The main drag — Stradun — during my weekend in Dubrovnik.
Tips for a Wekened in Dubrovnik
The last time I was in Croatia, it was 2006? 2007? British Airways had just started flying to Split so my friends and I hopped a plane and spent a glorious few days floating around the beautiful island of Hvar. I understand Split and Hvar are much more touristy now than they used to be but I imagine that they are still quite beautiful.
I was worried about spending a weekend in Dubrovnik. I had heard horror stories about the crowds and how at times, especially on the weekend, they have to shut down the main street, Stradun, in the Old Town because there are just so many people. I was hopeful that a visit during the shoulder season would be a more peaceful and quiet time for a Dubrovnik city break.
And I was right! At times, I felt like I had the entire city to myself. Later, I would later learn that my hotel, the charming and centrally located Pucic Palace, was actually closing until the spring because the off-season is so dead. So plan your visit carefully during the shoulder-season to make sure stuff is open. Here’s what I got up to during my Dubrovnik city break:
Restaurants in Dubrovnik
Fregola with Prawns at Proto in Dubrovnik
Proto: My hotel sent me here for a late lunch as soon as I checked in and I liked it so much, I went back the next day. (Oddly, the two people who sat across from me on my flight earlier in the week were also at Proto during my first visit.) I loved the upstairs terrace, the friendly service, and the overall design and glassware. I enjoyed the same very nice pasta dish both times…fregola with prawns. This is a great restaurant for your weekend in Dubrovnik. Not a bargain but worth it for the food, service, and location.
Tasting platter at Kopun during my weekend in Dubrovnik.
Kopun: My hotel also sent me to Kopun one evening, but they failed to explain what Kopun was all about — ROOSTER! — so I had a pretty average pasta dish, not knowing that I should be ordering the rooster. I went back with a tour guide later the same day and had some of the rooster that they are famous for, served in my case as a pate. I liked the setting of Kopun, right at the top of the Game of Thrones “Shame” steps, and the service was very nice. The food was good but perhaps I didn’t explore the menu as much as I could have.
Seafood tasting platter at Gusta Me Dubrovnik
Gusta Me: My tour guide also took me to Gusta Me, where I enjoyed a platter of mixed seafood and essentially had the entire place to myself. The restaurant is just outside the walled city, looking over the port where the tourist boats leave from. It has a nice outdoor patio and friendly service. I really enjoyed the seafood here, the octopus and tuna in particular.
Restaurant 360: My last night in town, I had dinner at Restaurant 360 which is one of Dubrovnik’s nicest restaurants. It’s a bit dark except if you happen to be sitting under an extremely bright spotlight, like I was initially. The light was so bright that I had to ask to be moved! Service was sweet and friendly but the food was perhaps a bit too modern European for me. I could have been anywhere really. This is a first world problem, I know. If you’re looking to splurge during your weekend in Dubrovnik, go here. It’s a romantic space and you could tell that most of the diners were couples.
Bars in Dubrovnik
Razonoda Wine Bar: Right next to the Pucic Palace, there was a really nice wine bar, Razonoda. I dropped in twice during my weekend in Dubrovnik and it was crazy empty both times. The advantage for me is that I got a private tasting both nights, as my server walked me through a few local Croatian wines including the gently full-bodied Malvasia and the dry white Grk. If you are into wines, I highly recommend visiting Razonoda and asking your server to put together a tasting for you.
Sunset from Buza Bar Dubrovnik
Buza: Apparently no weekend in Dubrovnik is complete without a stop at Buza and boy are they right. It’s like sitting on the edge of the world, watching the sun set and the cruise ships disappear across the horizon. The facilities are super basic — just chairs on rocks, really — but the views are outstanding. I can only imagine how crazy crowded this place is during high season so arrive early for a prime spot.
Tours during Your Weekend in Dubrovnik
I booked three tours during my weekend in Dubrovnik to help me get my groundings, but I ended up skipping one of them which was walking the perimeter wall around the city. Apparently it wasn’t so much a tour as just walking the balustrades and after a four hour morning tour, I was pooped.
View from the top of Dubrovnik
City Walking Tour: Our tour guide took us up the cable car and let us tool around the top of the mountain a bit before bringing us back down and taking us on a loop of the city. I learned a lot about the interesting history of Dubrovnik, in particular, but it was focused more on the 1500s and 1600s than I would have liked. (After making more than one grown man cry in Montenegro because I asked about the war, I wanted to know more about Dubrovnik during the war in the 1990s.) This tour is a very efficient way to see the city. Book the City Walking Tour.
Dubrovnik Food Tour: This was a truly excellent food tour of Dubrovnik where my guide took me to a small number of local restaurants and shared his personal insights into growing up in Croatia. Such an interesting guide — he was also a sommelier — and such a fantastic way to experience Dubrovnik. My recommendation would be to do this tour early on in your stay just in case you accidentally hit one of the restaurants on the tour beforehand like I did (Kopun).
“Submarine” Tour: This was a one hour boat cruise in a “submarine” — essentially a glass-bottom boat designed to look like a submarine. (You can go downstairs because it’s glass bottomed and look at the fish.) Our captain talked on the phone the entire time. And smoked. No commentary — in fact, he completely ignored us the entire trip and kept his back to us, which was a little weird. Cheap and fine if all you are after is views. There are a number of cruises like this that depart from the main Old Town marina area so maybe you can find a better one for your Dubrovnik city break. The view from the water is lovely so I definitely recommend doing this — just not the cruise I took. You might want to try one of these cruises instead:
- Dubrovnik Islands Boat Tour with Lunch and Unlimited Drinks
- Three Islands Boat Tour – Fish Picnic from Dubrovnik
- National Park Mljet Full Day Boat Trip from Dubrovnik
Shopping in Dubrovnik
There were two shops I found during my Dubrovnik city break that I really liked:
House of Nature: The saleswoman here was both quite knowledgeable and quite persuasive so before I knew it, I had purchased body lotion, cleanser, a face mask, and two different types of facial moisturizers. All natural products and great smelling too. The shop sells primarily beauty products.
Medusa: This little shop sells much more than beauty products but that’s what I focused on here, picking up more moisturizer an cleansers. I didn’t pay much attention to anything else in the shop unfortunately!
Best Place to Stay in Dubrovnik: The Pucic Palace
Image of room similar to mine borrowed from The Pucic Palace website
I stayed at the VERY centrally located Hotel Pucic Palace. RIGHT in the middle of the old town, which I think makes it the best place to stay in Dubrovnik. I loved the staff and the breakfast but the room — particularly the bed and bedding — was perhaps a little more basic than I anticipated. (Although the copper bathtub in the bathroom was gorgeous.) With just a few small changes, this could totally be a five star property. (Right now, I’d personally class it as 3.5 stars.) That being said, if you are after atmosphere and if you want to stay in the Dubrovnik old town right in the middle of the action, you should definitely stay here. It is SUPREMELY convenient to everything. Wooden beams, antique furniture galore.
Best Time to Visit Dubronik
Beware of tourist season. Best to plan a trip in March, April, September, or October when you’ll have the place more to yourself and won’t have to fight the cruise ship passengers.
Verdict on my Weekend in Dubrovnik
I really enjoyed my weekend in Dubrovnik. You will too! Book a food tour, ride the cable car, eat all the food, drink all the wine, and tool around the beautiful streets.
