19 Tips for the Dubrovnik Riviera That'll Save You From Tourist Traps
Dubrovnik is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. It's also one of the most over-touristed, overpriced, and overcrowded — especially when cruise ships dock. But the Dubrovnik Riviera extends far beyond the famous walls, and knowing how to navigate it properly transforms the experience.
I've visited five times across different seasons. Here's everything I wish I'd known on trip one.
The Big Mistakes
1. Don't Stay Inside the Old City
Old City accommodation is overpriced (200-500 EUR/night for basic rooms in summer), noisy (bar music echoes off stone walls until 2AM), and logistically awkward (no cars, steep stairs, luggage-dragging misery). Stay in Lapad/Babin Kuk (15 minutes by bus, good beaches, 80-150 EUR/night) or Cavtat (30 minutes by bus, quieter, cheaper, genuinely charming).
Bus 6 runs from Lapad to the Old City every 10-15 minutes for about 2 EUR.
2. Check the Cruise Ship Schedule Before Everything
This is the most important tip. When cruise ships dock — and up to 8,000+ passengers can disembark daily in peak season — the Old City becomes barely walkable. Check portdubrovnik.hr for ship schedules. Visit on ship-free days, or arrive before 9AM or after 5PM.
Better yet: spend ship days on the Elafiti Islands or the Peljesac Peninsula, where cruise passengers never go.
3. Don't Eat on the Stradun
The main limestone street of the Old City is architecturally magnificent and culinarily predatory. Restaurant prices are 30-50% above what you'll pay just 2-3 streets away. Walk to the side lanes, especially around Prijeko Street's back alleys and near the Buza bars area.
Pantarul in Lapad is consistently rated Dubrovnik's best restaurant — creative Dalmatian cuisine at fair prices (mains 15-22 EUR). It's outside the walls. This tells you everything about the wall premium.
Getting Around
4. The Walls Walk: Go at 8AM Opening
Dubrovnik's city walls (25 EUR — yes, expensive) are a 2-km circuit with no shade and no re-entry. In July-August, they're a heat trap. Go at 8AM opening when the light is perfect and the walls are nearly empty. By 10AM, it's a conveyor belt of selfie sticks.
5. The Peljesac Bridge Changed the Map
The Peljesac Bridge (opened 2022) connects Dubrovnik directly to the Peljesac peninsula without crossing through Bosnia. Ston and the Peljesac wine country are now a seamless 1-hour drive. Previously the border crossing added 30-60 minutes. This makes Ston oysters and Dingac wine a perfect day trip.
6. Rent a Car for Day Trips Only
A car is useless within Dubrovnik (Old City is car-free, parking is 10-15 EUR/hour nearby) but essential for Peljesac, Ston, and Mljet. Rent for specific day trips rather than the whole stay. Buses handle everything within the city and to Cavtat.
The Riviera Beyond the Walls
7. Cavtat Is the Antidote to Dubrovnik Overcrowding
A palm-lined waterfront, Venetian architecture, none of the crowds. 20 km south of Dubrovnik, reachable by bus (30 min, about 4 EUR) or water taxi from the Old Port (about 15 EUR, 40 min). The Racic Mausoleum (5 EUR) by sculptor Ivan Mestrovic is a masterpiece. The wooded Sustjepan peninsula has excellent swimming from rocks.
Restaurant prices are 30-40% below Old City rates for the same quality Adriatic fish.
8. The Elafiti Islands Are Blissfully Empty
Three car-free islands — Kolocep, Lopud, Sipan — reachable by ferry from Gruz harbor in 30-60 minutes (about 5-8 EUR round trip per island). Lopud's Sunj Beach is the region's best sandy beach, a 20-minute walk across the island.
Full-day "3-island tour" boats cost 40-50 EUR including lunch and swimming stops. Even in August, the Elafiti feel uncrowded. This is where locals go when Dubrovnik overwhelms them.
