How to get to Dubrovnik
Flights to Dubrovnik can be expensive and hard to get if you’re heading over from outside of Europe.
It may be easier to fly to a European city first, and then take a flight over.
If you’re already in Croatia or Europe, bus trips are readily available to the town.
The main bus station is in Kantafig, near Port Gruz and the Tudjman bridge, 2.5km northwest of the Old Town.
Local bus 7 operates between this station and Babin kuk, and bus 1abc or 3 serves Old Town (12 kuna in advance, 15 from driver).
There are no direct trains to Dubrovnik, but some ferries are available from Bari, Italy.
Direct buses run to/from Zagreb (HRK205-234, 11), Korcula (HRK100, 3h), Mostar (HRK100 or €16, 3h), Orebic (HRK100, 2.5h), Rijeka (HRK400, 12h), Sarajevo (HRK160, 5h), Split (HRK100-150, 4.5h), Zadar (HRK200, 8h).
In the high season, there are also multiple buses to the Montenegro cities of Herceg Novi, Bar, Kotor, and Budva and at to Prijedor and Banja Luka (10h) in Bosnia. A one-way trip to Budva costs HRK128, or €15.
Return tickets are much cheaper, so check with the different companies. If buying in person, the ticket agent will sell you any company’s ticket.
Road Trip – Dubrovnik is the perfect place to start or finish your road trip of Croatia or beyond, since it is the southern-most town in the country, with winding roads, small villages, beaches, and other delights all situated around it.
The trip from Split along the coastal road (Jadranska magistrala or D8) is a beautiful scenic journey through small, quaint villages and other tourist destinations.
Just know that in the summer months the trip is likely to take several hours longer than anticipated. What looks like a short trip on a map can take 6h.
Where to Stay in Dubrovnik
As mentioned before, most of the Old Town population has moved out of the city into the surrounding areas in order to rent out their properties to tourists instead.
So, the done thing is to rent an apartment off one of the locals, either through sites such as Booking.com or Airbnb.
Other than apartments, there are several high profile Dubrovnik hotels such as the Hilton and Sheraton.
While Excelsior got a new renovation only last year in which its 158 accommodations were redecorated, the lobby transformed, and the Abakus Piano Bar—now complete with an outdoor patio furnished with comfortable lounge seating.
Dubrovnik – The Museum Town
Dubrovnik is full of renaissance, Gothic, and Baroque palaces, churches, and monasteries.
This has earned it the nickname of The Museum Town. Just make sure you see the main ones, after that it all becomes a blur!
You should pay particular attention to:
The Palaces – Rector’s and Sponza Palaces are Gothic fashion with Baroque and Renaissance styles.
The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary – The cathedral was finished in 1713 and it was mostly influenced by Baroque style but the original church dates back to the 12 century and its construction was partially paid by English king Richard the Lion Heart.
Today, the cathedral is the seat of the Diocese of Dubrovnik.
