile Gate and also picked up the above map. Pile Gate is a common stop for buses / taxis and is the second entrance into the Old Town after the north Buža Gate (#43) coming from downtown Dubrovnik.
Pile Area
Before crossing Pile Gate and entering the Old Town of Dubrovnik we recommend walking just a few steps to your right (while facing the Gate) where there's a beautiful overlook across Pile Bay and the Adriatic Sea in between Fort Lovrijenac (#33) and Fort Bokar (#30). You've got a full day of walking ahead of you, but if you want to explore Fort Lovrijenac, best do it now before entering the Old Town.
Game of Thrones Tip: The overlook is where Sansa Stark and Shae watch the ships before Lord Baelish discusses escape plans with Sansa. One of the most disturbing scenes from season two also occurred at Pile Bay, known as Backwater Bay in Game of Thrones, where the killing of Robert Baratheon’s bastards takes place. Also, Fort Lovrijenac is the exterior of the Red Keep, the residence of the King, and home to the Throne Room, the Great Hall, the Tower of the Hand, etc..
Pile Gate
We recommend entering the Old Town of Dubrovnik via the Pile Gate seen on the left (western) side of the map above at the blue number 1 (#1). Pile Gate is a well-fortified complex with multiple doors, defended by Fort Bokar and the moat that ran around the outside section of the city walls (now a garden that you can get to via steps here). Cross the stone bridge with two arches (designed in 1471 by the architect Paskoje Miličević). Descend the stairs and enter into the Old Town (#2) into the square which marks the beginning of the main pedestrian street, Stradun. FYI, Pile Gate is very crowded so expect to wade your way through people both coming from and going into the Old Town.
Game of Thrones Tip: Pile Gate is where the Lannister procession, while returning after Myrcella's send-off, is attacked by an angry mob. The starving peasants of King’s Landing start jeering at King Joffrey and then they hurl both insults and a cow pie hitting him in the face. As the crowd riots, the guards barely manage to move the royal family members to safety through the gate, losing Sansa along the way.
St Savior Church
As you enter the Old Town, you'll step into a square. To your right is Big Onofrio's Fountain (#4), a circular fountain built in 1438 as part of a water-supply system, and to your left is St Savior Church (#3), a single nave church built in the 1520's with a Gothic-cross-ribbed vault that is considered to be the first comprehensive Renaissance-style building in Dubrovnik. It offers free admission and is open daily.
Bubbly Tip: When you exit the church, just to your left you'll also find stairs to ascend to the city walls as one of three entry points. Keep walking as we'll use one of the other two staircases (#26) to get you up.
Looking for love? The Dubrovnik Maskeron
As you exit the church and turn left, just past the stairs up to the city walls, you'll find a gargoyle just a couple of feet off the ground. If you're not careful, you'll miss it. The gargoyle head is supposed to represent an owl. The maskeron's purpose today is to distribute rain water from the roof to the ground. When it's raining the water rushes out of its mouth. Legend tells a story of a young man, desperately unhappy in love who found love after he ran and jumped onto the maskeron, head facing the wall, and took off his shirt and put it back on again while maintaining his balance. Looking for love? Try this ritual. Already found love, try your balance.
Stradun
The Old Town entrance (from Pile Gate) marks the beginning of Stradun, a limestone-paved pedestrian street that is lined with shops, restaurants, and cafes. It runs roughly 1000 feet (300 m). Stradun was once a shallow sea channel that separated the Roman-Greek and Croatian-Slav settlements. In the 12th century, the channel was filled in to create the main street. The street was then paved in 1468. As you walk from this end to the eastern end by the bay, you'll notice very narrow streets on your left that run up to the northern end of the Old Town. We'll take one of these streets later to get you to the Buža Gate (#43). Others sites along Stradun include the Franciscan Monastery Museum (#5), an old monastery at the start of Stradun; Orlando's Column (#7), a depiction of the legendary knight who is said to have saved the city from a siege in the 9th century; the Sponza Palace (#8), the seat of a number of state offices including the customs office, and is now home of the archives; and the Bell Tower (#9), which has two bronze jacquemarts known as Maro and Baro, who strike the bronze bell cast in 1506. The original jacquemarts are now located in the Rector's Palace (our next stop #13).
Game of Thrones Tip: The “Walk of Shame” in season 5, in which Cersei Lannister is forced to walk naked through the streets of King's Landing began at the top of the Jesuit Staircase at St Ignatius Church (#44) and eventually down Stradun.
