En muromgärdad gammal stad vid havet, med marmorgator och fästningar. Gå på stadsmurarna tidigt på morgonen, innan kryssningsfartygen lägger till.
For centuries Dubrovnik was the capital of the Republic of Ragusa, a small but wealthy trading state that stayed independent until 1808. The old town has been on UNESCO's World Heritage List since 1979. After the shelling of 1991 and 1992 it was carefully restored.
July and August are busy, especially when cruise ships are in port. Come in May, June, September or October, or stay inside the old town, and you will have the lanes almost to yourself early in the morning and in the evening. Allow two to three days for the city. With day trips to the islands, a week is not too long.
Almost two kilometres of wall around the whole old town, with towers, bastions and views over the rooftops and the sea. The highest point is the Minčeta Tower. You can go up at the Pile Gate, the Ploče Gate or St John's Fort by the old harbour.
The Stradun is the marble main street from the Pile Gate to Luža Square, about 300 metres long. Narrow stepped lanes climb up on either side. Along the way you pass Onofrio's Great Fountain, the clock tower, Orlando's Column and the Sponza Palace.
A green island ten to fifteen minutes by boat from the old harbour. Lokrum is a nature reserve with a botanical garden, the ruins of a Benedictine monastery, peacocks and the Dead Sea, a small saltwater lake you can swim in. Staying overnight on the island is not allowed.
The cable car takes you to the top of Mount Srđ in a few minutes, more than 400 metres above the city. You look out over the old town, Lokrum and the Elafiti Islands. At the top is Fort Imperial, with a museum about the war of the 1990s.
A fortress on a 37-metre rock just outside the western walls. During the Dubrovnik Summer Festival it becomes an open-air theatre. Your city walls ticket also gets you into the fort.
Where the rector, the head of the republic, lived and worked. It is now a museum of the city's history. In summer there are concerts in the courtyard.
A monastery with a peaceful cloister and one of the oldest pharmacies in Europe, dating from 1317. The pharmacy is still open.
The Baroque cathedral was built after the great earthquake of 1667. Its treasury holds relics of St Blaise, the city's patron saint.
By the Ploče Gate, with a Gothic cloister and a museum full of paintings and silverwork from the days of the republic.
A gallery of war photography, from the wars in the Balkans to the present. Powerful, and a good counterweight to the pretty views outside.
The beach just outside the Ploče Gate, with views of the walls and Lokrum. Part of it is a beach club with paid sunbeds; the rest is free. Very busy in summer.
A quieter cove below the cliffs, about one and a half kilometres east of the old town. You walk down a long flight of steps. Lovely in the late afternoon, with a view of the old town.
A sheltered bay at the end of the Lapad promenade. The water is shallow, so it is good with children. There are cafés and sunbeds.
The big beach on Babin Kuk, with water sports, a beach bar and sunbeds. Easy to reach by bus.
Two little bars on the rocks on the sea side of the city walls. You swim from the rocks into deep water. Not suitable for small children.
In the middle of it all, with everything within walking distance. But lots of steps, no cars and sometimes noisy at night. The most expensive place to stay.
Visa boenden ↗Just east of the old town, with views of the walls and Lokrum and close to Banje beach. Many of the luxury hotels are here. Hilly.
Visa boenden ↗A green peninsula with a promenade, beaches and plenty of hotels. Good with children. The bus gets you to the old town in fifteen to twenty minutes.
Visa boenden ↗By the ferry port, the bus station and the market. Practical if you travel on by boat or bus, and often cheaper.
Visa boenden ↗| Månad | Temp. | Hav | Sol | Regn | Trängsel | Priser |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| januari | 9° | 14° kallt | 4 tim | 12 | Lugnt | Låga |
| februari | 10° | 14° kallt | 5 tim | 11 | Lugnt | Låga |
| mars | 12° | 14° kallt | 6 tim | 11 | Lugnt | Låga |
| april | 15° | 16° kallt | 7 tim | 11 | Måttligt | Medel |
| maj | 19° | 19° friskt | 9 tim | 10 | Måttligt | Medel |
| juni | 23° | 23° härligt | 10 tim | 7 | Trångt | Höga |
| juli | 25° | 26° härligt | 11 tim | 4 | Trångt | Höga |
| augusti | 25° | 25° härligt | 11 tim | 5 | Trångt | Höga |
| september | 22° | 24° härligt | 8 tim | 7 | Trångt | Höga |
| oktober | 18° | 21° bra | 7 tim | 10 | Måttligt | Medel |
| november | 14° | 18° kallt | 4 tim | 13 | Lugnt | Låga |
| december | 11° | 16° kallt | 4 tim | 13 | Lugnt | Låga |
Medelvärden från väderstationen Dubrovnik. Fetstilta månader är våra rekommendationer. Temperaturen är medelvärdet över dygnet; på dagen är det några grader varmare. Trängsel och priser är uppskattningar.
