How to spend two days in Dubrovnik

Travel Itinerary

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Itinerary by: Freya Godfrey

2 years ago

Travel Writer

Duration: 2 days

Itinerary Contents

Day 1
Day 2

Itinerary Introduction

Surrounded by the Adriatic Sea, the terracotta-roofed city of Dubrovnik is a stunning location for a European trip. Alongside historic sights, Renaissance buildings and Gothic architecture, there are beautiful beaches and stunning islands right on the city’s doorstep, meaning you can make the most of both worlds on your trip to Dubrovnik. What’s more, with its sights clustered in the Old Town, it’s an easy place to explore on foot. Image by Ivan Ivankovic from Pixabay; image by Neil Morrell from Pixabay; image by Ivan Bagić from Pixabay

Useful information about Dubrovnik

The history of Dubrovnik

You’d be forgiven for thinking the picturesque city of Dubrovnik is an incredibly well-kept example of a Croatian city. In fact, it has suffered huge amounts of damage over the years. A particularly destructive time came during the Croatian War of Indepence, when Dubrovnik was attacked by the Yugoslav People’s Army in 1991, and party to a seven-month siege. Luckily, throughout the late-1990s, most of the damage was repaired, and today the city appears much as it would have done in its original glory.

Best times to visit Dubrovnik

Like the countries that surround it, Croatia can get very hot in the summer months, which coincides with its high season. If you can, try to visit in May, September or October, when the weather will still be pleasant, but you’ll also have the benefit of less crowded tourist sights.

Getting around in Dubrovnik

Getting around Dubrovnik’s old town is easy, as you can walk everywhere. In fact, the old town is car-free, so you don’t have much of a choice. Be aware that there are lots of steps to climb in some areas, particularly the northern end of the old town. To go further afield, take the bus – tickets cost twelve kuna for an hour of unlimited travel if you buy them at newspaper kiosks or Libertas vending points, and three kuna more if you buy them on-board. Be aware that the bus to the airport drops passengers off at Ploče Gate, but runs back to the airport from the bus station near the city’s cable car.

Making payments in Dubrovnik

Croatia uses the kuna (HSK) currency rather than the Euro. Although most establishments will accept credit and debit cards, it’s always worth having cash with you as many smaller businesses – especially if you travel to the islands or smaller towns inland – will only accept cash.

Tipping in Dubrovnik

Tips aren’t mandatory in Croatia, but it is standard to tip, although the amount is up to you. Tipping around 10–20% of your bill is a good yard stick to go by.

Beaches in Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik is surrounded by water, and it’s easy to reach a host of excellent beaches in its surroundings. But be aware that while there are some sandy beaches in Croatia, the country is better known for its pebble beaches and cliffside sunbathing spots, meaning you may wish to bring beach shoes with you, or something comfortable to lie on.

Dubrovnik - Travel Itinerary

Day 1

The Old Town and the City Walls

Spend your first day exploring the major historical sights in the Old Town, including the Cathedral, Onofrio's Fountain and the main thoroughfare, the Stradun.

09:00 - 09:30

Pile Gate

Ul. Vrata od Pila, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia

Start your first day in Dubrovnik at Pile Gate, the imposing fifteenth-century gate that marks the entrance to Dubrovnik’s Old Town. Passing over the stone bridge and drawbridge with Dubrovnik’s city walls looming overhead makes this a particularly atmospheric entrance to a city. Image by Archana Reddy from Unsplash

Article By: Freya Godfrey

Price covers: Entry

Prices for Pile Gate
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Standard	Free

Pile Gate

09:30 - 10:00

Big Onofrio's Fountain

Large Onofrio's Fountain, Poljana Paska Miličevića 2000, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia

Just after you’ve passed through Pile Gate, you’ll come across Onofrio’s Fountain to your right. This huge, circular fountain was built in 1438, and was designed by the famous Italian architect Onofrio di Giordano della Cava. It has sixteen taps, above each of which is surrounded by a carved mask. The fountain’s appearance was marred by an earthquake in 1667, but it’s still a truly impressive sight. The water is drinkable, so why not top up your water bottle from one of the fanciest usable water fountains in the world? You can also find Little Onofrio’s Fountain in Luža Square at the other end of the street. As you walk along, you may notice locations that have featured in Game of Thrones as part of King's Landing, particularly during Cersei's Walk of Shame in season 5. Image by Hannah Suddaby from Unsplash

Article By: Freya Godfrey

Price covers: Entry

Prices for Big Onofrio's Fountain
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Standard	Free

Getting there

The fountain is only a few steps from Pile Gate.

