There are plenty of day trips from Dubrovnik for you to choose from – should you ever get bored of the city. Not that that’s especially likely – let’s face it! – but if you’re there for an extended period of time, you may like to consider some of the options below for a change of scene.

In fact, you’ll find that you’re lucky to have a number of day trip options to choose from – such as trips to nearby islands including Lokrum and the Elafiti islands as well as those a little further afield, and to other towns along the coastline.

Day Trips from Dubrovnik – The island of Lokrum

Lokrum is one of the easiest day trips to make if you’re in Dubrovnik – if you’re there, you’ll see for yourself how close the island is. It’s an ideal place for a day trip, especially so when the crowds in Dubrovnik become just a little too much.

Day Trips from Dubrovnik - Lokrum
The lovely and very green island of Lokrum, as viewed from the top of Mount Srd,
above Dubrovnik

Covered in pine trees, the island is an ideal place to spend a relaxing day – or a few hours – sunbathing and swimming. There are also a few sights on the island if you don’t want to be entirely idle. There are various paths through the island if you want to wander through the vegetation, and there’s a botanical garden in the middle of the island and the ruins of a monastery nearby as well.

To get to Lokrum, there are boats that depart every half an hour (during high season) from the port in the Old Town. The journey takes 15 minutes. A timetable can be found on the Lokrum Island website. Make sure you know when the last boat back is!

  • See our special page on Lokrum for more details on what to see and do on the island.

Day Trips from Dubrovnik – Cavtat

Cavtat can be easily reached from Dubrovnik using local bus route no. 10. Buses run approximately every half an hour throughout the day. See the full timetable on the Dubrovnik Bus Station website. It is also possible to make the journey by boat in the summer months with Adriana Cavtat. The journey takes around 45 minutes.

Day Trips from Dubrovnik - Cavtat
Cavtat harbour

A wonderful small little seaside town, Cavtat again provides welcome relief from Dubrovnik’s crowds and its pleasant harbour provides an excellent place to relax in one of its cafes or restaurants.

There are also some impressive sights here, including the Rector’s Palace (Knezev Dvor) and the Racic Mausoleum in the town’s cemetery which was designed by famed Croatian sculptor Ivan Mestrovic and built in 1921 using white stone from the island of Brac. The Mausoleum serves as a tomb for the wealthy then-local Racic family, and Mestrovic is said to have designed it upon the request of his rumoured amour, Marija Racic. Inside hangs a bell upon which is engraved the message “Understand the mystery of love and you will understand the mystery of death and believe life is eternal.”

Cavtat is in fact a holiday destination in its own right, so you may also want to consider basing yourself there as an alternative to Dubrovnik. The town has a number of small and large hotels, including those offering all-inclusive package deals. See our page on Accommodation in Cavtat for more details.

  • See our special page on Cavtat for more details on what to see and do on the island.

Day Trips from Dubrovnik – The Elafiti Islands

The Elafiti Islands are a small group of islands to the north of Dubrovnik, with the main three – the islands that are inhabited – being Sipan, Lopud and Kolocep.

Sipan
The island of Sipan

Any one of the three main Elafiti islands allow for a pleasant day trip, as all have small villages, beaches and a few architectural sights. Each also has a few cafes and restaurants for eating options. Sipan is the largest of the three, although all are reasonably quiet with only a small population.

Tour specialists GetYourGuide have a 4-hour Elafiti Islands Private Boat Tour which gives you an opportunity to explore the private bays, beaches, coves and villages of the main islands of Kolocep, Lopud and Sipan. As it’s a private boat tour, the actual itinerary can be decided by you…in consultation with the skipper, who can of course offer plenty of suggestions.

The Elafiti Islands Cruise with Lunch and Drinks is an 8-hour shared group tour that also visits the three main islands with plenty of exploring time on each. Lunch is included as are drinks. Or you could opt for Elafiti Island Hopping Cruise on Karaka Ship, also an 8-hour cruise, but one that sets sail on a replica of a traditional karaka boat that is a symbol of the Republic of Ragusa.

You can also reach the Elafiti islands with one of the daily Jadrolinija ferries. This ferry runs from Dubrovnik’s main port to Kolocep, on to Lopud, and then on to Sudurad on Sipan. There are return ferries later on in the day as well.

The TP Line catamaran also runs from Dubrovnik to Sipanska Luka on Sipan, though not at times that would be suitable for a day trip.

Take a look at our Accommodation on the Elafiti Islands page if you fancy staying on one of the islands for more than just a day.

Day Trips from Dubrovnik – The Island of Mljet

Mljet is a beautifully tranquil, properly unspoilt island, and well worth a day trip even if it’s slightly further away than the options mentioned above. The majority of the island is covered with thick forest, and the western part of the island is a National Park.

Mljet
Mljet

Explore the lakes Veliko Jezero and Malo Jezero (“Big Lake” and “Small Lake”) within the National Park, as well as enjoying the nature and wildlife of the park and island in general.

The best tip is to hire bikes to cycle around Mljet – not only is it one of the easiest ways of getting around, but as the island is so peaceful it’s great fun cycling around!

The best way of getting from Dubrovnik to Sobra on Mljet is with the TP Line catamaran, which runs daily. The catamaran departs Dubrovnik early in the morning and there’s a return in the late afternoon, meaning a full round trip in one day is possible. Journey time is one hour. The catamaran also goes on to Polace (during the summer months) which is within the National Park; journey time to here is 1 hour 50 minutes.

Day Trips from Dubrovnik – The Peljesac Peninsula

This narrow peninsula is home to a number of small towns and villages in its rocky landscape. The largest is Orebic which is at the northern end (and from where you can get one of the many summer ferries to Korcula, should you choose) or Veliki and Mali Ston which are at the base as you “enter” the Peljesac Peninsula.

Day Trips from Dubrovnik - Orebic
Orebic on the Peljesac Peninsula

All are pleasant enough to spend a day in, perhaps taking in the local beaches and enjoying a hearty lunch at a local restaurant. There are daily buses from Dubrovnik to Orebic which stop in Ston; if you have your own car, then a trip to the peninsula is even more worth it as it’s ripe for exploring at your own speed.

You can also book an organised tour such as the 5-hour Oyster, Mussels, and Wine Tasting in Ston Bay Tour. The tour offers tasting of the fresh oysters with a wine accompaniment, and also a short cruise of Ston Bay.

Day Trips from Dubrovnik – The island of Korcula

Korcula is often considered to be something of a mini-Dubrovnik, what with its similar (though much smaller), well-preserved Old Town and a number of sights. For this reason, the island is great to visit on a day-trip to see the contrast between the two on one of Croatia’s prettiest islands. Korcula Town is also the supposed birthplace of explorer Marco Polo!

Korcula
Korcula Town

GetYourGuide offer an 11-hour Guided Tour of Peljesac & Korcula which includes a stop in Ston and Orebic and at a winery on the Peljesac Peninsula as well as time on Korcula.

Alternatively, you can make your own way there. During summer (July and August), TP Line operates a catamaran that sails from Dubrovnik to Korcula. The catamaran sails several times a week in the mornings, with a journey time of 2 and a half hours. There is a return catamaran at 4pm.

There is also a year-round Jadrolinija ferry sailing multiple times a day between Orebic on the mainland and Korcula with a journey time of 20 minutes. However, it would probably be easier to take a bus direct from Dubrovnik (with Arriva) that utilises the aforementioned ferry.