The city with two sides

Mixing old with new is what Dubrovnik does best, so one minute you can be exploring the historical sights of the old town, and the next be in a hip bar or sprawled out on the beach.

Begin your tour around the narrow lanes and the limestone paved main promenade, Stradun. It’s a lively spot, adorned with many shops, cafes and restaurants. More significantly, the area boasts many well-preserved historical sites, including a Medieval Franciscan Monastery, home to the third oldest pharmacy in the world. There’s also the baroque St. Blaise Church and the Renaissance Sponza Palace, once an important arbiter of secularism. A few hours exploring and learning something new, followed by a pit stop in a local café – sounds good, right?

If history isn’t necessarily your scene, head to Lapad Bay to discover the elegant shops, cafes and restaurants set among the lush subtropical scenery. Lapad Bay beach is the most popular beach spot in the area, you’ll find sunbeds, parasols, showers and changing rooms available, and just a short walk to the restaurants and bars.

If sunbathing or swimming in the gorgeous Adriatic sea is what you’re after on holiday in Dubrovnik, there’s plenty of options. Try the pebbly and sandy Banje Beach, which just happens to be the closest beach to the Old Town, offering some spectacular views. For a quiet spot to avoid the crowds, head to Sveti Jakov beach. Sat off the beaten track, this is a beautiful beach made up of small white pebbles and crystal clear waters – the perfect spot to get invested in a new book.

Whether you’re looking to explore ancient sites or take a dip, our cheap Dubrovnik holidays offer a range of hotels that’ll provide the perfect base for you to holiday the way you want.

Old Town dining and waterside dancing

The eating and drinking scene is just as tantalising as the scenery. Due to Dubrvonik’s strategic location by the Adriatic coast, many of the local dishes are focused on fresh seafood.

You’ll find many popular restaurants situated in the charming Old Town, among the quaint lanes and the main street Stradun – a great spot for a bit of people watching. If you fancy some celebrity spotting, the traditional-style Porto tends to have some famous guests every now and then – plus, the dishes here are delicious. You will also discover many restaurants along the waterfront, at Gruz Port and on Lapad Peninsula, such as the charming Orsan. There’s a variety of cuisine on offer in Dubrovnik, including Bosnian and Italian, so be sure to try something new.

Your day doesn’t have to finish there, the nightlife scene in Dubrovnik offers something for everyone. There are plenty of bars and dance venues to keep you occupied until the early hours, or you can enjoy a drink over candlelight on a rocky outpost in Buza bar, which is located in the Old City walls. Otherwise, you can dance the night away at Eastwest, located on the beach where there tends to be live DJs. You’re spoilt for choice!

Hop around the diverse offshore islands

Numerous clusters of islands lie off the coast of Croatia, just a short boat trip away from Dubrovnik. Hvar is considered one of the most stunning and belongs to a group called the Dalmatian Islands. It offers an elegant Venetian era town, as well as a palm-lined, seafront promenade clustered with luxury yachts. It’s also a delightful hiking area with a rugged landscape of purple lavender fields and hillside vineyards, perfect for romantic strolls or family days out.

The picturesque island of Brac is famous for Zlatni Rat – a beach on a spit of land jutting into the sea. Located on the island’s south coast, it’s one Croatia’s most photographed beaches. It’s also where windsurfers like to head, and the line-up of other sporting opportunities also includes scuba diving, sea kayaking, parasailing, water skiing, jet skiing, wakeboarding and pedalos.

What’s more, just a 15-minute boat ride away lies one of the most visited Croatian islands, Lokrum. This forested spot offers botanical gardens and a former monastery with a mesmerising network of walled gardens.

Booking cheap Dubrovnik holidays doesn’t mean you have to just stay on one beach and not explore, you can get to these diverse offerings by low-cost catamaran or taxi boat, making your surroundings easily accessible.

Take the Dubrovnik cable car

Some of the best views of Dubrovnik can be seen while taking a ride on the Dubrovnik Cable Car. Starting on a hillside above the town you’ll enjoy incredible views across 60 kilometres on a clear day. This would have been excellent for spotting enemy sailing ships, which is why the Imperial Fortress, located nearby, was built on this spot in the early 1800s.

If you can’t get enough of the scenery, enjoy a meal at Panorama Restaurant which sits at the top of the cable run. Boasting awesome views, it also serves Mediterranean specialities and tasty cocktails, so you can completely unwind and recharge before you enjoy the panoramic views on the way back down.

Even more attractions

The whole area around Dubrovnik is brimming with cultural and scenic opportunities. Just a 20-minute drive away is Trsteno, home to the oldest arboretum in the world and boasting the 15th century renaissance summer residence of the Gucetic-Gozze family.

It has an astounding garden, which continues to be cultivated to this day and is famous for its 500-year-old Asian plane trees. Interestingly, Trsteno Arboretum was used as the setting of the Red Keep palace gardens in the much loved TV series ‘Game of Thrones’.

A 20-minute drive away in the opposite direction is Konavle Valley, where you can horseback ride or cycle through pine forests and rocky coastal planes. There’s also the Peljesac peninsula which is great for wine tasting tours!

The nearby town of Mlini offers a slower paced resort with a beautiful harbour and pretty, white boats bobbing on the crystal clear waters, while Cavtat offers luxury mansions, elegant restaurants and picturesque olive groves. Both towns would make exciting day trips to explore a different area of Dubrovnik.

Slightly further afield lies the glamorous country of Montenegro, where you can enjoy a variety of day excursions, although hiring a car is recommended to explore all that this area has to offer.