Travel time

0 hours 1 minute

Big Onofrio's Fountain

10:00 - 12:00

The Stradun

Stradun, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia

You’re now on the main street through Dubrovnik’s Old Town, the Stradun, which runs across the width of this historic neighbourhood. There’s plenty to see along the cobbled streets that lie either side of the thoroughfare, so you may wish to spend some time wandering aimlessly around to soak up the atmosphere. But while you do so, be sure to look out for some key sights. First, there’s the Church of Saint Blaise, a pretty Baroque church with a striking interior resplendent in red and gold. Then, there’s the Church of St Ignatius of Loyola, the construction of which was completed in 1703. Head inside and you’ll find a richly decorated, domed ceiling to admire. And you’ll also spot Orlando’s Column, a statue of a knight carved into a column, at the top of which is a platform from where public announcements can be made. Image by B Yando from Unsplash

Article By: Freya Godfrey

Price covers: Entry

Prices for The Stradun
Category	Price	Restrictions
Standard	Free

The Stradun

12:00 - 13:00

Dubrovnik Clock Tower and Sponza Palace

20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia

At the furthest end of the Stradun, towards the port, you’ll come across two buildings that are particularly worth noting. Dubrovnik’s Clocktower, a soaring tower topped by a domed roof, contains a huge bell that is struck by two bronze figures, known fondly as Maro and Baro. Adjacent to this is Sponza Palace, which is fronted by a series of archways, and which was designed in a mix of Gothic and Renaissance styles in the sixteenth century. The building was built around an inner courtyard, and while it has held many roles over its long history, it now presides over the city’s archives. Image by neufal54 from Pixabay

Article By: Freya Godfrey

Price covers: Entry

Prices for Dubrovnik Clock Tower and Sponza Palace
Category	Price	Restrictions
Standard	25.00 HRK

Getting there

The palace and the clocktower are both along the Stradun, so you won't need to walk far.

Travel time

0 hours 2 minutes

Dubrovnik Clock Tower and Sponza Palace

13:00 - 14:00

Rector's Palace

Ul. Pred Dvorom 3, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia

From 1358 until 1808, what is now Dubrovnik was known as the Republic of Ragusa. Just to the south of Ponza Palace lies the Rector’s Palace, where the rector in power – an important official during the Republic – had their seat. The building would originally have held an armoury, a watch house and a prison. Admire the porch, with its carved archways, and consider stopping for a break in the portal on the western end, where you can take a seat in the shade in view of the carved columns. In summer, the inner atrium is used as a concert hall. The palace is now run by the Museum of Dubrovnik, and you'll pay a small fee to see its exhibitions. Game of Thrones fans may also recognise it as the location of the Spice King's Mansion. Image by neufal54 from Pixabay

Article By: Freya Godfrey

Price covers: Entry

Prices for Rector's Palace
Category	Price	Restrictions
Standard	100.00 HRK
Students	50.00 HRK
Kids	50.00 HRK	Under 18

Getting there

It's a one-minute walk south from Ponza Palace to the Rector's Palace.

Travel time

0 hours 1 minute

Rector's Palace

14:00 - 15:00

Dubrovnik Cathedral

Ul. kneza Damjana Jude 1, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia

Less than a minute’s walk south, one of Dubrovnik’s most spectacular sights rises high against the city’s characteristically blue skies: Dubrovnik Cathedral. You wouldn’t know it, but the Assumption Cathedral has had to be majorly repaired many times over the centuries: first after an earthquake in 1667, then again after the Montenegro earthquake in 1979, and more recently from damage during the Siege of Dubrovnik in 1991. Interestingly, it was also built on the site of previous cathedrals that had been built in the seventh, tenth and eleventh centuries. Inside, you’ll find some brilliant paintings and statues, plus a magnificent altar dedicated to Saint John of Nepomuk. Image by neufal54 from Pixabay

