Things To Do in Dubrovnik Croatia 2026 4K

What's going on everybody? Today we're going to show you the best things to do in Dubrovnik, Croatia. One of the most spectacular cities in the Adriatic Sea. It's actually an old historical site. Some would say it's known for the Game of Thrones, but either way you've got an old town, beautiful beaches, and breathtaking coastal views. We'll take a look around the ancient city walls, the fort, and take a cable car. Let's begin. First up, we're going to walk the walls of Dubrovnik. This is one of the city's most popular experience. You can see it's got these massive stone walls completely surrounding the historic old town, and it stretches approximately two kilometers. Most of the walls were constructed between the 13th and 17th centuries to protect Dubrovnik from attacks from other empires nearby, from groups like the Ottomans or the Republic of Venice. From all across the Adriatic Sea, Dubrovnik was also attacked or besieged at different times by Arab raiders and several other regional forces. Now, inside those walls is Dubrovnik's old town back in time. They've got stone roads. At the center is Stradun, which is the city's main pedestrian street lined with historic buildings, shops, cafes. Also, you've got a palace inside. Several palaces actually. You have the Onafrio's fountain and the Franciscan monastery. There was a lot of influence here in Dubrovnik from the Bosnians, also the Montenegrins, and several other empires, but mostly you could say they were using diplomacy and trying to engage with the Ottomans probably the most. The old city here feels like a mixture of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture because much of the city was rebuilt in the 1667, in the late 1600s, after the earthquake. Taking a stroll down Stradun, especially at around sunset or even in the early morning hours, gives you a good feel for Dubrovnik's old town. It has a polished limestone promenade stretching about 300 meters and connects the Pile Lake Gate with the Lusa Square, and Stradun is lined with historic stone buildings, shops, cafes, and restaurants. Don't expect much modernity in the old town. You really feel like you're going back in time to the medieval ages. There's pretty much no modern infrastructure here, and now we have the Dubrovnik cable car which takes you up to the top of Mount Surge, which is one of the best panoramic views in all of Croatia, and it originally opened in 1969, and it was one of the first kind along the Adriatic. The short journey takes less than four minutes, rising about 400 meters above the city, and once you get to the summit, you can see the old town, the city walls, and some of the islands out in the Adriatic. The price is around 30 euros for a round trip. If you just wanted to do one way up, it's about 17 euro. At the top of Mount Surge is the Fort Imperial, which was built by Napoleon's French forces in the 1800s to defend the city. More on that later, but one thing you do want to do is get out on the water on a boat tour to experience the city from the Adriatic Sea. Tours typically cruise around the city walls, several of the forts, the old port, rocky coastline, just depends on how far you want to go. I will say that when I went out on the boat, it was the middle of the afternoon around like two or three, and it was very hot, very bright. It was in August. I probably wouldn't recommend going out in the middle of the daytime in summer, so either do an early morning cruise or do an evening sunset cruise. I found it to be pretty easy to just get a boat ride right there in Port Dubrovnik. People will be out there trying to sell tickets or just take you out. You can arrange with them or you can arrange with your hotel, and prices vary depending on the cruise. You can actually take a ferry out to Lochrome Island. This is a protected reserve located just off the coast of Dubrovnik. The ferry ride takes about 15 minutes from the old port. Around 90% of Lochrome is covered in vegetation. The island is known for its free-roaming peacocks and small saltwater lake. And once you leave out of the port of Dubrovnik, you'll instantly see the Banji beach, which is actually Dubrovnik's most popular beach. It's a short walk from the old town. You can easily get there. It is a pebble beach, so don't expect fine silica sand like you'll find in some other places around the Adriatic. And just being in that water can really cool you off, especially on a hot day. And if you wanted a day trip from Dubrovnik, you can easily go down to Kotor. It's about a two-hour drive, but in the summer times that road can get more congested because it is a border crossing. Croatia being a part of the Schengen zone, but Montenegro is not, so you would process immigration. Although depending on what time you would come down to Kotor, it is quite spectacular down here. And it is in Montenegro, so you can see a whole new country. But staying around Dubrovnik, you can actually go to Fort Lovry-Yenot. Good luck trying to say that 10 times, but it's a 37 meter high rock just outside of Dubrovnik's western city walls. It is called the Gibraltar of Dubrovnik. The fort protected the city from attacks by land and sea, particularly from the Republic of Venice. And nearby is the Franciscan Monastery. It is particularly interesting because it is an old historic pharmacy established in the 1300s and considered one of the oldest continually operating pharmacies in Europe. The old Dubrovnik Cathedral is the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. It is a Baroque cathedral constructed in 1671 and finished in 1713. It was a Romanesque church that was destroyed by the earthquake of 1667, and inside the main altar features a famous painting of the Assumption attributed to the Italian artist Titian. And inside they do have a treasury containing