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Attractions & day tripsBy Clever Tourists · Published
Lokrum, Ston and Kotor are the three best day trips from Dubrovnik. Lokrum is a wooded island reserve 15 minutes by boat from the Old Port, the easiest escape from the crowds. Ston, about an hour up the coast, has a medieval wall often called the longest defensive wall in Europe, plus the oyster beds of Mali Ston Bay. Kotor, in Montenegro, is the most spectacular, but it is 2 to 2.5 hours each way plus a Schengen border that can add hours in summer, so it is better as an overnight. That is how our route did it: we spent 3 days in Dubrovnik in August 2023, arriving from Split, and then 3 days in Kotor.
• Lokrum: about 15 minutes by boat from the Old Port. Half a day.
• Cavtat: 20 to 30 minutes by boat or 35 to 45 minutes on Libertas bus 10. Half a day.
• Trsteno Arboretum: 25 to 30 minutes by local bus. Two or three hours.
• Ston and Mali Ston: about an hour by car. Half a day to a full day.
• The Elaphiti islands (Koločep, Lopud, Šipan): Jadrolinija passenger ferry from Gruž. A full day for one or two islands.
• Kotor and the Bay of Kotor: 2 to 2.5 hours by bus without border delays. Better as an overnight.
• Korčula: about 2 hours by catamaran in summer. Better as an overnight.
• Mostar: 3 to 4 hours by bus. A very long day; better as an overnight.
Do the walls and the Old Town first; our City Walls guide explains why the 8am opening is the time to go. Then use the middle of the day, when the cruise crowds peak inside the walls, for a trip out. How many days in Dubrovnik has the full plan.
What it is: the forested island just off the Old Town, a nature reserve with a ruined Benedictine monastery and botanical garden, the Fort Royal on its summit, rocky swimming spots, and a small saltwater lake known as the Dead Sea. Peacocks roam the paths.
Getting there: boats leave the Old Port from the Luža pier roughly every half hour in season and take about 15 minutes. The return ticket includes reserve entry; buy it at the official kiosk at the port.
How long: half a day, or a full day of swimming.
Who it suits: anyone who needs a break from the Old Town crowds, and families.
Tip: the island empties in the evening and overnight stays are not allowed, so note the time of the last boat back, typically late afternoon to early evening, and be at the pier early for it. The boats do not usually run in winter.
What it is: a small harbour town on a peninsula south of Dubrovnik, with a palm-lined waterfront, a pine-covered headland walk, the Račić family mausoleum by the sculptor Ivan Meštrović at the top of the town, and the birthplace of the painter Vlaho Bukovac.
Getting there: boats from the Old Port take about 20 to 30 minutes; Libertas bus 10 takes 35 to 45 minutes and runs at least hourly. Dubrovnik Airport is close by, so Cavtat is also an easy last afternoon before a flight.
How long: half a day.
Who it suits: people who want a quieter town than Dubrovnik and a coastal walk with swimming spots.
Tip: go out by boat for the view of the coast and come back by bus, which is cheaper and does not depend on boat timetables.
What it is: two villages at the neck of the Pelješac peninsula, joined by the Walls of Ston, a 14th-century defensive line of several kilometres that climbs the hill between them, built by the Republic of Ragusa to protect its salt pans. Ston still harvests salt, and Mali Ston Bay is Croatia's best-known oyster farming area.
Getting there: about an hour by car, roughly 60 km up the coast road. Public buses take around 1.5 hours and do not reach the Pelješac wineries. Half-day tours from Dubrovnik usually include an oyster tasting.
How long: half a day for the walls and lunch; a full day if you continue onto Pelješac for its red wines.
Who it suits: food lovers and anyone with a car.
Tip: walk the walls in the morning, then eat oysters in Mali Ston at lunch. The walls are steep and exposed, and in July and August the afternoon heat on them is punishing.
