14 hours in Dubrovnik

[georgiaguy]

The big question. What would you do with 14 hours in Dubrovnik? We are booked for a cruise next summer stopping in Dubrovnik for 14 hours, 10am-11:59pm. I am sure we will do some kind touristy, see the sights, especially Game of Thrones because my spouse loved the show. But from what I have been looking at, that Wilke only take a few hours. What should we do with our time? Open to suggestions if you have them  and thanks!

[dogs4fun]

There is more than enough to easily fill fourteen hours in this amazing, historical city. We have visited twice and immensely enjoyed ourselves each time.

The old medieval city of Dubrovnik is a UNESCO World Heritage site - it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea. You may want to read a little of Dubrovnik's history to whet your appetite.

Some suggestions:

Medieval city walls - it will take you about an hour to do the full circuit of battlements & you will probably recognize several locations from the Game of Thrones.

Old Town - you can spend quite some time strolling the old alleyways. Enjoy some local food.

Cathedral - an example of Dubrovnik's baroque architecture - the interior artwork is splendid. The main altar's amazing triptych was painted by the famous renaissance artist, Titian.

You can take a ride on Dubrovnik's cable car which takes you to the top of Mount Srd - excellent panoramic views and a great place to take photos.

Other sights not to miss assuming you have the time.

Sponza Palace _ GOT

St. Blaise Church

Franciscan Monastery 

Fort Lovrijenac - GOT

Pile Gate - GOT

St. John's Fortress

Orlando's Column - GOT

Clock Tower

Walking tour map GOT:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1CMu8ACaHRf9yQSMBu2I_mq1d9LIaBe-Z&ll=42.66876642266429%2C18.052144899999995&z=12

Edited June 26, 2021 by dogs4fun

[cruisemom42]

In addition to the good suggestions above, plan to eat dinner somewhere in the old city. Food is great in Croatia, and the ambience is nice if you find a place with outdoor seating, or one of the restaurants that looks onto the water.  You can check out places while you're wandering during the day.

 

[edinburgher]

 You could also take the public bus (right outside the port gates) to Cavtat.  Sit on the right side facing the direction of travel for the scenic ride.

 

Once there, do the pretty walk around the peninsula (begins at the bus station) then enjoy drinks around the port watching the superyachts before returning again by bus or by boat from alongside the bars, cafes.. The boat drops you in Dubrovnic Old Town Harbour perfect for  the start of your city sightseeing.

 

Cavtat Tourist info is at Cavtat bus station and can supply a map of the walk although it isn't really necessary.  Very scenic alongside the waters edge for the most part and flat for walking with plenty of benches along the way.

 

I highly recommend this. We have done it three times and enjoyed it each time.

Edited June 26, 2021 by edinburgher

[Dukefan]

1 hour ago, dogs4fun said:

There is more than enough to easily fill fourteen hours in this amazing, historical city. We have visited twice and immensely enjoyed ourselves each time.

The old medieval city of Dubrovnik is a UNESCO World Heritage site - it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea. You may want to read a little of Dubrovnik's history to whet your appetite.

Some suggestions:

Medieval city walls - it will take you about an hour to do the full circuit of battlements & you will probably recognize several locations from the Game of Thrones.

Old Town - you can spend quite some time strolling the old alleyways. Enjoy some local food.

Cathedral - an example of Dubrovnik's baroque architecture - the interior artwork is splendid. The main altar's amazing triptych was painted by the famous renaissance artist, Titian.

You can take a ride on Dubrovnik's cable car which takes you to the top of Mount Srd - excellent panoramic views and a great place to take photos.

Other sights not to miss assuming you have the time.

Sponza Palace _ GOT

St. Blaise Church

Franciscan Monastery 

Fort Lovrijenac - GOT

Pile Gate - GOT

St. John's Fortress

Orlando's Column - GOT

Clock Tower

Walking tour map GOT:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1CMu8ACaHRf9yQSMBu2I_mq1d9LIaBe-Z&ll=42.66876642266429%2C18.052144899999995&z=12

This is a great recommendation.  We have spent over 4 days in Dubrovnik and never ran out of things to do or see.  We love the city.  You are fortunate that you will be there in the evening when it is really special.  After most of the cruise crowd leaves at around 4 pm, it becomes a very different city.  Doing the walk around the old city walks at sunset is magical.   We are headed back to Dubrovik for our third visit next May and are really looking forward to it.

