Best things to do in old town dubrovnik
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When we set out planning this little Croatian road-trip, our options where either to fly into Zagreb or Dubrovnik. After weighing both options, we discovered that despite old town Dubrovnik being the more popular destination, with the top things to do in Croatia, Zagreb was actually more affordable to fly into. We booked the tickets, thinking, “Well it seems like we’ll be saving the best for last!”
Oh, save the best for last we DID.
Read More: The Ultimate Croatia Road Trip Itinerary
Now, I know that Dubrovnik seems over-done, with Game of Thrones fanatics and thousands of cruise ship tourists flooding the city every day (to the point where the city had to limit the number of cruise ships that docked every day) (you can also google the Dubrovnik cruise ship schedule and plan on doing the more touristy things the days where less cruise ships are there if you’re particular about pictures and things like that), but it was truly magical (And I’ve never even seen Game of Thrones — come for me, I know).
There’s so many things to Dubrovnik, try to budget at least 4 days here!
Pro tip: try staying as close to old town as possible; My family booked an Vrbo WAY up the mountain and we died a painful death via stairs every day. My dad actually lost 10 pounds on this trip despite European pasta and wine, thats how many stairs there were). Maybe try booking a hotel - There’s only one hotel actually inside the city walls so I suggest booking early!!
Best Things To Do in Old Town Dubrovnik:
1. Walking tour of Old Town Dubrovnik
If you know anything about my family and I, the very first thing we like to do is take a walking tour of the city. I know a lot of people don’t care about the extensive history of a place, but for me, it helps give what I’m seeing a greater context. i am able to fully appreciate each and every sight!
Dubrovnik was also very confusing to navigate for me, so it was nice to have the guide lead us through the alleys and show us things that we otherwise might not have found.
Not included in the tour were lots of interiors of palaces and museums that looked really interesting as well! (my family skipped out on these though #budget)
Read More: Is Zagreb worth Visiting?
2. Walk the walls of Old Town Dubrovnik
Of course, the most popular thing to do in Dubrovnik is to walk the medieval walls that surround the Old Town! We tried to arrive as early as possible, partly to avoid the mid-day heat, partly to beat the cruise ship tender boats to it. If you have the same priorities as us I’d recommend either very early, or the very last time slot. That way no one is behind you, and although the entrance to the walls closes, you’re able to still take your time walking the entirety! I’m sure it makes for a gorgeous sunset as well.
I’d budget about 2 or 3 hours for this activity, as we stopped for pictures nearly every 5 minutes. Also, don’t wear a hat! We saw so many people lose theirs to the aggressive sea wind that will ceaselessly berate you the entire time. Don’t risk it!
3. Take the Cable car up Mount Srd.
For the most spectacular views of old town and Lokrum island, you can’t miss a trip up Mount Srd! A lot of people choose to take the cable car up, some people choose to hike, but we had a perfectly good rental car that we used! It was definitely do-able, with a spacious parking lot at the top, but it was super nerve-racking getting up there! I was very convinced that we were going to topple off the cliff we were driving along at any moment. Shoutout Dad for being a good driver.
Once at the top, theres a beautiful restaurant/bar that you can make reservations at! While I would’ve loved to have a sit-down meal there, you definitely pay for the views, so we settled for the cafe, where we beat the heat with the most beautiful iced coffee I’ve ever seen.
I also bought the UGLIEST red and white checked shirt that I cropped and wear with pride quite often actually. I have a thing for atrocious tourist t-shirts that I can’t explain.
4. Buza Bar
Buza Bar was, without a doubt, the highlight of our stay in Dubrovnik, and we didn’t even get drinks! If I had to choose just one top thing to do in Dubrovnik, it would be Buza Bar. Around 5, we donned our bathing suits and headed down to this legendary location, hoping to get there in time for sunset.
We made it with plenty of time to spare, and we killed that time with jumping off the rocks into the Adriatic Sea. The picture above was the main jump that we were doing, but after some people saw how easily we were leaping off they led us to a jump at least double the height. It was the highest thing I’ve ever jumped off of (without a harness lol) and I stood up there for a good 10 minuted before braving the plunge.
All I have to say is this: Ladies, hold on to your tops.
Actually, I do have more to say. Sitting there, treading water in the warm, rocky Adriatic Sea, talking and laughing with strangers and travelers from all over, with ancient medieval walls of old town Dubrovnik towering over us and the sun bathing the sky in intense oranges and yellows and purples was the greatest moment of my life. I can confidently say that that has been my favorite moment ever, to this day. I don’t know how to explain to you the sense of peace and joy I felt in that moment.
5. Kayak tour
Clearly, we just couldn’t get enough of the sea, so we booked a sunset kayak tour off of Viator. At times, it was super fun! At times it was not so fun.
The good parts: double kayaks meant not as much effort for one person. The sea can be pretty wave-y so it was good to have that extra man power. Our guide actually attached one kayak to his and was pulling it because they were falling behind, so if you’re concerned about your abilities, don’t be!
