Dubrovnik was the first stop on our Croatia road trip, and honestly, what a place to start.

With its terracotta rooftops, ancient stone streets and impossibly blue Adriatic coastline, Dubrovnik feels a little bit like stepping onto a film set — which makes sense considering the Old Town was used as King’s Landing in Game of Thrones.

We had three days in Dubrovnik, which gave us enough time to explore the Old Town properly, walk the famous city walls, see some of the city’s Game of Thrones filming locations and get out onto the Adriatic for sunset.

If you’re planning a trip to Croatia and wondering how to spend three days in Dubrovnik, here’s exactly how I’d do it.

DAY 1: EXPLORE DUBROVNIK OLD TOWN

Morning: Do a Dubrovnik Walking Tour

I would strongly recommend doing a walking tour while you’re here, particularly if you want to understand more about the history of Dubrovnik rather than simply looking at the pretty buildings. It also gives you a really helpful start to navigating the winding Old Town streets.

We did a Dubrovnik walking tour that also included Game of Thrones filming locations, which was a fun way to see the city.

Even if you’re not a huge Game of Thrones fan, the filming locations are pretty interesting because you’ll start recognising parts of the Old Town that you might otherwise walk straight past.

Our tour also took us to Fort Lovrijenac. Our guide recommended we get the Dubrovnik City pass which gives you access to the fort, the walls and other museums within the Old Town for €40 per person. It is completely optional, you do not have to go into the fort, but if you are planning on walking the walls anyway, it costs you €40 regardless to walk the walls on its own, so it is worthwhile getting the Dubrovnik pass to see the Fort for free.

🎟️ Book the Dubrovnik Walking Tour + Game of Thrones tour I did

Afternoon: Continue getting lost in the old town

After the walking tour grab some lunch on the picturesque streets and spend the afternoon continuing to get lost in Dubrovnik’s Old Town.

And I mean actually get lost. One of my favourite things about Dubrovnik is simply wandering through the little stone streets and seeing what you stumble across.

You will have seen the city’s most famous landmarks, including Onofrio’s Fountain, Sponza Palace, the Rector’s Palace and St Blaise’s Church on the walking tour. However, there are plenty of other things to see such as Buza Bar, the basketball pitch that is nestle within the city walls, you can explore the smaller side streets, squares and historic buildings that make up the heart of the city.

The Old Town is relatively compact, so you can see a lot simply by walking around — although be warned, there are A LOT of steps once you start venturing away from Stradun.

Evening: Sunset in the Old Town

Spend your first evening taking it slow.

Dubrovnik is one of those places where you don’t necessarily need a packed itinerary every minute of the day. Grab dinner, wander through the Old Town as the crowds start to thin out and find somewhere for a drink.

There’s something particularly nice about seeing Dubrovnik in the evening when the heat has dropped and the stone streets start to feel a little more atmospheric.

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DAY 2: WALK THE CITY WALLS + SEE DUBROVNIK FROM THE SEA

Morning: Walk Dubrovnik’s City Walls

This was one of the absolute highlights of our time in Dubrovnik — walking the city walls.

The walls stretch for almost 2 kilometres around the Old Town and give you completely different views of the city from above. On one side you’ve got the orange rooftops of Dubrovnik and on the other, the Adriatic stretching out towards the horizon.

It’s also one of the best ways to appreciate just how impressive Dubrovnik actually is.

Allow around 1.5–2 hours if you want to walk at a relaxed pace and stop for photos. And trust me, you will be stopping for photos.

You’ll also get views towards Fort Lovrijenac, Lokrum Island and the Old Port along the way.

Top tip: Go earlier in the day if you’re visiting during the warmer months. There’s very little shade on sections of the walls, so take water, wear comfortable shoes and don’t forget your SPF. The official City Walls guidance also recommends checking the weather and bringing water and sun protection.

Afternoon: Take your time in the Old Town

After walking the walls, give yourself permission to do absolutely nothing for a few hours.

Grab lunch, stop for an ice cream and wander around any parts of the Old Town you missed on day one.

You could also head down towards the water for a swim if the weather is good. There are some lovely swim spots, including a beach called Banje beach close to the Old Town walls.

Evening: Sunset Sea Kayaking

Then comes one of my favourite experiences from Dubrovnik: sunset kayaking on the Adriatic.

Rather than watching the sunset from the land, we headed out onto the water and kayaked along the coastline as the sun started to go down.

It’s such a different way to see Dubrovnik, and after spending so much time exploring the Old Town, being out on the water gives you a completely new perspective of the city.

The combination of the coastline, the sea and the sunset was honestly pretty special.

🎟️ Book the Dubrovnik Sunset Sea Kayaking Tour I did.

If you’re choosing just one organised activity to book during your three days, I’d definitely consider making this one of them.

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☀️ DAY 3: SEE A DIFFERENT SIDE OF DUBROVNIK

After two fairly busy days, I’d keep your final day a little more flexible.

Morning: Explore anything you missed

Use the morning to tick off anything you didn’t manage to see during the first two days.

You could revisit the Old Town, explore some of the smaller streets, visit one of Dubrovnik’s museums or head towards the harbour.

If you want to see Dubrovnik from another angle, you could also take the cable car up Mount Srđ for panoramic views across the Old Town and Adriatic. It’s one of the classic viewpoints over the city.

Afternoon: Beach time

After a couple of days of sightseeing, spend the afternoon by the sea.

Banje Beach is just outside the Old Town and is an easy option if you want to combine sightseeing with some proper holiday time.

Alternatively, if you’re visiting in the warmer months and want to spend more time away from the crowds, you could make your third day an island day and take a boat over to Lokrum.

Lokrum is just off the coast of Dubrovnik and offers walking trails, gardens and swimming spots, making it an easy escape from the busy Old Town.

Evening: Your final Dubrovnik sunset

For your final evening, head back towards the Old Town and make the most of your last night.

Have dinner, grab a drink and take one last wander through the streets before you leave.

🗺️ MY 3-DAY DUBROVNIK ITINERARY AT A GLANCE

DAY 1 — OLD TOWN

• Pile Gate
• Stradun
• Explore the Old Town
• Dubrovnik + Game of Thrones walking tour
• Dinner and drinks in the Old Town

DAY 2 — CITY WALLS + ADRIATIC

• Walk Dubrovnik’s City Walls
• Lunch and explore the Old Town
• Relax by the sea
• Sunset sea kayaking

DAY 3 — DUBROVNIK AT A SLOWER PACE

• Explore anything you missed
• Mount Srđ cable car or Lokrum Island
• Beach afternoon
• Final sunset and dinner

💭 IS 3 DAYS IN DUBROVNIK ENOUGH?

For me, three days was a really good amount of time for Dubrovnik. For the things we did, we definitely could have done it in 2 days. However, we didn’t do the cable car or go to Lokrum Island, so this is definitely a good option for that third day.

It gave us enough time to see the main sights without spending the entire trip rushing from one attraction to another. And because Dubrovnik is the first stop on our Croatia road trip, I actually liked having a few days to settle into the trip before we continued along the Dalmatian coast.

If you’re planning your own Croatia itinerary, I’d definitely recommend giving Dubrovnik at least 2–3 days rather than trying to squeeze it into a single day.

There is a reason this little city is so popular — and once you’re standing above those orange rooftops looking out over the Adriatic, it’s pretty easy to understand why.

Enjoy your Travels!

Em x