St Ignatius of Loyola Church

Dubrovnik

　　Dramatically poised at the top of a broad flight of stairs, this Jesuit church was built in the baroque style between 1699 and 1725. Inside, magnificent frescos display scenes from the life of St Ignatius, founder of the Society of Jesus. Abutting the church is the former Jesuit college Collegium...

Fort Lawrence

Dubrovnik

　　St Blaise gazes down from the walls of this large free-standing fortress, constructed atop a 37m-high promontory adjacent to the old town. Built to guard the city's western approach from invasion by land or sea, its walls range from 4m to 12m thick. There's not a lot inside, but the...

Memorial Room of the Dubrovnik Defenders

Dubrovnik

　　Just inside the entrance of the Sponza Palace, this room displays a heartbreaking collection of portraits of young people who perished between 1991 and 1995 during the battle for Dubrovnik. ...

Grad Market

Dubrovnik

　　Stallholders sell mainly produce, local artisanal products and crafts at this open-air market. In summer traditional craft sellers stick around until late afternoon. ...

Aquarium

Dubrovnik

　　Showcasing flora and fauna of the Adriatic Sea, Dubrovnik's aquarium might be modest in content and overpriced, but set in the cool stone vaults of Fort St John’s ground floor, it makes for a lovely escape from the scorching heat and crowds, especially if you've got kids in tow. It's...

Bard Mala Buža

Dubrovnik

　　The more upmarket and slick of two cliff bars pressed up against the seaward side of the city walls. This one is lower on the rocks and has a shaded terrace where you can lose a day quite happily, mesmerised by the Adriatic vistas. ...

Pile Gate

Dubrovnik

　　The natural starting point to any visit to Dubrovnik is this imposing city gate, built in 1537. While crossing the drawbridge, imagine that this was once lifted every evening, the gate closed and the key handed to the rector. Notice the statue of St Blaise, the city’s patron saint, set...

Franciscan Pharmacy

Dubrovnik

　　Call into the Franciscan monastery for the novelty of shopping at the third-oldest still-functioning pharmacy in Europe. It's been in business since 1317 and as well as all the usual stuff, it sells a range of moisturisers made from local herbs. ...

Buža

Dubrovnik

　　Finding this ramshackle bar-on-a-cliff feels like a real discovery as you duck and dive around the city walls and finally see the entrance tunnel. However, Buža's no secret – it gets insanely busy, especially around sunset. Wait for a space on one of the concrete platforms, grab a cool drink...

Maritime Museum

Dubrovnik

　　Inside the vaulted chambers of Fort St John, this well-presented museum traces the history of navigation in Dubrovnik with ship models, maritime objects and paintings. ...

Ploče Gate

Dubrovnik

　　Less ornamented than the Pile Gate at the other side of town, Dubrovnik's eastern entrance is approached by a stone bridge followed by a wooden drawbridge, historically lifted at sunset and opened at sunrise. Pass the outer gate and Fort Revelin to find the statue of St Blaise with the...

Gradska kavana Arsenal

Dubrovnik

　　Locals come here to gossip about the news of the day or for business meetings, while travellers come for the location and the views. Chandeliers illuminate the Viennese-style interior, while the front terrace overlooks lively Luža Sq, making it ideal for people-watching. Despite the steep prices, this place is always...

Cathedral of the Assumption

Dubrovnik

　　Built on the site of a 7th-century basilica, Dubrovnik's original cathedral was enlarged in the 12th century, supposedly funded by a gift from England’s King Richard I, the Lionheart, who was saved from a shipwreck on the nearby island of Lokrum. Soon after the first cathedral was destroyed in the...

Sponza Palace

Dubrovnik

　　One of the few buildings in the old town to survive the 1667 earthquake, the Sponza Palace was built from 1516 to 1522 as a customs house, and it has subsequently been used as a mint, treasury, armoury and bank. Architecturally it's a mixture of styles beginning with an exquisite...

Franciscan Monastery & Museum

Dubrovnik

　　Within this monastery's solid stone walls are a gorgeous mid-14th-century cloister, a historic pharmacy and a small museum with a collection of relics and liturgical objects, including chalices, paintings and gold jewellery, and pharmacy items such as laboratory gear and medical books. 　　Before you head inside, stop to admire the...

Lokrum

Dubrovnik

　　Lush Lokrum is a beautiful, forested island full of holm oaks, black ash, pines and olive trees, only a 10-minute ferry ride from Dubrovnik's Old Harbour. It's a popular swimming spot, although the beaches are rocky. Boats leave roughly hourly in summer (half-hourly in July and August). The public boat...

Srđ

Dubrovnik

　　From the top of this 412m-high hill, Dubrovnik's old town looks even more surreal than usual – like a scale model of itself or an illustration on a page. The views take in all of Dubrovnik and Lokrum, with the Elafiti Islands filling the horizon. It's this extraordinary vantage point...

War Photo Limited

Dubrovnik

　　An immensely powerful experience, this gallery features compelling exhibitions curated by New Zealand photojournalist Wade Goddard, who worked in the Balkans in the 1990s. Its intention is to expose the everyday, horrific and unjust realities of war. There’s a permanent exhibition on the upper floor devoted to the wars in...

Rector’s Palace

Dubrovnik

　　Built in the late 15th century for the elected rector who governed Dubrovnik, this Gothic-Renaissance palace contains the rector’s office and private chambers, public halls, administrative offices and a dungeon. During his one-month term the rector was unable to leave the building without the permission of the senate. Today the...

City Walls & Forts

Dubrovnik

　　No visit to Dubrovnik is complete without a walk around the spectacular city walls that encircle its historic core. They're among the finest in the world and are the city's defining feature. From the top, the view over the old town and the shimmering Adriatic is sublime. From the sea, the...