Things to do in Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik is a one-town tourist industry on its own, with endless things to do all year round. As stunning as the clear blue sea around it, the former centre of the independent Republic of Ragusa invites superlatives and attracts the lion's share of Croatia's visitors. Read on for our insider's guide to the best things to do in Dubrovnik.
The best things to do in Dubrovnik
Nab the best table at Nautika Calling itself 'Dubrovnik's finest restaurant', Nautika is certainly the most prestigious, the kind of place that is the automatic choice whenever the Pope might be in town.
Sip Croatia's finest wines Dubrovnik's first wine bar is presided over by Australian-Croatian Sasha and his friendly and informative team. D'Vino manages to stock more than 100 varieties, 76 available by the glass.
Appreciate recent history New Zealander Wade Goddard came to the Dubrovnik as a photographer during the Siege in the early 1990s - and stayed. Affected by what he saw and keen to broaden the public's understanding of what happens in wartime, in 2003 he opened War Photo Limited. The gallery could have easily limited itself to Goddard's experiences in Croatia, but he quickly expanded its remit to exhibit works by leading exponents of this brave art from flashpoints around the world. The first floor houses these hard-hitting images in regularly changing exhibitions, while above you can see what was happening here in the 1990s. What today seems completely serene was then raging with bombardment and fires. Works are sold as limited-edition prints. Comments in the visitors' book sum up the venue nicely: 'It moved me beyond words,' is one typical entry.
Snag a sassy souvenir  Stride down the main street of Stradun and all you see are tacky souvenir shops selling overpriced, Asian-made toot. Turn a corner from the Old Port to steeply rising Sv Dominika, towards the Ploce Gate, and you come across this modest doorway. Dubrovačka kuća proffers high-quality gifts at affordable prices
Splurge at 360 degrees At this top-drawer setting, you get top-drawer cuisine, perhaps even the best in Croatia. Here under expert gastronomic stewardship, you can expect meticulously sourced food, painstakingly created and immaculately presented - along with a setting, atop the Old Port, second to none
Buzz bar The only bar in a street filled with restaurants, seconds away from Stradun.
Take the cablecar to Srđ Opened in 2010, the gleaming orange Cablecar you see scaling the steep incline high up over the Old Town is both a tourist attraction and a piece of history.
Visit a medieval pharmacy Of all the Old Town treasures, the Franciscan Monastery and its Old Pharmacy Museum are the real gems. Don't be put off by the crowds - try and go at the end of the day.
Find the ideal beach Dubrovnik's city beach, Banje, is a short walk from the Ploče Gate. It's good for kids, with showers, deckchairs and sunloungers for hire, plus jet skis and inflatables. Yet it's not for locals. They head for Sveti Jakov, down the coast past the Villa Dubrovnik, a 20-minute walk along quiet, tree-lined Vlaha Bukovca.
Sink the perfect sundowner For those not used to the high-end surroundings of the Hotel Dubrovnik Palace, the Sunset Lounge may come as a shock, not least after the bone-shaking ride on rickety old city bus No.4 from the Pile Gate to its terminus here.
Have your own island idyll An uninhabited isle on Dubrovnik's doorstep, Lokrum is an unspoilt isle lush with pines, palms and cypress trees. Its verdant coastline beckons from the hotel windows of Ploče. Dotted with diverse ruins and remnants - medieval, ecclesiastical, Napoleonic, Habsburg - it has long been given over to nature.
Go sea kayaking Dubrovnik's signature outdoor activity for visitors, sea kayaking is organised for complete beginners as a half-day jaunt with lunch on Lokrum island thrown in
Browse the market in the Old Town
Walk the City Walls