But how do you prioritise what to do when you only have a few days or a long weekend?
There are so many reasons you will love Dubrovnik, this is now one of the most up and coming cities to visit in Europe.
From seeing the famous attractions to exploring the surrounding areas, beaches, islands and national parks, I have shared my utimate guide to Dubrovnik will help to give you ideas for the best things to do and places to see in a short time.
Dubronvik 4 Day Itinerary
This is a 4 day itinerary but can be adapted for longer and shorter stays.
Day 1
We booked the earliest flight out possible from London to maximise our time in Dubrovnik, so we arrived mid-morning and got a taxi straight to our AirBnB. The taxi cost us about 300 Croatian Kuna, however, Dubrovnik now have an Uber service which is apparently a lot cheaper than local taxi’s.
We didn’t want to waste any time so we headed straight out and walked to the nearest beach (Bellevue beach) to get a feel of the area. This beach was lovely; there was a small cave to explore and was a lot quieter than the city’s main beach (Banje beach).
On the way back we stopped at a local supermarket for supplies, but there’s one thing we didn’t account for – because our apartment was located on one of the highest roads in the city, a five minute walk downhill meant a twenty minute steep climb uphill (still worth the view though).
By the end of the day we were exhausted and decided to get an early night ready for a full day of exploring.
Day 2
We wandered our way through the different neighborhoods of Dubrovnik, a charming maze of alleyways and stairwells, and about half an hour later landed in the bustling old town.
We had lunch at Stradun, browsed the local markets (learn some Croatian travel phrases to impress the locals), took pictures at all the historic hotspots and continued to explore every nook and cranny of this brick jungle.
At some point in the day we were approached by a sea kayaking tour group and ended up spontaneously booking kayaks to rent for the evening.
Sea kayaking offers stunning views of the city, old town and surrounding beaches and caves.
TIP: It’s about half the price to rent a kayak on your own than going with a group (no experience necessary – I certainly didn’t have any). I would also recommend going either in the morning or the evening to avoid the blazing heat, sunset is particularly gorgeous.
Day 3
Another early start. We took the 9:15am Nona Ana ferry to Polace on the beautiful secluded island of Mljet - one of the top places to see in Croatia.
Polace is an entry point to the islands national park. However, the ferry also stops at Sobra (a town on the other side of the island).
It was about an hour and a half cruise along the coast and cost 70 Kuna per person each way. Dubrovnik is surrounded by several islands to explore and as much as we would have loved to see all of them, we didn’t have enough time so it might be worth doing some research to see which one best suits you and your trip.
When we arrived in the village of Polace, there were a few shops and restaurants to stock up on food and drinks as well as bike rental places as cars or mopeds aren’t allowed in the park. The rest of the day was spent cycling around the islands lakes and discovering secluded little beaches to sunbathe and swim.
Day 4
And so our trip was coming to an end. Once again, to make the most of our time we booked a late flight out so we’d get another day in the sun. It was a relaxing one.
We walked through the city to Banje beach, and although there were more people than any other beach we’d been to, it wasn’t horrendous as it wasn’t peak tourist season (June). There were even sunbeds available for rent.
The taxi ride back to the airport was about 220 Kuna as we booked in advance. All in all this trip was the perfect balance of relaxing and sightseeing. We not only got to see Dubrovnik but it’s surrounding beauty.
There were some things we didn’t get to or decided not to do and here’s why:
- Cable car up Mount Srd – our apartment was so high up we could literally see where the cable car stopped above us so we decided it wouldn’t be a good use of our time or money.
- The Old Town Walls – you may be thinking this is a main attraction that wasn’t even mentioned. The reason we decided not to walk the walls was because we had already devoted an entire day to exploring the old town inside and out. The only thing the walls would give us is a birds eye view (unless you’re a Game of Thrones fan and would like to take the GOT tour – I hear this is popular).
- Lokrum Island – The closest island to Dubrovnik. I would have liked to learn more about it, there are lots of legends and history surround the island but we simply ran out of time and decided to go with Mljet Island instead. We did Kayak around Lokrum though.
We booked everything independently but if you want a hassle free trip you might want to check out Croatia tours, most include Dubrovnik in the itinerary.
If you want to see more of Croatia check out this guide to Plitvice lakes or tips for how to visit Split on a budget.
Happy exploring!
By Emilia Maynard
