Dubrovnik is one of those images you already know before you arrive: red roofs, pale stone, city walls, sea. According to everything we had read beforehand, the price of this picture is an excess of people. Some say it turns the dream into a nightmare.
That was not our experience. We were there in mid-June, at the beginning of high season. On our two days, cruise passenger numbers were manageable: one ship on the first day, and only a small expedition ship on the second. There were plenty of people around at every hour, but we never experienced an unpleasant crush.
It was hot, though. Very hot. A heat dome had settled over Europe. We arrived in the morning and were lucky enough to get straight into our Airbnb: with underground parking and a lift stopping right outside the apartment door. We spent two nights there. The bus stop was about five minutes away on foot, then the old town another ten minutes or so by bus.
This guide is not an attempt to explain everything about Dubrovnik. It is about what really mattered to us there: the Dubrovnik Pass, city walls, Srđ, photography, heat and breaks — all around the question of how to enjoy this extraordinary city without being overwhelmed by it.
In brief
01 – Buy the Dubrovnik Pass if you want to walk the city walls.
02 – Aim to do the walls in the evening.
03 – You do not necessarily need to start the walls at Pile Gate.
04 – Make time for Srđ — ideally in the morning or evening light.
05 – Use the drinking fountains, especially in the heat.
06 – For Game of Thrones fans: take a tour.
07 – For photography: bring a wide-angle lens, a telephoto and a polarising filter.
Dubrovnik Pass
The Dubrovnik Pass almost automatically pays off if you want to walk the city walls. During our visit in June 2026, the one-day pass cost €40. That was the same as a single admission to the City Walls, which the pass includes. It also provides a 24-hour bus ticket and free entry to various other attractions.
Those attractions are not in the same league as the walls. But with the pass, they are effectively included. There were also three- and seven-day passes for €50 and €60 respectively. We chose the three-day pass for our two days. For us, it was a good deal, partly because the heat had us taking the bus to and from the Airbnb several times.
The bus driver prints your bus ticket on the first journey. From then on, you use that printout. In theory. On the first day, drivers simply waved us through when we showed the pass on our phones.
We did not have to reserve a time slot to visit the walls with the Dubrovnik Pass.
The city walls
If the admission price makes you wonder whether walking the city walls is optional, as we briefly did: dismiss the thought! For us, the walls are Dubrovnik’s essential experience.
The old town is beautiful. The Game of Thrones connections are interesting. But Dubrovnik only reveals its full impact when you look at it from above. Or rather, marvel at it.
The next question is: when and where?
For when, the advice often says morning or evening. We would favour evening if possible. Queues form outside the entrances even before opening time, and cruise passengers often arrive early. That is easy to underestimate. The later it gets, the more likely many day visitors are to return to their ships.
For where: there are three entrances, one at Pile Gate, one at Ploče Gate and one near the Maritime Museum at Fort St John. We would not necessarily start at Pile Gate. It is busiest there because so many visitors arrive nearby. The entrances at Ploče Gate or the Maritime Museum seemed more relaxed to us.
The walk follows a one-way, anticlockwise route. Our favourite section is the landward side of the walls. Here, you climb highest and get the strongest views across the city to the tip of the peninsula. The seaward tip is beautiful too. There are a few bars on the walls there and views of places such as Buža Bar. But we found what was truly special more on the other side.
Important: the ticket does not allow unlimited visits for an unlimited time. Both the pass and the individual walls ticket essentially cover one circuit, perhaps with a little leeway. Allow roughly two to three hours, depending on your pace, the heat and photography stops.
Mount Srđ
Mount Srđ rises immediately behind the city. In our view, it is Dubrovnik’s second essential experience.
We took the cable car up. During our visit, the return ticket cost €30 per person and was not included in the Dubrovnik Pass. At the top, we discovered that driving up and parking is also quite possible. Next time, we would probably save the €60 for two people, even though the cable car ride was lovely and comfortable.
At the top, it is best to turn right when facing towards the mountain. The fort and war museum are on the left; the classic Dubrovnik views are more to the right, towards the cable car terraces, restaurant, cross and viewpoints.
