Dubrovnik Travel Guide – 2 Days in Dubrovnik

Planning to spend 2 days in Dubrovnik? Here’s my comprehensive Dubrovnik travel guide that covers everything you need to know about the best things to do, places to see, where to eat, drink and stay.

Dubrovnik, the Pearl of the Adriatic, is an absolute dream! Having always been a very popular tourist destination and now even more (heard of Game of Thrones, anyone?! 😉 ), it enjoys a lot of hype and rightly so.

When viewed from a distance, the light-coloured stone houses with orange terracota tiled rooftops offset by deep blue Adriatic sea paint an unforgettable pretty picture! In the Old Town, there is a romantic appeal to walking its main street Stradun that is lined with polished limestone, exploring the narrow side lanes and getting lost in the steep stone-staircased alleys.

So, when I found myself planning an epic road trip in Montenegro, its next door neighbour, I couldn’t help myself booking a few days in Dubrovnik too.

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Getting there

Dubrovnik can be reached by flight, road, bus, ferry and cruise ships but not by train. There is no train station in Dubrovnik.

Bus: The bus terminal in Dubrovnik is located in Gruž near the new port. From here, you can use regular local buses to travel within the city. Click here for more details.

Flight: Dubrovnik airport is located around 20 km away from the city. There is a regular bus service running between the main terminal and Pile gate near Old Town and costs about 40Kn. Taxis are also available and may be more ideal than the bus considering where you’re planning to stay. We took an Uber to our Airbnb which cost us about 220Kn. Click here for more details.

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When to visit

June to August is considered the peak season and it gets VERY crowded. In fact, the city is taking active measures to controls the arrival of visitors by staggering the arrival and departure of the cruise ships. These are the hottest months too! The shoulder months of April, May and September are the most ideal in my opinion.

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Where to stay

For a short duration like 2-3 days, the neighbourhoods to consider should be the Old Town, Pile and Ploce. The Old Town has that romantic, timeless appeal to it but would be out of question if you have a car. Pile and Ploce are right outside the Old Town and while Pile has the advantage of having many amenities, Ploce offers fantastic views.

One may be tempted to stay within the Old Town, we decided against it because we were visiting in July and Dubrovnik is known to be super busy during that time. Hence, we chose to stay in an Airbnb apartment in Ploce which was at a walking distance from the Old Town, the cable car as well as Banje beach. What sealed the deal, though, was the fabulous views of the Adriatic sea as well as the Old Town from the apartment.

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What to pack

Here’s a quick look at my packing essentials for Dubrovnik in summer. You can shop directly by clicking on the images.

[shopr_shopthepost collection=”dubrovnik-packing-essentials” title=”” show_product_title=”yes”]

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Things to do

First thing to do is to go to a tourist information office and buy yourself a 3 day Dubrovnik Card. It covers a lot of main attractions and local bus transport for free while also offering discounts and benefits in others.

Walking the Walls of Dubrovnik

The Old Town is surrounded by fortified stone walls that was built during the 12th-17th centuries to protect and defend what was once one of the wealthiest and most prosperous republics in Europe. Today walking the circular path is the top most tourist activity in Dubrovnik.

It takes about 1.5 to 2 hours to finish the walk depending on how many times you stop to admire and photograph the breathtaking views of the orange rooftops of Old town buildings against the backdrop of the sapphire blue Adriatic sea. The walls of Dubrovnik offer the best viewpoints for the streets and side alleys of the Old Town.​

Price: 150Kn (Covered in a 3 day Dubrovnik card)
Opening hours: Click here for more details.

To avoid the crowds, walk the city walls either when it opens in the morning or about 1.5 hours before the closing time. Also, the entrance near Ploce gate is usually less busy as compared to the one near Pile gate.

Fort Lovrijenac

Fort Lovrijenac or St. Lawrence Fortress is an impressive fortress built on a high rock near the western walls of Old Town. It had great prominence in the city’s defence due to its strategic location near the sea and land entrance to Old Town. Today it’s famous as a theatre as well as filming location (Red Keep) for Game of Thrones.

The entry to the fortress is included in the City walls ticket so don’t forget to check it out.

