Croatia - Dubrovnik Advice Please

spudtator

Split is lovely. Preferred it to Dubrovnik. We spent 2 weeks island hopping our way from Split down to Dubrovnik. Absolutely gorgeous. Highly recommended if you've got the time.

QuestShield

Might go to Split next year but was in Dubrovnik circa 2011 and really enjoyed it.  Quite hot in August I guess?  Apart from the great walled city I found a nice beach area, though I do remember the "watch out for bears" signs as myself and the wife wandered off the beaten track. Don't remember it being overly expensive, unless you eat in the touristy hot spots.

alfienoakes

Just back from 7 days in Dubrovnik. Lovely place and lovely weather, but it was on the expensive side for eating and drinking. Prices for food seemed to be about the same wherever we went. Expect to pay on between £15 to £30 for a main. The old town did demand a premium, especially on drinks.

The buses are the cheapest form of travel and very reliable, if a little crowded at times. Buy tickets in advance from kiosks and they are 12KN a trip rather than 15KN from the driver.

We bought a 7 day Dubrovnik card (350KN - about £40) which gave us 10 bus journeys, access to the city walls, plus some other decent discounts. I think we certainly got our moneys worth out of this. There are 1 day and 3 day alternatives, but what's included with each is quite different.

A few places we went:

City Walls - you need a ticket to walk the 2KM. There's quite a lot of steps, but great views across the old town.

Cavtat - catch the number 10 bus from either the bus station in Gruz or at the cable car in the old town. It's a lovely fishing village about 20KM away from Dubrovnik. 7 day Dubrovnik Card gives you 4 additional tickets you can use for this journey.

Elaphite Islands - we took the galleon Karaka (approx £55 each) which was a fairly chillled day out. We only had 80 people on board though, I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it with 200. Had a decent lunch and a glass of wine included. There's another Elaphite tour which you will be sold on every street corner which included a free bar. It was about £40 - we figured it was probably going to be a booze cruise, so gave that one a miss.

Cable Car - great views above the city. I'm not actually sure as to the cost as we booked it with a walking tour of the old city. To be honest I would do it myself next time as the tour wasn't great.

Lokrum Island - this is the island which is just over the water from the old town. Nice place to walk around away from the hustle and bustle of tourists. Peacocks everywhere and a very small Game of Thrones museum. You can use the discount card to get money off the ferry ride here.

Kayaking - entrance is down a stone staircase near Pile Gate. We did a three hour guided sunset tour. Paddle along the city walls, then on to a few caves for snorkelling. Finally around Lokrum island. It was quite tiring, but very enjoyable - cost was about £30 each. Did also include a glass of wine and some snacks at the end.

Montenegro - Did a day trip which stopped in 3 towns (approx £35 each). Was a long day and the tour wasn't quite as the salesman had sold it. The border crossing both ways took a long time. The old town of Budva was very nice and the food was much cheaper here. The tour guide did their best to get us into their preferred restaurant - but most of us were wise to that old trick and did our own thing. Not sure I would recommend this trip.

We met a few people that had been on a day trip to Mostar (Bosnia). This was very good apparently, and they preferred it to Montenegro.

Finally, try the Lemon Beer. It's not very strong (around 2%), but quite refreshing.