50-Minute Panoramic Boat Cruise around the Old Town Dubrovnik

The Old Town port

Your cruise starts in the Old Town port, the small, sheltered harbour on the eastern side of the walled city that was the commercial heart of the Republic of Ragusa for centuries. Ships loaded with salt, silk and spices once tied up here; today small boats leave for Lokrum and the coast. The harbour is protected by the Kaše breakwater and watched over by the St John's Fortress and the arsenal arches.

Boarding is from the small pier inside the port, a short walk from Luža Square and the Ploče Gate. Please be there 10 minutes before departure. As the boat pulls away, look back at the harbour: the stone walls rising from the water, the bell towers and the cathedral dome make one of the most classic views of Dubrovnik. Hourly departures from late morning to mid-afternoon make it easy to fit into your day.

Dubrovnik City Walls from the sea

The City Walls of Dubrovnik run for almost two kilometres around the Old Town and reach up to 25 metres high on the land side. Built mainly between the 13th and 17th centuries, they are among the finest fortification systems in Europe and were never breached by an enemy army, which is why the Old Town looks so complete today.

From the boat you see the sea-facing walls in their full height, rising straight from the rocks with towers and bastions such as St John's Fortress and the Bokar bastion. The skipper keeps close enough for great photos while you look up at the ramparts where walkers circle the city above. If you are planning to walk the walls later, the cruise is a perfect preview, showing you the scale of the defences and the best viewpoints.

Lovrijenac Fortress

Just outside the western walls, Lovrijenac Fortress stands on a 37-metre rock above the sea, guarding the western approach to the city. Often called the Gibraltar of Dubrovnik, it was built to stop any foreign power from taking this strategic cliff, and its walls facing the sea are up to 12 metres thick. Above its gate is the Latin motto 'Freedom is not sold for all the gold in the world', the creed of the old Republic.

From the water the fortress looks even more dramatic than from the land, rising sheer from the waves with the turquoise sea below. In summer it hosts open-air theatre during the Dubrovnik Summer Festival. Seeing Lovrijenac and the bay below it from the boat is one of the most photographed moments of the cruise, so have your camera ready as the skipper turns along the western side.

Lokrum island coastline

The cruise then heads out to Lokrum, the forested island just 600 metres off the Old Town. Lokrum is a protected nature reserve covered in pine, holm oak and olive trees, with a Benedictine monastery founded in the 11th century, a botanical garden and free-roaming peacocks. Visitors cannot stay overnight on the island, which keeps it peaceful.

From the boat you see its wild side: white limestone cliffs, small coves, sea caves and grottoes, and clear water in every shade of blue. On calm days the skipper takes you close to the rocks for the best views. The return leg gives you a wide panorama of the whole walled city with Mount Srđ behind it. Is the Dubrovnik boat cruise worth it? In under an hour you see the city, its fortresses and Lokrum from angles you cannot reach on foot.