Dubrovnik travel guide
Where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Things to do in Dubrovnik, planned over three days
Best time to visit Dubrovnik
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months: warm, swimmable sea from late May, everything open, September keeps the warmth with thinner crowds.
Winter: quiet and half-closed, 8 to 15 degrees, with many restaurants, ferries and excursions paused and shorter cable car hours.
Summer peak: 30 to 35 degrees, maximum prices and queues, midday Old Town can feel overwhelming.
Spring opening: restaurants and tours restart, the sea is cold but the city is fresh and uncrowded.
Autumn closing: October is superb, November turns rainy as excursion boats stop and Lokrum sailings end.
What's on
- Feast of St Blaise 2-3 February
Patron saint celebrations with doves on Candlemas and a relic procession along Stradun: the best reason to come in winter.
- Dubrovnik Summer Festival 10 July to 25 August
Theatre, music, opera and dance on 70 plus open-air stages including Lovrijenac: book performances and hotels months ahead.
- Dubrovnik Winter Festival late November to early January
Advent stalls, concerts and lights centred on Stradun, climaxing with New Year on Stradun.
- Čilipi Folkloric Sundays Sunday mornings, roughly April-October
Traditional dance, music and costume after mass in Cilipi village: pair with a Konavle day.
- Dubrovnik Carnival February / early March
A smaller local carnival of costumes and street performances, charming if you coincide.
Worth the trip for
Best things to do in Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik City Walls
Near 2 km circuit above the Old Town with fortresses, red roofs and open Adriatic views: the best first walk in the city.
Fort Lovrijenac
Detached fortress on a rock west of the walls with the classic view back at the walled city and a spare, atmospheric interior.
Mount Srđ
Hill directly behind the city reached by cable car, with the postcard panorama over the Old Town, Lokrum and the Elaphiti.
War Photo Limited
Small serious gallery of conflict photojournalism centred on the siege of Dubrovnik that reframes everything else you see.
Rector's Palace
Gothic-Renaissance palace that holds Ragusa's civic memory: atrium, rector's apartments, portraits and coins in one building.
Sponza Palace
Elegant palace five minutes from the Rector's Palace holding the Memorial Room of the Dubrovnik Defenders and state archives.
Old Port Dubrovnik
Harbour and Porporela breakwater walk that locals use for an evening stroll once the cruise crowds have left.
Franciscan Monastery
Monastery just inside Pile Gate with one of Europe's oldest still-operating pharmacies, a serene cloister and a small museum.
Where to stay in Dubrovnik
Ploče
first trip, all-round base
Postcard view of the Old Town and Lokrum, Banje Beach below and a flat-ish 5 to 10 minute walk to the walls.
Old Town
short, romantic, first trip
Sleep inside the UNESCO monument with dawn Stradun at your door, at the cost of stairs, noise and no car access.
Pile / Boninovo
views plus easier arrival
Five minutes west of Pile Gate with cliff sea-view hotels, better transport access and a calmer night than the Old Town.
Lapad
beaches, families and value
Green peninsula where residents live and swim, with a cafe promenade and regular buses to Pile Gate in about 15 minutes.
Babin Kuk
resort families
Large resort hotels, beaches and kids' clubs at the end of the Lapad peninsula, a bus ride from every sightseeing start.
Gruž
budget, ferries and early departures
Working port district with the bus station, ferry port, market and the cheapest well-connected rooms in the city.
Think twice about
- Deep Old Town lanes in July and August
Crowd crush at the gates, bar noise bouncing off stone lanes until late, steep steps to many rooms and no vehicle access for luggage.
- Gruž port frontage for more than a night or two
A working port and bus station environment with traffic and few evening restaurants, sometimes sold as if it were the Old Town.
- Dubrovnik Riviera resorts in Župa Dubrovačka, Mlini and Srebreno
Good beach hotels 20 to 30 minutes south, so every Old Town start is a commute and late evenings end early.
- Srđ foothills and high Ploče lanes
View listings do not show the 200 steps between you and dinner with luggage in summer heat: altitude here is a cost.
Best restaurants in Dubrovnik
Restaurant 360
Starred dining room set into the city wall above the Old Port, with modern Dalmatian tasting menus.
Nautika Restaurant
White-tablecloth terraces at Pile facing Lovrijenac: Vis lobster and Adriatic fish, the classic celebration dinner.
Pantarul
Lapad's living room: seasonal market-led modern Croatian cooking at honest prices, where residents book birthdays.
Konoba Dubrava
Rural konoba above the city famous for meat and octopus peka, which must be pre-ordered when you book.
Taj Mahal
Beloved Old Town Bosnian restaurant despite the name: cevapi, burek and baklava at a fair price.
