Dubrovnik Questions (merged)

[Infi]

Actually only 6,000 total cruisers is not a busy day, good thing you are not arriving in August. Two of the very small ships do not arrive until later in the day, the three others at 0700 and Princess at 0900. Doubt if you will arrive to the old part of town until close to 1000. You need to decide what option is best for you, check to see if Princess is offering a shuttle transfer and their cost. Taxi option is fastest, about a 10 minute ride, cost is 75 Kuna or 10 Euros, drop off point is the Pile Brsalje (square) next to the Pile gate entrance.

The main entrance to the wall is located just inside the arch closest to the Pile entrance. You can enter at that point, walk the sea side of the wall and exit at the halfway point close to the Maritime Museum. The walk is done counter clockwise only, traffic flow is one way only. If you walk the entire wall, you will exit once you reach the main entrance. Yes you can walk half, go down and reenter again later in the day, with the same ticket.

The Stradun is the main promenade, you will be able to stroll it and shop but I strongly recommend making any purchases on the side streets. The side streets is where you may find some of our locally made products. The town has far too many tacky souvenir shops with junk made in other countries. Most of the outdoor street vendors are not local and if you check closely you may notice "Made in China" on the bottoms of items.

Finding Buza I or II can be a bit tricky, you will need a map and good directions.

As a local resident I am unable to recommend any specific restaurants, as per rules of cruise critic. Do continue your research for a good lunch spot.

Enjoy your time here, do keep in mind that Dubrovnik in itself is a work of art.

 

Thank you so much, Dubrovniktravellady. Your time spent dispensing advice on this thread is much appreciated. After your comment, I will definitely be shopping on the side streets rather than the Stradun. Do you recommend any specific local products that are worth purchasing?

 

Second, do you think it would be possible to do both the cable car and walls, given our time in port and the number of ships in? I read your reply to a similar question a few pages back, and you advised them to do the cable car first, then the wall. If we want to do both, should we do the same?

Looking forward to our day in Dubrovnik!

[gatorgirl59]

I found this great website about the cable car.

 

http://www.dubrovnikcablecar.com/

 

Gail

It has been my understanding that cable car tickets could not be purchased online, but on this website there is an option to order online. Anyone know if this is something new?:confused:

[Dubrovniktravelady]

Will I have time to do the wall and the cable car ?, and how far apart the the two. We are in port 7-7

If your ship arrives at 0700, you will probably reach the old part of town about 0830. More than enough time to do the wall, cable car and enjoy many of our historical and cultural sites. Want to save time, then take the taxi directly to the cable car first and the old part of town is just down about 100 steps to the Ploce gate (far eastern entrance to the old town).

Here is the map which will help you get your bearings.

 

http://www.tzdubrovnik.hr/data/1198052158_49_mala_Plan%20Grada_2008.pdf

[Dubrovniktravelady]

It has been my understanding that cable car tickets could not be purchased online, but on this website there is an option to order online. Anyone know if this is something new?:confused:

It has just been recently that cable car tickets can be purchased online. I am not aware of anyone who has done so, perhaps someone online can advise of their online experience. Do take note, there are instances when we are experiencing high winds or rain, the cable car does not run. Do check carefully the refund policy.

Edited June 9, 2012 by Dubrovniktravelady

[gatorgirl59]

It has just been recently that cable car tickets can be purchased online. I am not aware of anyone who has done so, perhaps someone online can advise of their online experience. Do take note, there are instances when we are experiencing high winds or rain, the cable car does not run. Do check carefully the refund policy.

 

Thank you so much...didn't even think about cable car not running the day we are in port! We are arriving on July 7 at 8:30 on the Celebrity Solstice. Unfortunately, that is the day with 10,000 cruise passengers in port! I was worried about the lines at the cable car so thought maybe I should purchase online. I saw your recommendation that we take a taxi from the ship directly to the cable car and then walk down to Ploce Gate to walk the city walls. If you do this, won't you then have to do the full walk in order to see the prettier seaside part of the walls? Also, if walking all the way around, would you then just walk thru the town to get back to the Pile Gate? I am assuming most transportation back to the port would be from area around Pile Gate?? I believe I understand that the Komarda restaurant is close to the Ploce Gate. Is that correct? Do we need reservations for lunch there? If we leave the ship shortly after it docks, take taxi to cable car, and then do full wall walk starting at Ploce Gate, would we be back to Ploce Gate at a reasonable time to have lunch at Komarda? Is the full wall walk very doable for a 52, 28, 16 and 13 year old who are healthy and in fairly decent shape? Thanks you so much Dubrovniktravelady for all your help....I feel like I have my own personal online tour guide! We are so excited about visiting your beautiful country!:)

