Things to Do in Dubrovnik

The Adriatic city of Dubrovnik, in southern Croatia, has one of Europe’s most picturesque medieval districts, known for its red rooftops and even more famous today for being a filming location of the Game of Thrones TV series. A tour of film sites is even a Dubrovnik shore excursion.

If you have already toured Dubrovnik’s Old Town, other shore excursions include kayaking in the clear Adriatic Sea or checking out surrounding coastal towns like Cavtat.

You’ll dock in one of three places. The port in Gruz, a neighborhood about 2 miles (3 km) north of Old Town, is the most common, but depending on the size of your ship and daily port traffic, you may dock in the Old Town harbor or anchor in the bay and be tendered into Old Town. If you dock at the Gruz port, take a shuttle to Old Town if your ship provides one, or take a bus or taxi, both available outside the port.

Built into the eastern flank of Dubrovnik’s fortified walls adjacent to Fort Revelin, the 14th-century Dominican Monastery is designed in a combination of Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance architecture that is seen in several of the city’s palaces and churches. The monastery’s church was rebuilt several times over the centuries and was used as an army depot during Napoleon’s occupation of Dubrovnik in the late 18th century; today its single nave features a massive painted Gothic cross by Paolo Veneziano, dating from around 1384, St Dominic by 19th century painter Vlaho Bukovac — widely regarded as Croatia’s finest artist — and sparkling contemporary stained glass in the apse. The elaborate 15th-century Gothic cloister of the monastery surrounds a shady garden that was used as stabling for French army horses and their troughs can still be seen between the cloister’s pillars. The well in the garden provided water for Dubrovnik’s residents when the city was under siege in 1991.

One of the foremost landmarks of Dubrovnik’s atmospheric Old Town, the bell tower stands at the eastern end of Stradun, the main thoroughfare, and looms over Luza Square. The 31-m (102-ft) stone tower is topped with a stumpy dome and flanked by some of Dubrovnik’s most spectacular architecture, including the lovely Sponza Palace, St Blaise Church and Orlando’s Column. Constructed in 1444, the tower was badly damaged in the earthquake of 1667 and began to lean alarmingly; by the 18th century it had fallen into disrepair and it was not until the late 1920s that repair work began and the tower acquired its present shape and clock, the face of which resembles an octopus and also portrays the phases of the moon. Consequently, very little of the original tower has survived to the present day except the two-tonne bronze bell, which was cast by master metalworker Ivan Krstitelj Rabljanin from nearby Rab Island.

With its grand Baroque façade standing proud over Luza Square, the Church of St Blaise is one of the most beautiful buildings of Dubrovnik’s Old Town. Originally built in the 14th century, the church was badly damaged in the 1667 earthquake and much of the present structure dates from its early 18th century reconstruction. Dedicated to the Dubrovnik’s patron saint and protector, the domed church is the handiwork of Venetian architect Marino Gropelli and is built on the plan of a Greek cross.

The church is best known for its remarkable silver statue of St Blaise, one of the city’s most important sculptures, depicting the saint holding up a model of the 15th-century city. Additional highlights include the exquisite stained-glass windows by local painter Ivo Dulcie, a pair of 15th century St. Blaise and St. Jerome sculptures by Nikola Lazanie and a collection of the Saint’s relics, which are famously carried through the streets of Dubrovnik each February 3rd.

Characterized by its sunny climate and fertile landscape, Croatia’s Peljesac peninsula is one of its largest, renowned for its Plavic Mali grapes and wine production. Jutting out into the Peljesac channel and rubbing shoulders with Korcula Island, the scenic peninsula benefits from its strategic location, at the center of southern Dalmatia and is a popular day trip from nearby Dubrovnik.

Starting at the coastal town of Ston, home to the Great Wall of Croatia and famed for its local oysters, the Peljesac Peninsula stretches for 70km, dotted with family-run wineries and some of the region’s best swimming beaches. Much of the action on Peljesac centers around Orebic, the largest town, which is famous for its sandy Trstenica Beach, but additional highlights include Viganj, one of Croatia’s prime windsurfing spots, the picturesque fishing village of Trpanj and the wine-growing villages of Postup and Dingač.

Standing on Luza Square among some of Dubrovnik’s most impressive architecture, including St Blaise Church and the lovely Sponza Palace with its appealing mixture of Gothic and Renaissance architecture, Orlando’s Column was erected in 1418 at what remains the political and social heart of the city. Here public meetings and executions were held on the small stone platform guarded by wrought-iron railings that tops the column. The stone carvings adorning the four sides of the column were created by master craftsman Antun Dubrovcanin and represent the heroic knight Orlando, who was the nephew of Frankish Emperor Charlemagne; according to legend he was credited with saving Dubrovnik from Saracen pirates in the eighth century and here he is depicted surrounded by figures of minstrels and balladeers.

South of Dubrovnik, between the crystal clear waters of the Adriatic Sea and the dramatic Sniježnica mountain, lies the Konavle Valley.

Coastal Cavtat at the northern end of the valley is the largest town and a popular holiday resort. That said, it retains its cultural and historic charm with wonderful buildings such as the Rector’s Palace, Church of Our Lady Cavtat and the Franciscan Monastery.

The valley stretches south to the Montenegrin border. Molunat is the southernmost point on the coast. The other 30 villages in the region are inland, including Čilipi near Dubrovnik airport.

Konavle Valley is wonderful for cycling and hiking along cliffs and through fields to pretty little villages. For steeper slopes hit the inclines of Sniježnica (at 1,234 meters it’s the highest point of the region). Opt for a more relaxing activity and go wine tasting in vineyards renowned for full-bodied cabernet sauvignon and merlot blends.

Dubrovnik’s cathedral was originally built in the 12th century in Romanesque style and – according to legend – at the behest of King Richard the Lionheart of England after he was shipwrecked on the island of Lokrum along the Adriatic coast. This building was destroyed in an earthquake in 1667 and was replaced by today’s Baroque version, which is the work of Italian architects Andrea Buffalini and Paolo Andreotti. Approached up a grand flight of steps and with a landmark dome, the triple-aisled cathedral is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and has an imposing façade guarded by Corinthian columns and a Titian triptych sitting above the main altar; damage caused by a direct hit from a shell in the Siege of Dubrovnik (1991) has since been repaired.

Just through the main Pile Gate into Dubrovnik’s Old Town, Onofrio’s Fountain stands to the right of Stradun, the main thoroughfare through the cobbled streets. The fountain was constructed between 1438–40 and it is the ingenious end point of an aqueduct that traveled 12 km (7.5 miles) from a spring at Šumet – which still supplies Dubrovnik’s water today – into the city. Both fountain and aqueduct were designed by architect Onofrio della Cava; the latter has a huge brick central dome, originally topped by a dragon, and 16 elaborately carved water taps spouting over a stone trough. Although the dragon was destroyed in the earthquake of 1667, the fountain is one of the city’s most important landmarks and provides shade and respite for weary visitors. A smaller fountain, decorated with leaping dolphins, stands at the opposite, eastern end of Stradun; this was also designed by Della Cava and originally supplied water to the market traders on Luza Square in front of St Blaise Church.