Planning your journey
The bus terminal in Dubrovnik is located in Gruž near the port where, besides the information and sales office, passengers can find a wardrobe, taxi stand, and sales kiosk. One of the information offices of the Dubrovnik Tourist Board (Port of Dubrovnik building) and a Konzum supermarket are located nearby. In addition to international lines, there are daily intercity lines to all major cities in Croatia.
The only wardrobe that you can leave your luggage at in Dubrovnik is located at the main bus terminal.
The bus terminal is well connected with other parts of the city by regular bus lines, and taxi services are always at your disposal.
More information:
Bus Terminal Dubrovnik
Tel: 060 305 070
http://www.autobusni-kolodvor-dubrovnik.com/en/
Libertas Dubrovnik
Tel: 020 357 020
http://libertasdubrovnik.com/
Arrival by Automobile
From Western Europe:
1. Via Rijeka – motorway and continental road:
Rijeka – Senj – Žuta Lokva – Gospić – Dugopolje – Vrgorac – Ploče (motorway) – Dubrovnik.
2. Combination of Adriatic Highway (coastal road) and motorway:
Rijeka – Senj – Karlobag – Maslenica – Split – Makarska – Ploče (motorway) – Dubrovnik.
There are many different combinations using coastal roads and sections of the motorway. If taking the Adriatic Highway, one can enjoy the seaside scenery. The other option is taking the motorway, which passes through the continental part of the country, where the landscape is different, but no less picturesque.
From Central Europe:
1. Via Zagreb
Zagreb – Karlovac – Žuta Lokva – Gospić – Dugopolje – Vrgorac – Ploče (motorway) – Dubrovnik.
It is possible to combine this route with the Adriatic Highway.
2. Via Osijek (across Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Osijek – Slavonski Brod (or Brčko) – Sarajevo – Mostar – Metković – Dubrovnik /
Sarajevo – Foča – Trebinje – Dubrovnik
Petrol stations in and around Dubrovnik are open from 07:00 to 22:00, while during the summer season the petrol stations in Kupari and Komolac are open 24 hours a day. http://www.hak.hr/
Dubrovnik is connected to the ports of Split, Brač, Hvar, Korčula and Lastovo by seasonal boat routes.
Dubrovnik also has regular boat transfers to nearby islands (Lokrum, Koločep, Lopud, Šipan, Mljet).
The distance from Gruž Port to the Old City is 4 kilometres. Located near Gruž Port are: the Jadrolinija office, banks, ATMs, currency exchange, parking, a Konzum supermarket and the Srđ department store, an outdoor market, Hotel Petka, several tourist agencies, car rental and the Dubrovnik Tourist Board Information Office.
If you decide to walk to the historic centre of the Old City, you will need about twenty minutes.
You can also reach the Old City in about in ten minutes if you take bus lines numbers 1a, 1b, 1c, 3 and 8. The ticket price is 15 kuna if you buy it on the bus and 12 kuna at newsstands.
If you decide to use a taxi service, the taxi stand is located near the port and the fare to the Old City is around 75 kuna. You will pay 2 kuna per piece of luggage.
Ferry Dubrovnik – Bari – Dubrovnik
During the tourist season there is a ferry route between Gruž Port and Bari in Italy. Tickets can be bought at the Jadrolinija office by Gruž Port, where you can also get all the necessary information and timetables. (http://www.jadrolinija.hr/en/ferry-croatia)
G&V Line (http://www.gv-line.hr/index.php?lang=E)
Arrival by plane
Dubrovnik Airport is about 20 kilometres from Dubrovnik.
Upon arrival at Dubrovnik Airport, there is bus service to Dubrovnik 30 minutes after each regularly scheduled flight which takes passengers to Pile by the entrance to the Old City and then continues to the main bus station located in Gruž.
Upon departure, the bus leaves the main bus station in Gruž 1.5 hours before each domestic flight within Croatia, while for international flights it departs the main bus station 2 hours before the flight. When leaving Dubrovnik, the airport bus stops in front of the Grawe building on Dr. Ante Starčević street and in front of the cable car station in Petra Krešimira IV street.
