Dubrovnik is a beautiful city along the Dalmation Coast of Croatia. It’s famous for its remarkably well preserved old town which has recently been used as a filming location for huge productions like Game of Thrones and Star Wars. It’s a stunning city, well worth a trip. Here are some tips and important things to know before you visit Dubrovnik!
Currency in Croatia
The official currency in Croatia is now the Euro.
The current exchange rate is €10 = approximately £9 or $11
We found that the vast majority of places accepted card payments so if you have a travel card or a card like Monzo, I wouldn’t worry too much about getting any Kuna in cash.
Language in Croatia
The official language in Croatia is Croatian. This is extremely similar to Bosnia, Serbian and Montenegrin. So if you’re trying to translate something from Croatian but your app doesn’t have Croatian as a language, Serbian should also work. However, you probably won’t struggle at all in Dubrovnik, it’s a very touristy city, especially in the old town so most people speak a very good level of English.
Stay Hydrated with Water Fountains
All of the fountains in and around the old town of Dubrovnik are supplied with clean drinking water. In the summer, it can get very hot so carry around a reusable water bottle with you and help yourself to free refills at the city’s fountains!
Get a Dubrovnik Pass
One of the main attractions in the old town is walking along the city walls. This activity which you may even expect to be free is actually surprisingly expensive! It’s 250kn (approximately £29 or €33). But if you purchase a Dubrovnik Pass for the same price, your entry to the city walls is included along with entry to lots of museums, plus discounts and other attractions. The Dubrovnik Pass is also available as a three and seven day pass for a slightly higher price (300HRK and 350HRK respectively).
Thinking about walking along Dubrovnik’s City Walls? I would highly recommend buying a Dubrovnik Pass instead of just entry to the walls. It’s literally the same price and then you can visit some cool museums afterwards too!
To find out more about the Dubrovnik Pass and whether you think it will be worth the money for you, take a look at my blog post: Is the Dubrovnik Pass worth it?
Some museums are closed on certain weekdays
Following on from my last point – do double check the opening times and days of any museums you want to visit. We bought our Dubrovnik Pass on a Wednesday and found later on that a couple of the big museums were closed on Wednesdays. This includes the Rector’s Palace and the Maritime Museum. Luckily, we bought the three day card so we didn’t miss out entirely. But this could easily scupper your plans with a one day card so be sure to check days first!
Stray cats of Dubrovnik
There are a lot of stray cats around the old town of Dubrovnik. These were apparently introduced hundreds of years ago to catch rats and other pests brought in from ships docking in the harbour. They seemed to have thrived ever since and are still looked after and fed by the government.
Watch out for the Pigeon Feeding
As well as cats, Dubrovnik also has a thriving population of pigeons. These also once served a purpose as carrier pigeons, sending messages to other cities. They are no longer used for this purpose. However, they are for some reason still fed by the government, just as the cats are. The pigeons are fed daily at midday. This is quite a spectacle seeing hundreds of birds swoop out of the sky at once. However it might also be something you want to avoid. The pigeons are fed in the Old Town Market, just by the Selfie Museum. You might want to not eat lunch in the cafes surrounding the square if you’re not a pigeon fan!
When is the best time to visit Dubrovnik?
The best time of year to visit Dubrovnik is around April to May and September to October. The weather will still be lovely and warm but a little less crowded. We visit at the end of April and it was fairly busy even then.
Our walking tour guide told us, it’s unbearably busy and hot during the peak summer months in July and August. He explained in the summer months cruise ships bring in hundreds of tourists at a time, making the relatively small old town extremely crowded. He also warned to prepare for the high temperatures. The city walls can be particularly dangerous during summer because there is little shade and you may be stuck in the sun for some time. If you do visit in the summer, it’s best to do attractions like the wall in the early morning or late evening. In the middle of the day, cool off in one of Dubrovnik’s many museums!
Where is the best area to stay in Dubrovnik?
The old town is the heart of the city and certainly the main tourist attraction. However, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend staying in the old town. It can be very busy and noisy at night. Plus cars aren’t able to enter the old town. So if you’re visiting as part of a road trip or are planning to hire a car, you wouldn’t be able to park near your accommodation in the old town.
I would recommend staying in a more residential area called Ploče. This is a little way uphill from the old town so offers stunning views over the city and the harbour. It’s only around a 10 minute walk from the old town. We stayed in this lovely AirBnB which had free parking right outside.
