Ploče
East of the walls: Banje beach, the five-star hotels on the cliffs, and the quiet residential streets that supply them.
Banje beach with the Old Town walls rising behind
Why people stay in Ploče
Ploče is where old money and honeymooners cluster. The five-stars — Excelsior, Villa Dubrovnik, Grand Villa Argentina — line the sea cliffs on Frana Supila with terraces that stare directly at the walled city across the water. Prices in July are eye-watering ($600-$1200), but the location is what you’re paying for: five minutes on foot to Ploče Gate, and Banje beach below your window.
The streets uphill from the hotels are surprisingly ordinary — laundry on lines, kids kicking a football against a garage door, the neighbourhood bakery on Frana Supila selling burek for $3. If you want the Dubrovnik postcard view without paying five-star rates, small guesthouses on Vlaha Bukovca offer rooms at $140-$180 with the same sunset over the walls. Skip Ploče if you dislike hills — every walk home is uphill from the water.
The cliff hotels on Frana Supila are the flagship stays: sea-view rooms $500-$900 in high summer, half that in April or October. Boutique guesthouses on the upper streets — Vlaha Bukovca, Iva Vojnovića — sit at $130-$200 with more character and half the price. Anything advertised on Put Frana Supila with 'sea view' from streetside is honest; interior-facing rooms are cheaper for a reason (parking noise). Avoid the very top of the hill unless you like a 15-minute climb every evening.
What to see
Hotels in Ploče
Getting around Ploče
Bus lines 5 and 8 run from Ploče through to Pile every 15-20 minutes, $2. Ploče Gate itself is a 5-minute walk into the Old Town. The old port at the foot of Ploče is where boats leave for Lokrum, Cavtat, and the Elaphiti islands. Uphill parking on Iva Vojnovića is metered $3 an hour, or park free further up near the Argentina hotel side streets. Airport taxi $55, shuttle bus routes via Pile so add 15 minutes.
Questions about Ploče
Yes for the view — the walls rising directly behind you is unmatched. No if you were expecting Caribbean sand; it's coarse imported gravel and gets crowded by 11am in July.
Yes, the road is well lit and busy until midnight. The five-minute walk to Ploče Gate is one of the safer strolls anywhere in the country.
