Here you are. A place featured in more episodes of Game of Thrones than you can count, prettier than anywhere else on earth, and full to bursting with stuff to do, despite its tiny size. Dubrovnik, the Pearl of the Adriatic, one-time jewel in the Roman Empire and fast-becoming the main tourist destination in all of Croatia. But how will you spend your time here?

WALK THE CITY WALLS

This is the one that you’ll see on every listicle, blog-post and tourist website. Everyone’s talking about how you ‘need’ to walk the city walls. For good reason, I’m afraid. While the experience will cost you around $30 USD per person (which includes a visit to Fort Lovrjenac), the time you spend on the city walls of Dubrovnik will likely be the most picturesque few hours in your life. You can do guided tours of the city walls, but my money’s on just doing the circuit on your own. The path across the city walls will take you about 2 hours to cover, especially if you’re stopping to admire the excellent views you’ll get over the Adriatic, the old town and Mount Srd. While the guided tour will provide some better context for the walls themselves, you can save your money by finding out more here and here. You can enter the city walls from both the Pile Gate and the Pluz Gate, the ticket office is tucked just behind the main portico of each gate.

Read our guide on where to eat and drink in Dubrovnik here!

Lovrjenac

Included in the ticket price for the city walls is admission to Lovrjenac, AKA, Fort Lawrence. Sitting on an imposing bluff a few hundred metres from the pile gate, Lovrjenac, this 16th century seaside fortress is both an amazing place to explore, and very scenic spot by which to photograph the city of Dubrovnik. They open all year round, and you could easily spend an hour in here, cruising the ramparts, wandering through the dungeons, and taking photos from the top of the fort. An absolutely unforgettable experience, and thoroughly worth doing. Do note that you have three days from the time of purchasing the ticket for the city walls to enter Lovrjenac.

Read our guide on why you should visit Dubrovnik in the off-season here!

Gradac

Gradac is the park that sits out on the next line of cliffs from Fort Lawrence. Stretching for a few hundred metres, including winding paths, imposing pine trees and a few crumbling Yugoslavia-era walls, Gradac is a fantastic place to take an afternoon stroll. The air is really fresh here, and you’ll be surrounded by the gorgeous smell of pine-needles as you wander the paths. However, the true beauty of park Gradac comes when you take some of the winding staircases down to the shore-line below. The steep stairs will wind down the cliffs until you reach a series of rocky outcrops, a perfect place to jump in the blue, blue water of the Adriatic, or just to sit and read a book. You won’t find a less crowded area anywhere near Dubrovnik,. And the experience is completely free.

Read our guide to the most scenic locations in Dubrovnik here!

Visit the Buza Bar

Again, another activity that’s on pretty well every blog out there, visiting one of the two Buza Bars in Dubrovnik is an absolute must-do whilst there. Both locations offer essentially the same service; a literal ‘hole-in-the-wall’ bar experience. The Buza bars are essentially cliff-side bars that you can access through several unmarked doors, leading you to a small terrace above cliffs and rocky platforms below. Both Buza Bars sit above public beaches, and serve up moderately priced beers in the most scenic location on earth. You can sit and watch the Adriatic below, or take a dive into the water. During the summer there’ll be cliff divers leaping into the water about you, a fairly memorable scene, from what I’m told. However, having a beer at the Buza bar is just a thing you have to do in Dubrovnik, and you won’t find a more scenic spot to have a beer in town. Read my guide to visiting a Buza Bar here.

Explore the old town

The Old town of Dubrovnik is tiny. You can walk the entire circumference of the town in less than an hour and not see a thing, or, take your time exploring the winding streets, sloping alleyways, and very, very staircases to explore the very best the city has to offer. Of particular note are the Jesuit Stairs (as seen in Game of Thrones), which can be found just off the main street, the Stradun. They are a beautiful set of very symmetrical stairs running up to a Chapel on the hill, worth visiting for the beauty alone. Also worth finding is the Dubrovnik Clock tower, the Sponza Palace, Dubrovnik Cathedral and the city docks – all of which are beautiful, especially at sunset.

Read our guide to Croatian wine here!