Three days built around the cruise-ship clock: the walls at opening before the heat and the gangways, Lokrum and a swim on the second day, and an island or Montenegro on the third. The old town is small; the trick is to be in it when the ships are not.
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Checked October 10, 2026. That’s the day we last confirmed the hours, prices and closed days.
May, June and late September to early October are warm enough to swim and the lines are bearable. July and August are hot (90°F, or 32°C, on the walls) and the busiest cruise weeks. November to March is quiet and cheap; the walls drop to €15 but Lokrum, the cable car and several galleries close.
Inside the walls is beautiful and loud until midnight, with stairs and no cars; good for two or three nights if you travel light. Ploče, just east of the old town, has the sea views and Banje beach. Lapad is quieter, cheaper and 15 minutes away on bus 6.
The old town is on foot; nothing inside the walls is more than ten minutes from anything else. Libertas city buses cost €1.73 for an hour from a kiosk or €2.50 on board, and €5.31 for 24 hours; the Dubrovnik Pass includes them. Boats leave from the Old Port (Lokrum, Cavtat) and ferries from Gruž (the Elaphiti islands).
Old Town · 100 min
Be at the Pile entrance when the gate opens at 8 a.m. (April to October); by 10 a.m. the first ships have landed and the walkway is a slow line in full sun. Walk anticlockwise, about two kilometers, ending at Minčeta.
€40
Old Town · 60 min
Walk the limestone main street from Onofrio's fountain to the clock tower, then step into the Franciscan monastery by the Pile end: a cloister and a pharmacy that has traded since 1317. Around €8 to €10, free with the Dubrovnik Pass.
€8
Old Town · 60 min
The Republic's seat of government, where the rector lived for a one-month term and could not leave. €15, or on the €20 Dubrovnik Museums ticket and the Dubrovnik Pass; open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily in summer.
€15
Old Town · 75 min
A family konoba in the lanes north of the Stradun. Order the black risotto or the Dalmatian pašticada; the midday crowd is at its peak, so sit inside.
Pile · 60 min
The fortress on the rock west of Pile, covered by the morning's walls ticket. Allow an hour, then rest or swim at the cove below Pile while the old town is at its fullest.
Srđ · 120 min
The lower station is a few steps outside the Buža gate, north of the walls; go up about an hour before sunset and walk down the zigzag path if you still have legs. It stops in strong wind.
€30
Old Town · 90 min
A terrace on the Jesuit square at the top of the baroque stairs. The dish is kopun, capon roasted with honey and orange, an old Republic recipe; book a day ahead in summer.
Old Port · 30 min
The official boat leaves from the ticket hut at the Old Port; the first goes around 9 a.m., then roughly every half hour. €30 covers the crossing and the reserve, and the island is closed November to March.
€30
Lokrum · 210 min
Walk to the Benedictine monastery and its gardens first, then swim in the Dead Sea, a sheltered salt lake, before the hot hour. Fort Royal at the top has the view back to the walls; check the last boat back, posted at the dock.
Old Town · 60 min
Back on the mainland, a small konoba in the lanes below the south wall near the Buža gap. Grilled squid or a plate of small fried fish; cash is simplest.
Old Town · 120 min
Buža is a hole in the south wall with a bar on the rocks below; swim off the ledges and pay in cash. Banje is the pebble beach five minutes east of the Ploče gate, with loungers for rent.
Old Town · 60 min
Two floors of war photography on Antuninska, a lane off the Stradun, with a permanent room on the 1991 to 1995 wars. €10; open to 10 p.m. from May to September, shorter in April and October, and closed in winter.
€10
Old Port · 90 min
Tables on the Old Port quay beside the fish market. Black risotto or the grilled fish of the day; no reservations, so arrive before 7 p.m. or be ready to wait.
Gruž · 45 min
Take bus 1A or 1B from Pile to Gruž (10 minutes), then the 10 a.m. local ferry to Koločep, Lopud and Šipan. Tickets are tied to a sailing, so book on the Jadrolinija app the night before in summer; about €5.40 one way in season.
€5.40
Lopud · 60 min
About 50 minutes from Gruž. A car-free village along one bay; the restored monastery at the north end of the quay has a garden and a cloister.
Lopud · 120 min
Twenty minutes over the hill on a paved path, or a golf-cart shuttle from the harbor. Sand, shallow water and two beach bars; one of the few sandy beaches on this coast.
Lopud · 75 min
Walk back and sit at any waterfront table facing the boats. Grilled fish by weight, or a plate of octopus salad and bread; eat early enough to catch the afternoon ferry.
Lopud · 75 min
The return boats come through Lopud mid-afternoon and early evening; the times change by season, so read the board at the pier when you land. In Gruž, bus 1A or 1B back to Pile.
Old Town · 90 min
Seafood street food on Boškovićeva: an octopus burger or shrimp in a bun, eaten on the step. Then a last walk down the Stradun once the lights come on and the day visitors are gone.
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Pins are approximate. Tap one for the stop; the directions links open Google Maps.
From Dubrovnik airport (DBV), 20 kilometers south, the Platanus shuttle runs to Pile Gate and the Gruž bus station in 30 to 40 minutes for €10 one way or €15 return; buy online or at the airport desk, not on board. A taxi is a fixed-zone fare of around €35 to €55. By bus from Split, allow four and a half hours with the Neum bypass bridge now open.
About €90 to €140 a day per person for meals, the walls or a pass, one boat and buses. The walls (€40), the cable car (€30) and Lokrum (€30) are the big tickets; a seafood dinner with wine runs €40 to €60 a head inside the walls.
Plans change. Ask Chat and it proposes a reshuffled day you can apply, or just answers the question.
Check the port's arrivals list for your dates. On a day with two or three ships, do the walls at 8 a.m., be on Lokrum or an island by 10 a.m., and come back to the old town after 5 p.m.. Early morning and evening belong to the people staying there.
If you walk the walls, yes: the 1-day pass costs the same €40 and adds the Rector's Palace, the Franciscan museum and buses. Buy the 3-day version (€50) if you want to spread the sights and ride buses to Gruž and Lapad.
Day 1 with the order flipped: the Rector's Palace, the Franciscan museum and War Photo Limited are indoors, the Maritime Museum is on the Pass, and the walls themselves are fine with a jacket once the squall passes. Waystop can keep a rain version of this day alongside the main plan, with Lokrum moved to a dry one.
Yes, by the 7:15 a.m. bus or a small-group tour. The timetable says about two hours but the Montenegro border adds 15 to 30 minutes off season and two hours or more in July and August; bring your passport and expect the EU exit check on the way back.
Same country first, then the cities people tend to pair with Dubrovnik. Want two or three in one go? String them together in the trip builder.
Add your dates, your hotel and who’s coming, then ask Chat to change anything: it proposes the edit and you tap Apply. Want a long lunch instead of a museum? Just ask. Every place is checked against Google Maps before it lands on your day, and Chat can tell you when to leave for the next stop. Going on to another city? Build a multi-city trip.