A Long Weekend In Dubrovnik

First Impressions And Dodging The Crowds

I arrived around lunchtime on a hot summer day, and Dubrovnik did not hold back. The sun was blazing, the stone streets were already shimmering with heat, and three enormous cruise ships were docked. It felt like half the world had decided to explore the Old Town at the exact same time as me.

A lot of people worry about visiting Dubrovnik in summer because of the heat and the crowds. And yes, it is both of those things. But with a little bit of planning, it is absolutely still worth it. One of the best tips I can share is to check which days the cruise ships are in and plan around them. When I saw how busy it was, I decided not to try to “fight” the crowds on that first afternoon.

Instead, I did the sensible thing: a quick check‑in at my accommodation, dropped my bags, then headed straight for the bus stop just outside the city gate to escape the bustle for a few hours.

Discovering “My” Bit Of Dubrovnik

The local buses in Dubrovnik are brilliant: cheap, easy to understand, and very regular. Within minutes you can be out on the Lapad Peninsula or in Babin Kuk, or heading the other way towards Cavtat and Mlini.

Very quickly I realised that if you are staying more than a night or two, these surrounding areas are ideal. They feel like proper little seaside towns in their own right, with promenades, beaches and a good choice of restaurants and bars, yet you can hop on a bus and be back inside the Old Town walls in around 15 to 20 minutes.

I based myself on the Lapad Peninsula and it turned out to be exactly what I needed. My days fell into a lovely rhythm: mornings in the Old Town or out exploring, then back to Lapad in the afternoon to cool off in the hotel pool and recharge. There is something very satisfying about slipping into the water after a hot, sticky few hours of sightseeing, looking up at the blue sky and thinking “Yes, this was a very good idea.”

Evenings Back Inside The Walls

Once I had cooled down and the fiercest heat of the day had faded, I would head back into Dubrovnik for the evening. This quickly became my favourite time of day.

Dubrovnik at night is gorgeous. The marble streets of the Old Town almost glow with the lamplight, and the golden stone buildings look even more romantic than they do in the middle of the day. The crowds thin out, street musicians appear in little squares, and there is a soft hum of conversation and clinking glasses from restaurant terraces.

One evening I booked the latest possible entry time to walk the city walls. It was still warm, but much more comfortable than in the midday sun, and there were far fewer people. I remember that walk so clearly: the light softening over the rooftops, the sea turning that deep inky blue, and Lokrum Island sitting just off the coast, framed by the old stone battlements. By the time we completed the circuit, the town below was beginning to sparkle with lights. We came down from the walls tired, happy and a little bit windswept, and found a tucked‑away restaurant on a side street for dinner. It felt like the perfect Dubrovnik evening.

Coffee With A View: Mount Srđ

Another highlight of the trip was taking the cable car up Mount Srđ. If you can, go early. I went in the morning and it was such a peaceful contrast to the busy streets below.

The cable car ride itself is fun, but the real reward is the view from the top. Dubrovnik’s Old Town looks like a toy city from up there, completely wrapped in its walls and surrounded by that impossibly blue water. I grabbed a coffee and just sat for a while, watching the boats move across the bay and the shadows change on the rooftops. It is one of those views where you find yourself taking the same photo over and over again, because it never quite captures how it actually feels to stand there.

A Little Bit Of History

I am a bit of a history geek, so Dubrovnik really pulled me in. Beyond the fairy‑tale look of the Old Town, there is a more recent and very powerful story here.

Visiting the museum exhibitions about the Homeland War and the siege of Dubrovnik was a really important part of my trip. Walking around streets that look so picture‑perfect today, and then seeing photographs and hearing testimonies from the 1990s, gives you a very different perspective. It is sobering, emotional and incredibly moving, and I came away with a much deeper respect for the people who rebuilt their city and their lives.

Pastries, Gelato And Little Tastes Of Dubrovnik

Of course, no trip of mine would be complete without talking about the food, especially the sweet stuff.

Dubrovnik is full of small bakeries and takeaway pastry shops. I loved ducking into these whenever I needed a quick snack or an excuse to escape the sun for a couple of minutes. Typical things you will find include:

• Burek: spirals or slices of flaky filo pastry filled with cheese, spinach or meat. Not exactly dainty, but absolutely delicious and perfect when you are ravenous after walking the walls.
• Fritule: little doughnut‑style bites, often with a hint of citrus and sometimes raisins, dusted with sugar. Very moreish.
• Kroštule: crisp, twisted strips of fried dough sprinkled with icing sugar, which feel like something a Croatian grandmother would insist you try.
• Rožata: a local custard pudding similar to crème caramel, sometimes sold in slices in patisseries.

We picked up pastries more than once from a little takeaway place, walked until we found a shady spot, then happily sat people‑watching while trying not to cover ourselves in pastry flakes.

And then there is the ice cream.

Dubrovnik takes gelato seriously and there are a couple of parlours that are almost mini‑landmarks in their own right. Two famous names you will hear mentioned a lot are:

• Gianni: a small, artisan ice cream and dessert shop inside the Old Town, known for its rich, inventive flavours and beautiful cakes.
• Peppino’s Gelato Factory (and its sister, Peppino’s Gelato Garden): colourful, fun and very generous with the toppings, also right in and around the Old Town.

I cannot swear which one we ended up in that afternoon, but I clearly remember standing in front of a glass counter, completely unable to choose between pistachio, hazelnut and something with big chunks of Dalmatian biscuit in it. In the end I did what any sensible person would do and ordered two scoops. We wandered back out into the sunshine, happily silent for a few minutes as we tried to eat faster than the ice cream could melt.

It is those tiny details I remember as much as the big sights: the sound of bus brakes hissing outside the city gate, the way my sandals slipped very slightly on the polished stone streets, the relief of stepping into the shade of a side alley, and the first bite of still‑warm pastry as we took on another set of stairs.

Why Dubrovnik Stayed With Me

Looking back, that long weekend in Dubrovnik felt like exactly the right balance of adventure and downtime. I loved that I could wake up inside a UNESCO‑listed Old Town, climb centuries‑old walls, learn about the city’s recent history, then be back on a sun‑lounger with a book and a cold drink in under half an hour.