Welcome to Dubrovnik, the shining Jewel of the Adriatic. You’ve got 48 hours in Dubrovnik, and you’re wondering how to spend your time! Well, there are tons of ways to explore while in this beautiful city, so let me provide you with a place to start.
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I’ll be sharing a 48 hour itinerary that you can use as a starting point to planning your time in the city.
Feel free to move around, add to, or subtract from this itinerary, and at the end of this post I’ve even given you some bonus activities for if you find yourself with extra time.
Need help packing for your trip to Dubrovnik? Learn my 10 tips to pack efficiently in your carry-on!
Where to Stay in Old Town Dubrovnik
Holiday Home Piccolo Mondo
A cosy apartment in a fantastic location inside Old Town Dubrovnik.
St. Joseph’s
Beautiful rooms, great service, and exceptional location.
The Pucic Palace
An absolutely stunning hotel with tons of amenities and fantastic views of the city.
Day 1 – Your 48 Hours in Dubrovnik Itinerary
Let’s begin Day 1 bright and early with a walk around the city. The views you’re about to get are to die for!
Walking the Walls of Old Town Dubrovnik
The towering walls of Old Town Dubrovnik create the fortified old city that you’ll be exploring over your next 48 hours in Dubrovnik.
Not only do the walls create a walking friendly town with alleys and streets to explore for hours on end inside, they also provide breathtaking views of the city of Dubrovnik and the Adriatic Sea from above.
Walking along the tops of the walls is the number one thing you must do while in Dubrovnik, and is definitely worth the price of the ticket, which is 200 kuna/person. At the time I’m writing this, that is around $30 USD.
There are an unlimited number of spots to stop while you’re walking, so be sure to give yourself at least an hour and a half to explore and find your favorite views.
While the walk itself is not strenuous, there are lots of stairs up and down while walking, so this is something to take note of if stairs present a physical challenge for you.
Where to Buy Tickets and Get On the Walls
Tickets can be purchased online beforehand or in person adjacent to the Pile Gate, just near the Onofrijeva Fountain inside the old town.
You can access the walls in the same location, on the other side of the gate, where you’ll see a spot at the base of the old walls where you can have your ticket scanned. Once your ticket has been scanned, you cannot exit and then re-enter the walls. You only get one entry with your ticket.
Keep this ticket! It will also give you access to Fort Lovrijenac, which you’ll be visiting tomorrow. You have 3 days from when you purchase your ticket to use it to access the fort.
Tip: be sure to wear sunscreen and bring water. It is a long walk all the way around and on a sunny day you can tire out fast. There is one bar on the top of the walls where you can buy refreshments.
Dubrovnik’s ‘Secret’ Bar – Buža Bar
Now that you’re sufficiently sweaty and tired from walking the beautiful walls of Old Town, you need a drink! We’re going on a hunt to find Dubrovnik’s ‘secret’ bar nestled up against the walls of the city.
How to Find Buža Bar
If you are headed to Buža Bar after coming down from walking the walls, you’ll be walking from the Pile Gate (if you made it around the entirety of the walls and ended up where you started the journey). From here, walk down Stradun Street, the main walking street in Old Town Dubrovnik. Walk 200 meters down the street and then turn right down Ul. Miha Pracata. Walk until the street dead ends, and turn right onto Ul. Josipa Jurja Strossmayera. Take the next left onto Crijeviceva Ul. You’ll again walk until a dead end, then take a left. You will see a small doorway opening on the right, on the outer wall of the city. Once you walk through, you’ll be outside the city walls and looking down on Buža bar.
Watch our YouTube video from our time in Dubrovnik where we visit Buža Bar to help you find it.
Swimming at Buža Bar
Buža Bar is known for being a fun spot to jump off the rocks and into the Adriatic. Please, remember to be careful and if you plan on having drinks, do so after swimming!
If you follow the stairs all the way down through the bar and below to the sea, you’ll see the popular rock jumping spot.
There is no ladder to help you out of the water and the waves can sometimes be strong here, so please only jump and swim if you are confident in your swimming abilities. There are no lifeguards.
If you have more time and are looking for another free swimming spot, I’ve listed a few down below in Day 2.
Dinner in Dubrovnik
There are a lot of restaurants in Dubrovnik, and one of the best ways to find a place to eat dinner is to just wander around and look at the menus. There will be servers trying to lure you into almost every restaurant in town, but take some time to look at the menus and don’t feel pressured to stop at the first place they invite you in.
Expect a lot of seafood as Dubrovnik is situated right on the sea, but you can also find lots of pasta and pizza as well.
