7 day trips to make from Dubrovnik »

Dubrovnik is a beautiful, Croatian port city where you can easily spend a few days to explore all the places which the city has to offer. Earlier I’ve written a city guide with all the highlights of Dubrovnik.

However, if you would like to explore more of the surroundings of the city and you do have the time, there are a lot of possibilities for day trips. As Dubrovnik is close to the border, you can make a day trip in Croatia, but you can also pay a visit to Montenegro or Bosnia & Herzegovina. In this article I’ll share 7 ideas for a day trip from Dubrovnik with you.

Things to know before planning your day trip

It’s important to know that, when you’re planning a day trip to one of the neighboring countries of Croatia, there are some things to keep in mind:
– if you’re travelling by rental car, you need to check if it’s allowed to cross borders with your car. Normally, you need a green card to cross borders and you don’t get that automatically when you’re going to rent a car. Most of the time, you need to pay an extra amount of money to get permission to cross borders.
– at the borders to Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro it’s obligated to show your passport and rental car documents, so keep in mind to bring your passport at all times! Furthermore, it can be quite busy at the borders depending on the time of the day. Sometimes you need to wait around an hour before you can cross borders.
– take into account that Montenegro and Bosnia & Herzegovina have different currencies.

1. Cavtat

Just outside of Dubrovnik, on a driving distance of 30 minutes, you can find the atmospheric town of Cavtat. Cavtat is located on a bay, where you can also find its port. At the boulevard, you can find several restaurants and shops. My personal favorite thing about Cavtat is the fact you can walk all along the bay, in a peaceful and green environment. It’s a beautiful walk where you can have some amazing views over the water. The path starts at the parking lot near the town center. At the port you can spot some imposing yachts.

2. Mostar (Bosnia & Herzegovina)

Mostar is a historical, well-known city located in Bosnia & Herzegovina. It features small streets, atmospheric restaurants, the famous Stari Most bridge, but also beautiful street art. It’s a very nice city where you can easily spend a day. From Dubrovnik, you’ll get in here in approximately two hours by car. If you would like to see more than just the center of Mostar, you can also chose to visit one of the places in the surroundings, like the Kravice Waterfalls or Blagaj.

Would you like to read more about Mostar? I’ve written an extensive guide to the city which you can find by clicking here.

3. Ston

Around an hour driving Northwards from Dubrovnik, you can find the small town of Ston. It’s a super cozy town with amazing town walls which you can walk on, just as in Dubrovnik. However, the town walls of Ston are longer than the ones in Dubrovnik: it has a total length of 5 kilometers. As it was quite hot on the day we visited Ston and the walk looked quite intensive, we decided not to walk on the city walls, but it’s also already a beautiful image from a distance! Besides the town walls, Ston is also well-known for its saltworks and oysters. In the town center you can find a few restaurants and shops.

4. Konavle Valley

At the southernmost tip of Croatia you can find the beautiful Konavle Valley: a beautiful valley where you can find lots of vineyards and farms. It’s a quite non-touristic valley which make it so special. There are several places where you can have some magnificent views over the impressive landscapes of the Konavle Valley. From Dubrovnik it’s located on a driving distance of approximately 45 minutes.

5. Kotor Bay (Montenegro)

The Bay of Kotor is one of the most fascinating places to visit in Montenegro, which also happens to be only on a 2-hour driving distance from Dubrovnik. The bay features some rough cliffs, lots of nature and many lively towns. A drive (with some stops on the way) around the bay is definitely worth it to do as a day trip from Dubrovnik! One of the places at Kotor Bay which cannot be missed, is Kotor with its beautiful old town. But also Perast is worth a visit and the islands located in front of Perast town: Our Lady of the Rocks and St. George.

A few weeks ago I wrote an extensive guide with tips and recommendations on the Bay of Kotor which you can find by clicking here.

6. Elaphite Islands

The Elaphite Islands is a small archipelago consisting out of 13 islands and located close to Dubrovnik. The three biggest and most-visited islands probably are Kolocep, Lopud and Sipan. You can easily book a boat trip on the spot in Dubrovnik with which you’ll get from one to another island throughout the day. The islands are perfect for swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving.

7. Neum (Bosnia & Herzegovina)

At only an hour driving distance of Dubrovnik you can find Neum: the only seaside town of Bosnia & Herzegovina. The fact that this town isn’t that popular yet, makes it a town with a peaceful atmosphere. It’s the perfect place to go to for some relaxation without being on the crowded beaches in some other places.

Organized trips

If you don’t have a rental car, that’s not a problem! From Dubrovnik there are many organizations which offer day trips. With these organized tours, you’ll go by bus to the place. Take a look at the website of Viator for some options.

Author: Tamara

This article is part of the GPSmyCity iOS app. You can download it, read this article offline and obtain travel directions (by foot, car or bicycle) to the places mentioned in this article. Click here to download it.