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10 Best Things To Do In Dubrovnik, Croatia

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Dubrovnik is a beautiful city in Croatia. It’s famous for its medieval Old Town, the stunning landscapes, and more recently, for being one of the filming sets of Game of Thrones.

I’ve been to Dubrovnik numerous times, and every time I fall more and more in love with the city. Despite the growing tourist crowds, there’s something in those old brick alleyways that keeps pulling me back.

Dubrovnik is the perfect destination for someone looking for both a beach and cultural holiday. With such a well-preserved medieval town you can’t help but learn of Dubrovnik’s history, while also enjoying the beautiful Croatian coast.

In this article I have outlined all the best best things to do in Dubrovnik, highlighting the key attractions and points of interest. I have also included estimated times for every activity, so that you can plan your Dubrovnik itinerary accordingly.

You will also find my top tips for the best places to eat, where to stay and all the most beautiful places to see in Dubrovnik. So without further ado, let’s dive into what to see and do in Dubrovnik, Croatia!

The Old Town in Dubrovnik, Croatia

The Old Town in Dubrovnik, Croatia

About Dubrovnik in Croatia

Dubrovnik is a city in Southern Croatia, located on the Adriatic Sea. I visited Dubrovnik the last time four years ago, and I have to say I was very surprised at how much busier and touristy it has become.

We were there in early September, with summer being over and schools starting soon we thought there wouldn’t be many tourists around, but it was turned out to be really busy.

The city is actually pretty big, but the only area that is busy and touristy is the Old Town.

Dubrovnik is also an important location on the Dalmatian coast, with a lot of Mediterranean cruises stopping here. From Dubrovnik you can also get ferries or go on boat trips to islands in the area.

There are so many cool things to do in Dubrovnik and beautiful places both in the city and surrounding it, that it’s easy to see why it has become an increasingly popular tourist destination.

Exploring the side streets of the medieval Old Town of Dubrovnik

Exploring the side streets of the medieval Old Town of Dubrovnik

Do you need travel insurance to visit Dubrovnik?

After my personal experience spending two nights in a private hospital in Tenerife, and having to pay for it out of pocket (it wasn’t cheap), I always recommend getting travel insurance.

You might not end up needing it, but for a small fee you can travel without worries. Personally, I suggest getting your travel insurance with  Heymondo.

Heymondo offers tailor made travel insurance, providing the best value for money for your specific trip. You can also buy it once you’re already abroad and have forgotten about it before flying (which, if you’re anything like me, is quite likely).

Besides the usual cancellation, medical expenses, luggage coverage and general travel insurance services, Heymondo also has a 24/7 doctor chat and instant assistance through their app.

As a Greta’s Travels reader, you get 5% off your Heymondo travel insurance!

Click here to get your 5% off Heymondo travel insurance!

Lovrijenac Fort just outside the Old Town walls in Dubrovnik

Lovrijenac Fort just outside the Old Town walls in Dubrovnik

10 top things to do in Dubrovnik

Walk on the Old Town walls

Regardless of how much time you spend in Dubrovnik this is the one main tourist attraction that you cannot miss. The Old Town of Dubrovnik is entirely surrounded by walls.

Back in the day these were to keep invaders out and to protect the city from the power of the sea and waves. Today, it’s the main tourist attraction of Dubrovnik. Access to the walls costs 150 Croatian Kuna (HRK).

The walk lasts around two hours, and you can only walk it going in one way (imagine the traffic and how messy it would get with people walking in opposite directions)!

It’s a very beautiful walk, since the walls are considerably higher than the majority of the rooftops in Dubrovnik (makes sense if you think about it, they had to keep invaders away and make sure houses inside the town were safe!) which means there are beautiful viewpoints from pretty much any spot on the walls.

Exploring the Old Town walls in Dubrovnik, Croatia

Exploring the Old Town walls in Dubrovnik, Croatia

View over the rooftops of Dubrovnik from the Old Town walls

View over the rooftops of Dubrovnik from the Old Town walls

There are only three access points to the walls though, if it starts raining, like it did when we where there, you might end up having to walk for quite a while under the rain before you can get off the walls.

Top tip for visiting the walls; go in the afternoon. In the morning there are all the visitors from the cruise boats who go around in big groups often making it hard to walk in the narrow sections of the walls.

Most of these groups leave around lunch since the cruise boats leave early, so if you go on the walls early afternoon you will be able to enjoy the walk without as many people.

