The Best Day Trips from Dubrovnik, Croatia
Walking round the historic jewel that is Dubrovnik, you may see little reason to leave – anyone staying longer than a couple of days will want to explore further afield. Destinations for day trips include a Renaissance-era arboretum, Europe’s longest defensive wall and the island that is said to have produced Marco Polo.
1. Lokrum
Natural Feature
2. Cavtat
From Dubrovnik, a city bus runs down to Cavtat, close to the airport. Settled by Ancient Greeks and Romans, whose underwater remains can be observed by taking one of the many local diving tours on offer, Cavtat is today most associated with the fin-de-siècle painter Vlaho Bukovac. You’ll find examples of his work, portraits, landscapes, and pointillist paintings at his gallery on the side street that bears his name. The nearby yacht-lined waterfront is where to find a number of cafés and restaurants.
3. Konavoski Dvori
Restaurant
Konavoski Dvori is both a restaurant and a tourist destination in its own right. Many arrive here on an organised bus tour, with the aim of sampling authentic Dalmatian cuisine prepared in the traditional way; ispod peke is slow-cooked in hot embers under a bell-shaped lid; octopus or lamb is the usual centrepiece to the succulent repast. Waitstaff dress in folksy costumes but everything else is as was hundreds of years ago — the swift-flowing Ljuta brook, the lush greenery, the fresh produce.
5. Walls of Ston
At the gateway of the wine-growing peninsula of Pelješac, a short drive north of Dubrovnik, the Walls of Ston were originally built in the 1300s to protect the salt pans here. This was the northernmost frontier of the Ragusa Republic, administered from what is today’s Dubrovnik. Half the towers and walls remain, though much was lost in the terrible earthquake of 1996. The longest defensive wall in Europe, Ston is also the stage for the marathon that takes place here every September.
6. Šipan
After Lokrum, the Elafiti islands are the most popular day trip from Dubrovnik. They can be visited on a one-day picnic deal, or individually, and independently. If the latter, then Šipan is your best bet. As well as the odd curious treasure – an old church here, a noblemen’s villa there – Šipan has the best choice of restaurants, concentrated in its two villages of Suđurađ and Šipanska Luka. If you happen to sail back early the next morning, your travelling companions will probably include islanders taking their melons to market on the mainland.
7. Trstenik
Much of the top-quality wine you see served in the better restaurants of Dubrovnik comes from Pelješac, the hilly peninsula a short drive north. Here, at the centre of Dalmatia’s wine-growing region, vineyards produce outstanding reds. Of the many wineries and cellars dotted around Pelješac, the one run by the Grgić family at Trstenik is the most notable, headed by Mike Grgich, who made his considerable name in Napa Valley, California. Its Plavac Mali is equally legendary and well worth stopping by to sample in situ.
8. Mljet
Museum, Park
Accessible by catamaran from Dubrovnik in summer and by 45-minute ferry from nearby Prapratno in winter, idyllic Mljet was revered by the Ancient Greeks and later settled by monks. Mljet today is one-third national national park, two-thirds wild greenery, fringed by unspoiled coastline. Its main sight is the medieval monastery that centrepieces one of two lakes in Mljet’s south-west corner, the inner one accessible by rowboat. Hiking and cycling tours allow you to ex
]plore the rest of the island, including the sandy beaches of Saplunara at the far eastern tip.
9. Trsteno Arboretum
Botanical Garden
10. Korčula
Natural Feature
Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.
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