We really liked the new privately operated viewpoint. We paid another €3 per person, which gave access for the whole day. In return, there are several terraces, some seats and excellent views of Dubrovnik — with considerably less interference from cable car pylons in the picture.
The restaurant also offers a wonderful place to sit, of course, if you get a table near the edge. Not exactly cheap, but a great spot for coffee with a view. It must be particularly beautiful at sunset.
Fort Lovrijenac
Admission to Fort Lovrijenac is included in both the Dubrovnik Pass and the city walls ticket. The climb takes a little effort, but we liked the different perspective on the city.
Be aware: if you book a tour that includes the fort, admission is often not included in the tour price. In that case, plan your use of the Dubrovnik Pass or walls ticket accordingly rather than using it up beforehand.
Game of Thrones
Dubrovnik has a Game of Thrones atmosphere even for those who are not devoted fans. For fans, a tour of the main locations is probably worthwhile. The guides certainly know their subject inside out.
For visitors less committed to the series, detailed discussions of plot and characters can get rather specialised. A mixed tour — old town and Game of Thrones — may be a better choice. That is what we did.
Even fans may be surprised by how small and selectively chosen some locations were. Except, of course, for the Jesuit Staircase used for the Walk of Shame, officially the Walk of Atonement. Early in the morning, we found the staircase almost empty.
Photography
Photography in Dubrovnik hardly needs explaining. The city provides endless subjects. Even so, it helps not to look only for the obvious big pictures.
The old town rewards an early visit, evening light, blue hour and night-time when it is illuminated. A wide-angle lens helps in the narrow lanes. Street photographs almost suggest themselves once you leave the main thoroughfares.
From the walls, the classic Dubrovnik subjects work: red roofs stretching towards the sea, the walls themselves, washing on lines, courtyard gardens, swimmers on the rocks, pale façades, dark lanes, the sea beyond.
The photograph I did not take — and have of course regretted ever since seeing it on Instagram — was a tight, almost head-on composition of white façades and red roofs. No broad overview, no wide perspective from above, but a mosaic of city, light and colour. Note to self: in Dubrovnik, do not look only for the wide shot.
From Srđ, the peninsula with its walled old town is the central subject. Glowing red roofs all the way to the sea. A telephoto lens earns its place here. Choose a viewpoint without a cable car pylon in the frame.
In our view, a polarising filter makes all the difference in Dubrovnik. Sea, sky, pale stone, red roofs — everything benefits.
Food, breaks and heat
We are committed self-caterers, but in Dubrovnik we ate at restaurants both evenings. Partly because the restaurants here were particularly appealing to us: beautifully laid tables, cloth tablecloths, spaces with a little openness, not just narrow lanes. And good food.
Eating also fitted into the logic of our visit. In intense heat, you need breaks. And if you want to take photographs, sometimes you simply need a good way to bridge the time until blue hour. A restaurant visit was therefore not just food, but shade, sitting down, catching our breath and waiting for good light.
Important in the heat: the city has many drinking fountains. That is no minor detail. In temperatures like those we experienced, it was genuinely helpful.
What we would do differently
Next time, we would probably drive up Srđ if we already had a car with us. The cable car is lovely, but not cheap for two.
We would walk the city walls in the evening again. But we would think more deliberately about which entrance to use. Pile Gate would not be our first choice.
Photographically, I would pay more attention to details: façades and roofs, light on stone, tight compositions, patterns, not just broad overviews. Dubrovnik is not only panorama. It is texture too.
We happened to have two relatively uncrowded days. We had researched the cruise ship situation during our stay beforehand, but would probably not have changed our schedule if it had looked different. That would be a good idea, though, if you have some flexibility.
Things we would do again
We would time the city deliberately again: walls in the evening, Srđ with a plan, take breaks seriously, use the drinking fountains and check cruise ship arrivals beforehand.
Dubrovnik is beautiful. We do not join the chorus complaining about the tourists. How could we? We are tourists ourselves. And, honestly, some places would not be the same without people. The trick is not to want the city empty. It is to find a rhythm that works for you. With a little time, preparation and awareness, that works surprisingly well in Dubrovnik.