The city walls that surround the ancient city of Dubrovnik are a popular tourist attraction and can be walked in just over an hour. The main access point is via a steep flight of steps on the western side, just inside the city main entrance of Pile.

This is the first view that you will see of the old town centre, looking down from near the telescope, along the main street of Placa (Stradun) towards the old harbour. The building with the bell tower, to the left of the main street, is the Franciscan Monastery.

Dubrovnik City Wall west - Dubrovnik visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Dubrovnik City Wall west' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Dubrovnik-Neretva.

The Walls of Dubrovnik originate from the founding of Dubrovnik during the 7th century, when they were most likely built of wood. The stone walls and fortifications date from the 12th to 17th centuries forming one of the most stunning examples of medieval walls and fortifications on earth, added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1979.

These walls encircle the Old City of Dubrovnik, nearly 2km long and reaching heights of 25m in places. Within the walls are 3 large fortresses, Minčeta Tower, Fort Bokar and St. John's Fortress protecting the Old City Port. In addition there are e three circular and 14 quadrangular towers and five bastions (bulwarks).

On the land side there are three gates, the Gate of Pila, Gate of Ploča and Gate of Buža. Pila Gate is the main entrance to the Old City, protected by Bokar Fort and a large moat that ran around the land side. The port area was accessed by the Gate of Ponte and Fishmarket Gate.

Today, these fortifications draw thousands of visitors and the various forts have become major tourist attractions within Dubrovnik. It takes around 2 hours to walk round the entire circuit, and whole day can easily be spent admiring the views and watching the life of the city.

As well as all these fortifications, Dubrovnik was also protected by two detached fortresses, the Revelin Fortress and St. Lawrence Fortress.

Car: Dubrovnik Old City district is pedestrianised. The nearest parking is on Iza Grada, the road that encircles the northern walls of the Old City.