Scaling the Old City Walls of Dubrovnik

The idea of disruptive technologies is not new. A city wall for protection, 6 meters thick in places, 25 meters high, parapets, gun embrasures, moats, and then, someone invents the mortar, the Howitzer, the aerial bomb. The wall doesn't protect, it traps the population.

Still, for tourists, it creates a wonderful "Games of Thrones" world where you can wander the walls and streets watching the frantic rebuilding to keep in the tourists even if the invaders use the disruptive technologies to change history.

Napoleon had another tactic. Make the effort to climb the hills behind the city and be prepared to pound it to rubble from there, easily looking over the walls.

Vaubon would have been proud.

Scaling the Walls of Dubrovnik

About 1940 meters long, the city walls is one of the most beautiful fortification system I have ever seen. My husband and I hesitated for a few days before we gathered courage to scale it.

To our surprise, it was quite manageable even with my husband's bad leg. The parapets are high enough that even the height challenged are reasonably comfortable. The walkways are wide and there are resting places to give your weary legs a break.

The walls include 3 forts, 16 towers, 6 bastions, 2 corner fortifications and 2 citadels. Don't miss the impressive tower of Minceta where the Croatian flag is flown permanently.

The Minceta

Tourists Scaling the Walls

 What You'll See on the Top
The views are stunning of the bays and the islands. You can take pictures as you peer through some of the slots woven through the walls.

Have a peek at the rooftops and fill your imagination with the interesting lives of the people under those roofs.  The dark red roof tops indicate the rebuilds after the Serbia bombardment in"91-'93.

Here are some of the views from the top:

Rooftops from Dubrovnik Walls

View from the Dubrovnik Walls

Viewing Slot on the Walls of Dubrovnik

As of November 2017, the fees are 150 Kuna per person