Dubrovnik Sightseeing, Whatever the Weather

The Walls are an exposed stone ring with almost no shade, the cable car stops in high wind, and the Old Town lanes get slick when wet. Dubrovnik rewards a plan that changes with the sky, so here is what to do under each kind of weather.

Rain

Indoor stops are plentiful, and the best are all within a few minutes of Stradun.

• Rector’s Palace: €15 for adults and €8 for students. The rooms, courtyard and old cells take a good hour.
• Ten-museum ticket: €20 and valid for 7 days from first use, which works well when rain stretches over several days. Prices are on dumus.hr .
• Franciscan cloister and pharmacy: €6 for adults and €3 for children. The cloister is dry underfoot, and the pharmacy dates from 1317.
• Sponza Palace courtyard: free to stand in, with the Venetian Gothic arches overhead.
• Fort St John aquarium: check the days and prices locally first.

Heat

Summer afternoons turn the Walls into an oven. The circuit is about 1.94 km with steep sections, no shade and drops on the sea side, so go at opening or late in the afternoon. The ticket costs about €40 in summer, less in winter, covers one circuit with no re-entry and includes Fort Lovrijenac; the official Walls shop lists current hours. Cruise ships dock at Gruž and bring a surge to the lanes between 10:00 and 16:00. That is the time to be on a boat or in a museum.

The sea is the best answer to a hot afternoon. Take the boat to Lokrum, where the €30 ticket includes the reserve and the crossing, and swim in the saltwater lake or from the rocks. The island is closed from mid-December to February; see lokrum.hr . Book a Lokrum or island combination if you prefer a package.

Wind

High wind or lightning pauses the cable car, and it does not run from December to March in any case. Check the cable car timetable on the day. A €30 return is wasted if the car is stopped and you have already walked to the lower station. On windy days, keep to the Old Town and the Walls’ sheltered sections instead. Boats may be cancelled in rough seas, so keep a morning in reserve.

Clear and calm

A clear evening is made for Mount Srđ. Take the cable car up for the sunset, then ride back down or walk the marked trail by torchlight, never leaving the path because unexploded mines remain in parts of the hinterland. On clear mornings the Walls come first.

What to wear

Footwear with grip matters on the polished stone. Covering up matters too, since walking through the Old Town shirtless or in swimwear brings on-the-spot fines. Carry water on every route.

Verdict

Keep two plans in your pocket: the Walls and the cable car for clear days, the palace and the ten-museum ticket for grey ones. Check the forecast the evening before and book the cable car and boats after, not before. Dry-day routes on foot are laid out on the walking routes page .

• Dubrovnik
• Croatia
• Guides