[auntdot]

Dear Dubrovniktravelady,

 

Thanks for taking the time to share your wealth of information about Dubrovnik. I have read many of the posts on this thread (but not all!) and I still have some questions. Your response to Putterdude gave me some information - but because DH and I will be walking (and not using a wheelchair) some other questions come to mind. We both have some mobility issues (we cannot walk too far or stand too long without a rest) and I am wondering if it would make sense to simply hire a cab and see whatever we can manage. Sadly, I know we will not be able to do the wall or a lot of walking in the old town. But I would love to be able to get to the fabulous viewpoint and take in any other sights that we can.

 

If a cab would be possible - are they plentiful at the dock? Do they speak English so we can explain what we want/need? What would an approximate cost be?

 

Many thanks for any help you can give me!

auntdot

[Dubrovniktravelady]

Thank you so much...didn't even think about cable car not running the day we are in port! We are arriving on July 7 at 8:30 on the Celebrity Solstice. Unfortunately, that is the day with 10,000 cruise passengers in port! I was worried about the lines at the cable car so thought maybe I should purchase online. I saw your recommendation that we take a taxi from the ship directly to the cable car and then walk down to Ploce Gate to walk the city walls. If you do this, won't you then have to do the full walk in order to see the prettier seaside part of the walls? Also, if walking all the way around, would you then just walk thru the town to get back to the Pile Gate? I am assuming most transportation back to the port would be from area around Pile Gate?? I believe I understand that the Komarda restaurant is close to the Ploce Gate. Is that correct? Do we need reservations for lunch there? If we leave the ship shortly after it docks, take taxi to cable car, and then do full wall walk starting at Ploce Gate, would we be back to Ploce Gate at a reasonable time to have lunch at Komarda? Is the full wall walk very doable for a 52, 28, 16 and 13 year old who are healthy and in fairly decent shape? Thanks you so much Dubrovniktravelady for all your help....I feel like I have my own personal online tour guide! We are so excited about visiting your beautiful country!:)

Here is my suggestions:

Taxi to the cable car entrance, walk down to Ploce gate and stroll down the Stradun to the main entrance which is closest to Pile. Even a slow walker could make it from Ploce to Pile in about 15 minutes, east walk with many sites to view on the way. You can walk the sea side and exit at the Ploce exit from the wall. You can easily walk up the short pathway back to the Komarda restaurant, which is just outside of the Ploce gate. You may want to make a reservation to guarantee a sea side table.

The area of town which is located within the city wall is not a large area, you can see from one end to the other. However the majority of our historical sites are located within the wall and you may want to make a few more stops other than just the cable car and wall. Here is the map, perhaps it will help you get your bearings.

 

http://www.tzdubrovnik.hr/data/1198052158_49_mala_Plan%20Grada_2008.pdf

[Dubrovniktravelady]

Dear Dubrovniktravelady,

 

Thanks for taking the time to share your wealth of information about Dubrovnik. I have read many of the posts on this thread (but not all!) and I still have some questions. Your response to Putterdude gave me some information - but because DH and I will be walking (and not using a wheelchair) some other questions come to mind. We both have some mobility issues (we cannot walk too far or stand too long without a rest) and I am wondering if it would make sense to simply hire a cab and see whatever we can manage. Sadly, I know we will not be able to do the wall or a lot of walking in the old town. But I would love to be able to get to the fabulous viewpoint and take in any other sights that we can.

 

If a cab would be possible - are they plentiful at the dock? Do they speak English so we can explain what we want/need? What would an approximate cost be?

 

Many thanks for any help you can give me!

auntdot

If you have mobility issues, by all means do take a panorama tour. There will be many taxis waiting down at the dock for ship arrivals. I would venture to guess that English is spoken by all of them, perhaps not perfectly but enough. I have heard taxis do charge from 200 to 300 Croatian Kuna for a drive tour. That being said, you should do some research and make a reservation prior to your arrival, especially during high seas. Many taxi and tours services have websites in English, you can set an itinerary and have a quote which can be printed and carried with your documents.

