Dubrovnik’s walled Old Town is Croatia’s single most photographed sight — and its most crowded. Walking the full 1,940-meter city wall costs €40 for an adult (€15 for ages 7-17, free under 7, per the official vendor’s 2026 listing), takes 1.5-2 hours at an unhurried pace, and is worth timing around the cruise-ship schedule.
The city walls
| Season | Hours |
|---|---|
| June-September | 8:00am-7:30pm |
| April, May, October | 8:00am-6:30pm |
| November-March | 9:00am-3:00pm |
Last entry is 30 minutes before closing. The walls are open year-round, and ticket counters are at three points around the Old Town — buy early morning (right at opening) or within the last two hours before closing to avoid the worst of the midday queue and heat.
Avoiding the cruise-ship crush
Dubrovnik’s port authority publishes daily cruise arrival schedules, and locals plan their own Old Town visits around them. If you’re not on a cruise yourself, checking that schedule the night before and visiting on a lighter day — or simply going before 9am — makes a real difference to how the Old Town feels, especially on the main Stradun thoroughfare.
Mount Srđ cable car
A 2017-rebuilt cable car (the original was destroyed during the 1990s war and only reopened in 2010) climbs to the top of Mount Srđ in under four minutes, giving the postcard view over the Old Town’s terracotta roofs and the Adriatic. Go near sunset if you can; the viewing platform gets busy but the light is worth it.
Lokrum Island
A 10-15 minute ferry from the Old Town harbor, Lokrum is a forested nature reserve with a ruined Benedictine monastery, a saltwater “Dead Sea” swimming lagoon, and resident peacocks descended from a 19th-century Habsburg archduke’s private menagerie. It’s a genuinely relaxing half-day escape from the Old Town’s density.
FAQ
How long does walking the city walls take?
Most visitors take 1.5-2 hours including photo stops; the walk is entirely on uneven stone with no shade for most of the loop, so bring water and sun protection.
Is Dubrovnik the Game of Thrones filming location?
Yes, much of King’s Landing was filmed in and around the Old Town — see our dedicated Game of Thrones filming locations guide for exact spots and tour options.
Photo: Dubrovnik’s Old Town and medieval city walls, by kallerna, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.