13 Best Photo Spots in Dubrovnik, Croatia + Photo Tips

Wondering where are the best photo spots in Dubrovnik? You are in the right place! I will help you discover the most beautiful places in Dubrovnik and make sure you have the best photos to share on your Instagram account.

Dubrovnik is a pearl of the Adriatic Coastline and you will understand this term as soon as you visit it. The old town is surrounded by massive walls and the panoramic views are filled with typical orange rooftops. This city will have you walk endless stairs, but you will certainly come back for more – that’s how beautiful it is.

In this article, you will find exact locations, the best time to take visit these places, what equipment to use, and many more photography tips. 

My guide of the best photo spots in Dubrovnik is going to ensure that you don’t miss a single photo opportunity during your visit!

*Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking one of these links, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Where to stay in Dubrovnik to have the easiest access to the best photo spots and main attractions?

Before we get to the best photo spots, I want to share my tips on where to stay in Dubrovnik. When I travel, I like to stay close to the main attractions, so I can walk most of the time and avoid using public transport or a taxi. Usually, accommodations in these popular areas are more expensive, but it pays back.

I choose to stay in the old town and that’s certainly the best place to stay in Dubrovnik to have easy access to all these photo spots. Here are some hotel recommendations.

Overview of the best photo spots in Dubrovnik

If you follow this blog long enough, you know that I’m very passionate about photography and I run an active Instagram account, so I’m always on the hunt for the most Instagrammable places in Dubrovnik. Below you will find a list of photo spots that I personally loved and I think you should be able to tick those off in 2-3 days.

I will add the exact location on Google Maps for every location – just click on the link to find it. At the end of the page, you will find the equipment that I use for my photos, and for each place, I will talk more about the equipment that you will need to use. I promise to make this as easy as possible, so you are fully prepared.

Now, let’s get to the photography part!

Doors of Dubrovnik West Harbour

This was one of my favorite photo spots in Dubrovnik. It is located in the West Harbour between the old town and Lovrijenac, so there are many people passing by, yet nobody stops there to take a photo. This made the shooting process extremely easy.

You should take Ul. Skalini dr. Marka Foteza, go above the doors and you will find a little path with stairs that take you down to the spot where I’m standing. In the meantime, your photographer should stand in front of Orhan restaurant. There is going to be quite a distance between you two, so make sure you communicate in advance and shoot multiple times once you are in your spot. You can use this photo for reference.

Location: click here to find the exact location.

Equipment: you will need something between 35mm to 50mm to capture the beauty of this place. I tried both, but 35mm gave me better results.

Best time: you don’t have to stress about waking up early as this is not a popular spot. A couple of hours before sunset is the best. During the sunset, this place gets very dark and it’s already too late.

St. Blaise’s Church

St. Blaise’s Church is one of the main attractions of Dubrovnik, so be prepared for a big crowd. It’s a perfect mix between Baroque style and Venetian elegance which makes it one of the best photo spots in Dubrovnik.

There is another statue in front, but in the summer of 2022 it was under construction, so you will have to bring your wide-angle lens and squeeze in before the statue.

I suggest you wear something colorful here, something that pops. Learn from my mistakes, because now that I look at this photo, I see that I get lost in the photo.

Location: St. Blaise’s Church.

Equipment: if the statue is still under construction, a wide-angle lens is a must.

Best time: you will have to give up your beauty sleep and wake up early. Luckily, there are more spots around that you can combine and get amazing photos on the same morning.

Stairs of Old Dubrovnik

No, I’m not talking about Jesuit Stairs. I know that it’s a popular spot for Game of Thrones lovers, but I won’t include those stairs in this list. 

Once you enter Old Dubrovnik from Vrata od Buže gate, you will see a wonderful view over the old town and endless stairs in front. Since this is an entrance to the old town, the street is constantly busy, so instead turn to your right and walk to the restaurant called LADY PI-PI.

You will find multiple cute streets with steep stairs, but this one next to the restaurant is the most beautiful one as there are many plants and flowers.

It’s a nice photo spot because you don’t have to worry about crowds passing by or people queuing up to take a photo after you. Yet the view is pretty spectacular, right?

Location: click here to find the exact location.

Equipment: for my photo, I used a 35mm lens. But there is quite a lot of space, so you can experiment with 50mm or even a zoom lens to create a cool effect.

Best time: as I mentioned, this is not a busy spot, so you can take your photo any time of the day. Late afternoon is the best since the lights are not too harsh.

