All of this development around a town centre you can cross in ten minutes. And it is just this that draws the visitors every summer: Dubrovnik’s self-contained centre in its smooth medieval stone glory, and the sheer blue of the clear Adriatic immediately below.

It’s hard to believe now, but two out of every three buildings in Dubrovnik were damaged in the 1991 bombardment during the Yugoslav war. Not even the collection of expat pubs, silly maroon signs in medieval script or dinky lanterns along the main street of Stradun, can ruin your appreciation of the painstaking work undertaken to achieve such pristine restoration.

Dubrovnik thrived in medieval times as Ragusa, a rival to imperial Venice. With no royal intrigue – its terracotta-tiled centre is free of grandiose monuments – this was one of Europe’s major centres of learning and commerce. Citizenship was bestowed upon the skilled and the entrepreneurial. Much was destroyed in the earthquake of 1667, and later the city was overrun by the Habsburgs and Napoleon, but Dubrovnik retained a strong sense of identity and artistic prowess.

Protecting the city-state through centuries of trade and torment has been St Blaise, whose statue stands over Pile Gate, the main entrance to the old town. From here, you can walk right around the towers and bastions (entrance 30kn) of the high city walls – allow about an hour. At ground level, walk from Pile Gate down Stradun to the old harbour. You’ll first come across the Franciscan monastery (Stradun 2, 321410). Although rebuilt after 1667, the cloister is a Romanesque original from the 15th century. On the other side stands the dome of Onofrio’s Great Fountain, built around the same time. Nearer the old harbour, the baroque Church of St Blaise (323459) stands across Luza Square from the elegant Sponza Palace, formerly the Ragusa Mint. Within, opposite the ticket office, is the Memorial Room of the Dubrovnik Defenders, with pictures of all those who died during the 1991 bombardment.

Also near the harbour are the Rector’s Palace (321422, closed Sun), the seat of government in the old republic; the Cathedral and Treasury (323459); and the Dominican monastery (321423), where the museum holds a few Titians and an 11th-century Bible.

The nearest beach is Lazareti, just past Ploce Gate; another, with more family-orientated attractions, can be found at Lapad, a short bus ride from Pile Gate.

• Tourist information: Dr Ante Starcevica 7 (323887, www.tzdubrovnik.hr).