You can check the exact time of departure for the airport bus on the carrier’s website, which is listed below, as well as in Tourist Information Centres and at hotel reception desks.
Bus tickets can be purchased at the main bus station or from the bus driver. One-way tickets cost 55 kuna and return tickets are 80 kuna.
www.platanus.hr
CULTURE & HISTORY
History is alive in every part of this city – as museum city and at the same time a live stage, it represents a perfect cross between the past and the present.
Every nook and cranny of this Pearl of the Adriatic, as it is known, hides a treasure. Dubrovnik is surrounded by 1940 meters of unique medieval ramparts preserved in their original form and open to visitors as the citys flagship attraction. Protected by UNESCO World Heritage status since 1979, Dubrovnik can boast one of the first such listings in Croatia.
Its rich history, geographic location, mild climate and traditional hospitality and excellence in tourism make Dubrovnik a recognized high quality product on the international tourism markets. Dubrovnik is Croatias undisputed convention centre with the more conventions, congresses and corporate incentive programmes and better figures in this segment of tourism than any other location in the country. The city is a destination of culture, as witnessed by its many festivals, prestigious art happenings, major open air events, excellent artists and athletes, and, last but not least, its architectural treasures.
SIGHTS
Museums
Dubrovnik is both a museum city and a city with a large number of museums.
Housing the materials from prehistoric artefacts to the recent documents from the not so remote time of the Croatian War of Independence in the 1990s, the Dubrovnik Museums -conceptualised as specialised institutions – offer information on all segments of the public, private, trade, seafaring and every-day life of Dubrovnik.
Red history museum, Love story museum, Maritime Museum, Cultural History Museum, Rupe Ethnographic Museum, The Synagogue, Sigurata Convent Museum, Museum of Croatian War of Independence, War Photo Limited, Musée de l’Église orthodoxe, Archaeological Museum Exhibitions, The Gornji Ugao Tower, Musée du monastère franciscain, La maison de Marin Držić, La maison mémoriale de Ronald Brown….
Monuments
a string of pearls including both material and nonmaterial heritage.
The value of Dubrovnik was recognised by UNESCO already thirty years ago, while the Festival of St Blaise joined the List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in October 2009. The Dubrovnik Republic, which presents the golden period of the Dubrovnik history, perfectly regulated the City and its life through its statute and other historic documents.
The Republic did not erect monuments to its contemporaries. The seaman Miho Pracat is the only person who deserved this great honour, while the figure which one sees most often on the monuments of Dubrovnik is St Blaise holding a model of the City in his hand…
The city of Dubrovnik is a living monument,..
a string of pearls including both material and nonmaterial heritage.
The value of Dubrovnik was recognised by UNESCO already thirty years ago, while the Festival of St Blaise joined the List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in October 2009. The Dubrovnik Republic, which presents the golden period of the Dubrovnik history, perfectly regulated the City and its life through its statute and other historic documents.
The Republic did not erect monuments to its contemporaries. The seaman Miho Pracat is the only person who deserved this great honour, while the figure which one sees most often on the monuments of Dubrovnik is St Blaise holding a model of the City in his hand…
Sacral Objects
Leaving its mark on the Republics history, religion offered shelter and solace in the times of trouble and became a symbol of the stone citys survival.
A visit to huge churches, which revealed the power and importance of religion in the lives of people at the time, the small secluded chapels in which the sufferings, secrets and joys were shared with the Almighty, and one of Europes oldest synagogues takes us back into the past, but also connects us with the present day, because church service is organised in the majority of the Dubrovnik sacral objects.