Large Onofrio’s Fountain and Church of St. Salvation

Another busy spot in Dubrovnik, but you can easily combine it with St. Blaise’s Church and the main street. I tried to photograph the fountain and the church separately, but it simply didn’t look good. So I decided to combine these two and found this cute angle. And I advise you to do the same!

I mean, these two are very important landmarks of Dubrovnik, so you simply cannot leave Dubrovnik without capturing these spots.

I have to say that early in the morning, this area is full of delivery trucks but don’t give up. A bit of patience you will get a wonderful photo.

Location: behind Large Onofrio’s Fountain.

Equipment: not a lot of space to experiment, so a 35mm lens is the best option.

Best time: early morning, but easy to combine with other spots nearby.

Walls of Dubrovnik

Walls of Dubrovnik is hands down one of the best photo spots in Dubrovnik. In fact, once you go up, you will find multiple photo opportunities and you won’t need my help – it’s beautiful all around. But there are things to know before visiting the Walls of Dubrovnik.

First of all, the Walls of Dubrovnik now have an entrance fee and it isn’t small. The fee is 250 kuna (around 33 euros) per person, but it includes Lovrijenac as well and that’s another good photo spot in Dubrovnik.

Yes, the price is not low, especially if you consider the fact that it used to be free, but you can’t visit Dubrovnik and miss the walls.

Another thing to remember is the opening times. For someone who likes to take photos during sunrise or sunset, it was a bad surprise because it opens late and closes early.

I recommend you to enter 1 hour before closing time and stay 30 minutes after the walls are closed. I saw many tour guides even after closing hours, so don’t worry about it. Click here to see the opening times.

Also, I highly advise being careful if you want to book a tour online and read all the conditions. Most of the tours don’t include the ticket to Dubrovnik walls, so you will have to pay 250 kuna extra!

Overall, here I captured many of my favorite pictures of Dubrovnik!

Location: there are 3 entrances, but I suggest starting near the Church of St. Salvation.

Equipment: if you want to capture the views, you can play with a zoom lens. But if you want a photo of yourself, you won’t have a lot of space and you will need a 35mm lens.

Best time: 1 hour before closing time.

Franciscan Church and Monastery and the main street

I have to say that the main street of Dubrovnik wears many different hats. I have seen it early in the morning, during the day, and in the evening. While I didn’t like it during the day, it was absolutely magical in the evening.

Morning is nice, but once again, it is filled with delivery trucks, so a bit messy no matter how early you come.

I actually gave up on this street more than once, but then I saw an opportunity and managed to capture it without any trucks and not so many people around. This is around 8 am when deliveries are almost over and tourists have not arrived yet.

If you are a fan of long exposure, come here in the evening. Right after the sunset, this street is such a vibe!

Location: click here to find the exact location.

Equipment: the street is long, so you can play with a zoom lens, but since the street was quite busy, I used a wide-angle lens.

Best time: it’s that sweet spot after sunrise and before the crowds arrive. Or evening if you prefer long exposure photography.

The best view of Old Dubrovnik

Old Dubrovnik is stunning, but where do you find the best views over Dubrovnik? There is a hidden spot when you walk to Lovrijenac and it’s right next to the Doors of Dubrovnik West Harbour.

Once you are above the doors, you will see a bench on your right, so this is where you turn left and walk to the edge of the cliff. It might sound complicated, but it’s not.

During summer, the sunset is right behind this spot so it created amazing golden light for your photo and you will be able to capture the beauty of Dubrovnik. Don’t miss this sunset photo spot in Dubrovnik.

Location: click here to find the exact location.

Equipment: there is not a lot of space, so if you want a full-body shot, go with a 35mm lens.

Best time: the golden hour is a must! And don’t worry about the crowds as it’s a kinda hidden photo spot in Dubrovnik.

Hidden corners in Old Dubrovnik

We already talked about the main street of Dubrovnik, but a couple of corners away, you can find a lot of cute streets and hidden corners without any people around.

You don’t need to wake up early for these places. First of all, there are only a few pedestrians passing by. And second, these streets are quite dark, so you can come here in the late morning or late afternoon.

I will link the location of the arch, but get lost and wander around. You will certainly find more photo spots in this area of Dubrovnik.

Location: click here to find the exact location.

Equipment: 35mm lens will do the job and as you can see, this is the lens that you will need for most of the best photo spots in Dubrovnik.

Best time: as I said, late morning or late afternoon.