Lokala fester och traditioner som är värda att planera resan kring.
Varje år den 3 februari, med öppning den 2 februari
Nästa gång: onsdag 3 februari 2027
Festen för Dubrovniks skyddshelgon, som enligt traditionen har firats sedan 972. På kyndelsmäss, den 2 februari, släpps vita duvor ut framför Sankt Blasius kyrka och helgonets flagga hissas. Den 3 februari bärs Sankt Blasius reliker i procession längs Stradun, med fanbärare i folkdräkt från hela regionen.
Varje år från 10 juli till 25 augusti
Nästa gång: lördag 10 juli 2027
Mer än sex veckor med teater, klassisk musik, opera och dans på friluftsscener i gamla stan, som fästningen Lovrijenac och Rektorspalatset. Festivalen har funnits sedan 1950 och inleds alltid med att Libertasflaggan hissas framför Sankt Blasius kyrka.
Datum och program kan ändras från år till år. Kolla den officiella webbplatsen strax innan du åker.
Literally 'dirty macaroni': pasta with a slow-cooked beef ragù. An old festive dish from Dubrovnik.
Risotto with cuttlefish, black from the ink. You will find it all along the Dalmatian coast.
From the bay of Mali Ston, an hour's drive away. They have an EU protected designation of origin and are at their best in spring.
The city's best-known dessert: a caramel custard flavoured with rose liqueur.
Candied orange peel, often sold at the market and in small shops.
Red Dingač and Postup from the Pelješac peninsula, and white Malvasija Dubrovačka from Konavle.
Koločep, Lopud and Šipan are car-free islands with small villages. Lopud has Šunj, one of the few sandy beaches in the area. Ferries leave from Gruž.
Boka via GetYourGuide ↗A relaxed little town south of Dubrovnik, with a harbour promenade and the Račić family mausoleum, designed by Ivan Meštrović. In season a boat also runs from the old harbour.
Boka via GetYourGuide ↗Ston has more than five kilometres of fortified walls, among the longest in Europe, and salt pans that are still in use. Eat oysters in the neighbouring village of Mali Ston.
Boka via GetYourGuide ↗The west of Mljet is a national park, with two saltwater lakes and a monastery on an islet in the larger lake. Hire a bike or a kayak. Sail to Polače, the port closest to the park.
Boka via GetYourGuide ↗A walled town deep in the Bay of Kotor, also a World Heritage Site. Bring your passport and leave early, as the border can be busy.
Boka via GetYourGuide ↗Utflykter, båtturer och biljetter, med fri avbokning hos de flesta arrangörer.
Från vägtullar och färjor till stängda affärer på söndagar och badskor: det här är bra att veta innan du åker.
Från King's Landing i Dubrovnik till Meereen nära Split och Braavos i Šibenik: så besöker du de mest kända platserna från serien.
Från malvazija i Istrien till plavac mali på Pelješac och graševina i Slavonien: vingårdar som är värda en omväg.
Välj en region och dina favoritvingårdar. Planeraren lägger dem i en smart ordning och fördelar dem över dagar.
Katamaraner är snabbare, bilfärjor mer flexibla. En femdagarsrutt från Split till Dubrovnik.
Tomma gator, milda dagar och lägre priser: därför lönar sig hösten.
Från Ston till Orebić via plavac mali, ostron och saltverk.
En medeltida stad byggd som ett fiskben, omgiven av vingårdar med grk och pošip. Enligt lokal tradition föddes Marco Polo här.
Adriatiska havets soligaste ö, med lavendelfält och en livlig hamn. Vill du ha lugn och ro, åk till Stari Grad och Jelsa.
En stad som lever inne i kejsar Diocletianus palats. Den perfekta utgångspunkten för färjor till Brač, Hvar och Vis.