Proto Fish Restaurant
Old-guard fish restaurant off Stradun where the cooking justifies an Old Town fish dinner inside the walls.
Gradska Kavana Arsenal
Grand cafe by the Old Port that is the safer harbour-front choice for a seafood lunch with a view.
Nishta
Standout vegetarian and vegan restaurant in the Old Town with creative Mediterranean plates at sane prices.
Outdoor things to do in Dubrovnik
Sea Kayaking Dubrovnik
Guided paddle from Pile Bay along the sea walls toward Lokrum, stopping at Betina Cave for swimming and snorkelling.
Elaphiti Islands
Full day island-hopping Kolocep, Lopud and Sipan for coves, a sandy beach at Sunj and a slow island lunch.
Mount Srđ Hiking Trail
Free serpentine trail up to Fort Imperial in about an hour, with widening views and the evening descent a highlight.
Konavle
Guided half-day ride through vineyards, olive groves and watermills on the Ljuta river, often with a tasting stop.
Ston
Day trip for the hill walls between Ston and Mali Ston, old salt pans and oysters eaten minutes after harvest.
Mostar
Long day trip to Mostar's old bridge and bazaar plus a swim under the Kravice waterfalls in season.
Kotor
Day trip south to Perast, Our Lady of the Rocks and Kotor's walled old town under near-vertical mountains.
Sveti Jakov Beach
Locals' favourite beach near the Old Town, reached by many steps down, with the same water as Banje and fewer crowds.
Best hotels in Dubrovnik
Hotel Excelsior Dubrovnik
Iconic Ploce five-star with sea terraces looking straight at the walls and Lokrum.
Villa Dubrovnik
Cliff-edge luxury east of the Old Town with a boat shuttle into the Old Port.
Hotel Stari Grad
Small, family-run hotel inside the walls near Pile Gate, with the Above 5 rooftop restaurant upstairs.
The Pučić Palace
18th-century baroque palace on Gundulic Square, sleeping inside the UNESCO monument itself.
Fresh Sheets Kathedral
Well-run guesthouse near the Cathedral: mid-range inside the walls means a good guesthouse, not a full hotel.
Hostel Angelina
Genuinely central Old Town hostel beds for budget travellers, with dorm noise to match.
Hotel Bellevue Dubrovnik
Cliff-carved five-star above Miramare Bay, a 20 minute walk west of Pile Gate, with big sea views and its own cove.
Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik
Grand 1897 hotel just outside Pile Gate, with easier taxi and bus access than inside the walls.
Is Dubrovnik expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €120 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €235 a person |
| Splurge | €450 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Dubrovnik City Walls: weeks ahead
- Game of Thrones Walking Tour: a few days ahead
- Sea Kayaking Dubrovnik: a few days ahead
- Elaphiti Islands: a few days ahead
- Konavle: a few days ahead
- Mostar: a few days ahead
- Kotor: a few days ahead
- Mljet National Park: a few days ahead
- Buy the Dubrovnik Pass online: it costs about the same as Walls entry alone and adds museums plus bus travel.
- Book 360, Nautika, Above 5, Pantarul and Konoba Dubrava days to weeks ahead in summer, with the peka pre-order.
- Book kayaking, Elaphiti boats and Mostar and Montenegro day trips 3 to 7 days ahead and early in your stay.
Is Dubrovnik safe?
- Pickpocketing in Gate and Stradun crush and on packed buses is the main petty risk.
- Respect wind warnings for kayaking and swimming off rocks, and never cliff-jump where locals are not jumping.
- Emergency number is 112.
Dubrovnik travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Game of Thrones screenshot tours, Iron Throne photo charges and themed Stradun menus at double the lane-behind price.
- Stradun-front restaurants with touts and photo menus: walk 50 metres into a side lane for better food at lower prices.
- Banje Beach lounger and beach-club packages are among the most inflated in Croatia: swim and go, or use Sveti Jakov.
- Walls at midday in summer: heat, glare, no shade and the slowest crowds at full price.
Getting around Dubrovnik: public transport and more
- Old Town is car-free and walkable but full of steps and slippery polished limestone: wear grippy shoes.
- Libertas buses link Lapad and Babin Kuk to Pile Gate and Gruz to Ploce and Pile every 10 to 20 minutes in season.
- Airport shuttle runs to Pile Gate and Gruz bus station in about 30 minutes; Uber is usually cheaper than rank taxis.
- Taxis cannot enter the walls: every Old Town stay starts with a walk from Pile or Ploce Gate.
- Tap water is safe: refill at Onofrio's Fountains rather than buying bottled water at Old Town prices.
Who Dubrovnik suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Dubrovnik your trip
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