The 2 caves we stopped in were so beautiful! We did some more cliff jumping, naturally, and snorkeling gear was also provided.
The sunset was SPECTACULAR. I truly think that Croatia might have the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen.
Lastly, they gave us wine when we reached shore, and we stayed up late chatting with the fellow travelers on our tour about British politics, our favorite places we’ve ever gone, and giving recommendations for restaurants in Dubrovnik. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the people you meet while traveling are what make me want to keep traveling forever.
Now for the bad: I really thought my days of being motion-sick were behind me… turns out they’re not??? GIRL I threw up in my mouth a couple of times, not even gonna lie.
I didn’t realize how FAR we were going to be kayaking. Scroll back up to the picture of Mount Srd. We kayaked around that whole island, across to shore to eat dinner in one of the caves, and then back to the old city walls. It was like two and a half workouts. Between that and the 5000 steps it took to get to our airbnb, I slept very well that night.
Overall, 8/10 would recommend depending on how sea-sick you can get.
6. Dubrovnik Cathedral
Dubrovnik’s cathedral is located at the top of the famous steps featured in Game of Thrones. I only have Emma/Luke facebook mom pictures of those steps, they were SWARMED. If getting a good picture at those steps is a priority for you, arrive super early! They’re modeled after the Spanish Steps in Rome.
Normally, I’m not one to jump for cathedrals, I’ve seen… ALOT. This cathedral tops all of them. Hands-down the most beautiful artwork I’ve ever seen in a cathedral. The colors blew me away! That’s all.
7. Spend a day at the beach
On the day of our flights out of Croatia, we decided to take it easy with a nice morning at Banje Beach. It’s definitely the most iconic beach in dubrovnik, with gorgeous views of the city walls. Unfortunately I have no pictures from this location, as I was planning on taking them as we were leaving.
And the I stepped on a sea urchin, LOL.
The water is so crystal clear, I was trying to swim to the bottom to see if I could touch, as it looks much more shallow than it truly is. Good news: I made it to the bottom. Bad news: I went to push off said button and had a nasty run in with a sea urchin. It was extremely painful and caused a lot of issues later on in the year so please wear shoes if you plan on swimming here! Or be very careful, -89/10 CANNOT recommend. 10/10 recommend the beach itself though, It’s stunning.
There are tons of other beaches around things to do in Dubrovnik as well if you have the time to spare!
Read More: The Best day trip from Dubrovnik
8. Fransiscan Monastery
Full disclosure, I sucked at taking pictures in Dubrovnik. The above photos are definitely not the Franciscan Monastery. Our walking tour guide recommended we go, as it is home to one of the very first pharmacies in the world (?). It was beautiful on the inside from the peek we stole, as there was an entrance fee we didn’t want to pay.
The pharmacy, however, is known for its handmade rose face and hand cream, and they sell other fancy, boutique-esque items as well. I am still using my Lavender hand cream on all my tattoos daily and its amazing!! I don’t know what I’m going to do when I run out.
These make perfect gifts, so if you’re on the hunt, maybe the monks have something for you:)
9. Fort Lovrijenac
Fort Lovrijenac Is outside of old town Dubrovnik, and is famous for it’s appearances in Game of Thrones! Try to visit this on the same day you walk the city walls, as the tickets go hand in hand. Don’t lose that ticket!!
It is quite a hike to get to, but the views of the sloping medieval walls are so worth it. Besides Mount Srd, the fort definitely has the best views of the city.
My favorite part of the day: we had a large, loving, fluffy dog following us around for our entire exploration of the place, who we dubbed our Dire Wolf. It was quite fitting I think, and we were very sad to say goodbye!
10. Take a day trip to Bay or Kotor, Montenegro or Mostar, Bosnia
There are so many day trip options to take from Dubrovnik! As we drove from the north, we had already spent a day in Bosnia. If you’re driving from the south to the north, you’ll definitely have a chance to stop in Mostar as well. So, my advice would be to take a quick trip over to the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro before you leave Dubrovnik if you’re visiting both Split and Dubrovnik!
However, if you have to choose between these two day trips, I would recommend Mostar over Kotor. My family has seen lakes similar to the Bay of Kotor in our travels, but never have we seen a city quite like Mostar! The Old Bridge, the Turkish markets and Bosnian food just simply can’t be beat.
Montenegro was still a good day trip though! My family definitely went for the country count, but it ended up being a lovely, relaxing, scenic drive, with such a unique city waiting for us at the end. I need to come back to see the rest of Montenegro, as I’ve heard its stunning!
For more information, I have separate posts on each respective city so that you can make the best decision for you!
And there you have it! Over our 4 days here, these are what we deemed to be the top things to do in Old Town Dubrovnik, Croatia! Do you have any recommendations? Did I leave anything out? Drop a comment below!
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Are you looking for an epic Croatia Itinerary that includes the iconic cities of Split and Dubrovnik but also don’t want to miss out on the north of the country and the epic Plitvice Lakes? Follow along with this Croatia Road Trip Itinerary that will take you from Zagreb to Dubrovnik, and everywhere in between.