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Voykit pocket guide · Croatia
Dubrovnik
Stay 3 nights inside or just outside the walls: walk the walls at 08:00, do one boat day, and treat the Old Town as a morning-and-evening place, not an all-day one.
Dubrovnik is a walled city of about 42,600 people that fills with cruise groups between roughly 10:00 and 16:00. Three nights lets you walk the walls before the crowds, take one boat or island day, and still eat well. It is the most expensive city in Croatia: budget roughly €120–200 per person per day outside peak August, and expect restaurant bills about double those in Montenegro across the border.
- Country
- Croatia
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (crowds, heat, highest prices), late Dec–Feb (many places shut)
- Stay
- 3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR) since 2023. Cards work almost everywhere; carry small cash for markets, beach bars and some island taxis.
- Daily spend
- Budget €60–100 excl. bed · Mid €100–180 excl. bed · High €180+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Hrvatski Telekom, A1 and Telemach sell prepaid SIMs at kiosks (Tisak) and shops; ID required.
- Emergency
- All emergencies (EU) 112 · Police 192 · Ambulance 194 · Sea rescue 195
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · European round two-pin; UK and US plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Café or bar: Round up.; Restaurant: About 10% for good service, in cash.; Taxi: Round up.; Boat trip crew or guide: €5–10 per person for a day trip.; Apartment cleaning: Not expected.
- Water
- Tap water is safe and good everywhere, including islands (some small islands rely on piped or tanked water — ask).
- Toilets
- Free in cafés for customers; public toilets in old towns cost €0.50–1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee at a café | €2–4 |
| Pizza or pasta, mid-range restaurant | €12–20 |
| Seafood main, Old Town | €25–45 |
| Beer: draught / shop can | €4–7 / €1.50–2.50 |
| City bus ride | €1.73 kiosk, €2.50 on board |
| Taxi airport to centre | about €43 |
| City Walls entry | check the official price; the Dubrovnik Pass (€40 summer, €15 winter for 1 day) includes the walls and city buses |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | €10–25 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- DBV · Dubrovnik Airport (Čilipi)
- About 20 km south of the city; shuttle bus to the bus station and Pile, taxi about €43About 12 mi south of the city; shuttle bus to the bus station and Pile, taxi about €43
Typical fares
- Airport → city centre, shuttle
- about €10 one-way, €15 return, about 30 min
- Taxi airport → Old Town
- about €43
- City bus, kiosk ticket
- about €1.73 for one hour of rides
- Dubrovnik Pass, 1 day summer
- about €40, includes the walls and buses
Get around
The Old Town is pedestrian-only and stairs are unavoidable off Stradun. Libertas city buses link Gruž, Lapad and Babin Kuk to Pile; a kiosk ticket is about €1.73 for one hour of rides, €2.50 on board, and a 24-hour pass about €5.31 (2026 estimate). The Dubrovnik Pass includes city buses. Bolt and Uber operate; small sea taxis run from the Old Port bay to nearby beaches and Lokrum, not to the hilltop forts.
See and do
Known for
- City Walls and Stradun
- Game of Thrones filming locations
- Cable car to Mount Srđ
- Lokrum island and boat days
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Lokrum island | Short boat from the Old Port, about 15 min | About 30 min |
| Cavtat | Bus 10 from Gruž or the airport road, about 30 min | About 45 min |
| Ston and the Pelješac peninsula | Bus or car via the Pelješac Bridge, about 1 h | About 1.5 h |
| Korčula | Bus to Orebić then ferry, or a seasonal catamaran | 2.5–3.5 h |
| Mostar | Daily bus, about 3 h | About 3.5 h |
| Mljet National Park | Ferry or catamaran from Gruž, then local transport | 2–3 h |
Sleep
- Old Town (Stari Grad)
- Inside the walls; walk everywhere, but stairs, noise and the highest room rates. Carry bags, don't roll them.
- Ploče and Pile edges
- Just outside the gates; 5–10 min walk to Stradun with fewer stairs and slightly lower prices.
- Gruž and Lapad
- Near the bus station, port and ferry terminal; 15–25 min by bus to the Old Town, better value and easier parking.
- Babin Kuk
- Hotel strip with beaches; bus 6 or 7 to Pile, about 20–30 min.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Dobar danDOH-bar dahn |
| Thank you | HvalaHVAH-lah |
| Please | MolimMOH-leem |
| How much is it? | Koliko košta?KOH-lee-koh KOHSH-tah |
| Can I pay by card? | Mogu li platiti karticom?MOH-goo lee PLAH-tee-tee KAR-tee-tsom |
| Where is the toilet? | Gdje je WC?gdyeh yeh vay-tsay |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and eye contact; 'dobar dan' in shops; avoid: Walking into a small shop without a greeting
- Café culture: Sit as long as you like over one coffee; avoid: Expecting the bill without asking
- Churches: Covered shoulders, quiet voices; avoid: Beachwear, flash photos during mass
- Conversation: Ask about food, sport, the islands; avoid: Comparing Croatia to Serbia or calling it 'Eastern Europe'
- Toasting: 'Živjeli' with eye contact; avoid: Looking away when glasses clink
Scams and watch-outs
- Cruise-ship days: the Old Town is packed roughly 10:00–16:00. Walk the walls at opening or after 17:00.
- The walls have almost no shade and no water points; go early, carry water, wear grip soles on the polished stone.
- Restaurants on and just off Stradun charge the highest prices in Croatia; walk two streets back for better value.
- Intercity buses charge about €2 per bag to the driver; keep change ready.
- Summer heat and sudden bura wind; ferries and boat trips can be cancelled in rough weather.
Very safe for a city of its size; the real risks are heat and sun on the walls, pickpockets in the cruise crush on Stradun, and overpriced restaurants with no posted prices. Ask the total before you sit.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Dubrovnik yet. Suggested stay: 3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- City Walls and Stradun
- Game of Thrones filming locations
- Cable car to Mount Srđ
- Lokrum island and boat days
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Dubrovnik official city site: dubrovnik.hr
- Dubrovnik Airport: www.airport-dubrovnik.hr/index.php?lang=en
- Libertas Dubrovnik (city buses): libertasdubrovnik.hr/en/price-list
- Wikivoyage: Dubrovnik, revision 5335412 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5335412
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Dubrovnik
Na ovu adresu, molim
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Croatia has no US, UK or Canadian embassy in Dubrovnik; those are in Zagreb. Several countries keep honorary consulates in Dubrovnik — check before you need one.
The Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a residential area: keep noise down at night and carry, don't roll, wheeled suitcases.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/dubrovnik). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.