You can easily walk the Old Town walls alone, but if you prefer to have someone tell you about the history of Dubrovnik while you do it there are many guided tour options.

This tour specifically is great since it goes early morning or at sunset, when there will be considerably less people on the walls.

Estimated time required: 2 / 3 hours

Book your Old Town Walls guided tour here! Or check out prices & availability below!

 

 

Exploring the Old Town walls in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Exploring the Old Town walls in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

View over the rooftops of Dubrovnik from the Old Town walls

View over the rooftops of Dubrovnik from the Old Town walls

Do a Game of Thrones walking tour

Another addition from my last visit to Dubrovnik were the Game of Thrones walking tours. I quickly realised that they are amongst the most popular tours in Dubrovnik!

GoT was already around four years ago, and I remember my friend who has from Dubrovnik pointing out which parts of the town had been used in the TV show, but that was it.

This time we found the city full on organised walking tours, where a guide will take you to all the main filming locations in the Old Town, showing you pictures of the scenes to help your recognise them.

Being all avid GoT fans we couldn’t miss on the chance of seeing all the filming locations and feeling like we were also in Kings Landing for a day.

The tour lasts about two hours, and are a fun way of combining seeing the city with learning more about a TV show you know and love.

It’s interesting also to see how much of it real life props and how much is added CGI. If you want to find out more about the filming locations of GoT in Dubrovnik check out my article here.

Estimated time required: 2 hours

Discover all the Game of Thrones filming locations in Dubrovnik with a guided tour by GetYourGuide or Viator!

 

 

A shot from our Game of Thrones walking tour

A shot from our Game of Thrones walking tour

Do a kayak sunset tour

Another popular tour, which was also one of the highlights of our Dubrovnik trip was doing a kayak sunset tour.

The tour is about 200 Croatian Kuna per person, and includes a sandwich during the tour and wine once the tour is over and you’re back safely on firm land.

We met with our group at 4pm, it took some time to get everybody arranged with life jackets and their kayaks, plus the usual security chat and then we were off kayaking.

Kayaking under the walls of the Old Town of Dubrovnik is both impressive and beautiful at the same time.

Looking up at the size of the walls from your small kayak makes them seem even more imposing. The kayak tour goes around the island of Lokrum, before then arriving at a secret beach inside a huge cave. 

Kayak sunset tour in Dubrovnik, Croatia

Kayak sunset tour in Dubrovnik, Croatia

I did this tour also last time I was in Dubrovnik four years ago, and even if the beach was lovely, when we went this time there were so many kayaks you couldn’t even sit on the beach.

Cliff diving from the rocks surrounding the cave is very popular. After having our sandwich, swimming in the water and relaxing for a bit we set off on the return home, and this was even more stunning than before.

The return was at prime sunset time, and we got to kayak under the walls of the Old Town as the sky was lighting up with all the reds and pinks you could imagine.

Estimated time required: 3 hours

Book your kayak sunset tour in Dubrovnik here! 

Or check out prices & availability for your chosen date below!

 

 

Kayak sunset tour in Dubrovnik, Croatia

Kayak sunset tour in Dubrovnik, Croatia

Discover the Old Town of Dubrovnik

I’ve mentioned the Old Town of Dubrovnik before, but it’s so beautiful that it deserves to be its own item on this list of the best things to do in Dubrovnik.

The Old Town of Dubrovnik is enclosed by the city walls I previously mentioned, so it’s hard to miss it. Within the Old Town walls you will find countless adorable streets and houses, built with the traditional style and brick.

In 1667 there was an earthquake in Dubrovnik, which then lead to the meticulous renovation and preservation you can see today. Walking around the streets of the Old Town will feel like stepping back in time!

Estimated time required: Up to you really! From 1 hour to all day, depending on how many cute streets and corners you want to find.

You can also do a guided tour of the Old Town if you want to discover all the most iconic spots, as well as learning about the history of Dubrovnik along the way.

Click here to book your guided walking tour of Dubrovnik Old Town!

Or check out prices & availability for your chosen date below!

 

 

Wandering the streets of the Old Town of Dubrovnik, Croatia

Wandering the streets of the Old Town of Dubrovnik, Croatia

Explore the Croatian beaches

There are lots of beautiful beaches in Dubrovnik.

