Dubrovnik's four extras, from a pharmacy open since 1317
The Franciscans' pharmacy has worked since 1317, St John's Fortress keeps a maritime museum, Rupe is a granary cut into the rock, and the synagogue on Žudioska is still active.
- The Franciscan Monastery
- The pharmacy has run since 1317
- The Maritime Museum
- In St John's Fortress
- The Rupe Ethnographic Museum
- The Republic's former grain store
The six main sights fit into two days; these four are the extra half-day for whoever stays longer. The Franciscan Monastery keeps a pharmacy that has run without a break since 1317, the Maritime Museum sits in St John's Fortress at the entrance to the old harbour, the Rupe Ethnographic Museum is the Republic's former grain store cut into the rock, and the synagogue on Žudioska Street still has an active congregation.
The Franciscan Monastery — a pharmacy still at work
The monastery stands at the western end of the Stradun, right by the Pile Gate. Inside is a fourteenth-century cloister and a pharmacy that has run without a break since 1317, one of the oldest in Europe still serving customers. Entry costs €8. In summer it is open from nine to six, in winter to two in the afternoon; out of season it is shut on Sundays, and around Christmas and New Year.
The Maritime Museum — in the fortress at the harbour entrance
St John's Fortress guards the entrance to the old town harbour, and inside is the Maritime Museum: ship models, uniforms and equipment from when Dubrovnik's fleet sailed as far as India and the Americas. Entry is €10. It is open nine to six from April to October, and to four in the afternoon the rest of the year; shut on Wednesdays.
The Rupe Ethnographic Museum — a granary cut into the rock
Rupe is the Republic of Dubrovnik's former grain store, from the sixteenth century, cut deep into the rock so the grain stayed dry and cool whatever the season. Today it holds costumes, tools and objects from village life in Konavle and the islands around the city. A ticket is €8. Open nine to six from April to October, and to four in the afternoon the rest of the year; shut on Tuesdays.
The synagogue — still an active congregation
On Žudioska Street, in the Old Town's former Jewish ghetto, the synagogue is considered the second oldest in Europe in continuous use — founded in the mid-fourteenth century and granted legal status in the city in 1408. The congregation still gathers there for the major holidays; the rest of the time it is a museum, with Torah scrolls and objects up to seven centuries old. In summer it is open until eight in the evening, out of season until five; it costs €10 to get in.
The order that works here
All four places are inside the walls, a few minutes' walk from one another — the Franciscan Monastery and the synagogue are closer to Pile, the Maritime Museum and Rupe closer to the old harbour and Ploče. It adds half a day to the existing day-by-day plan.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Is the Franciscan pharmacy still open today?
It is — customers have been buying medicine there since 1317, without a break.
Where is the Maritime Museum in Dubrovnik?
In St John's Fortress, at the entrance to the old town harbour — the same one the Lokrum boat leaves from.
Is the synagogue on Žudioska still active?
It is — the congregation still gathers there for the major holidays, and the rest of the time it is a museum.
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