Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of the wall (mostly on the sea side) sell water and other drinks, but it's safest to bring what
you'll need with you. If you have trouble with the heat, save the walls for a cloudy day. In
that hazy light, the red roof tiles seem more vivid, since they're not washed out by glaring
sunshine.
Audioguide:
You can rent an audioguide, separate from the admission fee, for a dryly
narrated circular tour of the walls (look for vendors near the Pile Gate entrance—not avail-
ableatotherentrances).ButI'dratherjustenjoytheviewsandlazilypickoutthelandmarks
with my map.
Background:
There have been walls here almost as long as there's been a Dubrovnik.
As with virtually all fortifications on the Croatian Coast, these walls were beefed up in the
15th century, when the Ottoman navy became a threat. Around the perimeter are several
substantialforts,withwallsroundedsothatcannonballswouldglanceoffharmlessly.These
stout forts intimidated would-be invaders during the Republic of Dubrovnik's Golden Age,
and protected residents during the 1991-1992 siege.
Self-Guided Tour:
It's possible to just wander the walls and snap photos like crazy
as you go. And trying to hew too closely to guided commentary kind of misses the point
of being high above the Dubrovnik rooftops. But this brief tour will help give you bearings
to what you're seeing, as you read Dubrovnik's unique and illustrious history into its street
plan.
Part 1—Plo
č
e Gate to Pile Gate:
Begin by ascending near the
Plo
č
e Gate
(go through
the gate under the Bell Tower, walk along the stoutly walled passageway between the port
and the Dominican Monastery, and look for the wall entrance on your right). Buy your
ticket, head up, turn left, and start walking counterclockwise. Climbing stairs, you'll walk
with Mount Sr
đ
and the cable car on your right. After passing the Dominican Monastery's
fine courtyard on the left, you're walking above what was the poorest part of medieval
Dubrovnik, the domain of the craftsmen—with narrow, stepped lanes that had shops on the
ground floor and humble dwellings up above. Standing above the Buža Gate (one of just
three places where people can enter and exit the walled Old Town), you have a great view
down narrow Boškovi
ć
eva street, with its many little stone ledges sticking out next to win-
dows. (These were used to hang banners during the city's Golden Age.)
