Field notes
Dubrovnik travel guides
Dispatches on itineraries, day trips and the essentials — written on the ground, area by area.
Itineraries
48 hours in Dubrovnik
Two days is tight for a UNESCO-listed walled city, so this itinerary front-loads the walls at dawn and saves 1 slow evening for Lokrum.
Itineraries
One week in Dubrovnik
Seven days lets you go beyond the postcard walls into 3 islands, a peninsula of oyster farms, and 2 quieter beach bases that most weekend visitors miss.
Itineraries
Dubrovnik in 3 days on a budget
Yes, Dubrovnik is expensive — but €78 a day is doable if you sleep in Gruž, buy the 3-day Pass, and eat where dockworkers eat.
Itineraries
Dubrovnik in 3 days, upgraded
Same 3 days, better rooms, private walls at dawn, and 1 dinner that will justify the flight all on its own — plan on around €390 a day for two.
Day trips
Day trip to Mostar from Dubrovnik
It's 87 miles and 2 border crossings to reach Mostar's iconic Stari Most bridge, but the drive up the Neretva valley is half the reason to go.
Day trips
Day trip to Kotor from Dubrovnik
Kotor is only 57 miles south but you cross into Montenegro to get there — an easy day out for the fjord-like bay and a fortress climb of 1,350 steps.
Day trips
Day trip to Mljet from Dubrovnik
Mljet is Croatia's greenest island — 72% forested and home to 2 saltwater lakes with a monastery on an island in the middle of one of them.
Day trips
Day trip to Korčula from Dubrovnik
Marco Polo's alleged birthplace sits on a fishbone-shaped peninsula 71 miles up the coast — walled, walkable in an hour, and famous for Grk wine grown nowhere else on Earth.
Day trips
Day trip to Ston from Dubrovnik
Just 34 miles north, Ston has Europe's longest fortress walls after China's Great Wall, plus oysters pulled fresh from the bay 200 yards from your table.
Day trips
Day trip to the Elaphiti islands from Dubrovnik
Three small islands strung 8 miles up the coast — Koločep, Lopud, Šipan — with 800 residents between them and no cars on the first two.
Essentials
Where to stay in Dubrovnik
Five distinct neighbourhoods, prices ranging from €48 to €780 a night — here's who each one is actually for.
Essentials
When to visit Dubrovnik
The gap between June and September is enormous — pack the same summer bag, but expect prices, temperatures, and crowds to nearly double in the peak.
Essentials
Getting around Dubrovnik
The Old Town is 0.2 square miles of pedestrian streets — the rest of the city runs on 12 bus lines and 2 ferry piers. You almost certainly don’t want a car.
Essentials
Money, tipping, and prices in Dubrovnik
Croatia adopted the euro in January 2023 but I’ll quote everything in $ here. Card acceptance is near-universal; tipping is 10% for good service.
Essentials
Safety and street smarts in Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is one of the safest tourist cities in Europe — the real risks are slippery limestone, sunburn, and overpaying for a bad meal on Stradun.
Food & drink
Signature dishes of Croatia in Dubrovnik
Dalmatian food isn’t the pizza and pasta of the coast — it's slow-cooked meat under iron bells, black cuttlefish risotto, and oysters pulled from Mali Ston bay.
Food & drink
Best markets in Dubrovnik
Two markets matter — one photogenic and small inside the walls, one large and gritty at the port. Both are worth an early morning.
Food & drink
Cheap eats in Dubrovnik under €9
Dubrovnik has a reputation for €26 pizza but if you know the bakeries and takeaway spots you can eat well for under €9 a meal, three times a day.
Experiences
Free things to do in Dubrovnik
The walls cost €35 and the cable car €26, but Dubrovnik has 8 or 9 genuinely good free things that most day-trippers never make time for.
Experiences
Dubrovnik nightlife: where to go and where to skip
Dubrovnik isn’t a clubbing city — it's a slow-drink, cliff-top-bar, one-good-cocktail-at-Buža kind of night, with 3 or 4 late spots for after midnight.
Experiences
Best sunset spots in Dubrovnik
The city faces roughly south-southwest, which means great sunsets from almost anywhere along the walls — but 5 spots do it better than the rest.
Doing good is the business: every booking through Stay Dubrovnik funds one verified tonne of carbon removal — same room, same price, no markup.
Search stays