Top things to do in Dubrovnik
1. Walk the City walls
Walking along the city walls is a must, but I highly recommend to go in either the morning or evening. Even though you will find some small shops to buy water, ice-cream etc. to cool down, most of the walk is in direct sun and it gets pretty hot during the summer. The walk will take you approx. 2-3 hours depending on how many photo stops you take. You can choose to depart the wall earlier at marked locations if desired, but know that you cant get back up without a new ticket and start at the beginning.
2. Fort Lovrijenic and St. John Fortress
Before you enter the old town you can see the Lovrijenic castle. This is where they filmed scenes of Kings Landing in game of Thrones, but in reality it is an old fortress and theater. It's situated on top of the cliffs looking out over the water making it a beautiful sight in itself. On the opposite side of the city you can find the old harbor and another impressive medieval defense you should not miss, the St. John's fortress.
2. Discover the old town
The old town in itself is filled with wonders to behold, and even though its not very big you can spend eternity there without having seen everything it has to offer. The old town is located between two fortresses encapsuled in the city walls. You can see many of the highlights like the Cathedral, Sponza palace, the clock tower and Church of St. Blaise along the main street of the old town. However if you take some detours up and sown the narrow streets and steep steps you will some really charming streets, boutiques and restaurants while escaping the big tourist traps.
3. Enjoy the beauty of the Franciscan monastery
A gem in the old town it seems people often skip is the Franciscan monastery. It is one of my favorite spots in the city and made even better because so few people actually go there. The entrance is located very close to the entrance to the city walls, but it does not look as inviting from the outside as it is on the inside.
This is a spot most tourist skip, but the beauty and tranquility of the place makes it well worth a visit.
4. Check out highlights from Game of Thrones
Many scenes from Game of Thrones was filmed in Dubrovnik, so if you are a fan it is really fun to walk around almost feeling like you are a part of it.
There several tours that take you around the city showing specific sites since they might not be so easy to spot on your own. I have not done tis personally, but I know it is a very popular thing to do for many tourists. One the most popular sights is the Jesuit stairs which was used for the scene where Cersei did her infamous walk and is therefore named the "Shame stairs". You can also enjoy a "Shame" burger or a "Shame" mojito. This one you can easily spot yourself.
5. Jump and swim at Buza beach in old town
Another of my personal favorites is the Buza beach in old town. Since all of old town is surrounded by city walls most of the beaches is found in other parts of Dubrovnik. However, Buza beach is accessible through a whole in the city wall. Beyond there you will find beautiful cliffs to lay down and enjoy the sun, swim in the crystal clear water or if you dare, jump from both high and lower cliffs. In addition there is a small bar there if you need refreshments. Its easy to spot from the city wall where you can see all the daredevils jumping from high cliffs, but its not so easy to find and access so even though there were always many people there, it was never overcrowded in ways many of the other beaches can be.
6. Take a bus to Lapad and enjoy a drink in a cave
Not far from Dubrovnik you will find a town called Lapad. Its a short busride away and if yu are looking to same some money I would highly reccomend you to stay here instead of Dubrovnik city since both hotels and restaurants are much cheaper. IN itself it is a very cozy area where you can spend the day at the beach, and the evening strolling along the restaurants and bars. My favourite place was a bar placed inside a cave. It made for an amazing evening to watch the beautiful sunset at dinner and then enter the cave for drinks (which were really amazing btw).
7. Boat trip to the blue lagoon
One daytrip I would highly recommend is to take a boat trip to the blue lagoon. One the way you will stop at beautiful places to jump from the boat and swim, discover caves both underwater and over, and relax at a super cozy beach before you explore the blue lagoon.