However like most Croatian beach destinations (from what I’ve seen anyway!) there aren’t many sandy beaches. Even the beach inside the hidden cave was rocky, but the water is always clear and beautiful.

There are two main beaches on either side of the Old Town, one is made up of small rocks instead of sand, whilst the other by the Pila gate can’t really be called a beach by Italian standards (we pride ourselves with our white sandy beaches).

However according to the tour guide it’s where the locals go to hang out and play water polo, so we couldn’t miss it. It took us a bit of trial and error walking down little paths in the cliffside, when we eventually found it.

There is no beach per se, just big slabs of rock where people put their towels to sunbathe, and a water polo court floating in the sea in front of it.

Even if you’ve never played before I recommend jumping in and joining a game if you can, it’s great fun and the locals are very welcoming.

| READ MORE: TOP 10 BEACHES WORLDWIDE |

A "hidden" cave where the kayak sunset tour stops for a swim, snorkel and cliff diving break

A “hidden” cave where the kayak sunset tour stops for a swim, snorkel and cliff diving break

Do a boat trip to the Elaphite Islands

In the harbour of the Old Town of Dubrovnik you will also see lots of stalls trying to sell you excursions and boat trips to the islands off the coast of Dubrovnik.

If you’re a beach person and want to take a break from all the city sightseeing of the other activities on this Dubrovnik bucket list, this is a great way to spend a day in Dubrovnik.

The Croatian beaches and sea are absolutely stunning and you will spend a relaxing day exploring some beautiful islands.

Prices vary depending on the boat size, if food and drinks are included, how many stops the boat does etc but usually range from 250 to 500 HRK.

You can book your boat tour directly at the harbour of Dubrovnik, but if you’re visiting during high season I recommend booking your Elaphite Islands boat trip beforehand online, as it can sell out very quickly in high season.

Estimated time required: They do both half-day (3 / 4 hours) and all-day (7 / 8 hours) trips

Click here to see the latest prices and availability for a Dubrovnik boat trip, or check out the calendar below!

 

 

Island views in Kolocep, one of the islands you can get to on a boat day trip from Dubrovnik

Island views in Kolocep, one of the islands you can do a boat day trip to from Dubrovnik

Take the cable car at sunset

Dubrovnik has the sea on one side and hills on the other. There is a fort on top of the closest hill, from which there is a beautiful view that overlooks Dubrovnik and its surroundings.

If you’re feeling sporty you can walk up the hill, but it will take more than one hour, or for the lazy people like us you can take the cable car to the top.

If you go at sunset the view will be even more beautiful, since the soft light will really make the colours of the red roofs stand out. 

There is also a restaurant here but as you can imagine it is considerably more expensive than the restaurants inside the Old Town.

I recommend going just before sunset, enjoying the sunset and the view and then getting the cable car back down to have dinner and enjoy the rest of your evening.

Estimated time required: 1 hour

Click here to book a cable car & buggy safari guided tour!

View over Dubrovnik from the cable car

View over Dubrovnik from the cable car

Taste the delicious Croatian cuisine

In Dubrovnik you will find many delicious places to eat. One of my personal favourite was Lady PiPi (if you like meat or fish, as they don’t have much else).

Both our AirBnB host and the guy from which we bought our Game of Thrones and sunset kayak tours recommended it as a place “where the locals go”, so we couldn’t not check it out!

The venue is outdoors and lovely, with a beautiful view over the rooftops of Dubrovnik. For 20 EUR each we had a huge mixed barbecue of meat, which was great value for money.

There are many restaurants both with epic rooftop views or hidden in cute side streets. Make sure to check online reviews or to get a local tip, since given how touristy the Old Town is, some can turn out to be tourist traps.

The view over Dubrovnik from Lady Pipi

The view over Dubrovnik from Lady Pipi

Visit the Rector’s Palace

The Rector’s Palace in Dubrovnik is one of the main tourist and historical attractions. It used to be a political building, acting as the seat of power for the Rector of the Republic of Ragusa and later on in history for the Minor Council.

Today it’s just a beautiful palace that you can visit and if you’re a Game of Thrones fan, you might even recognise it as the setting for a lot of the Qarth scenes in season two. Entry to the palace is 120 HRK.

Estimated time required: 1 hour

The Rector's Palace in Dubrovnik, which was used as the set for Qarth in Season X

The inside of the Rector’s Palace in Dubrovnik

Go on a day trip to Montenegro

I know what you’re thinking, how is going to an entirely different country one of the best things to do in Dubrovnik? I thought the same thing, until I discovered that it’s one of the most popular day trips from Dubrovnik.

