What You Need to Know About the Dubrovnik City Walls Walk

If you are looking for things to do in Dubrovnik one of the most popular attractions in the city by far is the Dubrovnik City Walls Walk. This self-guided walk offers spectacular views of Dubrovnik and its shores.

What You Need to Know About the Dubrovnik City Walls Walk

Walking the walls of Dubrovnik is a must for photography fans and those looking for Dubrovnik Game of Thrones locations.

Things to Know Before Starting Your Wall Walk

There are a number of important things to point out before starting your walk.

• Bring a hat the sun can get really hot (even in the offseason)
• Prepare for sun – sunscreen and protective clothing
• This is one of the most popular things to do in Dubrovnik plan do this walk first thing before it gets hot and crowded
• Wear comfortable shoes for walking on uneven surfaces
• There are a number of steep stairways on this walk

Entrances and Purchasing Tickets to the City Walls Walk

There are two entrances to the city wall walk, and both involve climbing a steep flight of stairs. For many this look up the stairs is enough to stop them from experiencing this fantastic attraction and all I can say is take them slowly, take a break along the way up and when you get up there take a few more deep breathes and just take it all in.

The first entrance is located at the main entrance into the old city just across from Onofrio’s Fountain. Once tickets are purchased here, you will have a steep set of stairs to climb to start your tour.

The second entrance is located on the other side of the main Stradun near the port of Dubrovnik. Tickets can be purchased there as well.

It is important to note that once you are up on the walls you can exit at either of the two entrances but you can not come back up with the same ticket. Be prepared to do the full loop once you begin.

Starting the Dubrovnik City Walls Walk

First View from Pile Gate atop the Walls

It is recommended to take this walk in the morning between 8, and 10 AM. The rationale being you won’t be in the direct afternoon sun which can be scorching. It will also be less busy and crowded as the attraction will fill up as the cruise ships disembark. Even during the offseason, I found that by 10 AM the sun came up and it became unbearably hot atop the ancient city walls.

Best Times for Photographers to do the Dubrovnik City Walls Walk

I visited Dubrovnik in early October when it was less busy and the days were shorter. From a photography perspective, the sun came up by the harbour from behind the mountains. It moved up over Dubrovnik and set over the water by the Lovrijenac Fortress. So morning the city was shady, and it was cloudy and overcast at the start of my walk, and then near the end, the sun was directly above the city.

In the afternoon I walked the walls again. The shore was in full sun making it hard to get shots on this part of the walk especially the fortress. However, looking towards the mountain into the city the building roofs were lit up by the sun which made for some spectacular photos.

I think overall I got more shots of the entire wall walk in the morning than I did in the evening. The walls close at 6:00 PM so I couldn’t stay up there for sunset which would have been spectacular.

Dubrovnik Old City Wall Walk Points of Interest

Enter Pilar Gate and enjoy the spectacular view of the city right above the first set of stairs. Make your way across the first stretch of the wall towards the fortress and shore side of the wall. There you will have another incline of steps, which are not as steep as the walk up to the wall.

Petra Coffee Shop – Shore Wall

At the top of this set of steps was a lovely coffee and juice bar called Petra’s. They had a set up of tables and chairs along the side of the wall with a great view of the Lovrijenac fortress. Some of you know the fortress which is located outside the city walls is the location of the Kings Landing castle which has CGI effects applied to it for the show.

It was the perfect spot for me to grab a morning coffee and connect to wifi. They also had a washroom for guests.

Continue your way around the wall along the shore. There are some narrow spots and some wider areas with both views of the city and mostly views along the shore walls.

Dubrovnik Harbour from Above

Eventually, you will make your way to the harbourside of the shore. From atop the walls, you can get some beautiful views of the harbour and again inside the city to the Cathedral.

Continue along past the harbour to the second entrance gate where there is a ticket checkpoint. Here you will have to show your ticket again as you pass through the old city side of the walls so keep it handy.

The second half of the walk has views inside the city walls and of the mountainside of the city. Here there is much more Game of Thrones filming locations. I did not do a Game of Thrones tour of Dubrovnik, but some of the spots looked familiar to me, and I heard a few guides sharing tidbits of information along the way.

1-2 hour Walk around the Full Loop of the Dubrovnik City Walls

The first time I did the walk, it took me 2 hours. That included a million stops for photos everywhere and a short 15-minute coffee break at Petra’s. The afternoon walk was much quicker as I took fewer pictures so the walk time will depend on your speed through it. You can also do half of the walk vs going the whole way around, but once you go down the exit, you can not use your ticket to go back up.

Admission to The Lovrijenac Fortress Included in the Dubrovnik City Walls Walk

Your ticket for the City Walls walk also includes entrance into the fortress. I did not make my way over to it. It is located outside the city walls, and there is another set of 25 or so steps to climb to get to it.

For more information on the Dubrovnik City Walls Walk see the official site here.

For more travel planning ideas in Croatia see these posts:

• Island Hopping in Croatia 7-Day Adriatic Cruises from Split to Dubrovnik

Disclosure: I won the flights to Croatia with Air Transat and Transat provided a media rate for our Discover Croatia multi-destination tour. All other expenses were my own as are the opinions in this post.