Dubrovnik: The Pearl of the Adriatic

Dubrovnik: The Pearl of the Adriatic – Sitting on the southern Croatia coast, Dubrovnik blends history, culture, and architecture with a rugged Adriatic setting of traditional fishing villages, beaches, and green islands. Travelers usually head first to the heart of the city—a stone-built Old Town dating from the 10th century, perched on a headland and ringed by thick, medieval walls. Guided tours explore the area’s churches, fountains, and squares, or walk the battlement walls to admire the sea views and fairy tale towers. (It’s no wonder Dubrovnik’s was a main Game of Thrones filming location.) Beyond the city, popular day-trip destinations include nearby Elafiti Islands and the ancient town of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Visit the most amazing beaches of Greece here, or visit us on Pinterest.

Dubrovnik Weather (When to Visit)

During the summer months of May thru August temperatures range in the 70s and 80s on average, there is very little precipitation and amazing events like the Summer Festival are not to be missed. Hotels can be expensive though, in Old Town, some hotels charge more than $500 a night. Summer is peak season for cruise ship traffic. Thursdays and Saturdays are the busiest days for cruise ship dockings.

In September thru October, average daytime temps are in the 60s and 70s, and the water temperature averages about the same. The crowds will have left, and you’ll have a little more peace during your vacation. Plus, the hotel rates dip from their summer peaks. In addition, you can enjoy the region’s grape and olive harvests.

Best Dubrovnik Beaches

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Copacabana Beach

A half-moon of pebbles and gravel set in Seka Bay, Copacabana is one of Dubrovnik’s best beaches. Studded with luxury white loungers and deckchairs, there’s heaps going on to keep you amused with watersports, paddle boarding and inflatables for the kids. The beachside restaurant provides further inducement to spend the day here with breakfast, lunch and dinner covered.

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Sveti Jacov Beach

Although this is everyone’s favorite beach, it’s rarely crowded. The sun stays warm until late in the evening, bathing the Old Town in a golden light. It’s part shingle, part pebble, with showers, sun shades, and a bar and restaurant at beach level. It is accessed via a long stairway you’ll be reluctant to climb back up.

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Dance Beach

This place is ideal for in-the-know travelers that want to have a swim and a beer with locals. It is quite possibly one of the most authentic beaches in Dubrovnik, and it also happens to be the oldest. Though it’s not a sandy beach, it’s one of the best places to swim in the Dubrovnik area. There is even a small cave that you can swim into and a beach bar that runs during the day.

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Pasjača Beach

A cliff-side walk will take you along the Adriatic to this beach, surrounded by cliffs. The beach itself is not that big, however, the incredible scenery makes up for it. Most tourists don’t bother making the trek out here, it is completely worth it. You won’t find any beaches in Croatia quite like this one.

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Banje Beach

Banje beach is definitely the most popular in Dubrovnik among tourists. It’s the beach you see on all of the Dubrovnik post cards, and maybe what inspired you to visit in the first place! This beach does get crowded, but they do have some fun parties here in the summer.

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Best Dubrovnik Restaurants

Gusta Me $11 – 30

Gusta Me is the place to visit in order to try handmade Croatian wines, seasoned dishes with fresh ingredients and sensational views of the old harbor and the Revelin Fortress. The restaurant has a terrace for those wishing to enjoy the outdoors, and the menu includes a selection of sumptuous steaks, fanciful fish options and wonderful wok dishes. There are also various vegetarian options available. Telephone: 385 20 42 00 13 Web: Gusta Me

Lokanda Peskarija $11 – 30

The difference between Lokanda and other seafood restaurants in town is the local-to-visitor ratio, which often favors the local crowd. They know to book a table to ensure their lunch of black cuttlefish risotto with prawns. Don’t worry if you don’t have a reservation; lines move swiftly. Telephone: 385 20 32 47 50 Web: Lokanda Peskarija

Restaurant Dubrovnik $31 – 60

Located in Old Town, this restaurant offers diners a degree of privacy and seclusion. Elegance exudes from this restaurant and the menu blends old and new styles of Mediterranean cuisine. Regarded as one of the top class restaurants in the city, Restaurant Dubrovnik allows diners to step back in time and enjoy their meals in medieval surroundings, see the tiny streets below from the pleasant rooftop terrace. Telephone: 385 20 32 48 10 Web: Restaurant Debrovnik

Nautika $31 – 60

Nautika is a world-class restaurant which lives up to its fantastic reputation. Head Chef Mario Bunda’s dishes are carefully prepared with utmost attention. The seafood is so fresh it’s almost water-to-plate. Nautika is known for delivering high standards of service, VIP guests include Pope John II and members of the Japanese and Norwegian royal families. Diners can sample pureed fish ice cream cones on terraces at the edge of the Adriatic Sea. Telephone: 385 20 44 25 26 Web: Nautika

