Dubrovnik

[Oldowl]

Just booked 3 nights on an island (Kolocep) and 4 nights in Dubrovnik in August.

Has anyone been to Dubrovnik? Where to go, what to do, any top tips?

(Not into Games of Thrones. Sorry!)

The old city of Dubrovnik is small and easily walkable. What to see? Lots of historic stuff - you can walk the city walls (which is lovely), there are lots of little churches and monasteries, the harbour, a little island nature reserve. It's very crowded during the day with cruise ship passengers, but in the evening it's lovely and atmospheric - all old stone passageways and little restaurants and bars tucked away. In August it will be hot, hot, hot though - so I'd either go in early or late - avoid the middle of the day when the stone streets will be baking.

See if you can find the Buza Bars, located outside the city walls. You will see them when you are walking the walls, but finding your way in is a challenge! There are two of them.

The main thing is to walk round the walls, which is interesting. I think you can also take a funicular to the top of the hill behind and walk down.
Unfortunately that's it, for me anyway. The town is full of cruise passengers. Bloody cruise liners moor up nearby, disgorge thousands of passengers, who are put into busses and delivered to the town, get out and wander around clogging the place up for a few hours until they can get back on the bus again. There's no decent restaurants because visitors eat on the boat. It feels utterly soulless.

The cocktail bar do amazing nachos, stay their all night and bring a pack of cards to play at the table under the heaters. Walk along the little beach, city lights at night. Very peaceful

Is it worth going to Montenegro? We won't have a car so probably will have to go on an organised day trip or by public transport.

You could take the bus into Montenegro (we did). However, it takes a fair time to get somewhere interesting (Perast and Kotor). You go through Hercig Nova, which didn't look very interesting when we went through on the bus. How about a trip to Split by boat? I really liked it. Or Korcula, another island?

Hi, I loved dubrovnik! I stayed in the new town and a walk to the old town is only about 30 mins. We also went to Hvar and Rovinj which are lovely. We went to Barr, Montenegro. Didn't like it but I guess it depends where abouts you go
There a bar in the new town in dubrovnik, you kind of walk along the cliff and it's really quiet and then you come across this bar within the cave wall. It's beautiful. I think its also a hotel and restaurant- hard to describe. I'm going to Google it and find you the name...

Hotel more! You have to go for a cocktail

We stayed on Kolocep a few years ago. They have the most amazing restaurant, book to be there for sunset.

In Dubrovnik we went on a great tour about the siege. It was held by a lady the same age as me who was a child durring the siege. It was a great tour.

Thanks for the great recommendations Chaos and Sleepy.

If you are up for it definitely book to do the sunset kayak from Dubrovnik, round Lokrum and back to Dubrovnik. It's amazing.

I've been looking at Dubrovnik - we went to Split last year and Rovinj the year before.

Spilt was ok, busy, not really set up for the thousands of tourists that flock there. The Islands were pretty, but also madly busy. Ferries across are cheap enough.

Rovinj was beautiful, cheap and only 1.5 hours from Gatwick.

We went Cavtat just up the coast but could take a water taxi into Dubrovnik. There is information

Whoops posted too soon. Info on the port website saying which dàys have fewer cruise ship visitors

By the way we loved Cavtat

Agree that the sunset kayak is great! Also take ferry to Lokrum - lovely shady restaurant and great for jumping off rocks into the sea! We took a day trip by speedboat from the old harbour to another lovely island, forgotten its name. At the beach closest to the town there are various watersports available. Definitely walk the walls and take the cable car up the mountain. The cathedral has a fascinating relics room - saints’ hands, Christ’s nappy etc! The cliff bars are great but hard to find. If you’re facing the cathedral, look to your left. There’s a little alleyway and you wander along until you see a regular looking door with Baja 1 or something like that scrawled on it. By day you can swim there too and by night they’re magical places to sit. We loved Dubrovnik and happily filled a week there. We did go to Montenegro to Kotor fjord for the day, but not sure I’d recommend it. It was pretty, but stiflingly hot. I’d do day trips to islands instead.

Can anyone recommend a canoe hue company?? Thanks.