Palace in Dubrovnik
The Sponza Palace is a 16th-century Gothic-Renaissance palace on the Stradun, one of the few buildings to survive the 1667 earthquake. Free to enter. The palace courtyard hosts a memorial room for the defenders who died during the 1991-1995 siege. The building also holds the State Archives. Budget travelers walk in from the Stradun for free and see both the architectural beauty of medieval Dubrovnik and the recent history that nearly destroyed it.
Practical
On foot
Free and low-cost routes that stop at Sponza Palace.
The Dubrovnik Old Town Circuit is a self-guided walk through and around the walled city, combining the main street with the quieter backstreets and the exterior wall perimeter at ground level. Free. Budget travelers get the full old town experience without the wall ticket.
Nearby
Other places worth the walk, and what each one costs.
Banje Beach is the main public beach just outside the Ploce Gate, with views of the old town walls and Lokrum Island. Free to use (the paid sunbed section is optional and overpriced).
Buza Bar is a cliff-side bar outside the southern city walls of Dubrovnik, accessed through a hole in the wall marked by a small sign reading "cold drinks with the most beautiful view." Free to enter (you pay for drinks). The bar is carved into the rocks above the Adriatic, with swimming platforms below and the open sea in front.
The Dubrovnik Cable Car takes visitors from just outside the old town to the top of Mount Srd in under four minutes. The ticket is paid but the view from the summit is the most complete panorama of the old town, the islands, and the Adriatic coastline.
The city walls of Dubrovnik form a 2-kilometer loop around the old town, with towers, bastions, and views down to the terracotta rooftops and the Adriatic Sea. Entry is paid and one of the more expensive attractions in Croatia.
Fort Lovrijenac is a freestanding fortress perched on a cliff just outside the western walls of Dubrovnik's old town. Entry is included in the city walls ticket or available separately for a small fee.
Home to one of the oldest functioning pharmacies in Europe, dating to 1317. The Romanesque cloister is the highlight, with its double columns and garden courtyard.
Working out what Dubrovnik costs?
The whole of Dubrovnik