City Walls of Dubrovnik

Walking the city walls is the single experience most visitors to Dubrovnik remember longest. The ramparts run for about 1,940 metres in an unbroken loop around the Old Town, rising to 25 metres in places, and from the walkway you look down on one side into courtyards, church domes and terracotta roofs, and on the other straight out over the Adriatic towards the island of Lokrum. The defences are part of the Old City of Dubrovnik, inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1979.

Most of what you see was built between the 13th and 17th centuries, when the Republic of Ragusa poured money into its defences after the fall of Constantinople in 1453. The landward wall is four to six metres thick, the seaward side much slimmer, and the circuit is studded with towers and bastions. Look out for the round Minčeta Tower, the highest point and the city's most recognisable silhouette, completed in 1464 to a design begun by Michelozzo and finished by Juraj Dalmatinac; Fort Bokar guarding the Pile Gate; and St John's Fortress watching over the old harbour.

The walls are managed by the Society of Friends of Dubrovnik Antiquities, founded in 1952, which uses ticket income to restore the city's monuments. A walls ticket also lets you into Fort Lovrijenac on the same visit, so keep it with you. Each ticket is valid for one circuit only, re-entry is not allowed, and the closing time listed is the time of last entry. Children under seven go free and reductions apply for older children. You can buy at the box office or in advance through the official webshop; booking is not required.

Allow around two hours for a relaxed full loop with photo stops. In summer, start as soon as the walls open or come in the late afternoon, because the walkway has almost no shade and fills with cruise groups in the middle of the day. Wear proper shoes, carry water and sun protection, and expect many steep steps; the Society itself notes that the heritage sites are difficult for visitors with limited mobility. The walls are open every day of the year except Christmas Day, with shorter winter hours from November to March, when they are far quieter.

The main entrance is just inside the Pile Gate, where city buses stop, with others near the Ploče Gate and by St John's Fortress. Combine the walk with Fort Lovrijenac next door and an afternoon on Stradun.