I do regret that I cannot recommend any specific company, but there are many and you may find reviews on other travel forums. Do not just take the change of getting a taxi at the dock who is knowledgeable with the local history. Take the time to find someone who fits your interests.

[auntdot]

If you have mobility issues, by all means do take a panorama tour. There will be many taxis waiting down at the dock for ship arrivals. I would venture to guess that English is spoken by all of them, perhaps not perfectly but enough. I have heard taxis do charge from 200 to 300 Croatian Kuna for a drive tour. That being said, you should do some research and make a reservation prior to your arrival, especially during high seas. Many taxi and tours services have websites in English, you can set an itinerary and have a quote which can be printed and carried with your documents.

I do regret that I cannot recommend any specific company, but there are many and you may find reviews on other travel forums. Do not just take the change of getting a taxi at the dock who is knowledgeable with the local history. Take the time to find someone who fits your interests.

 

Thank you, once again, for your good advice. I will look for a taxi company online and see what they offer.

 

Best regards,

auntdot

[gatorgirl59]

Here is my suggestions:

Taxi to the cable car entrance, walk down to Ploce gate and stroll down the Stradun to the main entrance which is closest to Pile. Even a slow walker could make it from Ploce to Pile in about 15 minutes, east walk with many sites to view on the way. You can walk the sea side and exit at the Ploce exit from the wall. You can easily walk up the short pathway back to the Komarda restaurant, which is just outside of the Ploce gate. You may want to make a reservation to guarantee a sea side table.

The area of town which is located within the city wall is not a large area, you can see from one end to the other. However the majority of our historical sites are located within the wall and you may want to make a few more stops other than just the cable car and wall. Here is the map, perhaps it will help you get your bearings.

 

http://www.tzdubrovnik.hr/data/1198052158_49_mala_Plan%20Grada_2008.pdf

Thank you, Dubrovniktravelady....sounds like a great plan!:)

[ksps cruise fan]

We will be in Dubrovnik on 6/19 from 9am-6pm. We are docking at Port Gruz and are in port with five other ships. Understandably, I'm very concerned about crowds, especially on the walls and in town.

 

I think you have some reason to be concerned about the crowds. My husband and I were in Dubrovnik for three nights -- spending 1 1/2 days in the city and the other as base for a day-drive to Kotor -- and the character of the city changes dramatically between night and day. The wall seemed better able to handle the visitors than the town itself. Not everyone walks the walls, but the bigger factor is that the crowd gets spread out along the entire length of the wall and most people cooperate by following the counter-clockwise required route along the walls.

 

In contrast, there are very specific points of interest within the town and rather large groups all congretate at these destinations to hear their guides. The noise from competing groups and guides can be a bit much and the groups tends to over-run other visitors who are at the same destination (e.g. the clock tower, the cathedral, or the the water cistern)

 

Incidentally, I found that none of the port calendar web sites I consulted was accurate about the actual number of ships in port.

 

We walked the wall on a day when two large ships and two medium ships were in port at Gruz with a fifth small ship tendering passengers into town. I did not have any negative feelings about this level of visitors except when we encountered a rather large group walking the wall together.

 

4. Any recommendations for a restaurant in Dubrovnik?

 

Here are three place you might want to consider:

Posat

Proto

Kamenice

 

My husband and I spent two weeks in Croatia on a land tour. En route from Korcula to Dubrovnik, we stopped for lunch in Ston and fell in love with those delicious oysters. That put us on a quest to eat more Ston oysters and we did so at all three of the restaurants I've listed.

 

Kamenice: located in the farmer's market. There are several restaurants there, but you'll recognice Kemenice's tables by their bright blue and white striped seat cushions. The fried calamari was world class: very light batter with no oily taste and very tender calamari rings. We ate dinner there another night after having had a large late lunch. We repeated the fried calamari with success but also got a portion of the poached mussels. I was not particularly happy with the mussels. The mussles themselves were not well cleaned; I had to pull the beards off lots of mussels . In addition, the poaching liquid was not as well flavored as it could have been. It needed more wine or more onion or more something. We had fresh strawberries for dessert and these were just delightful -- full of intense, strawberry sweetness.

 

Posat: located just outside the Pile gate (We got home just hours ago so my brain feels quite foggy. Someone please correct me if I've got the gate wrong.) Lovely oysters. Wonderful fresh fish. Nice location, especially for dinner when you can see the lit city walls from the terrace dining area.

