City Break in Dubrovnik: updated 16.02.23

We visited Dubrovnik in May for a city break, and we were treated to blue skies & sunshine every day. We had arranged for a taxi transfer from the airport to our apartment on the hillside overlooking the Old Port and as promised it was waiting for us on arrival.

The thirty-minute journey to our apartment gave us our first view of the port which was nothing short of stunning!

On arrival at our beautiful apartment, Sea View Magnolia we were met by the owner, the lovely Dina who was really helpful & provided all the information we needed for our stay in Dubrovnik. The apartment was located in an elevated position on Lokrumska ulica, Ploce.

The views from our terrace were absolutely amazing, we had no difficulty in chilling out there in the evenings admiring the beautiful views of the Old Port, the Adriatic and Lokrum Island!

Dubrovnik is a beautiful walled city with much architectural splendour and a network of charming narrow cobbled streets, many pavement café bars, restaurants and lots of steps!

If you enjoy wandering around meandering streets not knowing what interesting sights, you may find then Dubrovnik is for you. It’s a rabbit warren of interesting shops, cafes, bars, restaurants, local life and impressive buildings.

Just follow this link to read our blog on ‘Where to Eat in Dubrovnik’

A walk around the medieval walls is a must do, it takes around two and a half hours and is quite steep in parts, but you can just walk sections of it if you prefer. Along the way not only will you sneak a peek into local life but also have a birds-eye view of all the main attractions. The views from the walls are stunning, great photos of the sunset can be taken from the southern walls.

Take the Dubrovnik cable car to the top of the mountain for the most amazing views of the old town and the beautiful Adriatic Sea with its numerous islands. We had a delicious lunch at the Panorama Restaurant whilst soaking up the sun in the most beautiful of settings, you can read more about this in my blog ‘Where to eat in Dubrovnik’

St Ignatious Church

From the south side of Gundulic Square take the baroque steps which lead to Poljana Rudera Boškovica (if you are a Games of Throne fan you will recognise these steps!) St Ignatious is to your right, don’t make the mistake of just walking around the outside or you will miss the splendour of the interior including the Our Lady of Lourdes grotto.

Buza Bar

Dubrovnik is full of interesting and unusual finds, we were strolling round the winding alleyways & cobbled streets one afternoon and came across a very narrow opening in a wall, not being able to resist taking a peek we found that it led to a bar & terraces literally clinging to the side of the rock face with stunning views! It’s quite a steep walk down the steps and gets really busy on hot sunny days.
There is an alleyway to the left of the church, if you follow it for a short way, you will see a sign that directs you to ‘Cold drinks with most beautiful views’ which leads to the Buza Bar.

Stradun or Placa as locals are likely to refer to it, is the main pedestrian street running for about 300 metres through the old town between Pile Gate and Ploce Gate.

It is a charming thoroughfare that that retains much of its original character and splendid architecture. Here you will find shops, restaurants, cafes and bars, the area can become very busy especially if a cruise ship is visiting when passengers disembark to explore the city.

At night a buzzing atmosphere and the beautiful lit old buildings make it a popular meeting place to while away an hour or two.

As you walk the length of Stradun you will encounter several places worthy of note:

St Saviour Church – was built in the early 1500’s and survived an earthquake in 1667. The church stands next to a set of steps that lead down from the walls.

Onofrios Fountain – a circular fountain built in 1438, it stands just inside the Pile Gate. The water is pure so you can fill up your water bottle there.

Luza Square – is the area at the east end of Stradun where you will find:

The bronze Statue of Marin Drzic, a playwright & poet from Croatia in the 1500’s.

Bell Tower – with a clock was built in 1444 and stands 31 meters high. It has a domed top with two figures poised to strike the bell.

Sponza Palace – built in the early 1500’s it served as the customs house and mint, it now houses the state archives and the Memorial Room to the Dubrovnik Defenders. It is a magnificent building so not surprisingly it is also used as a wedding venue.

Memorial Room to the Dubrovnik Defenders – housed in Sponza Palace it is a small but thought provoking space dedicated to all the young men who gave their lives defending the city during the 1991 – 1995 War of Croatian Independence.

Behind the scenes – all along Stradun, on both sides are charming narrow paths and alleyways full of niche shops, delightful little cafes & bars, churches and private dwellings giving an insight to local life. A meander behind the scenes of the hustle & bustle of Stradun is a must to enjoy the real Dubrovnik.

The Old Port – with the Porporela Pier is a lovely area with beautiful views of the mountains and the Adriatic. You should walk along the pier, take in the beauty & watch the boats coming and going. Boats to Lokrum Island, Cavtat and Mlini leave from the Old Port, there are also sight seeing boat trips from here.

There are several walking tours available to discover Dubrovnik, but it is so much more enjoyable (and fun!) to pick up a city map and set off to explore this amazing city yourself, you never know what you may find!

Be aware that much of the city is steep with many steps, it also gets very busy in the main summer months.