What playing the Dubrovnik scavenger hunt looks like
The Dubrovnik scavenger hunt is a self-guided city game you play on your phone: you walk from landmark to landmark, solve a riddle at each one by looking closely at what is in front of you, and unlock the stories and legends behind it. It takes about 2 hours, with only around 17 minutes of actual walking over 1.3 km and 10 stops, and you start whenever you like.
Highlights include Pile Gate, Onofrio's Large Fountain, the Clock Tower and the Church of St Blaise on Luža Square, the Rector's Palace of the old Republic of Ragusa, the harbour breakwater of Porporela and the Jesuit Stairs. The walled old town is car-free and compact, so every stop is a short walk along polished limestone streets.
- Durationabout 2 hours
- Walkingabout 17 min · 1.3 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Spanish
Riddles inside the walls of old Ragusa
Carved, cast and written clues
At each of the 10 stops a riddle points you to something carved, cast or written into the city: a saint in a niche above a gate, the masks of a sixteen-sided fountain, a date on a church. Sharp eyes do the work, and nobody expects you to know the history of Ragusa.
A one-month rector and a king's vow
Solve a riddle and the city's tales come out: the Rector who governed for a single month and could not leave his palace without permission, the bronze bell-strikers Maro and Baro on the Clock Tower, and the legend that Richard the Lionheart paid for the earlier cathedral after surviving a shipwreck near Lokrum. Rather listen than read? Every tale is in the audio narration too.
Barely a kilometre and a half
The whole route measures 1.3 km, about 17 minutes of actual walking, because everything lies inside the car-free walled town. Google Maps leads you along the polished limestone of the Stradun, out to the harbour and up the Jesuit Stairs, so expect a few steps.
Time for a swim at Porporela
The game never hurries you, and the Porporela breakwater is a favourite spot for a swim, so bring a towel if you like and pick the riddles up again afterwards. You can also stop for the day and finish tomorrow, or begin at another stop in the app.
See the route and attractions →
How it works
- Book online Choose the number of players. Your booking reference arrives by email straight away.
- Get the app Download the World City Trail app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your booking reference.
- Play when you like Start whenever you are ready, walk at your own pace and pause any time. No guide, no fixed schedule.
Players who get the most from the Dubrovnik hunt
Cruise passengers and day visitors
With only 17 minutes of walking and about two hours in all, the hunt fits a short stay and still takes in the gate, the Stradun, the palace, the cathedral and the harbour. Pile Gate and Fort Bokar lie close together, so you finish near where you came in.
Families with sharp-eyed kids
Children enjoy hunting for the bell-strikers on the Clock Tower, the stone faces spouting water at Onofrio's fountain and St Blaise in his niche above Pile Gate. An adult plays along, and the short distances suit small legs; the climb to St Ignatius is the only real effort.
Friends and crews
Up to 5 players can share a team, each with the game on their own phone, so a bigger group simply splits up and compares answers over a drink by the harbour. Since the lanes of the old town are the board, nothing needs booking beyond the tickets.
Good to know
- Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
- No entry tickets needed: everything happens outside the buildings. Going inside is optional and paid separately.
- Family friendly; children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users and difficult with strollers.
- Teams of up to 5 work best; bigger groups split into several teams, one ticket per player.
- Every purchase helps support stray cats and dogs in Greece.
The route: from Pile Gate down the Stradun to the harbour and back to Fort Bokar
10 stops · about 17 min walking · start: Pile Gate · finish: Fort Bokar
The hunt starts at Pile Gate and follows the Stradun from Onofrio's Large Fountain to the Clock Tower and the Church of St Blaise. From the Rector's Palace you head out to the Porporela breakwater by the old harbour, then back to the cathedral, up to the Church of St Ignatius and on to Marin Držić House, and you finish at Fort Bokar near where you started. Prefer to begin at the harbour or the cathedral? The app can switch your starting point and the order of the stops, and because every answer is visible from the street, the squares or the breakwater, none of the ten riddles asks you to buy an entry ticket.
Open the route map ↗
1Pile GateStart
Pile Gate is the main western entrance to Dubrovnik's old town. Above the outer gate of 1537 a statue of St Blaise, the city's patron saint, stands in a niche, and the inner Gothic gate dates from 1460. In the days of the Republic of Ragusa the drawbridge over the moat was raised every night.
2Onofrio's Large Fountain
This large domed fountain was built in 1438 by the Neapolitan architect Onofrio della Cava as the end of an aqueduct that brought fresh water into the city from a spring about 12 kilometres away. Water still pours from carved stone masks around its sixteen sides, although much of its decoration was lost in the earthquake of 1667.
3Clock Tower
The Clock Tower at the eastern end of the Stradun, on Luža Square, was first built in 1444. Because it had begun to lean, it was rebuilt to its old design in 1929. At the top two bronze figures, known locally as Maro and Baro, strike the hours on the bell.
Read the full story →
4Church of St Blaise
The baroque Church of St Blaise was built between 1706 and 1715 by the Venetian architect Marino Gropelli, after a fire destroyed the earlier church on this spot. Inside, a gilded silver statue of the patron saint holds a model of Dubrovnik as it looked before the 1667 earthquake, and it is said to have survived the fire unharmed.
