The Best Things I Did When Visiting Dubrovnik, Croatia
Croatia entered the Schengen area in January 2023, making it a lot more accessible for those to travel to on their European Summer trips. The castle-like city is right along the Adriatic Sea, full of charm. This guide will highlight the best day trips, nearby islands, and activities to do while visiting Dubrovnik, Croatia.
Explore Old Town
Old Town is the beautiful, castle-like pedestrian city in Dubrovnik. You enter through Pile Gate, where the town is then surrounded by city walls used to protect the area in the 13th to 17th centuries. This is the bustling center of Dubrovnik, with cobblestone alleys lined with local shops, restaurants, and gelaterias. There are numerous historic sites, even within this 1 mile wide city, including the Dubrovnik Cathedral and Sponza Palace which are just some of a few worth checking out.
I recommend grabbing a coffee and going past Old Port Gate to walk by the docks and sit alongside the water with views of the island of Lokrum and the red roofed houses perched outside Old Town.
Note: there are grueling flights of stairs throughout Old Town. Bring comfortable shoes and be ready to climb! Also, if you are a traveler who doesn’t like tourist crowds, this can be very densely packed with visitors during peak times so plan accordingly.
Walk Stradun
Stradun is the main street in Old Town, which is hard to miss as this is the main strip ahead of you as you enter Old Town through the historic Pile Gate. The street begins with the iconic Onofrio’s fountain and is lined with various shops, cafes, and restaurants before you reach Ploce Gate at the end. Be sure to stop by the Mlinar bakery for cheap and delicious pastries.
Take a Boat to Lopud, one of the Elafiti Islands
The Elafiti islands are just 55 minutes away from Dubrovnik, and easily accessible via the Jadrolinija ferry. It is incredible peaceful with pristinely clear blue water, local businesses, and beautiful walking trails. If you walk across the island, you’ll reach the Sunj beach club, pictured below. This beach has a relaxed bar, numerous parked boats in the water, some caves to explore and is an absolute must on your trip. The water is shallow to the knee nearly all the way out, making this safe for inexperienced or young swimmers.
I had opted for an organized tour to three of the Elafiti Islands – Lopud, Šipan, and Koločep – which are quite popular. Many of us in the group agreed however that we would have preferred to just spend the day at Lopud given how amazing it was here (and how little there was to do on the last two islands). I highly recommend just taking the ferry to come here yourself! For more information on a trip to the Elafiti Islands, check out my guide here.
Ride the Dubrovnik Cable Car at Sunset
The Dubrovnik Cable Car is a swiss-made cable car which travels 778 meters in just 4 minutes. You’ll get stunning views of Dubrovnik showcasing ariel views of the Elafiti Islands, Old Town, and the Adriatic Sea. On the other side, you’ll see the vast mountain ranges just on the other side of the city. If you are there around lunch or dinner, you can also stop to eat at the Panorama Restaurant & Bar up top here.
You can buy tickets from the official site here.
Grab a Drink at Buza Bar
Buza Bar will be at the top of most Dubrovnik travel guides and for good reason! This isn’t one of the over-hyped places to visit, proven by the three times I stopped by here on my trip. To access the bar, you’ll walk through a somewhat hidden hole in the rocks where you’ll come upon a staircase bringing you here. The Mama Mia soundtrack blasting, people cliff-jumping, and everyone having a relaxed drink here is the perfect sunset vibe.
Note that they only serve wine and beer.
Walk the City Walls
The City Walls wrap around Old Town, which date back to 13th century to defend the city from land or sea attacks. The stone wall is so sturdily built, it’s one of the most ancient medieval walls throughout Europe. The walk is about a mile-long and is above the whole city, offering a 360 degree birds eye view of Dubrovnik as you walk the perimeter of the city. Many will say this is the highlight of a trip to Dubrovnik, filled with both history and amazing sights. There are a few cafes with fresh squeezed juice and coffees along the walk which makes for a great break.
The tickets can be bought by the Onofrio fountain for €33 for adults. Note that the walk will take 1.5-2 hours and 1,080 feet climb without much shade; make sure to bring water and sunscreen!
