The town, the port and the tourist centre registered in the UNESCO's Register of the World Cultural Heritage. Dubrovnik is situated under the Srd mountain, on a smaller cliff where the oldest part of the town is. By filling up the valley between the bay of Gruz and Stari Porat (Old Port), and by building of Place (Stradun), the older part was connected to its outskirts, and so Stradun became the centre of the town and its main street. Later Dubrovnik stretched further to the peninsula Lapad and beyond the city walls. The climate is mild, and vegetation sub-tropical and rich. Dubrovnik has the city port, the port Gruž and the marina Dubrovnik.

Dubrovnik was probably founded in the 7th century, and since then was under protection of the Byzantine. In the 13th century it comes under Venetian rule, and in 1358 it becomes the sovereign state, at which time it reaches its peak of development. In 1806 the French enter Dubrovnik (the Napoleon wars) and in 1808 annul the Republic of Dubrovnik, which in 1815 fell under the Austrian domination. The main city wall that surrounds the town is 1940 m long, fortified with three round and 14 square  towers, 5 bastions, two fortifications at the corners of the wall and the fortress Sveti Ivan (Saint John). The most prominent of the towers is the round tower Minceta. Lower fortification that stretches along the main wall has one bigger and nine smaller bastions, and the fortress Bokar, which is the oldest of that kind preserved in Europe. The fortresses Revelin and Lovrijenac are self-standing. The city walls are preserved in their original form.

The centre of public life is the square Luža. To the west from it is the palace Sponza, and in the middle is the pillar of Orlando with a statue of the warrior from the 15th century.

On the southern side is the baroque church of Saint Vlaho built between 1706 and 1714. The builder was Marino Gropelli, and it was built in place of the old church from the 14th century, from which originates the silver statue of Saint Vlaho plated with gold holding the scale model of the town from the 15th century, situated on the main altar. The stone statues of Saint Vlaho and Saint Jeronim are of the same origin, the work of Nikola Lazanic, the sculptor from Brac from the late 16th century. In the churches there are plenty of paintings, most of them by anonymous authors.

The eastern part of the square is closed by the city bell-tower and the buildings Luža zvonara and Glavna straža (Main guard). By the building Glavna straža is the building of city hall - a Lombard-neo-Renaissance, and the National theatre from the same period. Beside the city hall is the duke's palace (Knežev dvor), the Gothic-Renaissance building. On the eastern side of the square Poljana Marina Drzica is the bishop's palace. The church of Gospa od Karmena is a baroque building form the 17th century.

The western part of the square Poljana Marina Drzica is closed by the baroque cathedral of the Holy Mother (Gospe) built between 1672 and 1713 in place of the old Romanesque cathedral according of plans by A. Buffalini from Orbino. On the main altar is a big polyptych "Marijino Uzasasce", the work of Titian from 1552. In the cathedral are also the paintings by J. Palma, Parmigianini, Andrea del Sarto, Padovanini, C. Caliari, G. G. Savoldo, L. Cambiaso, G. Salviati and other by unknown  authors. In the treasury of the cathedral golden and silver relics are kept. Among them, of special interest are the "hand of Saint Vlaho", "leg of Saint Vlaho" late-Gothic crucifix with relieves of saints, "head of Saint Lovrijenac", with "a part of the skull of Saint Vlaho" and a big silver wash-basin with with a jar plated with gold, on which the flora and fauna of Dubrovnik is shown.

In the street Ulica od Rupa is a two-storey building, so-called Rupe (Holes) which served as the ware-house for corn grain, under which are fifteen big dry wells drilled in stone. Today the building houses the museum with the same name. On the north side of the square is the palace Sponza, built in the 16th century. On the ground floor is the Renaissance portico, on the first floor Gothic, and on the second floor Renaissance windows, while the yard is surrounded with corridors with arcades.

The street Ulica Sv. Dominika leads to the Dominican church and monastery founded in the 13th century, and the building of which was completed during 14th and 15th century. The church of the monastery was rebuilt several times after the earthquake in 1667. The only preserved Romanesque portal from the 13th century used to be the main entrance to the church. In the church are two altars painted in the 17th century with paintings by Francesco di Maria, one altar with the painting "Sv. Magdalena sa Sv. Vlahom i donatorom" (Saint Magdalene with Saint Vlaho and the donor) by Titian from 1554, one with the painting "Cudo Sv. Dominika" (Miracle of St. Dominic) by Vlaho Bukovac from 1912, and the painting "Silazak Duha Svetoga" (Decent of The Holy Spirit) by Giorgo Vasari from the 17th century. In the church is also kept the "Navjestenje" with paintings from the history of the Dominicans in Dubrovnik. The monastery library keeps 217 manuscripts, 239 incunabuae, around 16.000 printed books, as well as the collection of important charts from the history of the town.

In front of old city doors of Saint Jakov is the little church of Saint Jakov na Pelinama from the 13th century. From Peline downwards stretches the street Židiovska ulica (Jewish Street) to the territory of the Jewish ghetto which existed in the town from the 14th century. Here is also the synagogue from the 15th century, one of the oldest in the south-eastern Europe. In the street Sigurante is the nunnery in which the oldest votive painting of the ship from Dubrovnik is kept, as well as embroidery "Pranje nogu" (Washing of the Feet).

The monastery and the church of the Franciscans from the 14th century is in the square Placa. The building started in 1317, on the transition from the Romanesque to the Gothic style. In the monastery the apparatus and equipment of the old monastery drug-store that existed as early as 1317 are kept. The monastery library keeps more than 30.000 books, 22 incunabula, 15 illuminated choral books mostly from the 15th and 16th century, as well as a lot of old pieces of local music.

On the square Poljana Paskoja Milisevica is the big well Onofrijeva cesma, actually a tank with the sixteen-angle ground plan, covered by dome. Under the city wall, beside the door Vrata od Ribarnice, is the little church of Saint Luka, and near it the church of the Announcitation (Navjestenje). Above the inner doors Vrata od Ploca is the statue of the protector of the town, Saint Vlaho, the oldest of all such statues in Dubrovnik. The stone bridge leads to the base of the fortress Revelin from the 15th century, and beside it are the outer doors Vrata od Ploca, the main eastern entrance to the town. In the vicinity of the staircase Uz Posat in the direction of the street Zagrebacka ulica, is the chapel of Saint Felice and the church of Saint Andrija. In front of the doors Vrata od Pila, towards the sea, stretches the area Brsalje with plate-trees, on which right hand side, on the rock, is the fortress Lovrijenac, the building of which started in 1050. Behind the graveyard Tri crkve a path leads to the most beautiful summer villa in the town, Skocibuha-Bond from the 17th century. Along the coast in Gruz are many summer villas of the local gentry.  In the centre of Lapad is the old church of Saint Mihajlo from 1290 with the graveyard. Nearby is the church of Gospa od Milosrda, and above it is the small church of Saint Vlaho.