Article By: Freya Godfrey

Price covers: Entry

Prices for Dubrovnik Cathedral
Category	Price	Restrictions
Standard	Free

Travel time

0 hours 1 minute

Dubrovnik Cathedral

15:00 - 17:00

Dubrovnik City Walls

Dubrovnik, Croatia

It might seem a little expensive at first, but walking the Walls of Dubrovnik is an absolute must-do in the city. From this high vantage point, you can take in sweeping views over the sea and the city’s terracotta rooftops. The grey-hued stone walls were built as a huge defensive structure around the city during the Middle Ages. Building started during the twelfth century, and the walls were continually developed and strengthened until the seventeenth century. In fact, they are often described as one of the best military fortifications of the period, as they were never breached during that era. The walls are part of Dubrovnik’s UNESCO World Heritage-listed Old Town, and feature heavily in Game of Thrones, when Dubrovnik was the filming location for King’s Landing. If you can, try to visit the walls later in the day, when the temperature will be cooler, or even around sunset for wonderful photo opportunities. Image by charlemagne from Pixabay

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Article By: Freya Godfrey

Price covers: Entry

Prices for Dubrovnik City Walls
Category	Price	Restrictions
Standard	200.00 HRK
Students	50.00 HRK
Kids	50.00 HRK	Under 18

Getting there

The main entrance to Dubrovnik's City Walls is near Pile Gate, so you'll need to walk around five minutes back down the Stradun. Alternatively, there's a closer entrance at Ploce Gate.

Travel time

0 hours 5 minutes

Dubrovnik City Walls

17:00 - 18:00

Fort Lovrijenac

Ul. od Tabakarije 29, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia

Included in your ticket to the City Walls is Fort Lovrijenac, which is thought to date back to the early eleventh century. Standing on its own on a rock that juts out into the sea, the fort might not look particularly pretty from close up, but there are also excellent views all around from the top of its walls, and it certainly looks imposing from afar. The fort is seen as a key tool in the Republic of Ragusa’s resistance of Venetian rule. Today, it’s the location for Red Bull Cliff Diving events in Croatia, and has been used as a theatre and film set, and as the Red Keep in Game of Thrones. After you've finished walking the walls, consider going for a drink at a bar on the rocks leading down to the sea for an atmospheric end to the day (Buza Bar is particularly popular), before sampling Croatian cuisine at one of the Old Town's excellent restaurants. Image by Zhivko Dimitrov from Unsplash

Article By: Freya Godfrey

Price covers: Entry

Prices for Fort Lovrijenac
Category	Price	Restrictions
Standard	100.00 HRK
Students	50.00 HRK
Kids	50.00 HRK	Under 18

Getting there

The fort is five minutes' walk west of the Old Town's centre.

Travel time

0 hours 5 minutes

Fort Lovrijenac

Day 2

A trip to Lokrum Island, the beach and Mount Srdj

On your second day in Dubrovnik, get out into the open and explore the city's natural sights, including nearby Lokrum Island, Banje Beach and Mount Srdj, before ticking off some final Game of Thrones filming locations.

09:00 - 13:00

Lokrum Island

Lokrum, Dubrovnik, Croatia

Start your second day in Dubrovnik by taking a trip to Lokrum Island, less than a kilometre away from the city. The Adriatic island can be reached by a 15-minute ferry, or you could even join a kayaking tour to the island. Take in the view as you speed towards its craggy surroundings. Spend your time here exploring the impressive botanical garden, swimming or kayaking around its length, or admiring the small salt lake known as the Dead Sea. The island has a fascinating past. A former Benedictine monastery, founded in 1023, can still be explored, which was used by the Benedictine monks that lived on the island up until the fifteenth century. When they left, they are said to have cursed the island. In the mid-nineteenth century, Archduke Maximilian of Austria built a home on Lokrum Island, which was surrounded by splendid gardens. You can still see Charlotte’s Well, named after his wife, Charlotte of Mexico, as well as descendants of the peacocks that the archduke brought from the Canary Islands. The island continued to be owned by the Habsburg family until the early twentieth century, when Yoguslavia claimed it, and was finally brought back into Croatian hands after the Croatian War of Independence, during which it suffered under bombardments. Image by Filip Filipović from Pixabay

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Article By: Freya Godfrey

Price covers: Entry

Prices for Lokrum Island
Category	Price	Restrictions
Standard	120.00 HRK
Kids	20.00 HRK	Under 15

Notes

It costs 120 kunas per adult to visit Lokrum Island, including the boat trip from the Old Town. Alternatively, you could take a taxi boat and pay the 96 kunas admission price to the island once you arrive.