Restaurant 360° $31 – 60

Dubrovnik’s glitziest restaurant offers fine dining at its best, with flavorsome, beautifully presented, creative cuisine, an impressive wine list and slick, professional service. The setting is unrivaled – on top of the city walls with tables positioned so you can peer through the battlements over the harbor. Telephone: 385 20 322 2222 Web: Restaurant 360°

Best Dubrovnik Bars

Buža Bar

Buža gets its name from its entrance – a small hole (buža) in the side of the city walls that leads you to a beach bar perched on the cliffs, where you’ll contemplate diving off the cliff into the warm waters below. It is nestled on the outside of the city walls, facing the sea, and offers beautiful views of the island of Lokrum. Telephone: 385 95 883 1750 Web: Buza Bar

D’Vino Wine Bar

D’Vino has a reputation for being one of the coolest little hangouts in Dubrovnik. Come in, take a seat and enjoy a spot of wine tasting and indulge in one of D’Vinos cheese and meat platters. D’Vino has always been a favorite with the locals due to its location in the main center of the Old Town, friendly staff and a great selection of local wines. Telephone: 385 20 32 11 30 Web: D’Vino Wine Bar

Buzz Bar

Buzz Bar is a popular local establishment to enjoy a coffee, local craft beer, local wine and delicious cocktails. If beer is your vice the local beer selection at Buzz Bar is a must-try with Grička vještica, Zmajsko pivo, San Servolo, Dva klasa the picks. The cafe is known for its great atmosphere and friendly staff. On a Friday night you’ll get to experience live music from 9 pm, and is truly the highlight of the week at Buzz Bar. Telephone: 385 20 32 10 25 Web: Buzz Bar

Banje Beach Club

The Banje Beach Club is located right outside the city walls on the city’s most popular pebble beach. With a combination of indoor and outdoor areas, luxury beach zone, VIP dining area, pop lounge and one of the hottest nightclubs in Dubrovnik, the Banje Beach club is the perfect place to relax or party to your heart’s content. The views of the Old Town and Lokrum are spectacular! Telephone: 385 99 314 6485 Web: Banje Beach Club

Best 10 Dubrovnik Hotels

36 Comments

  1. Parveen

    Hey, I enjoy while reading your guide on Dubrovnik Croatia Travel. I found it is the best travel guide for Dubrovnik Croatia. While travelling to Dubrovnik Croatia, we will try to visit everything listed by you. Dance Beach & Copacabana Beach are both an awesome beaches to travel. The video is very awesome and I love it. Your guide is very helpful for travelers. Keep it up.

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      Thank you for your comments and for visiting beach travel destinations.

      Reply
  2. MrBiizy

    Hello Leahrae, thank you for sharing this travel guide to Dubrovnik Croatia. I love beaches and restaurants. These beaches you have shared are really beautiful… I don’t joke with food so these restaurants are truly amazing plus they’re affordable too. I’d love hotels with free WiFi but affordable too. Which can you recommend for me?

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      Really all of the hotels I have listed are wonderful.  Every one of them.  I guess that is why I picked them.  It really depends on what “type” of hotel you are looking for.  You can email me and give me more specifics on what you are looking for in a hotel, and I can give you a more definitive answer.

      Reply
  3. Sebastian

    Wahoo an amazing Dubrovnik Croatia travel guide!
    I know Croatia by name only. But I didn’t know that there are beautiful landscapes and fun places like this!!!
    I love traveling but I’m currently limited by my finances. But it is part of my dreams and I am working on making this dream a reality through my side job.

    And Croatia will be first on my list and once there, Copacabana Beach and Dance Beach will be the beaches I will take the time to visit!

    Thank you for this travel guide. I bookmarked for further check out (mainly when I will be ready). LOL

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      Great Sebastian and I am glad you enjoyed reading and learning about Croatia!  Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply
  4. Leon

    There is much to experience in Dubrovnik, from tracing the mighty city walls and exploring scenes from Game of Thrones, to spending the day on a four-poster bed by the sea, with an icy cocktail in hand.

    My wife and I had a 5-day trip to Dubrovnik in mid-July in 2018. Here is my unstructured experience:

    Dubrovnik is really expensive, probably because of its recent surge in popularity as a result of Game of Thrones being partially filmed there. Every time my wife and I went out to eat in the Old Town, the bill was about 600 kuna / $95. 

    Someone told me that prices in Dubrovnik have tripled over the last 5 years, which I believe as I visited Zagreb about 1 year ago and found it to be about 1/4–1/3rd as expensive. Restaurants just outside of the Old Town gates are about 1/2 the price of those within, although eating dinner on the cobblestone Old Town streets, surrounded by medieval architecture, is quite a special experience.