Walking tour of the Old Town

A guided walking tour is one of the best ways to explore and get oriented with a new place. There is no better way to get introduced to Dubrovnik than by taking a guided walking tour of the Old Town, especially when the tour guide is a knowledgeable, passionate local resident. We decided to book the Game of Thrones + Dubrovnik combination tour with Dubrovnik Walking Tours (10% discount with Dubrovnik Card).

In the course of 1.5 hours, our expert tour guide Ivan took us to the main sights and attractions while giving us the details of Dubrovnik’s rich history of being one of the most prosperous republics and prominent seaports and its economic, social and political journey.

Dubrovnik was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979. Heavily damaged in the bombing attack by the Serbs and Montenegrins in the 1991 Yugoslavian war, you can still see the marks left on some stone walls. The difference in the colours of the roof tiles is an indicator of which buildings underwent repairs and restoration works.

Having worked as a location scout for Game of Thrones, Ivan also showed us some of the most famous GoT filming locations (and some other movies too) while keeping us entertained with interesting background stories and ancedotes.

Not a GoT fan? Try the Discover Dubrovnik tour.

Cable car to the top of Mount Srd

As if the views from the city walls wasn’t enough, you can get a bird’s eye view of Dubrovnik, Adriatic sea and the nearby islands from the top of Mount Srd which sits right behind the city. There is a hiking trail to get to the top but we preferred to take the easier, albeit the costlier, route which was the cable car.

Within 4 minutes, we were transported to the upper station (405m above sea level) which has a viewing terrace, panoramic restaurant, souvenir shop and a museum on the top.

We deliberately chose to take the cable car ride just before sunset – the red rooftops of the Old Town looked more vibrant bathed in the warmth of the golden hour while the dark silhouettes of the islands lurked on the horizon – simply, unforgettable!

Price: Adult round trip ticket is 150Kn.
Click here for more details on the cable car.

Rector’s Palace

Rector’s palace is a Gothic-Renaissance style palace in the Old Town and was built as a seat for the elected rector. It is now turned into a Cultural History Museum and showcases the portraits and coats of arms of the nobility, beautifully restored rooms with period furniture, coins, etc.

Even if you are not a big fan of museums and exhibitions (like moi), the gorgeous interiors are worth a visit. I particularly loved the central atrium with white walls, columns and the baroque staircase as well as the views of the streets of Old Town from the stained glass windows.

Price: 125Kn (Covered in a 3 day Dubrovnik card)
Opening hours: 9 am to 6 pm (Mar to Nov), 9 am to 4 pm (Nov to Mar). Click here for more details.

Other things to do in Dubrovnik include kayaking, cliff jumping and beach bumming.

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Day Trips from Dubrovnik

Due to its close proximity, day trips to Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina are very popular activities in Dubrovnik and there are several tour companies that can arrange it for you.

Planning to visit Kotor in Montenegro? Read my posts on Hiking St John’s Fortress and a day trip to Perast.

Lokrum island

Lokrum is the nearest island off the coast of Dubrovnik and can be reached within 15 minutes by regular ferry services. The attractions include Fort Royal (great views from the top), Benedictine Monastery, Botanical garden and Dead sea which is basically a small lake popular as a swimming hole.

A recent addition to the popularity of Lokrum causing many tourists to flock to the island is a small museum dedicated to Game of Thrones. Want to take a photo on the Iron throne? Here’s your chance 🙂

Getting there
In high season, there are regular ferry services run by a local company between Dubrovnik (Old Town Port) to Lokrum (Portoc Bay). The return trip costs 150KN per person and includes the entrance fee to the nature reserve. Click here for more details.

Cavtat

If you’d like to get away from the hustle bustle of Dubrovnik, the nearby seaside town of Cavtat is the perfect little getaway. Explore the rich cultural history of the Konavle region in this charming little place and sample some local food and wine in one of the restaurants on the harbour. If Dubrovnik seems a little out of budget, Cavtat is an affordable alternative to stay and you can take public transport to visit Dubrovnik.

Getting there
Local bus number 10 runs hourly between Dubrovnik and Cavtat. Check the bus schedule here.

