Franciscan Monastery & Pharmacy

Just inside Pile Gate on Stradun (Placa) sits the Franciscan Church and Monastery, home to a serene 14th-century cloister, a small museum, and the Friars Minor Pharmacy—founded in 1317 and widely cited as one of Europe’s oldest pharmacies still in operation. Expect cool stone arcades, orange trees in the courtyard, and exhibits that trace seven centuries of care, learning, and craft. 

Top Tickets & Tours

City plan in a nutshell

• Monastery & Museum ticket at the door. Walk in from Stradun, buy your ticket at the museum entrance beside the cloister. Simple and quick. 
• Dubrovnik Pass. If you also want the City Walls and several museums, the pass offers better value—and includes the Franciscan Monastery Museum. Buy online or at Tourist Information Centers. 
• Guided Old Town walks. Most essentials tours pass the monastery; some include a brief stop in the cloister. Choose a morning or evening slot to avoid heat.

Tickets & Passes Explained

What’s included

Monastery & Museum ticket: Admission to the cloister and museum rooms (with the historic pharmacy collection). Tickets are sold on-site at the monastery.
Dubrovnik Pass (1/3/7 days): Includes the Franciscan Monastery Museum, the City Walls, multiple museums/galleries, plus city buses for the pass duration. Buy online or at city sales points. If you’ll visit two or more paid sights, the pass usually saves money. 

Where to buy

On-site at the Monastery Museum entrance on Stradun.
Dubrovnik Pass via the official website or Tourist Information Centers. 

Money-saving tip

Pair the monastery with at least one museum (e.g., Rector’s Palace) and the City Walls on the same day to make the most of a 1-day Dubrovnik Pass. 

Opening Hours & Service Times

• Museum & Cloister:
  Summer (last Sunday in March–last Sunday in October) roughly 09:00–18:00       Winter around 09:00–14:00. Hours can change; check the posted schedule at the door on the day. 
• Church services: Mass times vary by season and feast days; services have priority. If a liturgy is underway, visit the cloister/museum first and return to the church later. For current parish contacts, see the monastery’s notices. 

Best Time to Visit

•  When it’s busy outside, it’s calm inside. On cruise mornings, the cloister offers shade and quiet—drop in before 11:00 or after 16:00 for the most peaceful feel.
• Rain or heat? The monastery is an excellent weather back-up: covered arcades for showers; naturally cooler stone in summer.
• Pair with Stradun. Step in right after you enter Pile Gate; you’ll be back on Stradun within minutes for the rest of your plan.

How Much Time to Budget

• Quick peek (20–30 minutes): Cloister walk, pharmacy room, one museum gallery.
• Standard visit (40–60 minutes): Full cloister circuit, pharmacy exhibits, church interior, and a slow read of the labels.
• Depth visit (60–90 minutes): Architecture details, treasury items, and time in the church for art and altars.

Entrances & How to Reach

• On foot: Enter Pile Gate, step onto Stradun, and the monastery is on your left next to St Saviour Church and Large Onofrio’s Fountain. You’ll see the portal and bell tower within a minute’s walk.
• By bus: Nearly all city routes funnel to Pile. Look for Libertas lines 1A, 1B, 3, 4, 6, 9 (and others) that terminate at Pile—the stop right outside the gate. From there it’s a 1–2 minute walk.
• From the cruise port (Gruž): Take 1A/1B/3 to Pile; services are frequent. 

Accessibility & Step Count

• Terrain: Stradun is smooth limestone; thresholds at the museum are low, but some interior steps and narrow doorways remain in historic areas.
• Wheelchairs/strollers: The cloister walkway is generally level; the church is typically step-free at the main portal. Some museum rooms have a step up/down—ask staff for the easiest sequence before starting.
• Pacing: Benches line parts of the cloister—use them for breaks on hot days.

What to See Inside

• Cloister: A graceful 14th-century court with arcades, capitals, and a central fountain; the perfect first loop. 
• Museum & Pharmacy Collection: Original pharmacy furniture (16th c.), Siena & Florence vases (15th–16th c.), a 14th-century still, mortars, presses, scales, manuscripts, and recipe books. 
• Church & Treasury: Baroque interior rebuilt after 1667, with liturgical objects and paintings; pause for the carved Gothic portal on the façade when you exit to Stradun.

Historic Pharmacy (1317) – Highlights & Displays

• Why it matters: The Friars Minor Pharmacy has served Dubrovnik since 1317, with continuous activity documented by the order and the city. The collection shows how remedies were made and dispensed over the centuries. 
• What to look for: Manuscripts of cures and tonics, the 14th-century distilling apparatus, and display jars labeled in Latin/Italian. 

Pharmacy Shop & Souvenirs

• The working pharmacy at the entrance still prepares creams, waters, and soaps inspired by old monastic recipes—popular picks include Rose Cream (Krema od Ruže) and classic waters like Aqua Rosae / Rosmarini / Lavandulae. Buy small sizes for carry-on.
• Shelf life and ingredients vary by product; ask staff for storage tips in summer heat.

Architecture & Art Highlights

• Cloister geometry: 120 columns and 12 massive pilasters frame the garden walkways; many capitals show lively foliage and figures. 
• Portal on Stradun: A 1498 Gothic portal with a Pietà in the lunette and figures of St Jerome and St John the Baptist—one of the city’s best stone carvings.

Viewpoints & Photography Tips

• Best angles: Shoot diagonally across the arcades for rhythm; crouch low to include the fountain and citrus trees.
• Light: Morning brings softer light into the cloister; mid-day is brightest; late afternoon gives warm tones on the stone.
• Etiquette: In the church and museum, expect no-flash and no-tripod rules; always follow posted signs and staff directions.

Visitor Etiquette & Rules

• Respect the space: This is an active religious site—covered shoulders/knees are appreciated in the church; keep voices low.
• Groups: Large groups should stay to one side of the cloister to keep the walkways open.
• Drones/tripods: No drone flights in the Old Town area and no flying over crowds under EU rules; tripods inside are typically not allowed without permission.

Facilities

• Toilets: Public restrooms are signed near the gates and main squares; cafés nearby also have facilities for customers.
• Water: Tap water is safe citywide; refill at Onofrio’s Fountain a few steps away.
• Breaks: Shaded benches in the cloister help on hot days; numerous cafés line Stradun for quick cool-downs.

Safety & Practical Tips

• Footwear: Polished limestone can be slick—wear grippy soles, especially after rain.
• Bags: Keep daypacks small; some doorways are tight and displays are close.
• Kids: The cloister is stroller-friendly but mind the small steps into museum rooms.

Nearby Attractions & Easy Combos

Step out to Large Onofrio’s Fountain for a quick refill and Stradun views, then continue to Sponza, Rector’s Palace, or start the City Walls loop from the Pile entrance. All are within a 5–10 minute walk.

Suggested Tours & Experiences

• Old Town Essentials Walk: Efficient overview of Dubrovnik’s history, usually starting at Pile and including the monastery exterior and cloister stop.
• Heritage/Faith themed tours: Slower pace with time for art and architecture details in churches and cloisters.

Map: Entrance, Ticket Office & Cloister Loop

• Entrance: From Pile Gate, enter Stradun and look left—the monastery façade and bell tower are immediate. The ticket desk for the museum/cloister sits just inside the complex.
• Loop: Walk the cloister clockwise, then step into the pharmacy room and museum galleries before returning to the church and out to Stradun.

FAQs