 

Proto: At the Pile end of town on the widest cross street that intersects with the Stradun. Lovely oysters. This menu offered a bit more variety than many other menus not only in Dubrovnik but also throughout Croatia. You'll see the word "Bouzara" or "Boussara" or some variant of that word on most menus. That can mean a white wine and onion poaching liquid for mussels or a tomato based poaching liquid or the white wine version for scampi.

 

The best red bouzara version we had was in Lovran at Restaurant Kvarner. (I don't know how many cruisers have a port call at any places along the Istrian peninsula which is where Lovran is located.) The best white bouzara version was in Split at Konoba Varos.

[Mercury]

Hi Dubrovniktravelady

We are going to be using a guide (still need to find one) when we walk the wall. My question is: would it be possible to see the market, and the clock tower or are these located in a totally different area?

Thank-you!

[suttoncruisers]

Hi

 

I have read that taxis are available at the port to take you to the Pile entrance, but how easy in July is it to find a taxi from Pile entrance back to port?

 

Many thanks

 

Sue

[Dubrovniktravelady]

Hi Dubrovniktravelady

We are going to be using a guide (still need to find one) when we walk the wall. My question is: would it be possible to see the market, and the clock tower or are these located in a totally different area?

Thank-you!

Here is the Dubrovnik tourist bureau map of Dubrovnik. It has 2 pages, one of the entire area and an enlarged part of the old part of town, hope it helps you get your bearings.

The vast majority of our historical and cultural sites are located within the city wall, just plan your day accordingly and you will be able to locate the sites you wish to visit.

 

http://www.tzdubrovnik.hr/data/1198052158_49_mala_Plan%20Grada_2008.pdf

Edited June 12, 2012 by Dubrovniktravelady

[Dubrovniktravelady]

Hi

 

I have read that taxis are available at the port to take you to the Pile entrance, but how easy in July is it to find a taxi from Pile entrance back to port?

 

Many thanks

 

Sue

There is always a line of taxis waiting at the Pile Brsalje area, just outside of the Pile gate. You may find there is also a queue waiting for the taxis, but it does move quickly.

[Mercury]

Here is the Dubrovnik tourist bureau map of Dubrovnik. It has 2 pages, one of the entire area and an enlarged part of the old part of town, hope it helps you get your bearings.

The vast majority of our historical and cultural sites are located within the city wall, just plan your day accordingly and you will be able to locate the sites you wish to visit.

 

http://www.tzdubrovnik.hr/data/1198052158_49_mala_Plan%20Grada_2008.pdf

 

Thanks Dubrovniktravelady - much appreciated!

[altiva]

hi people, if someone visited Plitvice Lakes, can you, please, post the photos? Or maybe someone already did, and I just can't find them. I am seeking photos from people who actually visited, not from the Internet.

Thank you very much in advance.

[luckybecky]

DubrovnikTravelLady, or anyone, I'm sure you've posted this before but I can't find it at the moment. We're going to be in Dubrovnik soon and are interested in doing the panoramic taxi tour from the pier to town. Two questions: will most taxis be able to seat four persons, and what is the approximate cost?

 

Oh, and one other question: From what I have read, I guess it is "hit or miss" to finding a great driver, as each driver works independently and is not part of any established tour provider business. Any tips on how to find a superior driver and/or how to negotiate a good price?

 

Thanks for any advice!

[Dubrovniktravelady]

DubrovnikTravelLady, or anyone, I'm sure you've posted this before but I can't find it at the moment. We're going to be in Dubrovnik soon and are interested in doing the panoramic taxi tour from the pier to town. Two questions: will most taxis be able to seat four persons, and what is the approximate cost?

 

Oh, and one other question: From what I have read, I guess it is "hit or miss" to finding a great driver, as each driver works independently and is not part of any established tour provider business. Any tips on how to find a superior driver and/or how to negotiate a good price?

 

Thanks for any advice!

The taxis line up waiting for cruisers at the port and normally cruisers just take the first one in line. I have heard that prices for a panorama can be from 200 to 300 Croatian Kuna.

I suggest you do a bit more research and try locating tour companies who advertise the tour and explain you need an English speaking driver and confirm your price. Sorry I am not able to recommend any particular service. As a local resident, the rules of cruise critic do not permit me to do so.