Elaphite Islands or Elafiti

To the northwest of Dubrovnik, lies the archipelago of 13 islands called the Elafiti islands (or the Elaphites). If you fancy rustic islands complete with pristine beaches, crystal clear waters, lemon, cypress and orange trees, a boat tour to three of its largest islands (Koločep, Lopud and Šipan) should be on your itinerary. There are several companies running these 8 hour tours departing from the Old port.

Sunj beach, Lopud

Since it was too hot and we were not in a mood to spend the entire day in the sun out on a boat, we decided to take the public commuter ferry to Lopud only. The route is still scenic except we are on our time. We bought the ferry tickets from Jadrolinija office near new port and took the 2 pm ferry that reaches Lopud around 3 pm.

Sunj beach in Lopud is a beautiful sandy beach (Dubrovnik’s beaches are usually pebbly) that has only knee deep water almost for 50m – great for kids, paddlers and non-swimmers like me 😉

It’s a bit far from the port and not very easy to reach though. It takes about 30 minutes to walk all the way to the beach or you may want to take the golf car transfer like we did for 15Kn per person one way.

While returning, we took the 6:50 pm ferry back that reaches Dubrovnik at 7:45 pm, the perfect time to catch the sun setting over the horizon.

To be honest, if you only have 48 hours in Dubrovnik, you may find the trip to Sunj a bit tedious and the journey more a treat than the destination itself.

Price: 46Kn return trip
Address: Jadrolinija, Obala Stjepana Radića 40, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia

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Food and Drinks

Konoba Dubrava

When I read about Konoba Dubrava, I knew I had to try it out in spite of knowing there won’t be much going on for me as a vegetarian. It sounded like a great experience – a rustic tavern-like restaurant nestled in a quiet village on the Srd hill which sources fresh produce locally, sometimes hand-picked from the nearby village and serves authentic food like the traditional dish of Peka – a traditional Dalmatian dish made of meat cooked in a dome-shaped fireproof pot that’s put directly on coals.

They need at least 3 hours notice if you plan to order the peka. I emailed them much in advance for reserving a table for two and a peka for Mr AW. Me? I was happy to eat my simple chickpea salad and sample some homemade grappas over Dalmatian folk music.

Getting there
We walked from the cable car upper station to Konoba Dubrava because it was still light (and there were some amazing views on the way) but took a taxi ride back.

Address: Bosanka, 20207, Bosanka, Croatia

Azur

A fusion restaurant, Azur is a venture by two brothers from Dubrovnik serving unqiue Cro-Asian flavours. Within the Old town walls but tucked away from all the crowds, this restaurant almost is like a hole in the wall. There are only few tables which are laid out on the street and it’s best to book in advance.

Sitting under old fig trees in a dimly lit lane – it doesn’t get more atmospheric than this. The food was phenomenal – every dish we ordered was fresh and full of flavours. A bit of Asia in Dalmatia, this was the best meal we had in Dubrovnik!

Adress: Pobijana 10, Dubrovnik 20 000, Croatia

D’Vino

Croatia produces some excellent wines and the locals are very proud of it. The best place to try some of these top-notch wines is a wine bar called D’vino. Located in one of the alleys off Stradun, the location and ambience make it a cool spot to hang out. The staff is informative and will help you order the perfect wine according to your taste and preference or you could even opt for a tasting flight.

Address: Palmotićeva ul. 4a, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia

Cogito Coffee

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’d know that I love my coffee. A good flat-white was something that I craved for throughout the week that I spent in Montenegro and Dubrovnik. Finally, on the last day of my holiday, I found Cogito.

Located under an arched lane within the Old town walls, Cogito is a modern coffee shop serving specialty coffee. The colourful decor is fun and this is the perfect place to pick up an ice cream (vegan options available) or a coffee as you wander around.

Address: Ul. od Pustijerne 1, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia

A few other places that we didn’t go to but heard good things about are Lady Pi Pi, Cafe Art and Buza bar.

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Pin for later!

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I hope you enjoyed my Dubrovnik travel guide to spending 48 hours in the city. Have you been to Dubrovnik or planning to go? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to know!

Cheers,
Ameeta xx