    Most the population are tri lingual. If you speak English, German, French, Russian or Spanish, you should have no problem getting around. And lastly, my research showed that it was an absolute gem of a place to visit. There is is reason they call it the Pearl of the Adiratic.

    Great article on Dubrovnik.

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      Thank you so much for your great information Leon.  And I am glad you enjoyed.  Yes, a bit spendy for sure, but curious how you and your wife enjoyed your vacation in Dubrovinik?  Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences.

      Reply
  5. Juan Saladin

    This is a breathtaking destination, the prices are incredible; the Copacabana Beach is the one that seems to be the more commercial, Sveti Jacov Beach the most beautiful and the Dance beach the least accessible.

    I used to be a fan of the Game of Thrones series, this experience promises a lot of fun. The hotels shown alternative have very good prices. This is a great summer vacation option for those of us which time belongs to someone else xD.

    Thanks for a great review!

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      So true Juan!  Thanks for your visit and taking the time to leave me comments.  Glad you enjoyed 🙂

      Reply
  6. arzu hosan

    Many thanks to you for giving us such a wonderful article and through your article we have learned about many beautiful places.This article is very useful for those who like to go to the beach and love to travel. I also love to go to the beach myself. I want to go to Dance Beach  and through your article I got to know this place very well.  I especially like this place because a friend of mine went here and she said thank you so much for making this place so beautiful and thank you again for writing a very nice article about this place. I will be visiting this place very soon and will share my experience with you

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      Great!  I will look forward to hearing back from you and how your trip to Dubrovnik Croatia went for you.  Please let me know if you need any additional information.

      Reply
  7. Feji ben

    Croatia is one of the best places places to travel to on vacations as they have a lot of sites to see from the popular Zagreb to split and my favourite location is the all popular Plitvice Lakes National Park…..I must say you have done a very nice job as this would be a very nice guide to us traveller’s I would definitely bus it on my next trip there

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      Thank you.  I agree completely and I also think that for what you get, the price is really not too bad compared to other Caribbean destinations.  Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply
  8. Moi MOI

    Hello Leahrae,

    What a wonderful in depth description of Dubrovnik.

    I was looking for travel destinations in Europe when I discovered your article on this beautiful city.

    I am so happy for your sharing of this information because it helped me in my selection of my next vacation place.

    I will make sure to subscribe so that I am the first in line whenever a new article is made available to readers.

    That way, I am certain not to miss anything.

    Thank you for your due diligence in making it possible.

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      You are so welcome!  I am glad you enjoyed and that you are a subscriber.  I appreciate you taking the time to leave me comments.

      Reply
  9. trevorp

    hello there, i just wanted to say that  find this post very enlightening, me as a person that travels a lot i don’t always find a guiide that tell me about the in’s and out’s of the destination that i wanna visit, and if i ever visit Dubrovnik Croatia i’m sure to have a lot of knowledge on it 

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      Great!  Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply
  10. BlueMoon UniqueFashion

    I visited Dubrovnik many years ago and it remains in my fond memory. I’ve been thinking about visiting it again for a long time. Two years ago I also went on a yacht trip to Montenegro, but unfortunately, I did not have enough time to see the Croatian Riviera again. Both places are fantastic for the summer.

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      I agree!  Croatia makes a great vacation, and compared to other wonderful beach destinations it’s a bargain.

      Reply
  11. Katja

    I loved the video, such a beautiful scenery! It makes me miss summer time so much… I wouldn’t mind to stroll around Dubrovnik in my flip-flops right now! I’ve been there with my parents when I was a kid. Your guide made me want to return and experience it as an adult. Especially since Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina are so close – I could plan it as a roadtrip… 

    And eating in Restaurant 360° must be magical. Now I’ll go and try to convince my partner that we should do this roadtrip 🙂

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      I hope you can convince him!  That would be a great road trip for sure.  Glad you enjoyed 🙂

      Reply
  12. Jordan

    I’m sitting in my house waiting for the snowstorm that’s supposed to start in a few hours, so reading this was a very pleasant distraction.  Croatia in general, and Dubrovnik specifically, have been on my bucket list of travel destinations for a while now.  Everyone I know who has been has said it’s absolutely beautiful, with very friendly people.  A couple friends lived in Croatia for a year and spent a lot of time in Dubrovnik.  In fact, I think one of the restaurants they raved about was one that you mentioned (Lokanda).

    Anyway, I really enjoyed reading your post – great info and the pictures and video are beautiful.  I would love to make a trip there someday, hopefully with my kids as they’re both interested in history (and beaches, of course)!

