Dubrovnik cruise port guide – what to see, do & eat in Croatian city

Words by Nick Dalton

Dubrovnik is the face of Croatia, the monumental stone waterfront city, its ancient heart surrounded by mighty walls (albeit walls now alive to the chink of cocktail glasses). Near the southern end of a seemingly endless coastline littered with pretty holiday towns and more islands than you’ve had, well, cocktails, Dubrovnik doubles as a destination and cruise departure point.

The old city is an attraction in itself on a visit to Dubrovnik cruise port so there’s little need to go on a long excursion, and even the 30-minute drive from the airport is mostly a seafront mountain road. It has spectacular views, especially when approaching the city, eclipsed perhaps only by the cable car rising soaring up the craggy backdrop.

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How do I get to Dubrovnik Port?

Dubrovnik’s Čilipi Airport is barely 20km from the city gates and there are taxis from immediately outside the terminal, costing around €40 while Uber might be a bit less.

The airport shuttle bus runs about every 45 minutes around 18 hours a day, €10 single, €15 return. It calls at Ploče gate, one of the old town’s four entrances, and terminates at the bus station at Port Gruž, right by the ships.

Where do cruise ships dock in Dubrovnik?

The main docking point at Dubrovnik cruise port is Port Gruž, a pretty harbour area on a fjord-like inlet on the inland side of Dubrovnik. Ships are on a pleasing waterfront with promenade and bars – including the lively Dubrovnik Beer Company brewpub – and a regular market.

Small ferries to many islands – Hvar, Korčula, etc – as well as some small cruise vessels dock here. A number of sleek motor yachts sail from a marina a few minutes’ walk farther along, with wider sea views and directly beneath the soaring Franjo Tuđman Bridge across the Rijeka Dubrovačka inlet.

Dubrovnik also welcomes tender visits by cruise ships, particularly the larger ones, anchoring off the walled old city, with a stunning arrival into the historic harbour at the very heart of things.

It is possible to walk to the old city from Gruž, taking maybe 45 minutes up the hill from Dubrovnik cruise port and along the cliff-top road, entering by Pile Gate, but it can be hot. Bus line 1 runs from the harbour to the gate, costing €2.50 (€5.30 for a day pass). Walking back is much easier, a panoramic coastal stroll then tree-lined downhill finishing in a waterfront market.

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How do you spend a day in Dubrovnik?

Very few people don’t want to start with a walk through the monumental old town. Most cruise companies calling at Dubrovnik port offer walking tours, whether as paid excursions (although prices are modest as it’s on your doorstep) while smaller cruises, notably high-end specialist Unforgettable Croatia, provide them as part of the package.

Otherwise, there are walking tour offers wherever you look. Sights include 18th-century Baroque Church of St Blaise, Cathedral of the Assumption and varied palaces and museums, but this is a place for wandering outdoors, whether the main thoroughfare (Stradun) or tiny alleys, all filled with ice-cream shops and restaurants.

Walking the city walls has always been the big thing on a cruise to Dubrovnik and yet the attraction is, as it were, falling off – it now costs €40 (€15 for children) to mount the stone ramparts circling the equally stone streets.

A very different attraction on Dubrovnik cruises is the Dubrovnik cable car which starts a couple of streets outside the walls and reaches 405m above sea level on a near 800m journey up the craggy mountain called Hill Srđ.

Opened in 1969 it now has contemporary glass-walled cars giving nerve-jangling views of city and coast up to 60km away. At the top is the Panorama restaurant, with its outdoor right-on-the-edge tables, and the centuries-old Imperial Fort (extra charge). A round trip is €30, or €17 single – with the breathtaking hour-long zigzag walk down for free.

Dubrovnik has also starred in TV sword and sorcery series Game Of Thrones as King’s Landing, with old harbour [above, right], walls, gates and more. There’s an epic number of walking tours as well as an official shop packed with memorabilia.

Varied hop-on hop-off buses and minibus tours are available, as well as hop-on hop-off boats around the 13 Elaphiti Islands.

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Hidden delights from Dubrovnik port

Sea and sand (or, at least, pebbles)! A five-minute walk from Ploče Gate, the city’s eastern entrance is Banje beach [below, right] – petite and often busy but somewhere not to miss, looking out as it does at the walls and old harbour.

To the west, outside Pile Gate, beneath park-topped cliffs is Šulić beach [below, left]. It’s small but still manages a terrace bar as well as sea kayak hire for paddling around the walls.

Walk another few minutes and at the bottom of cliffs tousled with greenery is little Bellevue beach, with not only a bar but a cave to swim into. And it’s nearest to the Dubrovnik cruise terminal, at a 30-minute stroll.

Farther afield

Lokrum Island, a ferry ride from the old harbour, is a pretty place to wander. There’s a Benedictine monastery, saltwater lagoon, hill fort and wildlife including peacocks and rabbits, plus varied swimming spots, including the lagoon.

Dubrovnik cruise excursions head a half-hour north to Ston, where walls likened to the Great Wall of China have been restored and run 5.5km up and over a mountain to waterfront Mali Ston. It’s a stunning walk along the top and, at €10, much better value than Dubrovnik’s walls, run by the same organisation.

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Where to eat and drink from Dubrovnik cruise port

Buža – A true hole-in-the-wall bar. Pass through a slit in the city wall and it’s perched on several levels, among the cliff-like rocks below, with steps down to the sea. A lively spot for drinks and snacks on your Dubrovnik cruise port stop as well as cliff jumping and swimming. Find out more.

Amfora – Unassuming spot with tables on the street and set back from the Gruž waterfront. Locally caught fish and seafood (squid, octopus, oysters and mussels) as well as hearty meats (think black Slavonian pig) with Croatian recipes and Croatian wine at reasonable prices. Light lunches too. Also, a well-priced B&B if you’re arriving a day or two early for your cruise. Find out more.

Banje Beach Restaurant, Lounge and Club – Bit of a mouthful but this beach bar close to the city walls serves a beach menu of burgers and seafood and a lunch menu but also a stylish and well-priced dinner menu, plenty of octopus, squid and mussels, should you be on one of the increasingly popular cruises that lets you enjoy the destination for dinner. Smartly modern, with a nightclub. Find out more.

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Where to stay near Dubrovnik cruise port

Hotel Nobile – If you want to treat yourself pre- or post-Dubrovnik cruise, here’s the place. Only six rooms in a grandiose 18th-century villa just outside the Pile city gate with breakfast served in the flower-drenched, palm-shaded garden. It’s like a museum with contemporary flair. From around £450, two sharing. Find out more.

Hotel Hamlet – One of the city’s more reasonable yet charming options, a 17th-century villa in a tiny street off the old city’s Stradun main thoroughfare. Décor echoes the style of the great European empires, with bar and street terrace, light menu and wine from €4 a glass. Doubles from €85 in winter. Find out more.

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