Dubrovnik City Walls Guide: Tickets, Timing and Route

The walls are the reason Dubrovnik looks the way it does, and walking them is the best two hours you'll spend in the city. They were built and rebuilt from the 13th to the 17th centuries and never fell to an attack. Here are the questions people ask most.

How long is the walk?

The full circuit is just under two kilometres, with several steep stretches of steps. Allow an hour and a half to two hours with stops. You walk in one direction only, following the arrows, and once you leave the walls you can't go back up on the same ticket.

Where should I start?

There are three entrances: inside Pile Gate, near Ploče Gate by the Dominican monastery, and at St John's Fortress by the Old Port. Pile is the busiest. Starting from the Ploče side usually means a shorter queue and puts the steepest climb, up to the Minčeta Tower, towards the end. You can start and finish at any entrance.

When is the best time?

Be there at opening. In summer the stone heats up fast, and by late morning the cruise groups arrive. The last couple of hours before closing are the other option, with softer light and a sunset over Lovrijenac. Avoid the middle of the day between June and September, and check the port's cruise schedule when you choose your day. Opening times change with the season, so check the official site.

Do I need to book?

Tickets are sold at the entrances and on the official site, citywallsdubrovnik.hr. The city has announced plans to move to advance reservations to control numbers, so check the official site before you go to see whether you need to choose an entry time. Avoid resellers that copy the official name.

Walls ticket or Dubrovnik Pass?

The Dubrovnik Pass includes the walls, the city museums (among them the Rector's Palace and the Maritime Museum) and local buses, for one, three or seven days. The one-day pass starts when you first scan it. If you'll visit even one museum as well as the walls, the pass usually comes out ahead. Either way, keep the ticket: it also gets you into Fort Lovrijenac.

What will I see?

Down into private life: washing lines, lemon trees in tiny courtyards, a basketball court squeezed between houses. Up to the Minčeta Tower, the highest point, with the whole roofscape spread out below. Along the sea side, the cliff bars on the rocks and Lokrum offshore. Look at the roofs, too. The bright new tiles mark houses repaired after the shelling of 1991 and 1992, and the faded old ones mark the few that were spared.

What should I bring?

Water, a hat and shoes with grip. There's a small kiosk or two along the way, but eating and drinking on the walls themselves is discouraged under the city rules, so take your break at the kiosks or before you go up. Our what to wear guide covers the rest, and our three-day itinerary fits the walls into the first morning.