Fortification
City Walls
Dubrovnik · Southern Dalmatia
QUICK INFORMATION
- CATEGORY
- Fortification
- COUNTRY
- Croatia
- REGION
- Dubrovnik · Southern Dalmatia
- DURATION
- 2–3 days
ABOUT THIS ATTRACTION
The city walls are the signature of Dubrovnik — a complete circuit of almost 2 kilometres of medieval stone walls and towers encircling the old town, intact and walkable, with views over the marble rooftops, the Stradun and the water at every turn. Walking the walls is the one essential Dubrovnik experience, the way to see the city as a single fortified whole, and the source of the famous red-roof panorama.
HISTORY & BACKGROUND
The story behind it
The walls were built and reinforced from the 9th to the 16th centuries by the Republic of Ragusa, the maritime city-state that governed Dubrovnik for centuries, to defend the city against land and maritime attack. The great wall-builder was the 15th-century architect Michelozzo, who reshaped the walls into the form you see today, with the round towers and the seafront bastions. The walls survived the 1667 earthquake and the 1991 siege, and were restored in the 20th century as the city’s defining monument.
WHAT TO SEE
What to see here
The full circuit of walls and towers around the old town, walked in 1–2 hours.
The view over the marble rooftops and the Stradun from the highest towers.
The seafront bastions above the cliffs and the harbour.
The Minceta tower at the highest point of the walls, the landmark of the circuit.
WHY IT MATTERS
Why it matters
The walls are Dubrovnik — the reason the city is a UNESCO site and the single experience that captures the whole old town from above. For a visitor the wall walk is the essential first activity and the source of the image of the city you take away.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before you go
THROUGH THE LENS
From the road
MAP & LOCATION
City Walls
City Walls, Dubrovnik, Southern Dalmatia, Croatia
42.6507, 18.0944
MORE ATTRACTIONS
More to see in Dubrovnik
THINGS TO DO
Things to do nearby
FOOD & DRINK
Where to eat nearby
Proto — old-town seafood since 1886
Konobas in the lanes off the Stradun
HOTELS & STAYS
Where to stay nearby
Hotel Excelsior — grand hotel above the old town
Old-town apartments inside the walls
ITINERARIES
Day-by-day routes
NEARBY DESTINATIONS
Continue the journey
INTERESTS
Explore by what you love
PART OF
Keep exploring
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