9. Ston Oysters Are the Best 2-EUR Meal in Croatia
Ston, 55 km northwest on the Peljesac peninsula, has Europe's longest defensive walls (5.5 km, entry: 10 EUR, allow 1.5 hours) and the Mali Ston oyster farms. Fresh oysters served at waterfront restaurants: 1-2 EUR each. Bota Sare is the most famous restaurant.
Kayak-and-oyster tours (45-60 EUR) paddle to the oyster beds and let you harvest your own. Combine with Peljesac wine tasting for a perfect day trip.
10. Peljesac Wine Is Croatia's Best
Croatia's premier wine region produces Dingac — the country's first protected appellation from Plavac Mali grapes grown on impossibly steep south-facing slopes above the Adriatic. Matusko, Saints Hills, and Milos offer tastings (10-20 EUR for 3-5 wines). The drive along the Peljesac wine road is spectacular.
11. Lokrum Island Is 15 Minutes Away
A forested nature reserve with a Benedictine monastery ruin, botanical garden, peacocks, the Dead Sea (saltwater lake perfect for swimming), and a Game of Thrones exhibition. Ferry from Old Port: 15 EUR round trip, boats every 30 minutes, April-November.
No overnight stays permitted. Bring food — the one restaurant has inflated prices. Allow 3-4 hours.
12. Mljet National Park Deserves an Overnight
Croatia's greenest island — the western third is a national park with two saltwater lakes, Aleppo pine forests, and a Benedictine monastery on a lake island (boat included with park entry: 15 EUR). Catamaran from Dubrovnik: about 22 EUR one-way, 1.5 hours.
Rent a bike (10 EUR/hour) to circle the Great Lake. Day trips are possible but feel rushed — stay overnight to appreciate the quiet once the last catamaran leaves.
Budget Moves
13. Gruz Market for Self-Catering
Dubrovnik's daily green market near Gruz harbor has fresh produce, cheese, bread, and local olives at local prices. A picnic lunch assembled here costs 5-8 EUR per person. Compare that to 20-30 EUR for a mediocre Old City sandwich.
14. The Buza Bars Are Overrated for Value
The famous cliff bars outside the walls (Buza I and II) have spectacular settings — drinks on a ledge above the sea. But a beer costs 7-8 EUR and a cocktail 15-18 EUR. Go once for the experience, but don't make it your evening routine.
15. Swimming Is Free — Skip the Beach Clubs
Banje Beach below the Old City charges 30-50 EUR for a sunbed. Walk 10 minutes south to Sveti Jakov beach — equally beautiful, free access, sunbeds from 10 EUR. Even better: swim from the rocks at Lokrum or at Danče beach (west side, local favorite, free, no facilities).
Practical Details
16. The Heat Is Serious
July-August regularly exceeds 35°C. The Old City walls walk, city wall circuit, and Lokrum have minimal shade. Carry water constantly. The polished limestone streets become dangerously slippery when wet.
17. Game of Thrones Locations Are Everywhere
Dubrovnik was King's Landing. Fort Lovrijenac is the Red Keep. The Jesuit Stairs are the Walk of Shame. Lokrum was Qarth. The pile gate is the main city gate in the show. Guided tours: 30-40 EUR. Or just download a map and find them yourself.
18. Shoulder Season Is Dramatically Better
May-June and September-October have warm weather (23-28°C), swimmable seas, fewer ships, lower prices, and Old City streets you can actually walk on. September sea temperature (25°C) is warmer than June.
19. Korcula Is an Easy Day Trip via Peljesac
With the new Peljesac Bridge, Korcula island (birthplace of Marco Polo, allegedly) is reachable by car and the Orebic-Korcula ferry (15 minutes, about 5 EUR). Allow a full day. The old town is a mini-Dubrovnik with a fraction of the tourists.
Packing Essentials
Water bottle with filter (public fountains exist — Onofrio's Fountain provides drinkable water)
Sturdy shoes for polished limestone (slippery when wet)
Hat and SPF 50 for the walls walk
Swimsuit for spontaneous swimming (rocks and ladders everywhere)
