Dinkwads Abroad

Planning a trip to Dubrovnik and wondering what to do, where to eat, and where to stay? Read on for a quick, easy breakdown of the highlights of Dubrovnik. And if you’d like more detailed recaps and reviews, check out my full blog posts on what we did, where we ate and drank, and how we structured our days in Dubrovnik to make the most of our time there!

Where To Stay

We only stayed at the Booba House, but these are other places we have on our radar for next time! My main concerns when booking a hotel are clean rooms in a great location – and these seem to hit the mark on both of those!

Budget

The private bedroom with shared bath is just as expensive as the mid-range accommodations, so I’d only do this if I really needed the most affordable option and was okay being in a dorm-style room!

Mid-Range

Booba House

Pećarica ul. 6, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Check Availability Here

This is where we stayed. I would probably try one of these other places first, but it’s a good option for the price! Read my full review for what I liked and didn’t like about it.

Rilati Old Town Palace

Ul. Dinka Ranjine 7, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Check Availability Here

Great location for an affordable price!

Palacio Celesete Dubrovnik

Ul. Nikole Bozidarevica 2, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Check Availability Here

These rooms look a little smaller, but more modern. It’s also right off the main road, Stradun, so it’s perfectly centralized!

High End

For those who want to splurge a little bit!

Villa ‘Stayeva 11’

Stajeva ul. 11, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Check Availability Here

Right by the wall with an adorable terrace!

Pucic Palace

Ul. od Puca 1, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Check Availability Here

Just off the main area, down the street from Rector’s Palace and St. Blaise’s Church, it’s a great location!

What To Do

These are my top things to do in Dubrovnik. Read my full breakdown, costs, reviews, links, and helpful logistics for each of these in my full post here! And to see how we structured these into our day, see the full day by day itinerary.

Walk the City Walls

This should be on everyone’s to do list in Dubrovnik. Walk through history, recreate your favorite Game of Thrones scenes, and just enjoy the unbelievable views.

Get out on the water via kayak

Book a tour and get out into that bright blue water! Get some exercise, and enjoy the walls from a different perspective!

Explore Lokrum Island

Take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city and take a quick ferry over to this natural reserve for some hikes, monastery ruins, and floating in the saltwater lake.

Take A Walking Tour

As with any city, find a free walking tour so you get a dose of information while also crossing off all the major sites. Bonus points, they usually include recommendations from a local! Check out GuruWalk for great local tours!

Walk the Jesuit Stairs

Another landmark made famous by the Game of Thrones, walk these famous stairs and enjoy the view from the top!

Enjoy the calm of the Franciscan Monastery

See one of the oldest consistently running pharmacies in the world and enjoy a serene atrium in the middle of Dubrovnik!

Learn about Croatian history at Rector’s Palace

Marvel at the architecture while learning more about culture and history in Dubrovnik and Croatia through their exhibits.

See shipwreck artifacts at the Maritime Museum

Learn all about the nautical history of Dubrovnik, and see artifacts excavated from the Adriatic, spanning from 1 BC up to the 1700s.

See the city from above at Lovrjenac Fortress

Walk up to the 11th century fortress and see the whole city from above!

Or see it from even higher at the Dubrovnik Observation Point

Hike up or take the cable car for panoramic views of the city and the sea!

Jump off a cliff and swim in the Adriatic

Find one of the many spots you can jump into the water and cool off on a hot summer day.

Live out your Game of Thrones fantasy

Take an official tour or recreate your own by looking up filming locations!

Where To Eat

Read my full reviews of the places we ate and specifics on what we ordered, how much it cost, and whether or not you need cash or a reservation! But these are the places you should add to your must try list!

Dubravka 1836 Restaurant & Cafe

Brsalje. 1, 20 000, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Restaurant Website

Seafood and pasta with views of the city wall! It’s a fantastic mid-range option: not too pricey, but not cheap fast food either.

D’Vino Wine Bar

Palmoticeva ul. 4, 20000, Dubrovnik
Restaurant Website

Great for small bites with your wine! Things like bruschetta, baba ganoush, and charcuterie.

Holy Burek

Ul. od Puca 22, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Restaurant Website

A popular place to grab a quick bite that you can eat while you walk along the streets of Dubrovnik! They only serve burek, a filled pastry popular in Croatia.

Pizzeria Tabasco

Maestra Dela Jusica 48, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Restaurant Website

A cool spot for pizza!

Lady Pi-Pi

Peline ul. 25-b, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia

The seafood platter looks amazing, and the location is so cute with a terrace with cascading greenery!