Capuchin Monastery of Our Lady of Mercy, Church of the Annunciation, Church of St Saviour, Dubrovnik Islamic Community Majlis, Franciscan monastery, Orthodox Church, Franciscan library, Church of St Blaise, Church of St James Pipunar, Church of St Nicholas, Cathedral, Church of St Roch, Dominican Monastery, Church of St Sebastian, Sigurata Church, Church of St Ignatius, Church of St Luke, Church of St Joseph, Domino Church, Church of St Mary of the Castle, Church of Our Lady of Mt.Carmel, Church of St Mary, Church of St Margaret, Benedictine Abbey, Church of St James, Parish Church of St Andrew, Parish Church of St Peter, Church of St George, Church of the Holy Cross, Church of St Nicholas of the Shipyard, Church of Our Lady of Mercy, The Votive Church of St Blaise on Gorica, Church of St Michael, Convent of St. Claire…
Natural Sites
fragrances of herbs growing in the clearings, historical gardens, the aquarium with the most intriguing species of the sea world are a part of the heritage which the visitors discover in Dubrovnik and its surroundings.
Ecology has become a more and more important part of our life, and the protection of environment and life in accordance with nature are both our obligation and duty. We take great pride in the outstandingly preserved natural monuments, the worlds bluest and cleanest sea, the unique flora and fauna, and the fascinating subterranean caves. The arrival in Dubrovnik offers enjoyment in the azure sea and sky, unique sunsets and natural sights of our region.
Trsteno Arboretum – natural beauty and the 500-year old giant natural monuments – Asian plane-trees. It is the home of the Trsteno Arboretum. One can easily get there in some 20 minutes by one of the regular buses connecting Dubrovnik with the Dubrovnik coastland. Trsteno boasts the 15th century renaissance summer residence of Gučetić-Gozze family, with its garden which has been cultivated from the 15th century to the present day. The garden encompassing the summer residence, aqueduct, mill, the fountain with Neptune and nymphs and the belvedere pavilion overlooking the sea and islands is the finest example of Dubrovnik summer residence garden architecture.
Elafite Islands
Apart from a large number of reefs and rocks, the Elafite, or Deer,…
Mljet National Park
Famous for its stories and legends, the Island of Mljet is the largest island…
of the Dubrovnik Archipelago and the home of the Mediterranean monk seal. The island boasts a rich history and archaeological and cultural sites. The Mljet National Park is situated in the western part of the green island.
A one-hour boat ride departing from Gruž harbour will take you to the island, and a ferry connects it with the Pelješac Peninsula. The port of call on the Island of Mljet is Sobra, and during the tourist season a hydrofoil also operates from Dubrovnik to Polače, from where one can reach the national park by a mini-bus. One can rent a bicycle or a smaller car on the island, but vehicles are not allowed in the national park.
You will be fascinated by the untouched nature in the park and by the beauty of the Great and Small Lakes connected with the open sea by a narrow channel. In the middle of the Great Lake stands the Isle of St Mary with the 12th century Benedictine Monastery of St Mary, which can be reached on a small boat. Do not miss the walks along the lovely wooded paths by the lake. You will take pleasure in the ancient pine forest reaching as far as the lake shore. In close proximity to the national park is the picturesque little harbour of Pomena, where the only hotel on the island – the Odysseus Hotel – is located. Pomena is one of the destinations in the famous South-Dalmatian Sailing Regatta which has traditionally taken place on the Dubrovnik-Mljet-Orebić route for many years now.
Island of Lokrum
In only ten minutes a boat from the Old City Harbour will take you to the Island of Lokrum,…
a special forestry reserve under UNESCO protection. A favourite bathing and excursion place in close proximity to the City, Lokrum is also the exotic and mysterious venue of many legends and stories.
A small lake on the island called Mrtvo More (Dead Sea) is suitable for children and non-swimmers.
Walk to the highest point of Lokrum, the elevation with the star-shaped Fort Royal, built by the French in 1806. The place offers a magnificent view of the City, Cavtat and the islands.
