Dubrovnik, Croatia – What to Do

I saved the best for last! The last Croatian city guide I have to share with you all is Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik was our last stop in Croatia, and it a city that is full of amazing sights to see and things to do. Be sure to read to the end of this post where I’ll share my list of the best things to do in Dubrovnik.

First things first though: how beautiful is the view in the above photo?! My favorite part about Dubrovnik was honestly just wandering and looking at all the incredible views. This photo was taken from Fort Lovrijenac, looking towards Old Town Dubrovnik … aka. King’s Landing.

The below photo is the opposite view- standing in Old Town looking at Fort Lovrijenac.

We arrived in Dubrovnik late and night and headed to our Airbnb in the Old Town. If you can, I highly recommend staying in the Old Town during your visit to Dubrovnik. Most of the best things to do in Dubrovnik are in the Old Town, so it’s the most convenient location to stay. More importantly though, if you are not in the Old Town, the line ups in the morning at the Pile Gate (the main entrance into Old Town) are insane. Save yourself from this!

As you can see, Old Town is a pretty small area that is surrounded by fortress style walls with 4 Gate entrances. Inside Old Town you feel like you stepped into another time. It is incredible to see the old architecture.

Our first day we just explored the Old Town; checking out the restaurants (I highly recommend Spagheteria Toni) and eating a ton of Gelato. We made friends with the owner of one of the Gelato shops and had free Gelato for our trip! It was amazing haha!

We walked the Old Town walls which is probably #1 on my list of the best things to do in Dubrovnik. The walk itself takes on average 1.5 hours (depending on your pace) so go early in the AM or shortly before they close at 7pm to best avoid the heat and the crowds. It’s a great thing to do on your first day since it helps you orient yourself and get a sense of the Old Town.

We stayed busy in the Old Town for our entire 3 days in Dubrovnik. After getting a sense of Old Town on our own, we did a Dubrovnik history / Game of Thrones walking tour.

If you’re a Game of Thrones fan I likely do not need to tell you that the Old Town is King’s Landing and the majority of GoT scenes are filmed in Dubrovnik. If you are a GoT fan, then a GoT walking tour is definitely one of the best things to do in Dubrovnik.

My favorite GoT related part of Dubrovnik was the infamous “Shame steps”; i.e., the the steps where they filmed the scene where Cersei must do her walk of atonement. I took the below photo on the steps (as well as a number of embarassing videos showcasing my terrible acting skills as I “walked in shame” which I shared on my instagram stories haha)

My other favorite part of touring Old Town was going to Europe’s oldest pharmacy! Random; but really cool. The pharmacy is part of the Franciscan Church & Monastery. The monestary contains a church & library as well – both are beautiful and worth seeing. The pharmacy dates from 1317 and is the third oldest, still functioning pharmacy in the world. (see photo below)

When we weren’t busy exploring Old Town the two other main things on our list were physical activity & drinking haha. To that end after a busy day of exploring we headed to the bar you absolutely must go to – Buza bar. Buza bar is hands down one of the best things to do in Dubrovnik. Are you skeptical of a bar being one of the best things to do? … Take a look at this bar and you wont be:

*image from: Land Lopers – photo credit is his*

Yup. That is bar built into the side of a cliff! To get there you walk ‘out’ of the town walls (if that makes sense) and down a narrow staircase. Halfway down the cliff is this beauty. It took our breath away. Talk about one of the best things to do in Dubrovnik!!

To round out our second night in Dubrovnik, after heading to Buza Bar we had dinner, napped, and headed to Club Revelin. Revelin is Dubrovnik’s biggest night club and it frequently hosts world famous DJ’s. We went to see Afrojack and it was an incredible night. Be forewarned though: Revelin has a reputation for playing their music way too loud (even by nightclub standards) so definitely wear ear plugs. Sarah did and I, being both stubborn and forgetful, did not. My ears literally rang and kind of hurt for a full 24 hours after. Yikes.

On a healthier note, there is so much fun physical activity to do in Dubrovnik. On our third day we did a sunset hike of Mt. Srd. The hike itself is around an hour and it is switchbacks up the mountain. The views- not just at the top but while walking – are incredible. This is a must see. If you aren’t hiking inclined you can also take a Gondola up to the top of Mt. Srd to get those views!

We also did a kayak tour one day which was a ton of fun! The kayak’s leave from one main area near Fort Lovrinejac. The two hour tour we did took us around old town, around Lokrum island, and back. This is a great way to see Old Town – you really get a sense of it’s impressiveness from being outside of the walls at water level.

Honestly I could go on for days about all the fun we had in Dubrovnik, but this pretty much covers the best things to do and my favorite moments (… well, all of the above and having the most insanely handsome local guide on one of our tours hehe)

As always, if you have any questions about my trip, feel free to ask me in the comments below.

The Best Things to do in Dubrovnik, Croatia:

• Walk the Old Town City Walls
• Take a Game of Thrones Tour
• Take a History of Dubrovnik Tour
• Take to the Sea in a Kayak (there are a number of tours you can do if you don’t want to go aimlessly. This is the only way to get that infamous “King’s Landing from Game of Thrones” shot!)
• Visit Lokrum Island
• Hike Mt. Srd
• Visit Europe’s Oldest Pharmacy
• Drinks at Buza Bar
• Drinks/relax at Banje Beach Bar
• Party (and listen to some world famous DJ’s) at Club Revelin