It earned them long before Game of Thrones filmed here. Long before the cruise ships arrived. The Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the best-preserved medieval cities on earth. The walls are intact. The streets are intact. The feeling that someone pressed pause on the 15th century and forgot to press play is entirely intentional. But beyond the walls and the well-worn Stradun, Dubrovnik has more layers than most visitors take the time to find. This guide helps you find them.

Dubrovnik was an independent republic for over four centuries, from 1358 to 1808. It was called the Republic of Ragusa and at its peak was one of the most prosperous maritime cities in the Mediterranean, rivalling Venice for trade routes and diplomatic finesse. The wealth it accumulated is still visible in every building on the Stradun.

The city walls are the place to start. They stretch 1,940 metres around the old town, rise up to 25 metres high, and offer a view at every turn that makes it clear why this city was worth defending. Walk them first thing in the morning, before the day tours arrive, and you will have long sections entirely to yourself. By midday in peak season the walls are a different experience.

Inside the walls, Rector's Palace is the most undervisited major sight in Dubrovnik. It was the seat of the Ragusan Republic's government, changed hands daily among elected rectors who were not allowed to leave the building during their one-month term, and contains a museum that tells the city's story better than anything else in the old town. The Franciscan Monastery nearby has one of the oldest continuously operating pharmacies in the world, open since 1317.

Dubrovnik's food scene has improved significantly over the last decade. There are now genuinely excellent restaurants inside and just outside the old town walls, and the surrounding region gives the city access to some of the best ingredients on the Adriatic.

Fresh fish and seafood dominate the menus along the coast, but the dish most people leave talking about is black risotto, made with cuttlefish ink, rich and deeply savoury, and completely unlike anything most visitors have eaten before. The Gundulić Square market in the old town is worth a morning stop for local produce, cheese, and charcuterie. It runs every day except Sunday.

For a full day out of the city, the Pelješac Peninsula is an hour's drive north and produces some of the best red wine in Croatia. Plavac Mali is the grape, Dingač is the appellation to look for, and the vineyards here drop almost straight into the sea. Ston, at the base of the peninsula, has been farming oysters in the same bay for over 600 years. Eat them at the source.

There is a version of Dubrovnik that you can only see from the water, and it is better than the version you see from the walls. The city looks different from the sea. The cliffs below the walls drop straight into the Adriatic, the old town sits above them like something from a film set, and the Elafiti Islands are visible just offshore, close enough to reach in under an hour by boat.

The three Elafiti islands, Koločep, Lopud, and Šipan, are all car-free. Šipan is the largest and most peaceful, home to fewer than 400 residents and some of the oldest olive trees in Croatia. Lopud has Šunj Beach, one of the only sandy beaches near Dubrovnik. Koločep has the clearest water of the three.

Lokrum Island is the closest option to the city, a short 15-minute boat ride from the old town harbour. It has a saltwater lake, a botanical garden, peacocks that wander freely, and a Benedictine monastery ruin. No cars, no hotels, and a completely different pace from the old town a few hundred metres away.

May, June, September and October are the best months for Dubrovnik. The weather is warm, the water is swimmable, and the crowds are noticeably thinner than July and August. Peak season in Dubrovnik is very busy. The old town can feel overwhelming between 10am and 6pm in July. Early mornings and evenings are always better.

Two nights is the minimum to cover the walls, the old town, and one day trip. Three nights gives you time to do the food properly and get out to the islands. Four nights or more means you can slow down, which is when Dubrovnik starts to show you its better side.

The old town is pedestrian only and entirely walkable. Everything outside it requires a taxi, a rental car, or a boat. For the Pelješac Peninsula and Ston, a rental car for the day is the most flexible option. For the islands, the local ferry or a private boat charter are both good depending on budget and group size.

You leave knowing you have not seen everything. Have not lingered long enough over the right meal. Have not caught the walls at quite the right hour. Have not yet sailed out to the Elafiti and looked back at the city from the water. That feeling is exactly the right reason to start planning the trip properly.