Read the full story →
5Rector's Palace
This Gothic and Renaissance palace was the seat of the Rector, head of the Republic of Ragusa, who was elected for just one month and could not leave the building during his term without permission. It was rebuilt in the 15th century after gunpowder explosions and now houses the Cultural History Museum. Look at the carved capitals of its arcade.
6Porporela
Porporela is the stone breakwater that shelters the old harbour, below St John's Fortress at the eastern edge of the walls. It is a favourite place for a stroll and a swim, with views back to the city walls and across the water to the island of Lokrum.
7Cathedral of the Assumption
Dubrovnik Cathedral was built in baroque style from the 1670s to 1713, after the earthquake of 1667 destroyed the Romanesque cathedral. According to legend, that earlier church was funded by Richard the Lionheart, in thanks for surviving a shipwreck near Lokrum in 1192. Its treasury keeps relics of St Blaise, and a Titian painting of the Assumption hangs above the main altar.
8Church of St Ignatius
The Jesuit Church of St Ignatius was built between 1699 and 1725, inspired by the baroque churches of Rome. You reach it by the Jesuit Stairs of 1738, often compared with the Spanish Steps in Rome, and fans of Game of Thrones may recognise them from the series.
Read the full story →
9Marin Držić House
This small museum is dedicated to Marin Držić, the leading Croatian playwright of the Renaissance, who was born in Dubrovnik in the early 16th century. His comedy Dundo Maroje is still one of the best-known plays in the Croatian language, and the museum tells his story and that of the theatre of his time.
Read the full story →
10Fort BokarFinish
Fort Bokar guards the south-western corner of the city walls and the approach to Pile Gate from the sea. It was designed in the 15th century by the Florentine architect Michelozzo and is considered one of the oldest preserved casemate fortresses in Europe. Across the small bay, Fort Lovrijenac rises on its rock.
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Paul C. (verified owner) –
Had a great time walking around the city solving the clues
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Super! Will do in other cities too.
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Durch komplette Innenstadt und viel gelernt
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Un bon moyen de découvrir la ville avec explications. On aurait apprécié des explications orales ( plutôt que écrites), qui nous auraient permis d écouter tout en marchant. Le prix annoncé (6€) ne correspond pas au prix payé (12€). Bonne réactivité de la plateforme. Nous avons eu un problème de téléchargement très vite solutionné après un appel téléphonique.
Karin– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Schlechte Hilfestellung, zuviel Informationen, keine spannenden Rätsel. Nicht geeignet für Kinder und Jugendliche
Michaela– Austria –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Selbstständige Zeiteinteilung und wirklich gute Beschreibungen
United States –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Hoped for a little more depth in the scavenger portion but was still fun overall.
Kerry– United Kingdom –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Fun way to spend a couple of hours if you’re not into the whole group tour scene.
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Da wir wegen einer abweichenden Schreibweise der ersten Lösung schon am ersten Rätsel „scheiterten“, waren wir erstmal etwas irritiert. Die restlichen Rätsel waren allerdings alle machbar und man hat einen guten Überblick über die Altstadt von Dubrovnik erhalten und die wichtigsten Sehenswürdigkeiten gesehen.
Thibaud– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Belle petite promenade dans les rues de Dubrovnik avec des anecdotes et faits historiques qui alimentent le parcours.
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Für Schnitzeljagd Liebhaber definitiv empfehlenswert. Eine etwas aktuellere Version währe dennoch wünschenswert, als Verbesserungsvorschlag. Zwei Rätsel konnte man nur durch raten lösen da zum Beispiel an der entsprechenden Statue das gesuchte Objekt nicht mehr vorhanden war. Konnten es nur durch Bildersuche bei Google lösen von älteren Bildern.
Kaveh– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Fun thing to Do with kids
Céline– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Intéressant à faire avec des enfants car l’activité est en français. Nous n’avons pas pu aller physiquement jusqu’au bout du parcours car le site était inaccessible. Je recommande.
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
niente di che
Netherlands –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Leuk maar het was eigenlijk iets te warm
Lenk– Austria –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Trotz Hitze eine tolle Idee
Meike– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Tolle Abwechslung für die ganze Familie. Manche Rätsel waren nicht ganz eindeutig und das hat leider Zeit gekostet und es war etwas lang in der Sommerhitze. Ansonsten super!
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Würden wir wieder machen!
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Interessante Fakten zu den bedeutendsten Sehenswürdigkeiten der Stadt! Und extra spannende Geschichten aus vergangenen Tagen
United Kingdom –
Collected on GetYourGuide
This was a great and unique way to see the sites of Dubrovnik. The website was clear and easy to use, we loved that we could take a break to visit a museum or grab a drink and then come back to it. Each of the puzzles were different and weren’t super taxing so would be suitable for all the family to enjoy.
United Kingdom –
Collected on GetYourGuide
This was a fun little activity. It gives you a handful of tidbits about the history of Dubrovnik (about 10 facts pages) and the puzzles are cute. It isn’t a replacement for a full guided tour for sure, but it was a nice activity to do for an hour for £5. Only feedback is the language in some of the history pages could be tidied up a bit – it was hard to follow what they were saying on a couple of pages.
Annabe –
Super activity in the land of Game of Thrones! Dubrovnik is such a beautiful place! This game took us at places that we hadn’t included in our bucket list! Very nice surprise! I wasn’t very good with the riddles (some of them quite difficult) but my husbant was ecstatic!