Walls of Dubrovnik

Views from Dubrovnik town walls over to old harbour, Sveti Ivan fortress and Lokrum Island

Dubrovnik City Walls (locally called “Dubrovački miri” or in Croatian, officially “Dubrovačke zidine“) were built all around the Old Town of Dubrovnik, around the seashore, to protect a town from pirates and other unwelcome guests. These enormous walls that encircle the entire Old Town, dotted by fortresses and overlooking the sea are indeed the city’s most famous feature.

The walls were built between 12th and 17th century, and are very well preserved until nowadays (check about History of Dubrovnik). Town walls are about 2 kilometres long and they include 16 smaller and larger towers, among them the Sveti Ivan Tower, the largest one, built at the very entrance to the town’s old harbour Porporela (above photo).

The walls are about 25 meters high and up to 3 meters thick at the seaside of the town, while on the mainland, they are thick up to 6 meters.
The views from the walls are really nice – probably the best views of Dubrovnik, with patches of red roofs of the numerous houses beneath them. Walking along Dubrovnik’s city walls is considered to be the highlight of any Dubrovnik visit.  The above photo show views of city walls from slopes above the town.

Some Facts about the Walls:

• The city walls are a true expression of towns idea of freedom (liberty).
• They are indeed among the most impressive and beautiful structures of its kind of medieval Europe and possibly beyond.
• They are also a symbol of Croatian defence during the 1991’s Croatian War of Independence when the town and the walls were bombarded by enemies. But with no success! 🙂
• Erected towards the last part of the Middle Ages, as a powerful symbol of liberty and an impenetrable defence, they consist of the four main corners – Minceta tower at the north-west corner, Revelin at the East corner, St Johns‘ that overlooks the towns’ harbour on the south-east corner and Bokar at south-west, protecting Pile gate, the main town’s entrance.
• The main ground plan of walls and fortification is traced from the 14th century and finished in the late 17th century after the great earthquake in 1667.
• The oldest segment of the town walls is one of the Arsenal (Orsan), nowadays Gradska Kavana restaurant, from 7th century AD.
• They are listed in the UNESCO’s Croatian World Heritage Sites.

More interesting facts:

• How many steps are in Dubrovnik city walls?

Dubrovnik is indeed the city of many, many steps (about 5000 in total) and walls itself are almost entirely made of steps. I personally never counted the steps, however, there is a piece of information that is commonly accepted (another urban legend?) that the total number of steps along the town walls are just over a thousand (1080 to be precise).

• How long does it take to walk the walls of Dubrovnik?

It takes me just over 2 hours to walk the Walls. It can be done quicker, but I tent to take my time and admire the views. Bearing in mind that the total length of the entire walls are just over 2 kilometres (1.24 miles) and that includes going up and down numerous steps (see above), the time will also depend on what is a weather like (in hot weather it gets much slower) as well as do you intend to stop and take photos, admire a views, have a drink or ice cream while walking along the walls. When planning your visit to the Walls, it is a good idea to allow a large part of the morning or afternoon to walk along the walls. Try not to rush as this walk will be the highlight of your visit to the town.

• When is the best time to visit the Walls?

The best time of the day to visit the walls is either in the early morning or late afternoon if you are visiting in the high tourist season. Alternatively, offseason, any time is fine. Obviously, the daylight is an important factor. See more detailed info and reasons in my One Day in Dubrovnik article and best time to visit article.

Map of Dubrovnik Town walls:

click to enlarge map of Dubrovnik Town walls – this is the map that I drown recently, I hope you like it. Feel free to download and upload to your tablet or phone for reference.

Cost of visiting Dubrovnik city walls:

Currently, the entrance fee costs are 200 kunas (HRK). The entry ticket includes entry to Lovrijenac fort too.  If you buy a Dubrovnik Card you will get free entrance to the walls. See where is the entrance to the city walls.

Above: Views from the walls over Pile gate, Bokar Fortress, Franciscan Monastery and town roofs. Below: East side of Dubrovnik walls with Sveti Ivan, Sveti Spasitelj, Sveti Stjepan and Sveta Margarita Fortresses

Popular routes: Split to Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik to Split, Hvar to Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik to Hvar

If you would like to book walking tour around Dubrovnik Walls, you can do online booking via our partner site: Book Dubrovnik City Walls Walking Tour

Photos of Dubrovnik Town Walls:

More photos of Dubrovnik walls

Video:

The above video is so far the best one I could find on youtube. Its made by local video maker who lives in the town and takes videos on any interesting occasion. A few years ago, he made the amazing and unusual video of the town walls on the day when they were covered by the snow (see video here)

More relevant reading :

• also see articles and photos of Lovrijenac,  Bokar, Minčeta and Revelin fortresses
• entrance to town walls
• entry ticket for Dubrovnik city walls
• old town and town walls map
• more photos of town walls (the 1930s)
• all articles tagged as ‘ town walls’