Dubrovnik 6 Day Itinerary

Dubrovnik 6-Day Itinerary

Between 10am and 4pm on a heavy cruise day, Dubrovnik’s Old Town can absorb 8,000 to 12,000 disembarked passengers, and the Stradun turns into a shuffling, single-file procession. The trick to this city is timing, not stamina, and this itinerary is built around beating the ships rather than fighting them.

Day 1: Arrival and Old Town orientation

  • The airport shuttle bus into town costs around 10 euros one way and takes about 30 minutes to Ploče Gate, cheaper and just as fast as a taxi during daytime traffic.
  • Check in and walk the Stradun once just to get oriented, then find Buža bar, a hole cut into the city wall itself where you drink overlooking the sea with no railing between you and the Adriatic.
  • City walls tickets run around 35 to 40 euros in peak season, a real jump from a few years back, so buy online in advance to skip the ticket line at Pile Gate and go right at 8am opening, before the cruise crowds land.
  • Dinner opinion: skip the big-view restaurants your first night, they overcharge for the panorama. Go instead to a small konoba tucked off the main drag for peka or black risotto, you will eat better for half the price.
  • Tip: the Dubrovnik Card is worth it only if you are stacking three or more paid attractions plus using public buses regularly; if you are mostly walking the Old Town, buy the walls ticket separately and skip the card.

Day 2: City walls at dawn, then Lokrum

  • Walk the full 1,940-meter loop of the walls first thing, ideally between 7 and 9am while cruise passengers are still aboard ship and the stone is still cool.
  • Take the short ferry from the Old Port to Lokrum Island afterward. The saltwater pool locals nickname the Dead Sea is a small brackish lake, not an actual sea, but you can float in it and it is markedly saltier than the Adriatic around it.
  • Wander the Benedictine monastery ruins and the botanical garden, both low-key and a good contrast to the walls crush.
  • Evening: catch the cable car up Mount Srđ for sunset over the walled city and the islands, then eat somewhere with a view since you have earned it this time.

Day 3: Montenegro day trip

  • Kotor is the standard choice, roughly two and a half hours each way by road, and worth it for the fjord-like Bay of Kotor and a walled old town of its own, smaller and quieter than Dubrovnik’s.
  • Bring your passport, this is an international border crossing and queues at Debeli Brijeg can run long in July and August.
  • If a full day feels like too much bus time, Perast is a shorter, calmer alternative on the same bay with fewer crowds and a boat trip out to the tiny island church of Our Lady of the Rocks.
  • Back in Dubrovnik for a late dinner, look for a place with a strong Croatian wine list, Dingač and Pošip from the Pelješac peninsula are the wines to try here, not imports.

Day 4: Game of Thrones tour and a beach afternoon

  • The city walls, Fort Lovrijenac and the Jesuit Stairs all feature heavily in the show’s King’s Landing scenes, and a guided walking tour connects them with context you would otherwise miss just wandering.
  • Afternoon at Banje Beach if you want proximity to town, though it gets crowded and sunbeds are pricey; Copacabana Beach past Lapad has more space and calmer water for actual swimming.
  • My honest take: the tour is worth doing once for the storytelling, but do not pay for the premium versions with costumes, a straightforward walking guide covers the same ground for less.

Day 5: Elafiti Islands and sunset paddling

  • A boat tour to the Elafiti Islands, Koločep, Lopud and Šipan, gets you away from Old Town congestion entirely; Lopud in particular has an empty sandy beach that feels like a different country from the walls an hour away.
  • Book a smaller group boat rather than the big-buffet party boats if you want an actual swim stop instead of a crowded deck.
  • Rent a sea kayak for a sunset paddle along the base of the city walls back in Dubrovnik, launching from the Old Port area. Seeing the walls lit up from the water at dusk is worth the sore arms the next day.
  • Dinner at a stone-house konoba away from the main square, look for Konoba Dubrava-style spots serving fresh grilled fish priced by the kilo, and ask what came in that morning rather than ordering off the printed menu.

Day 6: Departure

  • Spend the morning in the market at Gundulićeva poljana for dried figs, lavender and local olive oil, prices are fair and it is far less touristy than the souvenir shops on the Stradun.
  • If your flight is in the afternoon, one more slow coffee on a side street beats a rushed last attraction.
  • Book the airport shuttle at least the day before in high season, buses fill up and a missed departure slot can mean a pricier last-minute taxi.

Best time to go April, May, September and October give you warm weather with far fewer cruise days than July and August, when the port can see multiple ships stacking arrivals in a single morning. If you can only travel in peak summer, structure every attraction around the 7 to 9am and after 5pm windows.

Transportation Public buses cover Lapad, Gruž and the Old Town approaches cheaply, but the historic center itself is walking only, no cars inside the walls. For day trips to Montenegro or the Elafitis, a group tour or private driver beats renting a car given parking scarcity and summer traffic on the coastal road.