City Walls of Dubrovnik

The City Walls of Dubrovnik form an almost unbroken ring of 1,940 metres around the Old Town in Croatia's Dubrovnik-Neretva County, and walking them is the single most popular activity in the city. The fortifications took shape between the 13th and 17th centuries and were reinforced after the Ottoman advance, reaching up to 25 metres in height and as much as 6 metres in thickness on the landward side. Along the circuit stand towers, bastions and forts, including the round Minceta Tower at the northwest corner, the Bokar bastion guarding Pile Gate, Fort St John above the Old Port and the free-standing Lovrijenac outside the western walls. The walk is one-way and anticlockwise, entering at Pile Gate (the main entrance, just inside the gate on the left of Stradun), with further entrances at Ploce Gate and near Fort St John. Visitors climb steep stone steps to the wall-walk and then follow it past rooftops of terracotta tiles, small courtyard gardens, the harbour, and the open Adriatic to the south with views over Lokrum island. The Minceta Tower and the south wall above the sea are the best vantage points for photographs, while the stretch above the Old Port gives the classic harbour view. Most people need two to three hours with photo stops and a drink at one of the cafes on the route; the walk has little shade, so summer visits at midday are punishing. The crowds peak between about 10:00 and 15:00 when cruise-ship passengers arrive; the first hour after opening and the last two hours before closing are the quietest and coolest. The walls are visible in many scenes from television productions filmed in the city, which adds to the demand. Because the circuit is one-way, visitors cannot turn back once past the first section without finishing or leaving at an exit stair, so water and a hat are advisable. Tickets are sold at the Pile and Ploce entrances and in the Dubrovnik Pass, and the walls ticket also covers Fort Lovrijenac.