What it is: a Renaissance garden laid out by a Dubrovnik noble family in the late 15th century, on a terrace above the sea, with old plane trees, a baroque fountain and grotto, and a long view of the Elaphiti islands. It was used as a filming location for the palace gardens in Game of Thrones.
Getting there: Libertas suburban buses heading north up the coast from the Gruž bus station take about 25 to 30 minutes; check which lines stop at Trsteno.
How long: two to three hours.
Who it suits: garden lovers and anyone wanting a short, shaded outing on a hot day.
Tip: buses back are less frequent than city buses, so check return times before you leave Gruž. The arboretum is open daily, with longer hours from May to October.
What it is: a chain of car-free islands northwest of Dubrovnik. Koločep is the closest and smallest; Lopud has Šunj, one of the few sandy beaches in the area; Šipan is the largest and quietest.
Getting there: Jadrolinija's passenger line from the Gruž ferry port calls at Koločep, Lopud and Šipan several times a day in summer. Check the timetable for your exact date, since it changes by season and day of the week, and buy ahead in summer.
How long: a full day for one or two islands. The public ferry timetable does not let you see all three in a day; organised boat tours do.
Who it suits: swimmers and anyone who wants an island day without a car.
Tip: pick Lopud if you want sand, and plan your return sailing before you go, because missing the last boat means a long wait or a water taxi.
What it is: a walled medieval town at the inner end of the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro, with a fortress climb above it, and the small Venetian-era town of Perast on the way.
Getting there: buses take about 2 to 2.5 hours without delays, with a few departures a day. The Debeli Brijeg border is an external Schengen border with full passport checks, and in July and August afternoon queues of 2 to 3 hours are common. Our Kotor to Dubrovnik bus guide covers operators, the border and private transfers.
How long: as a day trip, you get about 4 hours in Kotor at best. As an overnight, the fortress climb at sunrise or sunset becomes possible.
Who it suits: anyone continuing south. Our route went on from Dubrovnik to Kotor for 3 days; see our Kotor guide and day trips from Kotor.
Tip: if you must do it in a day, leave on the earliest bus and avoid a mid-afternoon return, when the border queues are worst. Carry your passport, and see our Kotor fortress guide for the climb.
Korčula: a walled town on its own island, laid out in a herringbone street plan. The summer catamaran takes about 2 hours, some sailings via Mljet, and the timetable leaves only a few hours on the island if you return the same day. Spend a night.
Mostar: in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the rebuilt Old Bridge (Stari Most) over the Neretva. Buses take about 3 to 4 hours, and up to 6 when the border is slow. Tours often add the Kravica waterfalls, which makes for a very long day. Carry your passport; the local currency is the convertible mark, not the euro.
Boats to Lokrum and Cavtat leave from the Old Port, while the Elaphiti ferries and most buses leave from Gruž, about 3 km away. If day trips are the priority, staying in Gruž or Lapad is cheaper and closer to the bus station; see where to stay in Dubrovnik.
Dubrovnik is the end of the Croatian coast and the gateway to Montenegro. Our route came down from Zagreb via Zadar, Šibenik and Split; see our Croatia itinerary and the full Balkans route. For crossing borders with a rental car, read driving across Balkan borders; for food, what to eat in Dubrovnik.
Yes, but it is long. Buses take about 2 to 2.5 hours without delays, and summer border queues at Debeli Brijeg can add 2 to 3 hours. It works better as an overnight; we spent 3 days in Kotor after Dubrovnik.
Lokrum, about 15 minutes by boat from the Old Port, with the return ticket including reserve entry. Cavtat, 20 to 30 minutes by boat or 35 to 45 minutes on bus 10, is the other easy half day.
About an hour by car, roughly 60 km up the coast. Public buses take around 1.5 hours, and half-day tours from Dubrovnik usually include an oyster tasting in Mali Ston.
Only if you accept a very long day: buses take 3 to 4 hours each way, and up to 6 when the border is slow. It is better as an overnight.
Not on the public Jadrolinija ferry from Gruž, whose timetable does not allow it. Pick one or two islands, or join an organised boat tour.
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