Dubrovnik: City Walls Walking Tour with Early or Sunset Start

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What’s the experience like?

You know that moment when you’re not quite awake yet, but the city already hums? That’s how it felt standing at Pile Gate, watching our guide wave us over with a grin. The stones were still cool underfoot—honestly, I was glad for it because I’d heard July here can be brutal. Li (our guide) handed out little history tidbits as we started climbing, pausing to let us catch our breath and point out where the walls dip and rise like an old spine around Dubrovnik. She told us about the old republic—how these walls kept pirates out and let trade flow in. Someone’s phone rang with that Game of Thrones theme and everyone laughed. Not very medieval, but kind of perfect.

We climbed up toward Minceta Tower—the highest point—and I had to stop halfway just to look back. The light on the Adriatic was sharp, almost metallic, and you could smell salt mixed with something sweet from a bakery below. There was this breeze that made my shirt flap against my skin (felt good after those stairs). Li pointed out bullet marks from the war in the ‘90s—she didn’t linger on it, but her voice changed for a second. It’s strange seeing something so beautiful with scars if you know what I mean.

After circling most of the city walls (they’re wider than I expected), we ended up looking down on Stradun where people moved like little beads between cafes and churches. A couple of us tried to say thank you in Croatian—Li laughed at our attempts but seemed genuinely pleased. I still think about that view from up there, rooftops all uneven and orange against blue water. We said goodbye near Old Town, legs tired but heads buzzing a bit from everything we’d seen—and maybe from the sun too.