The roads and walking paths of Lokrum will take you through the botanical garden with an interesting collection of eucalyptuses, cactuses and succulent plants to the remains of the 12th/13th century basilica, the 15th/16th century monastery with an atrium garden, and the summer residence of Maximilian von Habsburg from the 19th century with gardens and a park. You will be enchanted by the woods of holm-oak, flowering ash, Aleppo pine, the old olive grove from the time when the Benedictines ran the island, gardens and parks.
Natural Sites
The green Mediterranean landscape, the azure depths of the Adriatic, white sea cliffs,…
fragrances of herbs growing in the clearings, historical gardens, the aquarium with the most intriguing species of the sea world are a part of the heritage which the visitors discover in Dubrovnik and its surroundings.
Ecology has become a more and more important part of our life, and the protection of environment and life in accordance with nature are both our obligation and duty. We take great pride in the outstandingly preserved natural monuments, the worlds bluest and cleanest sea, the unique flora and fauna, and the fascinating subterranean caves. The arrival in Dubrovnik offers enjoyment in the azure sea and sky, unique sunsets and natural sights of our region.
Active Holiday
If you have a spirit of adventure, take a kayak at Pile at the foot of Fort Lovrjenac. Row to the Island of Lokrum and Bete Cave and admire the view of the stone walls on your way back. You can explore the Dubrovnik sea bed, enjoy the silence and mystery of the depths and visit protected submarine archaeological sites within the special programmes offered by the diving and water sports centres located at some of the Dubrovnik beaches.
To tennis fans Lapad offers tennis courts at Babin Kuk, the Bay of Lapad and Gospino Polje, from where you can take a walk to the nearby Gorica Svetoga Vlaha hill with the little Church of St Blaise. Every year, at the closing of St Blaise Festival the church is visited by a procession of people carrying banners. From the hill you can enjoy magnificent views over the City and open sea.
If you stay at one of the top class hotels at Ploče, do not miss a morning jog or an easy walk to the Sveti Jakov area. At sunset return to your hotel and relax at the wellness centre, have a massage, swim in the swimming pool, or choose one of the beauty treatments.
Climb the Dubrovnik walls. This amazing 2-kilometre long walk offers a memorable view over the city and open sea.
The Lapad promenades by the sea are waiting for you, even in the mild Dubrovnik winter. It is a real pleasure to walk from the Bay of Lapad, head to the Neptune Hotel with a superb view of the rocks and lighthouse, proceed through Babin Kuk to Copacabana Beach and further along the seashore to the Orsan Sailing Club, where you can refresh yourselves with a fruit juice or cup of coffee.
Visit the southernmost part of the Croatian coast, the Prevlaka Park. Croatias biggest free climbing centre, the park also offers paintball, biking, adventure-walks and a tour of the labyrinth of tunnels that was once constructed for military purposes. Among other numerous programmes designed to make your active holiday in Dubrovnik unforgettable are big game fishing, fishing by day and night in Cavtat, sailing on rented sailboats, the salt harvest at the Ston Salt Works, a jeep safari in Konavle and bicycle ride through the unique national park on the Island of Mljet.
Wellness & Spa
People who are looking for the best will find a perfect blend of old and new in Dubrovnik, as well as the harmony of architecture and nature, peace and elegance, and the surprising pulse of a modern city. In Dubrovnik you will meet tourists who search for peace and are focused on history and culture, but also those attracted by active holidays.
Dubrovnik is characterised by high quality hotels. Out of a total of forty hotels, ten are five-star hotels. In accordance with modern tourist trends, the hotels offer the most up-to-date wellness and spa facilities. The Dubrovnik hotels wellness centres have been repeatedly awarded Croatian and international prizes for the high quality services they offer in premises designed to provide relaxation and soothe the senses. Special attention is paid to natural elements, minimalist decor and selected music, which creates an atmosphere of refined calmness with a view over the turquoise sea.
One can achieve a balance of spirit and body and relax from the stress of everyday life in different saunas, cold, hot, Turkish, Finish and other baths, using various kinds of Eastern massage and aromatherapy.