Rector's Palace
The Rector's Palace (#13) was built in the late 15th century for the elected rector who governed Dubrovnik at the time. The palace includes the rector’s office, his private chambers, public halls, administrative offices, and even a dungeon, and is located on the street, Pred Dvorom, to the right where Stradun ends just a little ways down on your left. Interesting note: The Rector had a term of office for one month only and was not allowed to leave the palace except on official business. This was one of the precautions that the Dubrovnik Republic had set up to prevent the usurpation of power by any person. The Rector's actual political power was limited. He was merely "Primus inter pares" - the first among equals.
Game of Thrones Tip: This is the residence of the Spice King in Qarth. The scene in season two, where Daenerys Targaryen asks the Spice King of Qarth for ships to take her army across the Narrow sea, is shot in his courtyard at the bottom of his staircase (pictured below).
Old Port Dubrovnik
Exit the Rector's Palace to your left and make a left turn to exit the Old Town through the Ponte Gate out to the Old Port of Dubrovnik. Walk the right side of the port at the base of St John Fortress (#27) and you'll dead end at a pier ("Porporela") that gives you incredible views of the Old Port back to Old Town and of the small island of Lokrum. If you're interested in visiting Lokrum, you can catch a 15 minute ferry from the main pier at the center of the Old Port to the island where you can visit a botanical garden, explore hidden coves, and see where some of Game of Thrones Qarth Garden scenes were filmed. Otherwise, make your way under the city wall (see the three arches below) and you'll find yourself just off Stradun behind the Sponza Palace (#8). Turn right up Od Sv. Dominika street where you'll find the entrance to the city wall (#26) a little ways up the street on your right just prior to reaching the Chapel of St Luke (#42). Careful not to miss the entrance!
Dubrovnik City Wall
This is an absolute must-do and was the highlight of our visit to the Old Town. The City Wall is over a mile loop and will take you well over an hour when you factor in all the stops for your great photo ops. You'll need to purchase tickets at any of the Wall Entrances or online, and you have to travel counter-clockwise once on the wall. Starting on the northeast side (#26) by the Old Port, you'll first head to Minčeta Tower on the northwest corner before walking the west wall over Pile Gate, which has incredible views of Fort Lovrijenac and Fort Bokar, and finally on the south side with views out to the Adriatic. Along the south wall, peer down to the rocks below and you'll notice people swimming on Buža Beach. Head for a dip later if you're interested.
Bubbly Tip: On a warm day in Croatia, you'll get hot on the wall so consider bringing some water with you. Alternatively, there are a few vendors along the south side of the wall where you can stop for a refreshment or a snack.
Game of Thrones Tip: The base of Minčeta Tower is where Daenerys Targaryen walks around trying to find the entrance into the House of the Undying in the town of Qarth looking for her stolen dragons in season two. Fort Bokar (seen along the wall in the distance below) is where many Game of Thrones scenes were filmed. You might remember the location from two scenes: Lord Varys and Tyrion discussing how to best protect King’s Landing and Cersei and Jamie Lannister talking about joining up with Euron Grayjoy.
Buža Gate
By now, you're probably ready for a break and a bite to eat. Bubbly Tourist recommends you head for a meal on top of Mt Syrd for some incredible views over Dubrovnik. It's reachable via cable car which is accessible via the Buža Gate (#43). Head back to Stradun and explore one of the tiny side streets north of Stradun to the gate. This is another beautiful part of town which heads uphill to stairs and out the gate. Head across the street through a little tunnel to some stairs then turn left onto Zagrebačka Ul and then a right. In total, the walk to the cable car entrance from Buža Gate is only 200 meters or 5 minutes.
Take the Dubrovnik Cable Car up to Mt Srd
If you're interested in some incredible views over Dubrovnik and the Adriatic Sea where you can partake in some champagne, then you've got to take the cable car up Mt Srd. It's a short ride to the top and the panoramic views are so rewarding. There's also a hike you can take through the mountains and back down if you have time. And once you're up there, stop for a delicious bite to eat.
In Search of Bubbles and Bites in Old Town Dubrovnik
In an ongoing segment by Bubbly Tourist, we always search for a location - if not the best location - to have some champagne wherever we go.
Panorama Restaurant & Bar
For an absolute stunning meal with champagne and authentic Croatian meals with views that are unsurpassed, then look no further than Panorama Restaurant & Bar, part of the Nautika Collection. It's located right at the top of Mt Srd by the Mt Srd cable car station after you descend a few steps. It serves starters, light lunches, and mains from early morning to late evening (closed January and February). The meal was terrific, the service was great, the wine list included local wines and bubbly and of course champagne, and an assortment of refreshing drinks and cocktails.
Bubbly Bon Voyage!