[luckybecky]

The taxis line up waiting for cruisers at the port and normally cruisers just take the first one in line. I have heard that prices for a panorama can be from 200 to 300 Croatian Kuna.

I suggest you do a bit more research and try locating tour companies who advertise the tour and explain you need an English speaking driver and confirm your price. Sorry I am not able to recommend any particular service. As a local resident, the rules of cruise critic do not permit me to do so.

 

Thanks for the info! I can't wait to see Dubrovnik. I never even thought about going there, but since it was on our itinerary and I started reading about it, I'm really very much looking forward to seeing it. Dubrovnik sounds magnificent.

 

I appreciate the cost estimate. It's good to know a rough price to expect, so if somebody demands twice the price, we would know to negotiate. I think it was Terry from Ohio who has recommended the panoramic taxi tour. We were thinking we would not pre-book this port since we only want the short (one hour) driving tour for the scenic views, and then we want to walk the wall and the city center on our own. I suspect that in many cities, tour operators would prefer to book lengthier tours, not just an hour.

 

After reading your reply, I did find one company on the internet that advertises a one hour tour for 45 euro. That seems a bit high. I have not yet inquired about availability for our date. I think we want to just stay very flexible and open on this port day.

 

Thanks again for your help!

[Dubrovniktravelady]

Thanks for the info! I can't wait to see Dubrovnik. I never even thought about going there, but since it was on our itinerary and I started reading about it, I'm really very much looking forward to seeing it. Dubrovnik sounds magnificent.

 

I appreciate the cost estimate. It's good to know a rough price to expect, so if somebody demands twice the price, we would know to negotiate. I think it was Terry from Ohio who has recommended the panoramic taxi tour. We were thinking we would not pre-book this port since we only want the short (one hour) driving tour for the scenic views, and then we want to walk the wall and the city center on our own. I suspect that in many cities, tour operators would prefer to book lengthier tours, not just an hour.

 

After reading your reply, I did find one company on the internet that advertises a one hour tour for 45 euro. That seems a bit high. I have not yet inquired about availability for our date. I think we want to just stay very flexible and open on this port day.

 

Thanks again for your help!

Perhaps an option may work better for you. This years schedule has now been published for our Cabrio bus. Tickets are only 50 Kuna per person this season, a very good value.

 

http://www.libertasdubrovnik.hr/cabriobus.jpg

[Mercury]

Perhaps an option may work better for you. This years schedule has now been published for our Cabrio bus. Tickets are only 50 Kuna per person this season, a very good value.

 

http://www.libertasdubrovnik.hr/cabriobus.jpg

 

Thank-you for posting this option.

 

Is there a bus stop close to where the ship docks (we are on Celebrity Silhouette) and does this bus go to the cable car station? If so, do you have any idea how long this would take?

 

Thank-you!

[Dubrovniktravelady]

Thank-you for posting this option.

 

Is there a bus stop close to where the ship docks (we are on Celebrity Silhouette) and does this bus go to the cable car station? If so, do you have any idea how long this would take?

 

Thank-you!

The Cabrio bus is associated with our local bus company, and it is a 2 hour sightseeing bus. There is only one bus and the route takes 2 hours to complete. It is not a hop on and hop off type of tour, once you get on most people normally do the entire route. No it does not stop at the cable car entrance, only the Libertas #8 does that. Bus station, as show on the map is pickup point number 1, it is located in the Gruz harbor where most ships are docked.

[SF]

Our ship will be in Dubrovnik on Nov. 6th and I would like to know the hours for the Old Town in the Walled City. I know the hours are shorter this time of year so we want to make sure we have enough time there.

[travelbugforever]

The Cabrio bus is associated with our local bus company, and it is a 2 hour sightseeing bus. There is only one bus and the route takes 2 hours to complete. It is not a hop on and hop off type of tour, once you get on most people normally do the entire route. No it does not stop at the cable car entrance, only the Libertas #8 does that. Bus station, as show on the map is pickup point number 1, it is located in the Gruz harbor where most ships are docked.

Hi Dubrovniktravelady,

This bus looks interesting! Does it go up above the cable car to get a panaramic view? Where exactly do we find the bus? Does it run often?

Where does the bus finish up and drop everyone off? Is the last stop back at the pier? Does the bus accept Euros or credit cards?

How often does it leave from Gruz port? Thank you for answering my questions.:confused: