It’s easy to see why Dubrovnik is known as the pearl of the Adriatic. When we approached it from the water on our sailboat, the magnitude of its medieval towers and stone walls left us a little speechless. The city seems to rise up from the water and proudly beat its chest. And it has every right to do just that. Dubrovnik is stunningly beautiful. Beyond its fortress-like exterior walls lies a completely charming old town, where we spent the majority of our time.  

Welcome to another Eat+Stay+Play travel guide! This time we’re headed to Dubrovnik, an incredibly well-preserved town located on Croatia’s southern coast.

Related: Access all my Eat+Stay+Play travel guides here.

Know Before You Go

Dubrovnik is crowded. Tourists are everywhere. Cruise ships also present a problem. As a UNESCO world heritage site, the city began limiting the number of cruise ship tourists last year to help with the overcrowding. One thing I found almost unbelievable was at the entrance to the old town. The city actually has a rope dividing the entrance with directional arrows so that tourists entering stay to the right and tourists leaving stay to the left. It felt a little too Disney-esque for my liking. But as I later realized, it was a necessary evil.

As with most European cities where cruise ships have descended (and in my opinion nearly ruined), the height of cruise ship traffic is during peak hours of the day. You can expect to literally wade through throngs of people led by their guide, usually holding an umbrella or little flag, as they march their way across the city, littering and taking about half a second to snap a photo before moving on. How you can possibly get to know a place and appreciate it in this way is beyond me. Sorry not sorry for expressing my disdain for this kind of tourism. 

But, as a non-cruise ship tourist actually staying in Dubrovnik, there are ways to circumvent this overcrowding issue. We knew Dubrovnik was a very popular destination, so we approached it like we always do – with an open mind. In the morning and evening, Dubrovnik is absolutely delightful. It’s great all day long, but my favorite times are morning and evening when everyone is out having a drink, eating dinner, chatting, and just walking the 800-year old streets enjoying a gelato. If you’re doing something touristy, like hiking the medieval wall, purchase your tickets the day before and arrive early on the morning of your hike. You’ll zip to the front of the line and beat everyone else there. Trust me, you’ll want tourist-free photos from the wall.

Let’s address Game of Thrones for a minute. I will be the first to admit that I LOVED that series. I couldn’t wait to see “King’s Landing” in real life. And it does look like it. The “shame” steps are there as is “Blackwater Bay” among other spots to relive the show in. But as much as I got into the GOT spirit (we even played the theme song while coming into the harbor), I reminded myself that Dubrovnik was here way before HBO ever scouted it out. It’s a living breathing place, worthy of respect.

Getting to and Around Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik’s old town is very walkable. It doesn’t take long to traverse the entire thing. If you need to get outside the city, Uber is available or you can hire a car service for longer journeys like we did. Check out my Balkans Travel Itinerary for all the transfer companies we used.

Where to Eat

Restaurant Dubrovnik – An upscale experience in the heart of the old town. Restaurant Dubrovnik is in the Michelin Guide and completely deserves to be. It was one of the most outstanding dining experiences I’ve ever had, anywhere, hands down. Reservations are a must. The restaurant is upstairs on the roof level, where you’re surrounded by old town architecture and the soft glow of amber lights. It’s a very romantic setting. Start with a glass of sparkling rosé, which is presented in elegant minimalist glassware. Follow that with crostini with goat cheese and caviar. The beef tartare is served with toast with a hard boiled egg and blue cheese chips. Yes, that’s blue cheese chips! Next up, the European lobster with parsnip purée and lamb ravioli with fried kale chips. Ok now I’m drooling… We also tried the duck breast with apples and finished it off with a fig tart and ice cream. To say we slipped into a food coma and then died and went to culinary heaven is an understatement.

Gradska Kavana Arsenal – This is a great spot for breakfast or lunch. Try to get a table on the terrace near the main square. It was the perfect place to have a leisurely breakfast after our climb of the city walls. Just slowly sip your coffee and do some people watching. Prices here are good and the European breakfast consisting of omelet, croissants, cheese and tomatoes was delicious. This is where my obsession for Nescafé officially began, I think. 

Pizzeria Tabasco – This place is known by locals and a quick walk outside the old town. The pizza was phenomenal and they have a nice shaded terrace to sit under. Service was great, too! We decided to split a “jumbo” but it was too much food. Two people can easily split the smaller size. I recommend it for an easy casual lunch that’s not a tourist trap.

Tavulin Wine & Art Bar – Tavulin is another great date night spot. It’s located down a quiet dead end street with clusters of outdoor tables. It feels really cozy and a bit like a secret. We watched as many tourists walked their way to the dead end only to have to turn around. The charcuterie is plenty large to make a meal out of, and they have a great selection of Croatian wines. The staff is also very knowledgeable and service was excellent.

Where to Stay

We opted for another Airbnb in old town. We wanted proximity to all the shops and restaurants, and luckily found an apartment with an outdoor terrace. It was spacious and had amazing air conditioning! Did I mention it’s hot in Dubrovnik in the summer? We were greeted upon check in by the owner, who served us homemade cake and limoncello. You can book our exact Airbnb here.

Where to Play

First, spend some time just walking around. Be sure to wander all the little side streets and not just the stradun, Dubrovnik’s main thoroughfare. You’ll find them less crowded and like I always say, it’s fun to just get lost.

As with all my tips for souvenir shopping, skip the tacky trinket shops and select a quality alternative. You’ll notice many coral and silver shops lining the stradun and also the streets just a block or two off of it. There is a local jewelry called Konavoske puce (“Konavle buttons”) and they come as all kinds of adornments from earrings to long pendant necklaces, in both silver and gold. Shop off the stradun for the best prices. Red coral is also prominent here, as it can be legally harvested off of two small islands in Dalmatia. I purchased a small coral pendant from an actual jeweler. Don’t purchase coral from a souvenir shop as it could be imported or fake.

If you’re a Game of Thrones fan there are many walking tours that will take you around old town. We opted not to participate, but rather just noted things as we passed them. The walk of shame steps are a very popular place.

The number one thing to do in Dubrovnik is hiking the city walls. Technically you just walk them, but it can feel like more of a hike as there are numerous steps along its 1.25 mile span. The views from here are incredible. As I mentioned before, I recommend buying your tickets the day before so you don’t wait in line (and in the heat) to purchase the morning of. You’ll be way ahead of the game if you do this. Also, Rick Steves recommended to enter the wall near the Ploče Gate, and it was the best decision. You can actually enter at three different locations but this one is the least crowded.

It gets quite hot in the summertime, so be sure to wear plenty of sunscreen. There will be first aid stations for heat exhaustion. If you’re not in the best physical shape, I wouldn’t recommend walking the city walls. 

We grabbed a fresh squeezed orange pineapple juice and a Coke at the cold drinks cafe on the wall. There are plenty of tables and umbrellas, and it’s the best spot for drinks with a view. You can cool off a bit and rest from your hike.

Day Trips

We took two day trips from Dubrovnik. One to Mostar, Bosnia and another to Montenegro. Both are easy to do with a hired driver (you’ll want him for the border crossings). I’ll be covering these trips more in future posts.

If you have any specific questions about planning your time in Dubrovnik, please let me know in the comments. We loved our time there and I recommend it to anyone traveling to Croatia.

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xo – Erin

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