The Best Sight in Dubrovnik, Southern Dalmatia

Background Illustration for Sights

There are three main areas where you will spend most of your time in Dubrovnik. All of the major historical sites lie in Stari Grad (Old Town) within the city walls, a compact, car-free area. Lapad is located on a peninsula about 4 km (2½ miles) west of the Old Town; it is a family-friendly neighborhood with the city's most accessible beach. Gruž Harbor is about 3½ km (2 miles) from the Old Town, and it's where you'll find the main bus and ferry stations, as well as a bustling morning market popular with locals.

When planning your days, keep in mind that the Old Town can get very busy in the morning and early afternoon when the cruise ships are in town. If you're an early bird, take a walk around the city and the walls first thing in the morning before the crowds arrive, then spend the afternoon relaxing at the beach or taking a boat trip to Lokrum Island. Alternatively, you can spend the morning and afternoon at the beach, and head into the city once the cruise ship crowds return to their ships, usually around sunset. Enjoy dinner in Old Town or take the cable car to the top of Mt. Sr? for incredible sunset views.

Lokrum Island

Fodor's Choice

Some of Dubrovnik's most natural and peaceful beaches can be found on Lokrum, the island just off Dubrovnik's Old Town. It's a wonderful place to spend a day spotting peacocks (a Hapsburg legacy), feeding wild rabbits, or just enjoying the fresh air among the pines.

Tiny Lokrum has swirled with legend and mystery ever since Richard the Lionheart was supposedly cast ashore there in 1191 upon returning from the Crusades. The story goes that when the Benedictine monks who owned the island at the time were expelled to make room for aristocrats in the 19th century, they left behind a curse on any future owners of the land, including Hapsburg Emperor Maximilian I, who was executed in Mexico just eight years after he turned the monastery into his summer residence. To this day, it is considered bad luck to stay overnight on the island, though many a pair of romantics have tried.

Lush and fertile, Lokrum is home to the ruins of the abandoned 11th-century monastery, which is set among exotic botanical gardens. At the top of the island is a star-shaped fortress built by Napoléon's troops during French occupation and later used by the Austrian army. Footpaths leads down to the rocky shoreline, past the "dead sea" lake, where there are cliffs to jump from, coves to bathe in, and a small stretch of coast reserved for nudists. You can also visit a small Game of Thrones museum with the original Iron Throne (Lokrum was one of many filming locations around town).

To reach Lokrum, take a taxi-boat from the Old Port (€7); tickets can be purchased at the tourist information center beneath the Bell Tower on the Stradun. Boats run every half hour from April through November, and the ride takes approximately 15 minutes.