Dubrovnik is one of the most visited cities in the Mediterranean relative to its size. Game of Thrones filming drove a significant part of that growth. Here is what the city is beyond the tourism:
The City
Dubrovnik is a medieval walled city-state on the Adriatic coast of Croatia, UNESCO since 1979. The Old Town (Stari Grad) is almost entirely enclosed by walls built between the 12th and 17th centuries — the walls are 2km in circumference and up to 6m thick. The city was the Republic of Ragusa (1358–1808), an independent city-state that survived 450 years by trading with both the Ottoman Empire and Catholic Europe simultaneously, achieving remarkable prosperity and liberal institutions (one of the first states in Europe to abolish slavery, in 1416). The city-state model ended with Napoleon’s forces; the walls survive intact. Walking the walls (€35, 2km loop, 1–2 hours) is the non-negotiable activity — the views of the old town rooftops and the Adriatic from the ramparts are what define the visual memory of Dubrovnik.
The Crowd Problem
Dubrovnik has 40,000 residents and received 1.6 million overnight visitors in 2023, plus an estimated 1–2 million day-trippers from cruise ships (up to 5 cruise ships per day in summer). The Croatian government has implemented daily visitor caps on the Old Town walls (4,000 visitors/day maximum) and restricted new Airbnb licenses. The practical experience in July–August: the Stradun (main street) is so crowded walking is difficult; wall walk tickets sell out by 9am; restaurants near the main street are expensive and poor quality. Solutions: arrive in Old Town before 8am (the local morning is the best time — empty, cool, the market is set up), or visit in May–June or September–October. The shoulder season is dramatically better: 30–50% fewer visitors, lower prices, and the Adriatic is still warm enough for swimming in September.
Beyond the Old Town
What most visitors miss by not leaving the cruise-ship zone: Lokrum Island (ferry from Old Town, 15 minutes, €15, botanical garden, Fort Royal with peacocks, no accommodation allowed — residents prevented it), the Elaphiti Islands (Šipan, Lopud, Koločep — day trips by ferry, largely untouched by mass tourism), Mount Srđ (cable car above the city, Napoleonic fort, independent war museum, the most affecting exhibit in Dubrovnik — the city was shelled by Yugoslav army forces in 1991–92, and the museum covers this honestly), and the Pelješac Peninsula (2 hours north, the Dingač wine, oysters from the Mali Ston bay).
Game of Thrones
The Game of Thrones effect on Dubrovnik is real: filming began in 2011 (Dubrovnik served as King’s Landing), and tourism grew 10–15% annually for the following years. Tours take visitors to filming locations (Fort Lovrijenac as the Red Keep exterior, the Pile Gate area, Trsteno Arboretum as the Purple Wedding location). The show ended in 2019; the filming-location tourism has faded somewhat but the visitor surge it created became self-sustaining. Local sentiment about Game of Thrones: ambivalent — the economic benefit is real; the crowds, rising prices for locals, and conversion of residential buildings to tourist accommodation have altered the city’s character in ways that many residents consider permanent damage.