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      thank you so much Jordan for your comments and for taking the time to leave them.  Croatia is just an all around great travel deal if you love exotic beautiful places.  So everyone you know is correct 🙂  I don’t envy you with the snow storm LOL.  I live on the beach, and it is really my paradise 🙂  

      Reply
  13. sabrinamou

    Thank you so much for sharing with us such a beautiful article. This is a perfect article for those of us who want to go to the beach. I like the beach. I get much information in this post. I can know about Dubrovnik Croatia Travel. It is a big historical place in the world. Dubrovnik blends history, culture, and architecture with a rugged Adriatic setting of traditional fishing villages, beaches, and green islands. Dubrovnik has lots to offer as a sun-and-sea destination. There are so many beaches in this area such as Best Dubrovnik Beaches, Copacabana Beach, Sveti Jacov Beach, DanceBeach, Pasjača Beach, Banje Beach. Every year many people visit this place. I read the previous article of yours that you wrote about Valletta Malta Travel. Thanks for the information. I think this article will benefit everyone.

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      Thank you so much for visiting beach travel destinations.  I am glad you enjoyed my Dubrovnik Croatia Travel guide.  Please let me know if you need any additional information.

      Reply
  14. Daniel

    It looks so beautiful.  Looks like a fun place to visit.  The Dubrovnik Sea Kayak Tour looks like it would be a super fun activity and is right up my alley with combined with snorkeling & swimming.  I agree on hitting it just after peak season in Sept-Oct as you suggested and avoid some crowds and higher costs.  This is another one I’ll have to add to my bucket list.

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      Great Daniel, and yes hitting it after peak season will save you tremendously in hotel accommodations for sure.  Let me know when you are ready to knock this one off your bucket list.  Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply
  15. asmadi

    Yes! I agree that Croatia is one of my favorite tourist spots! I have ever in Croatia for 1 month where every day I go to Banje Beach to sunbathe. Very nice! Why? Because Croatia has 12 hours of sunshine in May and June (as written by the author as the best time to visit). Apart from the good beaches, Croatia also has Dubrovnik Ancient City Walls which are very interesting to visit. There we can see a place like in the Game of Throne series.
    Unfortunately, when I vacationed there, I have not found this guide, because there are still many places that I have never visited.
    Therefore, I think the Guide about Croatia on this website is very legit! And can be used as a reference for a vacation to Croatia (and others). 

    Big thanks for author

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      Great!  Sounds like you had a wonderful time in Croatia.  it is a bargain as far as I am concerned, for what you get and in comparison to other exotic beach locations.  Thanks for visiting beach travel destinations.

      Reply
  16. Shanta Rahman

    Thank you so much for sharing with us such a beautiful article .I love fencing, especially going to the beach, so I always look for articles like this. That article caught my eye and I’m so glad I found another beach for my next vacation. I found out in great detail about the best beaches in Europe through this article. And I saw it sitting on the coast of southern Croatia, Dubrovnik combining traditional beaches and a history culture. Travelers like us usually go to the heart of the city early – the Old Town, built by a stone from the tenth century, sits on a mainland and is enclosed by a whole medieval wall. Another guide tours exploring church fountains in the area or admiring the sea views and allegory towers .This article is a really nice place to know through your article .I didn’t know before reading your article about watching the weather in Dubrovnik .From time to time there are variants & weather changes which are really fascinating .And my goal is to stay at the best Dubrovnik beach and I’ll be here first .Apart from the places to visit here, the dining areas are quite nice .And without the Dubrovnik Croatia Travel Guide, everything is impossible because this travel guide is able to get to all the beautiful places through it and this travel guide helps a lot in everything about our language. Many thanks for this Dubrovnik Croatia Travel Guide .Finally, this is a great article .

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      Thank you so much Shanta for your wonderful comments.  I am glad you enjoyed my Dubrovnik Croatia Travel Guide.  

      Reply
  17. Carol

    I think Dubrovnik Croatia travel guide have done a good job by bringing up this kind of article to guide millions of tourist on their possible destinations whenever they visit Croatia.
    Croatia is a lovely place to be though never been there before but I have heard a lot of things about the place and in fact this part of the country with favorable weather like this will make tourist so comfortable with on their adventures.
    I will love to visit Croatia one day and this wonderful beach will be one of my destinations.

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      Croatia is awesome Carol, and a real bargain in my book Carol.  When you compare it with other similar destinations, you will find it to be far less expensive.  Thanks for visiting beach travel destinations.

      Reply
  18. Carol

    I think Dubrovnik Croatia travel guide have done a good job by bringing up this kind of article to guide millions of tourist on their possible destinations whenever they visit Croatia.
    Croatia is a lovely place to be though never been there before but I have heard a lot of things about the place and in fact this part of the country with favorable weather like this will make tourist so comfortable with on their adventures.
    I will love to visit Croatia one day and this wonderful beach will be one of my destinations.

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      Thank you Carol for stopping by. I agree completely and it really is a great destination.

      Reply

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