This is the main entrance in to the Dubrovnik Old Town. A very busy location as it sits near the bus station and cruise ship bus drop off point. Pile gate is just so busy, didn’t really want to spend too much time there. While Dubrovnik is a beautiful city with a rich history, the high volume of tourists also during shoulder season can make it difficult to fully enjoy the sights and sounds. We hope that in the future, the local authorities will take steps to mitigate overcrowding and create a more comfortable experience for all visitors.

This gate is the main entrance to the old town. A nice tip is to make a left once you cross the bridge and enter the town from below next to the kids playground. It's what the locals do and how to avoid the large crowds.

The Pile Gate is the main entrance into the walled city / old town. It opens up to the west, to the biggest part of the more modern city, as well as the cruise ship port. It was very crowded most of the time we were there, with several tour groups usually standing just inside learning about the city. The entrance to the gate is grand, with a large stone bridge crossing into an archway, with a statue of St. Blaise (the patron saint of Dubrovnik) over it. Once inside, there's a relatively large area with ramps and stairs where the tour groups congregate and you can see the city walls above. It's a grand but definitely crowded entrance - we only stayed a couple minutes and then headed farther into the city itself.

The main entrance to Old Town, busy Pile Gate (the name derived from Greek word pylaj meaning gate), used to have a wooden drawbridge which was pulled up at night to prevent unwelcome guests entering the medieval, walled city. The drawbridge was replaced by a stone bridge from 1537. The bridge crosses a moat which is now a green space. Pile Gate or “Vrata od Pila” is one of the two main gates in this medieval walled city and is the main entrance into the fortified Old Town of Dubrovnik. It is very interesting to see the fortification and the size of the massive city walls when viewed from the top of the wall. The Pile Gate, built in the mid-16th century on the western side of the walls, is a strong defensive structure built on different levels. It looks like a tower that connects two bridges located above the moat of the walls and leads to a second internal door. In a niche above the oval arch stands a small statue of St. Blaise, the patron saint of Dubrovnik. He appears to be cradling Dubrovnik in his arms. From this gate there is also a nice view of the Lavrijenac fort. Of course we had to take a Game of Thrones tour and we learned that Pile Bay was one of the most used Game of Thrones Dubrovnik filming sites. The overall backdrop was used for the Blackwater Bay battle scenes. The stone walkway at the bottom is where Sansa and Shae stood and spoke of the ships sailing by...fantasizing of where they were headed. The beach in the middle is where we watched the departure and return of Myrcella. Going through the Pile Gate we entered a completely different world. Located right next to the deep blue sea, this neighborhood is a great place to walk, and take picture after picture of the old red tile houses, and the small, winding streets like mazes. The area has also been recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site. After we passed through the gate, we found a lively little square surrounded by several landmarks. To our left, was a steep staircase that lead up to the imposing Minceta tower. This was our starting point for our walk along the wall.

Pile Gate is one of the main entrances to old town Dubrovnik. You walk along a little bridge that you can imagine was once above a moat to access the gate. Pile Gate is fairly close to the Tourist Office and the area where most of the tour buses leave from. There are also restaurants and shops near the gate. It is worth a visit.