The Old Town of Dubrovnik, or Ragusa as the city was named until 1918, is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful Mediterranean cities I have visited so far. The massive fortifications are impressive and a strong indication for the long and eventful history of the city.

We entered the old town through the Pile Gate. Just behind the inner gate is the staircase to the city wall. It is an uninterrupted, two kilometre long tour around the entire old city and was definitely the highlight of our visit. In each of the four corners is an high defence tower, parts of the wall are more than 20 metres high and up to 6 metres wide. The city wall offers breathtaking views of Dubrovnik and the surroundings, you can look down into the narrow streets and backyards, and over red rooftops, domes and church towers. The photo shows the view from the Minceta tower, the highest point of the fortification. It takes about 1.5 hours to explore the entire city wall, but photographers may need more time. You should start early in the morning to avoid long queues (it opens at 9 am). In the main season, it is so crowded that the city wall is a one-way street, you have to walk in a clockwise direction to avoid congestion. Fortunately, we started early enough and could comfortably walk around everywhere.

After we had finished our tour, we left the city wall at the Pile Gate and strolled along the Stradun, the main boulevard of the old town. Particularly striking is the smooth marble pavement from the 17th Century. There are street cafés and souvenir shops along the Stradun. It is crowded with tourists, just like all main streets and squares. But if you take one of the narrow streets or stairways that branch off the main street, you can find also some quiet places. At the end of the Stradun we went through the Ploce Gate to the Old Port. We were lucky to get a seat in the outdoor café and took a break watching the yachts and tourist boats.

In the old town, there are beautiful buildings and picturesque squares, four monasteries and countless churches, some of them are so small that there is only space for a few worshippers. The Franciscan monastery is worth seeing. It has a beautiful Romanesque cloister with ornate double-columns and lush plants. In the monastery there is a museum with one of the oldest pharmacies in Europe, that dates from the 14th Century. Worth seeing are also the small church of Sveta Klara, the Onofrio Fountain, the Rectors Palace with its nice courtyard, and the Sponza Palace. I was surprised that there is also a Roland (Orlando) statue, the symbol of city liberties. I thought they can only be found in Central Europe.

After leaving the old town, we went to the Lovrijenac fortress, which is not part of the city wall. We had to climb numerous stairs, but it is worthwhile, you have a wonderful view over the old town and the city walls.

Dubrovnik is worth a visit, despite the tourist crowds. The location on a peninsula is gorgeous, the old town has wonderful squares and buildings, and the most impressive and best preserved fortifications that I have ever visited.