Nautika

Brsalje ul. 3, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Restaurant Website

Highly rated fine-dining seafood option.

Where To Drink

Whether you’re here for the caffeine, craft beer, or Croatian wines, we’ve got you covered! If you want to see everywhere we drank in Dubrovnik and read my reviews, read my full post here.

Coffee

Life According to Kawa

Hvarska ul. 2, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Website

The perfect stop for great coffee, as well as handmade souvenirs!

Cogito Coffee – Old Town

Stajeva ul. 5, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Restaurant Website

A great stop in old town for coffee in a beautiful, serene setting!

Caffe on the Wall

Walls of Dubrovnik

Stop along your walk on the wall to grab a coffee and stare out over the Adriatic Sea!

Craft Beer

Glam Bar #Beertherapy

Palmoticeva ul. 5, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia

The absolute BEST spot for craft beer in old town Dubrovnik!

Wine

D’Vino Wine Bar

Palmoticeva ul. 4, 20000, Dubrovnik
Restaurant Website

In addition to great food, they have an excellent wine list!

FAQs And General Tips

How long do I need in Dubrovnik?

We were there for two full days and one evening, and felt like that was roughly the right amount of time. Maybe had it been warmer and we could have swam, we would have needed more time. However, we found we got to do most everything we really wanted to do. It’s a city built around tourism, which I do find I often don’t need a ton of time there as I start to get burnt out from the commercialism of it all.

How do I get to the city from the airport?

This was very easy! While Ubers are readily available, the Platanus Bus is the easiest way to get to the city. It coordinates its departures with flight arrivals, so there should always be one there ready to go. You can buy your €10 ticket there at the airport, either at a kiosk inside right in front of the doors to the pickup location, or at a kiosk outside right in front of the bus stop. Both of those take credit card. Or you can pay the driver directly, but cash only.

How do I get to/from the main port and the city?

If you’re headed to one of the islands like Korcula or Hvar, you’ll likely depart from this port on a ferry. It’s about a 50 minute walk from Old Town, but obviously with bags, that was less than ideal. And I could not find a bus route that goes there, so we ended up just Ubering. While Ubers can’t pick up in Old Town, it was easy enough to call one from Pile Gate, and then it was only a 10 minute drive.

Should I get the Dubrovnik City Pass?

If you plan on doing pretty much anything besides the City Wall, I would say yes! It includes so many museums, as well as free city transport on the buses if you end up using them. You can get a single day, 3 day, or 7 day pass, so depending on how long you’re staying and how you’re structuring your days would determine which one is best for you. Buy it ahead of time here and it will activate the time period the first time you scan it for an activity or a bus. You can also check on the site to see what else the pass covers!

How to check for cruise ship days?

Dubrovnik is a very popular city to visit, so it’s busy on its own without cruise ships coming in. Throw in 3000 – 6000 day trippers and the main streets of Old Town can be practically impassible and just miserable to navigate. So I recommend when planning your trip, check out this site to see when cruise ships are coming in and how many people are expected to arrive.

If you can’t avoid being in Dubrovnik during a port day, I would recommend planning around the cruise ship arrivals. For example, we made sure we did the Old Town sights (City Walls, museums, etc) on the day there wasn’t a cruise ship and then went to Lokrum Island to escape the crowds the day they came in. Ultimately we didn’t have to contend with the crowds too terribly much by doing it that way, but I’m so glad I checked the cruise schedule ahead of time, so I HIGHLY recommend doing so!

Will I be able to get around easily speaking English?

I can’t express how easy it is to get around with English. Almost everyone spoke it pretty much fluently. Even the people who spoke the least amount of English still spoke enough to get by. So you’ll have no issue with English!

Do places accept credit card?

Croatia in general was a lot more credit card friendly than other countries I’ve visited in Europe! Even as little as a 2 euro charge, most places didn’t seem to have any issue with credit card regardless of amount. There are exceptions, of course, such as the cliffside bars in Dubrovnik, but in general, you can charge almost anything on a credit card. I did make note of what was cash only in my Where We Ate and Drank post, so feel free to read through that if you’re unsure!

Where else should I go in Croatia?

Great question! Croatia has so many amazing places to visit outside of Dubrovnik, and you should definitely plan to go elsewhere to get a real feel for the country. While we visited Korcula, Split, Rovinj, and Zagreb, other popular places to visit are Hvar, Trogir, and Zadar. To see details of where we went, you can see my full Croatia and Slovenia trip itinerary here!