How to Plan a Trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia | Dubrovnik Travel Guide

Dubrovnik, the world's most famous walled city. In this travel guide, we'll cover money-saving tips, how to beat the crowds, and how to experience Dubrovnik like a local. So sit back, hit that like button, and we'll share everything you need to know when planning a trip to the pearl of the Adriatic, Dubrovnik. When it comes to getting to Dubrovnik, there are a few different travel options available. One popular choice is to fly into Dubrovnik Airport, which is located about 15 miles outside of the city center. From the airport, you can take a taxi, shuttle bus, or rental car to reach the Old Town easily. Given the most famous sites in the Old Town are inaccessible by car, we'd avoid renting a car unless you absolutely have to. The main reason for this is that there are no cars allowed in the Old City, so you won't find parking near anything within the walls. Another popular option to get around is to take a bus or train to Dubrovnik from other cities in Croatia or neighboring countries. This is what we did as we took an easy bus ride from the nearby city of Mostar, which arrived at the Dubrovnik bus station. The bus station is located right next to the cruise port, so if you're making a more scenic arrival by sea, getting to the Old Town will be the same as the bus. There will be plenty of taxis lined up, but since Uber is available in Croatia, that's what we used to travel from the bus station to our Airbnb. For us, it was just under $12 for our Uber to the Old Town, so use this as a reference for how much a taxi should cost. Uber's widely available around the Dubrovnik area, and definitely use your friend if you're looking to get outside the walls. We took an Uber to the city's Sky Bike, which was an amazing time. It was nearby other viewpoints that offer some of the best views of the city and the Adriatic. The cable car can also take you to the top, but we found the price of an Uber ride was much more affordable than round-trip cable car tickets. And then we were able to hike downhill on Dubrovnik's most famous hike. So consider having Uber downloaded if you're looking to try out some exciting spots beyond the walls. While the Adriatic area is beautiful all year round, the best time to visit Dubrovnik is late spring or early fall. During these months, the weather is mild and the crowds are much smaller than during the peak summer season. This allows visitors to enjoy all that Dubrovnik has to offer, from exploring the charming old town to relaxing on the beautiful beaches. If you opt to travel during the popular summer season, you can expect larger crowds and a much more intense heat. And while you can expect highs to hover around the high 80s during these dog days of summer, the number of rainy days in the summer is far lower than the rest of the year. This means you can beat the heat swimming at some of the most unique swim spots that Dubrovnik is known for. We covered some of Dubrovnik's best swimming holes away from the tourists, and our top things to do in Dubrovnik video, as well as many other top attractions and sites in this incredible city. So make sure you subscribe and check out that other video as well. Anyways, while summer is the high season for tourists, winter is the low season. This can be a great time to travel like a local, but you do run the risk of some cold, gray, and rainy days. So keep this in mind. When it comes time to book your accommodations, we recommend staying just outside the city walls where lodging is cheaper and you won't need to lug your luggage as far as if you were staying in the old town. Given there are no cars within the city walls, if you're traveling with luggage, it can be exhausting hauling your baggage up and down steps and across cobblestone streets. There was actually a rumor going around that Dubrovnik was going to outlaw the use of rolling luggage inside the city walls, and that travelers would be fined if their luggage wheels touched the ground. But we haven't seen any credible news stations actually confirming this. So for the time being, it's safe to travel with rolling luggage. We stayed at this amazing Airbnb called The Eagle's Nest, and it was only a 10-minute walk downhill to the city walls. One major advantage to staying above the city is that we were able to experience some unbelievable sunsets from our private balcony, and it was much easier getting our luggage from the taxi to our stay. All right, so for those interested in where we're staying in Dubrovnik, this is our Airbnb, and we'll give you a quick little tour here. So let's start out in the bathroom here. It's a pretty standard size, has some modern updates, which is great. We have a nice rainfall shower, pretty big sink, pink toilet paper, which I've never seen before. So moving on, this is the bedroom, pretty comfy bed, pretty big. We have a nice big TV here, which is actually a smart TV. We have a hot plate here, fridge that is disguised, plenty of cooking utensils, and something we're really excited about, a dishwasher, which is currently running, so you might hear it in the background here. Moving on to the main attraction, and the reason why we booked this Airbnb is the gorgeous view of Dubrovnik. So as you can see, it's about sunset here, and we're getting such a pretty view of the city. It has been an amazing spot to sip your coffee in the morning and sip some wine at night, so we highly recommend this spot. I think it's a perfect location for seeing Dubrovnik, and it's actually pretty easy to get to, too, so 10 out of 10, would recommend. As of 2023, Croatia has officially adopted the Euro, meaning this colorful money is the currency you'll use in Dubrovnik. From our experience, credit card was accepted everywhere we traveled throughout Dubrovnik, and we seldom had to use cash, but it was nice having cash available if you need it. If you're looking to