Old town
The polished marble Stradun, the stepped lanes and the baroque squares — free of charge.
Duration
2 hrs – 4 hrs
Best time
Before 9am, or in the evening
Open
Every day
Entry price
Free
The city was the Republic of Ragusa, an independent merchant state from the fourteenth century to 1808, a rival of Venice. It abolished slavery as early as 1416 and kept consulates all over the Mediterranean: its wealth came from neutrality, bought at a high price from every neighbouring empire.
The Stradun, the main axis, is paved with limestone polished by footsteps until it mirrors. Everything along it was rebuilt identically after the 1667 earthquake, hence the unity of style — and it was restored again after the shelling of 1991 and 1992.
Getting there
Pile Gate to the west, Ploče Gate to the east. No cars enter: buses stop in front of Pile, and everything is on foot.
What to bring
- Walking shoes
Rules on site
On cruise-ship days the old town is very hard going between nine and five: the liner calendar is public — check it. The Stradun is slippery after rain.
Other places in Dubrovnik
The city wallsTwo kilometres of rampart above the red roofs and the Adriatic.
Mount SrđFour hundred and twelve metres above the old town, with the islands behind.
Lokrum IslandA wooded reserve ten minutes away by boat, with free-roaming peacocks and a sea to swim in.
Banje BeachShingle facing the walls, the finest view of the city from the water.