The drive from Dubrovnik to Kotor in Montenegro is only 2 hours. You will find many Montenegro day tours from Dubrovnik that will occupy the whole day, taking you to Kotor, Budva, and many beautiful viewpoints along the way.

It’s not for everyone, but if you’re a traveller keen to tick off as many Europe bucket list experiences, and don’t mind spending a few hours driving, then it’s a great activity!

Estimated time required: 11 hours

Click here to see prices and availability for your Dubrovnik to Montenegro day trip, or check out the calendar below!

 

 

Just outside the Old Town of Kotor, Montenegro

Just outside the Old Town of Kotor, Montenegro

Where to stay in Dubrovnik

The best places to stay in Dubrovnik are those within the walls of the Old Town, or just outside.

These will obviously be a little more expensive than accommodation further out, but you will be so close to all the main attractions that it will be worth it. I’ve listed below some options for every budget.

Budget: Hostel Angelina – This lovely hostel is right in the Old Town. It has spacious dorms and a fun sociable atmosphere.

Click here to book your stay at Hostel Angelina!

Mid-range: Buza Apartment – This hotel has awesome views over the Dubrovnik Old Town, as well as being just 30m from the nearest beach, while still offering an affordable price.

Click here to see the latest prices and availability at Buza Apartment!

Luxury: The Pucic Palace – If you’re looking to treat yourself, this is the perfect place to do so. Located right in the heart of the Old Town, this beautiful hotel has great views over the rooftops of Dubrovnik.

Click here to book your stay at The Pucic Palace!

Wandering the side streets of the Old Town of Dubrovnik

Wandering the side streets of the Old Town of Dubrovnik

What to pack for a trip to Dubrovnik

You don’t need much besides the usual travel essentials to have an awesome time in Dubrovnik. However I’ve listed below some key things you don’t want to forget!

Power bank – Whether it’s to check where you’re going with Google Maps, or to take beautiful travel pictures, you don’t want your phone to run out of battery!

Water bottle – You can drink the tap water in Croatia, so kill two birds with one stone by saving money and consuming less plastic!

International adapter – Depending on where you’re travelling from you might need an adapter to charge your electronics.

Fast drying towel – Whether it’s for the shower of your hostel dorm, after a a kayak tour or to lie on the beach, you’ll need one of these. I love them because they dry quickly and don’t take up much space.

Wandering the streets of the Old Town of Dubrovnik, Croatia

Wandering the streets of the Old Town of Dubrovnik, Croatia

Final thoughts on the best things to do in Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik is a beautiful city which I have travelled to multiple times, and would happily go back to again.

In this post I’ve given you a summary of what to do in Dubrovnik and the best places to see, including an estimate for how long each activity will take you, so you can plan your time in Dubrovnik accordingly.

Have you been to Dubrovnik before? Would you recommend other places to see? Let me know in the comments below!

I want this guide to include all the most amazing things that you can do in Dubrovnik, so if you have other cool suggestions let me know and I’ll include them!

Looking for more Croatia travel tips? Check out all my Croatia guides here!

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Photo collage of a blonde girl walking down the side streets of Dubrovnik, ovelrooking the rooftops of Dubrovnik from the Old Town walls and a beach with kayaks with text overlay saying "10 epic things to do in Dubrovnik, Croatia"

Photo collage of a blonde girl overlooking the rooftops of Dubrovnik, the view over Dubrovnik from the cable car and from Fort Lovrejnac with text overlay saying "10 best things to do in Dubrovnik, Croatia"

Sonia

Saturday 16th of March 2019

Hi, I just saw your blog and was wondering which kayak experience did you use the half a day or full day. If it was the half a day which one did you choose between the two. I really loved the cave picture and would love to visit that place. Hope and you can reply back, best regards

Greta

Saturday 16th of March 2019

Hello, we did the half-day trip in the afternoon where you kayak back at sunset. The cave is really cool but very busy! Hope this helps :)

Milene

Sunday 23rd of September 2018

OMG what a beautiful place! I never thought about Croatia for holidays actually. Thanks for sharing such beautiful pictures

Greta

Sunday 23rd of September 2018

Thanks for the comment, glad you liked my photos! Croatia is really beautiful, highly recommend if you get the opportunity to visit :)

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