Getting there

It takes 15 minutes on the ferry from Dubrovnik's Old Town to Lokrum Island.

Travel time

0 hours 15 minutes

Lokrum Island

13:00 - 15:00

Banje Beach

Ul. Frana Supila 10/B, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia

Make your way back from Lokrum Island on the ferry and spend the heat of the day cooling off in the sea and sunbathing on Banje Beach, which is only a short trip from the Old Town. Like many of Croatia’s beaches, Banje Beach is pebbly rather than sandy, so you may wish to bring beach shoes to make your way down to the shore. Umbrellas and sun loungers can be hired, and there’s a restaurant lounge and club, where you can enjoy a seafood lunch and perhaps a few refreshing drinks. If you stay until the evening, you’ll find that the beach club transforms into a night club. Image by Hans-Jürgen Weinhardt from Unsplash

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Article By: Freya Godfrey

Price covers: Entry

Prices for Banje Beach
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Standard	Free

Getting there

Walk five minutes from the Old Town to Banje Beach.

Travel time

0 hours 5 minutes

Banje Beach

15:00 - 18:00

Mount Srdj

Srđ ul. 2, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia

After relaxing at the beach, make your way to Mount Srdj for incredible views over Dubrovnik’s Old Town as well as over the Adriatic Sea and its many islands. There are a few options for getting there. Firstly, you could swoop up in a cable car, which you can take from Ulica Kralja Petra Krešimira IV (just behind the Old Town). Alternatively, follow the rocky trail behind the city centre to climb the route yourself. The mountain is over 400-metres tall, so be prepared for a fair incline. For a cooler option, follow the pilgrimage route up, which passes fourteen wooden crosses on its way up. This dirt path starts in the forest, meaning you’ll get some shade from the sun during your hike. At the peak is a fort, Fort Imperial, built between 1806–12. An exhibition detailing the Homeland War, which ran between 1991–5, can be found at the Homeland War Museum in the fort. Image by Tom Wheatley from Unsplash

Article By: Freya Godfrey

Price covers: Entry

Prices for Mount Srdj
Category	Price	Restrictions
Standard	30.00 HRK
Kids	0.00 HRK	Under 12

Getting there

The amount of time it’ll take you to get to Mount Srdj depends on the route you take. Opt for a taxi up and it’ll be less than twenty minutes, while the hike will take around an hour each way.

Travel time

1 hour 0 minutes

Mount Srdj

17:00 - 19:00

The Jesuit Stairs and other Game of Thrones locations in Dubrovnik

20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia

During this tour, you’ve already experienced many of the filming locations for Game of Thrones in Dubrovnik, but spend your final evening in Dubrovnik taking in some of those you’ve missed. King’s Landing Harbour is replicated by Pile Harbour in the series; Dubrovnik West Pier and Dubrovniks West Harbour both sit in for Blackwater Bay; while Gradac Park was the scene of the Purple Wedding; and Minceta Tower was used as the House of the Undying in Qarth. Even the Ethnographic Museum features in the series, as Littlefinger’s brothel. However, one of the most recognisable locations is the Jesuit Staircase, which double as the steps of the Great Sept of Baelor, where Cersei is forced to make her Walk of Shame in Season 5. The Stradun and some of the narrow streets leading off it also make an appearance. If you want to go a little further afield, take a drive to Trsteno Arboretum, west along the coast from Dubrovnik, where the pretty gardens of King’s Landing were filmed. There are also Game of Thrones tours run by various companies around Dubrovnik and more widely in Croatia. Image by mzphotos from Pixabay

Article By: Freya Godfrey

Price covers: Entry