Recommendations
For Sit Down
For Take-Away
Gelato
After dinner, you cannot forget to stop and have gelato.
Now, I know you’re probably thinking that gelato is Italian and wondering why you should have gelato in Croatia. Well, the answer is because there is incredible gelato in Croatia! The food culture of both countries are surprisingly similar, and because they are very close geographical neighbors, really good Italian gelato can be found all over Croatia.
Go to Peppino’s Gelato Factory, and you’ll thank me. Their claim to be ‘the best gelato in Dubrovnik’ comes as no surprise once you’ve tasted it.
We went to Peppino’s both nights that we were in Dubrovnik and I still dream about the chocolate with apricot jelly!
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Day 2 – Your 48 Hours in Dubrovnik Itinerary
Walking Around Old Town Dubrovnik
Good morning on your second day in Dubrovnik! Take the morning to walk around and get lost in the old alleys and small walking streets of Old Town Dubrovnik.
Walk down the main street, Stradun, and you’ll see the Velika Onofrijeva Fountain, Luza square and the basque style Church of St. Blaise, as well as Orlando’s Column.
Just around the corner is Rector’s Palace and The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
As you continue to wander the streets, you’ll find countless adorable shops and secret corners to explore. You’ll likely end up walking in circles as well, as it can be easy to get lost in the twists and turns of the old streets.
Be sure to also wander outside the gates toward the Old Town Port and Fort St. Ivana. You’ll love the little boats bobbing around in the port and the views of the Croatian coast.
Swim Spots in Dubrovnik
There are lots of options when looking for a spot to dip your toes in the beautiful water of the Adriatic Sea, some free jumping off spots and some beach clubs that charge.
Free Swimming Spots
Buža Bar, mentioned above, is the first I’ll recommend, as you don’t have to pay to get in and if you don’t buy drinks, you can swim in the water for free.
Another great spot that we enjoyed a lot can be found by walking all the way to the around Fort St. Ivana, where you’ll come across a public, rocky swimming area. Lay your towel down and hop in while enjoying the sunshine below the massive city walls.
The next free spot is Kolorina Bay, just outside the old walls if you exit through Pile Gate.
Walking a little further, you can swim at Beach Sulic, just below Fort Lovrijenac.
Lastly, head over to Danče Beach, on the other side of Fort Lovrijenac.
If you’re looking for a ‘sandy’ beach, you can walk outside the walls and head to Banje Beach. Here, you can either go to the free section or pay to enter the beach club and get loungers and restaurant service. We paid $30 USD for two beach chairs and an umbrella for the entire day.
Lunch at Pizzeria Oliva
Back inside the walls of Old Town Dubrovnik is the best pizza in town. Stop by Pizzeria Oliva for lunch, where you can either sit down to eat or grab slices for take-away at their order window.
We did this two of the three days we were in Dubrovnik because we just couldn’t get enough and it’s delicious, affordable pizza.
Fort Lovrijenac
In the afternoon, head over to Fort Lovrijenac to get incredible views of Old Town Dubrovnik from afar, as well as learn more about the history of the city.
You can gain entry to the fort with the ticket you purchased yesterday to walk the Walls of Dubrovnik.
The fort closes before sunset, but it is a really beautiful vantage point to see the late afternoon sun on the walls of Old Town.
Sunset at Gradac Park
From the fort, continue to Gradac Park for sunset for some truly wonderful views, and you can even swim nearby at Danče Beach if you bring your swimsuit with you. This is a rock beach, so there is no sand, but there is a small bar here where you can buy refreshments.
The park is also a nice spot during the day to go for a walk or just get outside of the city and into nature.
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Options to Extend Your Time in Dubrovnik
If you find yourself with more than 48 hours in Dubrovnik, lucky you! Below, I’ve listed some activities that you can do with your extra time, so add them to your next day of exploring Dubrovnik.
- You can take an island excursion to Lokrum Island. This is a wonderful day trip from Dubrovnik. You can catch a 15-minute ferry to the island from the Old Port.
- Get high up views of Dubrovnik by taking the Dubrovnik Cable Car up to Mount Srd. You can find the cable car just outside the northern walls of the Old Town.
- Be whisked back in time and into the world of Game of Thrones by tracking down the many filming locations in Dubrovnik. One of the most popular is the Jesuit Staircase, the site of Cersei’s Walk of Shame
Explore more of Dubrovnik outside of the old walled city. Visit U Pilama and Lapad, two neighborhoods outside of the tourist center where you can find traditional Croatian food and modern Croatian culture.
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