valuable religious artifacts, including relics associated with the patron saint of Dubrovnik. And then you have the Dominican Monastery. This is near the gate on the eastern side of Dubrovnik's old town, dating back to the 13th century. The complex was incorporated into the city's defensive walls and resembles a fortress from the outside, but inside you'll find a peaceful Gothic cloister with stone arches. And then you have the Sponza Palace located beside the Dubrovnik Bell Tower constructed in the 1500s. But if you're one of those types of people who just can't do history all the time and you want to get out on the water, a kayaking tour early morning or late in the afternoon is perfect. But if it is the winter time, you could probably go out at any time in the middle of the day when the weather is a bit better. It just depends on when you're coming out here. In fact, another activity that's fun is island hopping to the Alofiti Islands. There's a lot of islands out here off Croatia. They're called the Dalmatian Islands. You know the dog Dalmatian. Well, where do you think it gets its name from? Just thought I'd throw that fun fact in there about Dalmatians. Now, this is an archipelago, a part of that island chain. There are so many I've even flown over this area. But the Alofiti Islands are just one of many archipelagos around the region. But here, when you go out to these islands, you're going to come across multiple different islands with beaches and swimming spots. And the boat tours usually let you walk around the island for about an hour and then you come back. Maybe you'll do some snorkeling along the way. Some of these islands have caves or other boat tours that you'll be a part of. I would say no trip to Croatia or even the Dalmatian area is going to be complete without going island hopping. So when you're in Dubrovnik, that's a perfect place to do it. You can even stop in for a drink at the Buza Bar, one of Dubrovnik's most unusual waterfront bars. The word buza literally means hole and the bar is reached through a small opening in the southern side of the old town. Seating can be limited, especially during sunset hours. But I did notice that people were also swimming around here. So that's something that people seem to be doing on these rocks. But be careful of the currents and the waves and always ask for permission first. Explore the Game of Thrones filming locations throughout Dubrovnik, which represented King's Landing beginning in the show's second season. You also had the fort. Now I'll be honest with you, I'm not the most up to speed on the Game of Thrones filming locations here. I never really watched the series, but I do know when I was here many people were interested in the sites of where the show was filmed. But let's just talk about some facts about Dubrovnik and Croatia in general before I keep going here. It is part of the Schengen zone as of 2023, which means you can easily transit between Croatia like Slovenia, Italy, Austria, which is nearby. I actually came in on a bus from Hungary. I was in Budapest. But countries that are nearby that are not yet part of the Schengen, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia, they have yet to join the Schengen zone. So pretty much Croatia, North, I'm just letting you know. Now the currency here is going to be the euro because they are a part of the European Union. The language here is Croatian, but English is widely spoken in most tourist areas. I will say a place like Dubrovnik is good for about three to four days max. I did two nights here and I thought that was enough. In that old town area, don't expect any modern infrastructure. Most of the hotels have been retrofitted for your comfort, but they're old buildings dating back to who knows when. They're very comfortable, but they're older. And I'm just letting you know that if you wanted that more modern feeling, you would probably want to be closer to the airport. But it's really a historical place, not much modern infrastructure here in Dubrovnik. And if you do go north into Croatia, places nearby would be like Split or you could go to Rovinj, some places like that along the coast. Now let's talk about the old port. So this is the gateway to the former Republic of Ragusa. For centuries, merchant ships came in and out of here. It was a protected harbor carrying goods from across the Mediterranean and the Adriatic. The port was defended by the city walls where the St. John's Fortress, Revlon Fortress and heavy chains could be seen stretched across the harbor entrance. But today it's filled with fishing boats, sightseeing vessels and waterfront restaurants. Most of you who will be doing an island hopping tour or going around the bay here going out on the ocean will be departing from here at the port of Dubrovnik, or even if you just go to the beach, just a very nice calming port right here. Now let's talk about the food that you can expect to eat here. Get ready for lots of Adriatic seafood. I would say that's very popular, including grilled fish, octopus, salad, black risotto. You've also got shrimp, prawns, cuttlefish. So get ready for lots of seafood on the menu with vegetables, steak. They've also got steak and chicken, but oysters, mussels really seems to be the most popular food here, including wines. Lots of wine here. So now I would say if you are really considering a trip to Dubrovnik, definitely do split. Go out to some of those islands in the Dalmatians. You can skip Zagreb and if you're going to do anything, go south into Montenegro. I can make a full travel guide about Montenegro. That place is absolutely amazing and a must-see, especially that Kotor day trip I showed you. But if you guys loved this one, smash up the likes and we will see you on the next one. Italy. Click right here if you want to see the best things to do in Italy.