stock up on cash, there are plenty of ATMs called bankomats around the Old Town, with several lining Dubrovnik's most famous street, the Stradin, so this can be a great spot to withdraw what you need. If you're traveling to Dubrovnik, chances are you want to visit This is one of our favorite things we did in Dubrovnik, but unfortunately, is one of the most expensive activities you can do here, but there is a tip when it comes to purchasing City Walls tickets that can save you money. The cost of a single ticket to enter Dubrovnik's walls costs the same as a single-day Dubrovnik Pass, and given the Dubrovnik Pass includes the same City Walls ticket, purchasing the Pass instead of individual tickets is a great way to ensure you get the most bang for your buck in Dubrovnik. The Pass allows you to enter museums like the Maritime History Museum, which is housed in a beautiful historic building near Dubrovnik's Old Port, and is full of beautiful scale models of ships. It also allows you to enter Rector's Palace, the original house built for the ruler of Old Dubrovnik, complete with its own museum, and the original dungeons which you can explore. We enjoyed wandering these museums, and even if you aren't a museum junkie, just knowing that you can pop into these museums for a quick bath and break with the Dubrovnik Pass alone makes this worth having. You can either purchase your Dubrovnik Pass online, or if you're like us, you can purchase them from the ticket information booth right underneath the main clock tower on the east end of the city. When it comes time to walk the walls, it's also important to know that your ticket is only good for a single time entering the walls, meaning you can't just pop up and down and in and out of the walls all day. Because of this, you're gonna wanna be strategic about when you actually enter. In peak traveler season, the walls open at 8 a.m., and if you're an early bird, this is the best way to have the walls all to yourself and to beat the heat. By mid-morning, there will be tons of people on the walls, and if cruise ships are in town, you can expect a large influx of wall walkers during the time that they're in port. So, another great option is waiting until evening to enter. Given it takes between one and two hours to walk the full perimeter, entering the walls about an hour before close is a great way to experience fewer crowds and walk the walls without Dubrovnik's oppressive heat. Our experience was that while the ticket checkers are very strict about not allowing anyone to enter the walls after they're officially closed, they don't actually kick people off the walls after hours, meaning you can slowly continue to walk the walls even after it's closed and the crowds begin to thin out. Given there are several bars along the way, you can even stop at the top and enjoy a drink and wait for the sunset to continue your journey, which sounds fun as well. And rest assured, there are a few bathrooms inside the walls, so if nature calls while you're up there, you won't have to leave the walls to find a bathroom. Also included with your City Walls ticket is access to the Fortress of St. Lawrence. This fort is located about 10 minutes outside of the city's famous Pilegate, which can be another top spot to see. If you have a one-day Dubrovnik pass and plan to walk the walls in the evening, you'll probably want to visit the fortress in the morning, since your ticket is only valid for one day. However, if you're instead purchasing a standalone City Walls ticket, you can walk the walls then the fortress, or vice versa, within the 72 hours of your ticket being scanned, which might give you more flexibility. With Dubrovnik's historical sweltering summers, finding ways to stay hydrated are a must in this city. Let's get to Michael inside the Dubrovnik Market Area to share a quick tip on beating the heat. One important thing to know about Dubrovnik is the water from the city's water fountains is actually potable and deliciously drinkable. It's cold, fresh, and on a hot day in Dubrovnik, especially with Dubrovnik being known for its punishing heat, it's good to know you can fill your bottle up all over the city, so definitely bring a bottle when you visit Dubrovnik. Cheers. While there are several spots to fill up your water bottle around the city, the fountain near the Pilegate is probably the most iconic. Being built nearly 600 years ago, this scenic fountain has been hosting Croatian water cooler talk for centuries. I mean, if these stones could talk, am I right? Anyways, this is a scenic spot to fill up your bottle, and is located next to both the Dubrovnik City Walls entrance, as well as the Franciscan Monastery, which we talked about in our top things to do video, so this is a great spot to sit and sip. And chances are, with all that free water, at some point in your stay, you're gonna have to use the bathroom. There are several public bathrooms around the city, most costing around 50 euro cents to enter. As we mentioned before, we were happy to have the Dubrovnik Pass, as we could pop in and out of the museums and attractions on the ticket, and use the restroom as needed, without having to dish out any extra cash. And one last thing on water. If you've seen our top things to do in Dubrovnik video, you'll know there are some semi-hidden swim spots just outside the walls, which can be a great spot to beat the Croatian heat. So consider bringing your swimsuit and towel if you're looking to take a swim in this one-of-a-kind city. So that's it for our Dubrovnik Travel Guide, guys. Be sure to check out our top things to do in Dubrovnik video, if you're interested in the best spots to see in and around this town, as well as some of the craziest attractions this city has to offer. We also just released our Dubrovnik food tour, documenting the dishes and restaurants we recommend, and how much everything costs. 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