For guests on short visits as well as those on longer visits to Dubrovnik it is essential to feel good and provide their bodies with much needed strength and energy by exercising in water and gym, or swimming. In addition to long walks by the sea, where the air is filled with the fragrances of the Mediterranean, hotel guests rejuvenate their bodies and spirits enjoying the magic of the baths of ancient civilisations, the breath of the Orient and the healing circulation of water.
Rich historical legacies, diverse cultural content, the offer of film tourism is based on the fact that in recent years Dubrovnik has been a favourite in the world of well-known locations for capturing attractive serials and films, a cosmopolitan spirit – all of these tourists recognize as attractive reasons for discovering one of the most beautiful Mediterranean cities.
The most well-known HBO production and the most watched series ever, was filmed in Dubrovnik from 2011 to 2018, from the 2nd to the final 8th season, and according to the executive producers, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the main reasons for coming to film in Dubrovnik was the description of King’s Landing from the books of George R.R Martin which coincided exactly with the image and position of Dubrovnik. In the short films that were released before the new season of broadcasting, the production team and actors from the series, unmistakably expressed their delight with Dubrovnik, the hospitality of the citizens and Croatia in general. According to the most recognised international media publications, Dubrovnik is the most important venue for Game of Thrones, as it “plays” the role of the capital of the Seven Kingdoms.
Throughout the world Dubrovnik is more and more recognizable as King’s Landing, special tours are organized for the “Games of the Thrones Route”, journalists from the world explore historic sites and more and more of the world’s media recognize Dubrovnik as an ideal film destination.
The attractiveness of Dubrovnik as a filming location is confirmed with the increasing interest from the world’s film production companies for shooting in Dubrovnik. In addition to the mega popular Game of Thrones, filming by the Indian film industry, or Bollywood, in Dubrovnik including the movie Fan which starred one of India’s most popular actors, Shah Rukh Khan, triggered the interest of Indian film audiences. This was followed by the shooting of the world’s most popular movie hits, Star Wars and Robin Hood. These globally popular productions have firmly placed Dubrovnik on the map of unique and desirable destinations for filmmaking.
Celebrities in Dubrovnik
There is a very long history of famous people who have visited Dubrovnik,…
From Richard the Lionheart, Wallis Simpson, Prince Edward, Elisabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Michael Douglas, Catharine Zeta Jones, Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, Richard Gere, Nick Nolte and Tom Cruise to celebrities, famed athletes, and virtuoso musicians. Every summer the polished stone slabs in Stradun show the reflection of world-famous persons. Last summer Dubrovnik hosted the Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey and the fashion king Valentino. The City was also visited by the Norwegian royal couple King Harald and Queen Sonia, who are sailing in the South Adriatic on their yacht. The guests of the Chamber Music Festival Julian Rachlin & Friends were the most well-known Agent 007 Roger Moore and the old friend of Dubrovnik John Malkovich.
Kevin Spacey visited Dubrovnik as a participant of the Dubrovnik Film Meeting, the prestigious manifestation organised in collaboration with the Sarajevo Film Festival and the Adriatic Luxury Hotel Group. In a memorable evening of film and glamour the film The Usual Suspects was shown, which won Spacey his first Oscar. While sailing the Adriatic the fashion magician Valentino never fails to visit Dubrovnik, and every summer one can see him and his company enjoying the summer night atmosphere. The Croatian football stars who have also forged international careers Eduardo da Silva and Luka Modrić walked along Stradun this summer. In recent decades Dubrovnik has hosted a large number of celebrities and royalty, the majority of whom come to the city on their luxurious boats anchored in front of the romantic Island of Lokrum, including Roman Abramovich, Paul Getty, Bill Gates, Caroline of Monaco, the Prince of Hanover, the King of Jordan and the Prince of Oman. However, all visitors to this world famous city, both well-known and unknown, are impressed by the beauty of Dubrovnik and its amazingly rich history and culture.
Dubrovnik in three days
Dubrovnik offers numerous adventures within a three-day visit.
