Hostel Hakuna Matata

Hostel Hakuna Matata is in Boninovo, Dubrovnik (Put Od Republike 12, Dubrovnik, Croatia), close to Dominican Monastery.

Prices are set live by the hotel — check the booking page for a real rate for your dates.

No, not if you're staying in the Old Town, Pile, Ploče, Lapad, Babin Kuk or Gruž — everything connects by the Libertas 1A, 1B, 3, 6 and 8 buses at €1.73 per ride. A car actively hurts you inside the walled town where parking is €5–7 per hour and no vehicles enter. Hire one only for day trips to Ston, Pelješac wineries, Slano, Trsteno arboretum or across the new Pelješac Bridge. For islands like Mljet, Lopud, Šipan and Korčula you'll use Jadrolinija or Kapetan Luka ferries from Gruž port instead.

Both, but in different neighbourhoods — couples do better in the Old Town, Ploče or a boutique in Cavtat, while families should look at Lapad or Babin Kuk for the sandy beaches at Copacabana and Sunset Beach and the flat pedestrian promenade. The Old Town's stepped streets and lack of green space are hard work with a pushchair. Family-friendly resorts like the Valamar properties on Babin Kuk and the Sheraton in Srebreno have pools and kids' clubs that central hotels don't. For teenagers, Lopud with its car-free waterfront works well as a two-night add-on.

Book Old Town and Ploče hotels for July and August by January or February — the Summer Festival dates of 10 July to 25 August sell out first. Game of Thrones walking tours, the cable car up Srđ, and the kayak trips around Lokrum should be booked a few days ahead in peak season. If you want to eat at Restaurant 360 or Nautika, reserve two to three weeks out for a summer evening. Ferries to Mljet and Korčula fill on peak-season weekends, so book the Jadrolinija or Kapetan Luka sailings online rather than turning up at Gruž.

In shoulder season (May, late September, October) a solid 4-star runs €150–220 in Lapad and €200–300 inside or beside the Old Town. In August the same rooms are €280–450, and top-end sea-view properties in Ploče like Villa Dubrovnik or the Excelsior push €800–1,200. Budget 3-star options in Gruž, Boninovo and Montovjerna sit around €80–130 outside July and August. Sobe (licensed private rooms) undercut hotels by 20–30% and are common in Lapad and Ploče.

The Old Town itself is entirely walkable and entirely pedestrianised — Stradun is 300 m end to end from Pile to Ploče gate. Between neighbourhoods it's less obvious: Old Town to Lapad is 4 km with a steep hill in the middle, so most people take bus 6 for 15 minutes. Pile to Gruž port is a walkable 2.5 km downhill but you'll want the bus back up. Inside the walls, expect stairs — streets north of Stradun like Prijeko and Ulica od Sigurate are stepped, which matters if you have luggage or mobility issues.