[mskaufman]

I was thinking of walking the wall around sunset and then having dinner in the old town.

[georgiaguy]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I had another random thought. We will be on the Celebrity Reflection and they have something called the Lawn Club Grill on one of the open decks. Do you think that you could watch a sunset from ship and in this case have dinner?  

[Dukefan]

13 hours ago, mskaufman said:

I was thinking of walking the wall around sunset and then having dinner in the old town.

Great plan!

[ljandgb]

Sadly, I did not love the old walled city.  Pre-Covid, at least, it was wall to wall tourists and souvenir shops. I think Split and some of the smaller islands spoiled me, as their old cities are a vibrant mix of tourism and locals.

 

I'd also recommend Cavtat.  It's just a short drive south of Dubrovnik and very picturesque.  Do the very easy walk to the top of the hill and around the peninsula.  There's even a few small rocky beaches where you can sun bathe like a local.

 

We did a food tour from Dubrovnik, if you really want to get away from the crowds.  We stopped at a small winery and then had the best "dinner under the bell" we'd had on our entire trip, at a small restaurant that had seating out over a small river.  It's listed as the Konvale Gastro Tour, by Magical Croatia on TripAdvisor.  Dino is the owner and guide and was the perfect example of Croatian hospitality - open and enthusiastic.  If you do want to look into this, contact him on WhatsApp.  He answers that promptly.

 

 

[mskaufman]

We found the actual wall had great views. We enjoyed it more than the city itself.

 

[Skai]

We had a similar long port day scheduled when we were there.

 

In addition to walking the walls first thing in the morning, we did our own self-researched (DIY)GOT filming locations tour -- which also included hiking up to the Lovrijenac Fortress(outside of the old-city walls).  We also did a bit of strolling around down inside the walls; visiting a few spots.  While DW did some shopping, I took advantage of checking out some of the sites included with the Dubrovnik Museum ticket.  

 

The Franciscan Monastery/Apothecary and Maritime Museum are both interesting places worthy of a look.

 

After lunch in the Old Town, and having already purchased all-day city bus-passes at the port, we took a bus to Lapad Beach to spend a couple of hours.  The beach was nothing special, but we did take the opportunity to imbibe a few afternoon drinks to 'cool off' and relax a little during the warm afternoon hours.

 

Upon returning back, we took the bus to the Dubrovnik Cable-Car to take in the sunset high above the Old Town<----This is really worth doing, as the view was spectacular.  After heading back down, we stumbled across a pizza joint that was pretty good outside of the Ploka Gate, but there would have also been plenty of time for a nice sit-down meal in the Old Town (as we were there in Sep. and sunset was around 7:00p). 

 

As it was, we had a little more time to stroll the Old Town some more, and as mentioned ITT already; it was quite a pleasant atmosphere at night w/ the bulk of the day-trippers gone.

 

Other than breakfast, I wouldn't plan on having any other meals on the ship, to maximize the enjoyment of one's long day in port @Dubrovnik.

[bennybear]

We enjoyed visiting Dubrovnik and walking the walls.  We Also had a great seafood dinner off the Main Street.    But highly recommend you take a taxi or bus to Cavtat and return by boat.  You can see some of the beautiful yachts in contrast to some of the hotel ruins.   Very relaxing, and fun if you are getting tired of the crowds and walking.

Edited July 9, 2021 by bennybear

[muggo11]

While waiting to cruise again, we have been living in Srebreno, south of Dubrovnik for a month with another month to go. 
I echo much of what has been said earlier.  Options.  
*the cable car to Mt. Srd is a must.  Go to War Museum up there and make reservations at Panorama to eat. It would be a shame to visit and not get a feel for the Croatian War for Independence. 
*if you are a foodie, go to 360, a Michelin-starred restaurant with a terraced bird’s eye view.  Reservations open 30 days in advance on their website. 
*a water taxi (1 hour or so from the Old City Docks)  to Cavtat is a wonderful way to see the coast and visit an ancient Roman city. The climb to the Racic Family Mauseleum designed by famous sculptor,Ivan Mestrevic is spectacular.  And Bugenvilea, a restaurant on the water is spectacular.  The cab stand to head back is right in front if you are worried about time. 
Good luck and enjoy!  