If the reason for your visit to our city is culture, youd better prepare yourselves because culture, arts and architecture are inseparable parts of Dubrovnik. Do not miss a visit to the Franciscan Monastery Museum with the artefacts of the Friars Minor Pharmacy from 1317.
The Dominican Monastery houses inspiring works by the members of the Dubrovnik 15th and 16t century school of painting and a canvas by the great Titian. The Cathedral treasury comprises silver and gold relics made by Dubrovnik goldsmiths from the 11th to 19th century. At the Rectors Palace try to conjure up the way the city was governed in the course of centuries and how freedom was guarded as the greatest treasure of the Dubrovnik Republic. Visit the Rupe Ethnographic Museum and learn more about the granary and storage of the state grain and wheat reserves in deep pits cut into the rock. Acquaint yourselves with the customs and folk costume of the Dubrovnik region. Walk the city walls, and make sure to visit the Maritime Museum in order to learn about the centuries-long seafaring tradition of the Dubrovnik Republic. Discover more about the famed seamen, and the mathematician Getaldić and the physicist Ruđer Bošković who calculated the loading capacity of the merchant ships karaka, galijun and nava.
Climb Fort Lovrjenac, the Dubrovnik Gibraltar, and conjure up scenes from Shakespeares Hamlet, Macbeth and Julius Caesar. Do not miss the opportunity to visit the small museum of the Dubrovnik Synagogue with numerous exhibits which testify to the life of the Jews in Dubrovnik.
At the Dubrovnik Defenders Museum at Fort Imperial on Mount Srđ, reminisce about the recent past and suffering of Dubrovnik. In addition to doing the city walls tour, climbing the Dubrovnik steps, walking the narrow streets with clothes drying in the breeze, charming restaurants and shops, a cocktail sipped by the walls, the murmur of the sea at Buža, and a concert or play at some of the Dubrovnik festivals, make sure to save some time for visiting the places in the Dubrovnik surroundings.
The Island of Lokrum, also called the Island of Love, is in close vicinity to the Old City. Centuries of rich history, legends, tales and the magic of the sea and nature will revive old loves, or inspire new ones.
The Arcadian idyll of the Trsteno Arboretum – where one of the most beautiful women of the European Renaissance, the red-haired Dubrovnik poetess Cvijeta Zuzorić wrote her verses and loved – invites you to take a walk in the shade of ancient trees and see your reflection in the Neptune and Nymphs Fountain.
Allow yourselves to enjoy swimming in the miraculously clean Adriatic, and take along a pebble from one of the white Dubrovnik beaches…
Wine was highly valued in the Dubrovnik Republic, when dessert wines were sold on prescription as medicine. The tradition of growing grapes and wine production goes back to the time of the Dubrovnik Republic. A provision from 1424 determined the prices of particular wine varieties, with the exception of Malvasia wine of Konavle the price of which was not limited.
The best-known wines of the Dubrovnik region include red wines of the Pelješac Peninsula, the Plavac Mali variety, white wines – Pošiš from the Island of Korčula, the aforementioned Malvasia called nectar of gods, and the wines of the Konavle area with the characteristic flavour of the south.
The Croatian coast of the Adriatic is adorned with the clear blue sea, wooded coastline and about 1600 islands. The southernmost part of Croatia, the Dubrovnik-Neretva County and the city of Dubrovnik abound in remains of shipwrecks, so that this part of the Croatian coast is more and more often a target of both recreational and professional divers. In close vicinity to Dubrovnik there are several shipwrecks, the attractive Elafite Archipelago walls, the red coral colonies in some places… while in the Cavtat zone there are several protected antique shipwrecks (amphora sites and pythos – pitchers for storing grains).
The local diving centres offer complete service including the organization of diving excursions in these locations, and the high quality equipment rental.
The recreational diving is a sport for everyone who feels well, regardless of age. Thanks to the pleasant sea temperature one can dive all the year round.
Diving is possible only if you possess a valid diving card issued by the Croatian Diving Union (HRS), which is valid one year after the date of issue.