Do A Day Trip to Nearby Countries or National Parks
There are so, so many day trips you can take from Dubrovnik. With it being located at the very southern tip of Croatia, you can easily visit the neighboring countries of Bosnia and Montenegro within a day. Or choose to visit some of the incredible nearby national parks. I found doing an organized tour to be the best way to embark on these day trips so that your transportation is covered and everything is timely/organized to fit it in just one day if you don’t want to stay overnight. Below are some of the top day trips to do:
- Montenegro (Kotor, Budva, and Perast)
- Mljet National Park
- Mostar, Bosnia
- Kravice Waterfalls
- Split (but I would stay at least a night here since it’s a 3-hour journey one way)
Visit Cavtat for Breakfast and a Beach Day
Cavtat (pronounced Sav-tat) is a town in Dubrovnik, just south of the airport. If you have a later flight, this is the perfect day trip to do beforehand or even as a solo day from Old Town. The main downtown is filled with restaurants and local artists. We ate at the Supetar Cavtat hotel and did their breakfast buffet which was incredible.
My favorite part of Cavtat was the “Cavtat Walking Path”, which you can enter to the left of the Franciscan Monastery. This path has incredible spots on the side to stop by and have a beach day, with beautiful views of the Croatian houses perched on the hills alongside the water. There are a few restaurants and bars scattered along the water here as well if you’re looking for lunch or a gelato break.
Take a Ferry to the Island of Lokrum
Lokrum is just 2,000 feet away from Old Town and is easily accessible via ferry. You’ll see it in many ariel views of Dubrovnik, even in the left-side photo above from Buza Bar. You should carve a few hours out of the day here to explore the Dead Sea, Monastery Complex, Iron Throne (from Game of Thrones) and keeping an eye out for peacocks (they have made this island their home)!
Relax at Banje Beach
If you’re looking for a day to relax on the beach, Banje beach is the most popular in Dubrovnik. If you’re staying in Old Town, it’s walking distance just a few feet away from Ploce Gate.
There are beach chairs and sun loungers available to rent if you want more comfort, and there is also various activities here ranging from snorkeling to jet skiing. Make sure to plan to swim a bit, even if you’re with kids, ass the waters here are extremely calm and shallow.
Go Kayaking
Kayaking is one of the top activities to do in Dubrovnik. You’ll likely leave from Fort Lovrijenac and kayak over out towards Lokrum island with prime views of Old Town or to the Betina Cave/Beach. I didn’t get a chance to do this on my own trip but I heard this is an incredible experience.
Note that this activity can be physically exhausting for many as many kayaking excursions last for a couple of hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many days should i stay in dubrovnik?
I found three days to be the ideal time in Dubrovnik – I recommend planning two days to spend in Dubrovnik itself and one of the days to embark on one of the amazing day trip opportunities from the city. Old town itself is quite small, and can be walked around in just a couple hours, so I didn’t find needing more than two days to do all local activities. But be sure to add an extra day if you want a relaxing day at the beach!
where should i stay in dubrovnik, croatia?
I highly recommend staying in Old Town to be central to a lot of the livelihood in the city. You’ll be walking distance to all of the restaurants, cafes, meeting points for many of the key activities, etc. This will let you spend much of your time exploring versus taking time to travel to-and-from old town to your location.
What is the best way to get from Dubrovnik to Split?
There are three main ways to get to Split if this is your next stop after Dubrovnik.
- FlixBus – the bus leaves Dubrovnik station once an hour, and is about a 4 hour 15 minute drive. This is going to be your most cost conscious option at just €15 one-way.
- Rent a Car – if you have a rental car, you can easily drive to Split which takes just under 3 hours. This is going to be your most comfortable and fastest route.
- Ferry – this is one of the most common ways to get to Split, albeit the longest. You can catch the ferry in Old Town which will take about 5.5 hours. It leaves from the Kantafig section of Gruž bay, about 1.8 miles (or 3km) from Old Town.