[ski ww]

 We will be there in July 2022 so it gives us an idea what we should see & do, thanks.

[Dukefan]

On 8/1/2021 at 12:20 PM, muggo11 said:

While waiting to cruise again, we have been living in Srebreno, south of Dubrovnik for a month with another month to go. 
I echo much of what has been said earlier.  Options.  
*the cable car to Mt. Srd is a must.  Go to War Museum up there and make reservations at Panorama to eat. It would be a shame to visit and not get a feel for the Croatian War for Independence. 
*if you are a foodie, go to 360, a Michelin-starred restaurant with a terraced bird’s eye view.  Reservations open 30 days in advance on their website. 
*a water taxi (1 hour or so from the Old City Docks)  to Cavtat is a wonderful way to see the coast and visit an ancient Roman city. The climb to the Racic Family Mauseleum designed by famous sculptor,Ivan Mestrevic is spectacular.  And Bugenvilea, a restaurant on the water is spectacular.  The cab stand to head back is right in front if you are worried about time. 
Good luck and enjoy!  

360 is a great restaurant with some wonderful views.  A great spot to have a romantic dinner for two!!!  The food was terrific and worth the price.  We were staying at the Hilton and walking through the walled city with no crowds after dinner going back to our hotel was lovely!

Edited August 5, 2021 by Dukefan

[muggo11]

On 8/5/2021 at 9:13 PM, Dukefan said:

360 is a great restaurant with some wonderful views.  A great spot to have a romantic dinner for two!!!  The food was terrific and worth the price.  We were staying at the Hilton and walking through the walled city with no crowds after dinner going back to our hotel was lovely!

Knowing that a fellow Blue Devil had a good time will help my husband (class of 74) pay the steep bill at 360 this week!  🤞🤞

[Dukefan]

3 hours ago, muggo11 said:

Knowing that a fellow Blue Devil had a good time will help my husband (class of 74) pay the steep bill at 360 this week!  🤞🤞

Let me know if it is still as good as I remember.   I am planning a return trip this May.

[iancal]

You could rent a car for the day.  Last time in Dubrovnik we rented a car from the Sixt booth at the Hilton Hotel just outside the gate.   Drove down to Kotor, stopping along the way.  Nice, easy drive. Perhaps a stop in Perast and a short boat ride over to the island/church

[georgiaguy]

Well good news on the Kotor front is that we are actually going to be there the next day on the boat so no need to go from Dubrovnik.

[muggo11]

On 8/8/2021 at 4:17 PM, Dukefan said:

Let me know if it is still as good as I remember.   I am planning a return trip this May.

It was and then some!  We opted for the a la carte vs the tasting menu. Spectacular. Just

to get  reservations!  

[Dukefan]

8 minutes ago, muggo11 said:

It was and then some!  We opted for the a la carte vs the tasting menu. Spectacular. Just

9A8E71D5-01BC-4724-A82A-8382F3213E13.MOV to get  9A8E71D5-01BC-4724-A82A-8382F3213E13.MOV reservations!  

Looks like you had a great night both weatherwise and foodwise.   Glad you enjoyed it.  I am looking forward to going back in May.  From the photos the food looks as great as it always has.  Thanks for sharing!

[CruiseMH]

On 6/27/2021 at 2:25 AM, mskaufman said:

I was thinking of walking the wall around sunset and then having dinner in the old town.

Unfortunately the walls close approx. 1 hour before sunset.

So this wouldn`t work. 😉

 

 

[mskaufman]

On 8/22/2021 at 4:52 PM, CruiseMH said:

Unfortunately the walls close approx. 1 hour before sunset.

So this wouldn`t work. 😉

 

 

What about the cable car?  Does that remain open?

[CruiseMH]

17 hours ago, mskaufman said:

What about the cable car?  Does that remain open?

Yes, the cable car runs until 9-11 pm (depending on the month)

[mskaufman]

3 hours ago, CruiseMH said:

Yes, the cable car runs until 9-11 pm (depending on the month)

So, that is another evening option instead of the wall!!