Dubrovnik in southern Dalmatia is not only extremely popular with sailors. It is also very popular with day visitors, mostly coming from large cruise ships, or brought here in large numbers by bus. The rest is currently being done by the fantasy series Game of Thrones, parts of which were filmed in Dubrovnik. The result: too many tourists visit the small town, which is also referred to as overtourism. But that should now be over.
Every sports skipper who is traveling with their own or rented ship in southern Dalmatia has the pearl of the Adriatic at least once in their cruise program: Dubrovnik. Several marinas are available as a port of call.
In addition to the ACI Marina Dubrovnik (425 berths, about two nautical miles upstream of the ), which is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful marinas in southern Dalmatia, the Yacht Club Orsan Dubrovnik (western Gruz Bay, about 25 berths) and the Marina Gruz Dubrovnik (diagonally opposite, on the eastern side of the bay), mainly for large yachts.
When you enter the old town through the Pile Gate, passing the fortifications, and arrive at the main shopping street, the Stradun, you may be shocked: masses of tourists waft through the city, and you involuntarily have the feeling that it is simply too crowded here.
To make matters worse, the extremely popular series Game of Thrones, some seasons of which were filmed in Dubrovnik, has contributed to the over-tourism caused by the high number of cruise ships, but also by private travel organizations.
Now, throngs of Game of Thrones fans are flocking to the places where the film crew shot in Dubrovnik.
Now, additional tourists are flocking to the places where the film crew was previously; there are now even guided tours to the locations where Dubrovnik was transformed into King’s Landing.
The Lannister family crest was hoisted over the Lovrijenac fortress, just outside the Old Town, while King Joffrey and Lady Margaery Tyrell celebrated their wedding in Gradac Park, opposite the fortress. A small bay just outside the Old Town was used by the film crew for several locations. A revolt was filmed at the Pile Gate, while the city wall, the Minceta Tower and the Rector’s Palace served as additional motifs.
But now Dubrovnik is trying to stem the flood of tourists in the city. The problem: Dubrovnik is a small city, with just 40,000 people living here. But in the summer months, 150,000 tourists descend on the city.
But now Dubrovnik is fighting against too many tourists in the city. The problem: Dubrovnik is a small city, just 40,000 people live here. But in the summer months, 15,000 tourists come – per day, zdf.de calculated for a post from June this year. This makes Dubrovnik – calculated per inhabitant – the most visited city in the entire Mediterranean.
Too much is too much: Dubrovnik’s mayor fights against mass tourism
But too much is just too much: the incumbent mayor Mato Franković has been trying for years to stem the flow of visitors with various strategies, according to zdf.de: for example, he has reduced the number of cruise ships allowed to dock in Dubrovnik to three ships per day, which alone has already significantly relieved the old town. And: the ships are now only allowed to dock for a maximum of eight hours, after which they have to leave again.
At the beginning of this year, Franković launched a new initiative, this time targeting the real estate market. He wanted to ban the construction of new apartments in Dubrovnik altogether, since most of them would only be rented to tourists for short-term use.
However, since his proposal was not legally compliant, he was only able to achieve that it is no longer permitted to set up new apartments for tourists in apartment buildings. In addition, the city of Dubrovnik has started buying up real estate in the historic old town itself and settling young families with children there.
Respect the City: Tourists are being asked to be more considerate of local residents
Another project of the city of Dubrovnik is called Respect the Cty. Tourists are asked to be more considerate of local residents. “This means, among other things, no swimwear in the old town, otherwise you risk a fine. And: no shouting, no alcoholic drinks outside of restaurants and bars, and please arrive and depart quietly,” zdf.de continues.
Last year, Dubrovnik made headlines with an alleged ban on wheeled suitcases. The reason: the suitcases with the small wheels would cause a lot of noise on the small cobblestones and cause sleepless nights, especially for those arriving or departing at night. However, this ban on wheeled suitcases turned out to be a hoax, as the mayor revealed to the ZDF team.
The city of Dubrovnik has made a short video on etiquette for tourists: the motto is
The aim is not to impose bans and punishments, but simply to raise awareness among tourists. Accordingly, roller suitcases are generally allowed, but only if used quietly. The city has made a video for tourists, in which visitors can see how they should behave in Dubrovnik: because a little consideration goes a long way – in the small city on the Adriatic, which has simply become far too popular in recent years.
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But it is not only the Croatian Dubrovnik that is struggling with over-tourism. According to the news portal, new rules have been introduced or measures taken against over-tourism in various places across Europe in the wake of various protests against mass tourism.
For example, for several weeks now, Spaniards have been protesting in holiday regions against the masses of tourists who are causing rents to rise and polluting the environment. To keep day tourists away, Venice introduced a 5-euro fee in April 2024, and from 2025, an entrance fee is to be levied regularly.
It is not only in Croatia that there are movements and initiatives against over-tourism
In Greece, there is the so-called towel movement, which demands that access to the beach be guaranteed by law for non-paying people as well. And the Copenhagen initiative CopenPay is enabling rewards for Copenhagen vacationers in bars, museums and other city attractions in a test phase, for example, by using a bicycle or the metro or picking up litter in urban parks, on beaches or in waterways.
Ultimately, however, it is up to each holidaymaker to decide for themselves what to prioritize on their to-do list. Because, hand on heart: who wants to visit an old town, even a very beautiful one, when you are packed in with crowds of other tourists, all sweating, moving forward step by step, and then you can’t get a seat in the equally overcrowded restaurants? Can you still speak of enjoyment there – not to mention the recreational value of such an excursion?
The motto could therefore be to inform yourself beforehand: when is it worth visiting certain tourist hotspots, and when should you avoid them? Would it be better to choose the low season for this? Or maybe choose completely different destinations?
If you can’t avoid it, and you’re willing to queue for half an hour or more for that oh-so-important Instagram photo, you should at least behave as a tourist in such a way that you don’t disturb any locals or other holidaymakers.
