42.64° N · 18.11° E
A walled city above the Adriatic, the old Republic of Ragusa and a World Heritage site since 1979. Almost two kilometres of walls, a nature-reserve island ten minutes away by boat and a pedestrian old town that fills up by mid-morning.
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What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
A 1,940 m circuit above the old town, with sixteen towers and the Minčeta tower. About two hours; the ticket includes Lovrijenac.
A three-and-a-half-minute cable car from Ploče to the top of Srđ, at 405 m, with the whole city below. €30 return; open from April to November.
A reserve island 15 minutes from the old port: monastery, botanical garden, peacocks and rocks for swimming. €30 with boat.
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
May, June, September and October: warm sea, Lokrum and the cable car open and fewer people than in July and August. From November to March the city is quiet and the walls open fewer hours. Lokrum reduces its boats (in November, one an hour from 10:00 to 15:00) and closes in midwinter, and the cable car does not run from December to March.
How you travel
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
The old town is pedestrian and the surroundings have restricted traffic from April to October. You arrive by plane, get off the airport bus and everything essential is on foot, by city bus or by boat.
The Ploče and Sveti Jakov strip concentrates the five-star hotels, with the old town in front and a walk away. Book a table and tickets before you arrive: in summer everything fills up.
In summer Dubrovnik is expensive. The hostels, the city bus and the free plans make up for it, and outside July and August prices fall.
In Croatia it is forbidden to overnight outside campsites or authorised areas, and central Dubrovnik has no room for a motorhome. There are two campsites with a bus to the city.
Wild camping is banned throughout Croatia. With a tent you have a campsite in the city and another on the south coast, both with a bus.
Dubrovnik receives direct flights from Spain: Iberia from Madrid and Vueling from Barcelona, mainly in season; outside summer there are fewer and sometimes a stopover is needed. The airport is at Čilipi, about 22 km away, and the airport bus drops you at the Ploče gate in half an hour and at the Gruž station shortly after. For the city you do not need a car; for Montenegro or the Pelješac peninsula, hire one at the airport.
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
With children of different ages it works to alternate: a morning on the wall or at a fortress and an afternoon of water, on Lokrum, kayaking or on a boat to the islands. Avoid the old town at midday in July and August.
A teenager is bored by the Stradun full of groups. What works is whatever has some challenge or freedom: paddling under the wall, walking up Srđ or spending an afternoon on their own on Lokrum.
The old town's streets are steps and the wall cannot be done with a pushchair. What under-sixes cope with best is what moves them without tiring them: a cable car, a short boat ride and a flat seafront promenade.
Dubrovnik is expensive, and that is why a group comes out ahead by sharing. The walls, the cable car and the Elafiti Islands are paid per person, but a kayak or a shared boat works out cheaper between several. The old town is small; what you can't see from inside you see from the water or from the hill.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: Opposite the old city, five minutes' walk from the walls, with a spa, a chef's-menu restaurant and a transfer service.
Why we like it: A hotel hanging above the sea in the Sveti Jakov area, with all rooms facing the old city and Lokrum. It closes in winter: the 2027 season starts on 26 March.
Why we like it: A family hotel opened in 1914 on the shore of the port of Gruž, with the bus station and ferries across the water. 3 km from the old town, by city bus.
Why we like it: The Hostelling International hostel, 15 minutes' walk from the old town and 20 from the bus station. Open from 1 March to 15 October.
Why we like it: Bunks inside the walls, near Pile. The last stretch is stairs: arrive with a rucksack, not a big suitcase.
Why we like it: The only campsite within the city, on the Babin Kuk peninsula, with pitches of 80 to 120 m² and a regular bus to the old town. It is the option for arriving by motorhome and not…
Why we like it: A campsite at Mlini, on the coast road south, with steps to the village beach, a bus to Dubrovnik and Cavtat and a boat to the old port.
Services for this trip
Areas, for any way of travelling
| Area | Who it's for | Average night |
|---|---|---|
| Old town (Grad) | Everything on foot, no car | From €150 |
| Ploče | City views, luxury hotels | From €250 |
| Lapad and Gruž | Ferry port, bus, quiet beaches | From €90 |
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: the tasting menu, with a table on the wall terrace above the old port.
What to order: chargrilled Adriatic fish, grilled octopus and rožata for dessert.
What to order: a drink at sunset with the city and Lokrum at your feet.
What to order: black risotto, grilled squid or mussels buzara.
Takeaway and markets
Map
The places to stay and services on the map are the ones for the way you travel. Turn on the layers you want and tap a point to see its details.
Tips
If the day before shows a lot of people, go up on the walls at opening and leave the Stradun for the evening.
The Pile entrance is the busiest. At Ploče or the St John fortress you usually wait less.
Up there there is almost no shade and in summer the sun bites from ten.
The ticket on the bus costs €2.50; the day one, €5.31. The Libertas kiosks sell it cheaper than the driver.
In summer the old town's restaurants with terraces fill up every night.
Sleep at least one night inside or next to the walls. When the cruise ships and day excursions leave, the city changes completely.
Heat, queues at every ice-cream shop and no room to look at anything. Come back at 21:00, with the stone still warm and half the people.
The old city has six entrances with counters. Dubrovnik Tourism publishes each day a forecast and the number of people inside in real time, against a reference ceiling of 11,275. The forecast takes account of the cruise ships docking that day. Check it the day before and plan the day in reverse: walls first thing or last thing, and at midday, Lokrum, the sea or the cable car.
In July and August, between 10:00 and 13:00, the Stradun and the climb up to the walls via Pile are packed. Outside those hours, and from November to March, the city can be strolled at ease.
The wall measures 1,940 m, with sixteen towers and three fortresses, and is walked in full along the top. The ticket is for a single circuit, without re-entry, and includes the Lovrijenac fortress, the outer west wall (closed in December, January and February) and the Republic's coin collection. Children up to age 6 do not pay. The 2026 adult rate is about €40, the same price as the one-day Dubrovnik Pass, which also adds the Rector's Palace, several museums and the city bus. If you are going to enter any museum, the pass pays off.
It is bought on the official website or at the entrances. From November to March the shorter winter timetable applies. The closing time is that of the last entry.
Into the old town, no: it is pedestrianised. And from April to October the city applies a special traffic regime zone around the historic centre: only cars registered beforehand or with a parking space at their accommodation enter. If you arrive by car, leave it in the public car park at Ilijina glavica, about ten minutes' downhill walk to Pile, or at your hotel, and get around on the Libertas city bus.
From Spain you arrive by plane, direct in season from some airports or with a stopover, and the airport bus drops you at the Ploče gate in half an hour. Croatia has used the euro since 1 January 2023, so there is no need to change money.
Questions
About two hours at an easy pace, with stops. There are steep stairs and stretches without shade.
If you are going to go up on the walls and enter a museum, yes: the one-day pass costs the same as the walls alone and includes the bus.
Yes. The official boat leaves from the old port and the €30 ticket includes entry to the reserve and the return. You cannot spend the night on the island.
The euro, since 1 January 2023. You pay by card almost everywhere.
No. The old town is pedestrian, the bus reaches all districts and Cavtat, and parking is scarce and expensive. If you are travelling along the coast, leave the car parked on the days you are here.
Along the Stradun and the harbour, yes. To the walls and many side streets, no: they are stairs. Bring a baby carrier.
Yes, on a lead, and large dogs muzzled.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/croacia/dalmatia/dubrovnik
