Visit Dubrovnik

Why visit Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik calls itself the Pearl of the Adriatic, and the marketing pretty much earns the line. The walled Old Town sits on a limestone peninsula on the southern tip of Croatia, its red roofs and pale stone enclosed by 1,940 metres of medieval ramparts — walking the full circuit (allow 1.5–2 hours, ideally at golden hour or first thing in the morning) gives you the iconic views over the city and out to Lokrum island. The main thoroughfare Stradun (or Placa), a 300-metre limestone-polished pedestrian street, runs from Pile Gate to Ploce Gate, passing the 14th-century Franciscan Monastery (with one of the oldest working pharmacies in Europe, opened 1317), the elegant Sponza Palace, and Onofrio's Fountain. Climb — or cable-car up — Mount Srd for the panoramic view that makes the whole geography click. Game of Thrones location tourism is a serious industry here; you can walk the Iron Throne route step by step. Just beyond the walls, Banje Beach and the Lokrum nature reserve (with peacocks, monastery ruins, and a salt lake) offer easy escapes from peak-season crowds.