Dubrovnik is certainly one of the most famous places in Croatia and gained international fame through Star Wars and especially Game of Thrones. The old town was used for numerous scenes, as it has a medieval touch even today. Dubrovnik was for a long time on our list, even long before it had the notoriety it enjoys today. Its breathtaking beauty and distinctive architecture are a must see.

However, we never had managed to visit the city before. This is mainly due to the fact that it is located at the very tip in the south of Croatia and a car ride takes half an eternity, especially in summer. This time, however, the time had come and we were finally able to fulfil our dream together. During our Balkan road trip, we continued to Dubrovnik after our stopover in Kotor.

The approach to the old town of Dubrovnik is beautiful. For example, if you come by car from the south towards Dubrovnik, you will enjoy probably the most famous view of the old town of Dubrovnik. We happened to be lucky enough to be able to see the sunset over the city just in time and unexpectedly. An unforgettably beautiful and breathtaking moment.

The situation with parking in Dubrovnik does not really look good. There are numerous parking garages, but they are quickly full and charge incredibly high prices. Based on the personal recommendation, we can only pass on to avoid parking in the Old Town Parking. On the one hand, because the parking spaces are gone very, very quickly and you probably end up in an endless loop looking for a free space. Secondly, because the prices on site are just abnormally high. Proudly 75 Kuna are demanded here per hour. That makes $10 per hour!

Simply cheeky!

We have always parked in Gruz Port Parking, where the hour costs 20 Kuna, which makes about $2.70. Is still a lot, but compared with the Old Town Parking a bargain. The disadvantage here is that this parking is located at the port about 3 km outside the old town and thus a bus ride will be necessary. The bus ride costs 30 Kuna, or $4 for a return ticket. Finally, you will certainly stay in the old town for several hours and will be glad not to get $10 poorer every hour for the parking lot.

Finally arrived in the old town, you quickly feel the hype around Dubrovnik. Numerous people surround you and crowd through the gates of the old town. Behind the walls, such a beautiful place full of old buildings, great restaurants and countless souvenir stores awaits you. We liked the old town right away. Despite the overwhelming crowds, it was just magical on site. Since we entered the old town for the first time just before sunset, we were able to explore all the beautiful places in peace and remember what we want to visit the next day in the early morning hours and still without the numerous tourists.

We honestly couldn’t name a single sight inside the walls right now. What we can do, however, is to assure you that you will see more than enough beautiful corners just by walking around and enjoying your time there. Just make sure you get there as early as possible, as the old town is very popular and already quite crowded in the early morning hours.

During the day from 8 o’clock in the morning there is the possibility to visit the city walls of Dubrovnik and climb them alone. The unpleasant thing is that you have to pay 200 kuna for it. So once again $27 poorer. Personally, we thought longer, whether we want to treat ourselves, especially since we wanted to pay attention to our travel budget. But since we were finally the first time in Dubrovnik and do not know when we come back, we treated ourselves to the walk over the ramparts of the old town. Probably the operators thought the same thing, which would explain the high prices.

The ticket can be paid directly on the spot and also with credit card. Then it’s up to the city walls for an unforgettable experience. Depending on personal preference, a tour lasts one to two hours. In any case, it is incredibly beautiful and unique. Even if the expensive entrance fee hurts a bit, everyone should treat themselves to the view from the top at least once. The view of the wide sea and the wonderful old town is too beautiful.

You should not miss it!

If you want to book a room in Dubrovnik relatively spontaneously in the high season, you will most likely not find anything cheap. Of course, there are some hotels in good locations, but highly expensive. That’s why we found a cozy apartment in Mali Zaton through Airbnb. The old town of Dubrovnik was only 10-15 minutes away by car, but the rent was with $63 per night about 2-3 times cheaper than a room directly in Dubrovnik. Although we decided to stay in Mali Zaton mainly for financial reasons, we finally liked it very much. In the immediate vicinity, about 3 minutes walk away, we could already relax our souls on the beach and cool off in the wonderfully clean sea water.

By the way, you can also enjoy life on Banje Beach right in front of the old town of Dubrovnik. However, the beach is very popular and accordingly also well visited. Calculate here also with a price of 200 Kuna for two sunbeds. That makes about $27.

With the visit to the city walls we also ended our trip in Dubrovnik, after which we headed towards Split. Looking back, we liked Dubrovnik extremely well and it was a great stay. The delicious food, the fascinating old town, the local magic. It was beautiful. Unfortunately, due to the hype, the old town is also very overpriced, which I’m sure you could pick out. Still, we can wholeheartedly recommend a short stopover in Dubrovnik. You will love it!

Prices are per person, except for the accommodation, which we rent for 2 people.

Accommodation: $63 / night

Restaurant: $33 / meal

Snack: $7 – $12 / meal

Bus: $4 / ride

Parking: $2.70 / hour

Activity: $27 / event