Walking the streets of Old Town Dubrovnik is beat ONLY by walking the city’s walls. Yes, the entire city is walled still and you can pay to walk the couple of kilometers which affords great views of Old Town from every angle and of the sea and hills outside of Old Town (read more about it here!). I enjoyed walking the walls the most out of my days there. The present city walls, though finished for the most part in the second half of the 16th century, actually were started around the early 15th century. One of the bridges on the western gate (the Pila Gate) dates from the 1470s! By the way, there was a massive earthquake in 1667 that caused a lot of damage and these walls survived it quite well.
From the city walls you can more easily find old tiled roofs that survived the attacks of 1991-2, and see how creative townsfolk are about using the space ABOVE their buildings since land is at a premium in this charming city.
In Old Town
Along the way, depending on where you entered the walls (I did by the Pila Gate entrance), you will run into the Fortress of St. John which sort of stands guard on the eastern bay of the town.  This fortress houses a very interesting maritime history museum which I highly recommend.
Old Town looks small from the walls but you can get lost down there – and you should! Old Town is rich in architecture gems and its shiny stones on the ground add to the ambiance of the place. My approach to a town like this is to walk pretty much aimlessly down streets and alleys (Old Town is all pedestrian). A great starting point is the Pila Gate where you enter the main pedestrian street called the Stradun.
Lots of neat buildings and sights no matter where you turn. I found the oldest pharmacy in Europe still open (it is said to be the 3rd oldest overall having opened in 1317; located within the Franciscan Monastery) and a neat little museum of local countryside life (the Rupe Ethnographic Museum) built on a former granary (you can still see the holes used to move grains from one level to another).
Old Town, of course, has a good share of palaces, churches and other important buildings and structures to see:
- The Franciscan Monastery and Church – construction started in the 1300s but which was pretty much destroyed in the earthquake of 1667 . The cloister is considered one of Dubrovnik’s most important architecture pieces.
- The Rector’s Palace – probably my favorite building, it also suffered greatly in 1667 and was repaired/re-built. I love the arcade on the side of the building. Inside, it has a museum with interesting artifacts, jail cells on display, and rooms depicting both the decor of the time and the carriages used by well-off folks to travel!
- The Bell Tower – at the end of the Stradun, it is fairly recent since the old tower had to be brought down and re-built in the early 20th century.
- Other churches including the Cathedral, St. Ignatius, and St. Vlaho.
- Finally, the old synagogue which is the oldest Sephardic synagogue still in use and second oldest in Europe. It is tiny and tucked away with a narrow entrance in a side alley. One could easily miss it but it is well-worth finding it and entering it.
And RIGHT Outside Old Town
One of the neatest things about Dubrovnik is the sea around it. One can walk towards the Fortress of St. John and see fishermen coming in with the catch of the day.
Just around the fortress, one can walk down the sidewalk to bask in the sun and the serenity of the sea – unless the waves are a-crashing!
Dubrovnik is well worth a visit; and the slower the pace, the more enjoyable it becomes – I shall return!
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Awesome pics man….the last one with the water is incredible. I really want to visit Dubrovnik…hopefully it won’t be a long wait!
D.J. – The World of Deej recently posted..The Blogger Relay – My Top 3 Travel Memories
I love the peekaboo picture with the cars through the stone wall. You already had me sold on Dubrovnik. Now we REALLY need to see it for ourselves.
Tawny- Captain and Clark recently posted..The world’s largest piece of recycled paper
o0o. We’ve always wanted to go to Croatia. We’ll just have to wait when it gets warmer so we can enjoy the beaches. 🙂
Gerard ~ GQ trippin recently posted..Our Ryokan Experience at Tanabe
Looks like a beautiful place to walk around a bit, but I think I will pass having a seat on those benches by the sea.
Traveling Ted recently posted..Five adventures overseas that went wrong
I loved Dubrovnik and it is a place I definitely want to go back to. Your pictures made me. Love it. Where was the sun??
@mrsoaroundworld recently posted..My favourite 10 places around the world
Beautiful!! I promised myself that I’d get myself to that part of the world as soon as get my US passport! Seeing so many beautiful architecture just makes my knees weak.
jill recently posted..Looking for Sarah Palin’s House in Wasilla
Well, Jill, when you go, I only have one thing to say: Knee braces!!! 🙂 The pix don’t do it full justice. Thanks for checking the post out!
I love Croatia but have never visited. I’ve been seeing a ton of pictures about Old Town, and I especially love your last photo–what a beautiful place! I especially want to go to see the Roman architecture there..
Charu Suri (@Butterflydiary) recently posted..Four Craft Beers Perfect for the Fall Season
Thanks for checking out the post, Charu and next: check out Dubrovnik! It is well worth the trouble of getting there (it isn’t the easiest!).
Que espectaculares las fotos, cada una mas impresionante que la otra¡¡¡
Gorgeous photos. I especially like the Bell Tower.
Thanks, Sue! I wish I could have gone up the Bell Tower.
I was born in Croatia, and lived in Dubrovnik as a child. An interesting tid-bit of history – the walls of Dubrovnik were originally built of local oak. As, during battles, the walls would ultimately catch fire. It was subsequently decided to rebuild in stone. Once the building began, a new form of “tax” was instituted: anyone wanting to enter the city was to bring a stone, cut to specified dimensions, and 4 eggs. The eggs were used in the mixture that holds the stones together.
Mary, that is really interesting – thanks for sharing that! Must have been a neat place to live in as a child, exploring all the hideouts around the town!
Yes, it was a wonderful place to live, and I have many stories of old haunts and explorations. One of the things I loved to do was to visit the churches (as the doors were open all day back then) – I would walk around quietly, so as not to disturb the random people in the odd pew, praying. I would marvel at the marble pillars, sculptures, and paintings…there was something so serene and magical in it all for me.
As for hideouts, there were many, as you can well imagine. The best thing about it was, even at age 4 or 5, I could safely wander about town wherever I pleased, and there was always some new thing to amaze me.
Yes, I remember days when I could go out as a kid and ride my bike in my neighborhood well after that… The good ole days! 🙂
Wonderful Place The Rector’s Palace is one of this.Thanks for beautiful Places.
So many buildings to admire and take photos of – a veritable feast for the eyes!