The view of the old port

I actually found this spot by accident and I end up loving it. After I found out that this is a famous photo spot in Dubrovnik.

From here, you have a wonderful view of Dubrovnik and you can capture the beauty of the old port. During the day, you can find a lot of historical ships here that give a particular charm to the place.

You can also see the Walls of Dubrovnik and overall, you get a stunning view over the Adriatic Sea. The coastline is one of the reasons that makes Dubrovnik a great summer destination in Europe.

Location: click here to find the exact location.

Equipment: I used 125mm for this photo, but you can capture the entire port if you use 35mm. The choice is yours.

Best time: I would say sunrise, but only for the lights. It’s not a crowded place, so you can capture this spot any time of the day.

Dubrovnik from the top

Well, Dubrovnik from the top is just a cherry on the cake and you can use a cable car or a taxi to get there. This exact location, is a bit further away from the cable car, but it’s a short walk, so the choice is yours.

Without a doubt, this is a perfect sunset spot and one of the most beautiful places in Dubrovnik. Unfortunately, it was a bit foggy on the day that we choose to go up, but hopefully, you can have better luck.

Location: click here to find the exact location.

Equipment: 50mm lens is the best option here. You need a bit of zoom to create that ‘wow’ effect, but no need to exaggerate.

Best time: sunset over Dubrovnik will be spectacular.

Lovrijenac

This is the place that you can visit for free if you have a ticket from the Walls of Dubrovnik. I didn’t have high expectations for this place, but I decided to visit it anyway since it was for free.

To be honest, you can take wonderful drone-looking photos from here, so I had to include this photo spot on this list. Not so easy to take a full-body shot, but you can play with portraits or simply take a photo of Dubrovnik itself.

On top of that, it’s another famous location that you can see in the Game of Thrones. You will need one hour to visit this place.

Location: Lovrijenac.

Equipment: 35mm lens will capture all the beauty of the walls.

Best time: it’s open from 8 am until 7 pm and I suggest you visit one hour before the closing time. Perfect time for photography as well.

Church of St. Ignatius

The Church of St Ignatius is a single nave, with side chapels and a semicircular divided apse, decorated by magnificent Baroque frescoes with scenes from the life of St. Ignatius de Loyola painted by Gaetano Garcia. The frescoes fit perfectly in the ambiance of the church and at first sight, they are simply breathtaking.

It is right next to the Jesuit Stairs and it attracts many group tours throughout the day, so it can get pretty crowded. But it’s a popular site, so you can’t say that you are surprised, right?

Location: Church of St. Ignatius.

Equipment: there is a restaurant right in front, so you won’t have a lot of space – bring your wide-angle lens.

Best time: early morning or late afternoon once most of the tours are over.

Lopud Island

Okay, technically this is not Dubrovnik, but I still wanted to include it on this list because it is one of the best places near Dubrovnik. It is very easy to reach and I can’t recommend it enough. It’s a great beach destination, offers a lot of cool seafront restaurants & bars and it seems like a little escape from the busy and crowded Dubrovnik.

Yes, the island is a popular day trip from Dubrovnik and there are many boats coming and going, but it still feels authentic and peaceful. Especially in Franciscan Monastery.

Once you get off the boat, you can walk the coastline and head to Djordjic Mayneri Park – a botanical garden. You will find many photo opportunities on your way.

We booked a boat tour on GetYourGuide and I certainly advise you to do the same! Click here to see the prices and availability.

Location: click here to find the exact location.

Equipment: zoom lens will create a cool effect if you want to capture the beauty of the Monastery. Don’t forget to bring it with you!

Best time: any time of the day.

In conclusion…

I’m sure that after reading this article you will know all the best photo spots in Dubrovnik and you are fully prepared now to snap those beautiful photos. Don’t forget to try local Croatian dishes, connect with locals and enjoy this magical city.

I’m sure that many people would say that Dubrovnik is the most beautiful place in Croatia, so make sure you capture it well. It’s not going to be hard, especially if you follow this guide. And if you need an itinerary for a quick getaway, read my 2 day itinerary for Dubrovnik which covers most of these places.

I know that many people combine Croatia with Montenegro, so if you are one of them, make sure you check the highlights of Montenegro and more recommendations for your trip!

I would love to hear your thoughts, so if you have any feedback or additional tips, leave a comment below. Also, check out my Instagram for regular travel videos and travel inspiration. Or explore other destinations on this travel blog.

Pin it for later and make sure you save the best photo spots in Dubrovnik!