Where to Stay in Dubrovnik: The Old Town Is a Trap for Longer Trips

Almost every guide tells you to stay inside the walls. For a two-night trip that is right. For anything longer it is the wrong advice, and the reasons are physical rather than a matter of taste.

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Dubrovnik’s old town is about 300 metres by 200. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is closed to cars, and apart from the Stradun running down the middle, it is stairs. Every arrival means dragging baggage from the Pile Gate or Ploče Gate across polished limestone and up a staircase, because there are no lifts in medieval buildings.

And there is no beach inside the walls. Banje is just outside the eastern gate; everything else is twenty minutes away on the Lapad peninsula.

So the real question is how long your visit to Dubrovnik is. Two nights: pay to stay in the city walls. A week: stay on Lapad, get a beach, a promenade and twice the room for the money, and take the bus into the old town.

Walking times, bus routes and gate positions checked 8 September 2026. Rates change constantly, so check current prices yourself.

The best place to stay in Dubrovnik: all the areas in Dubrovnik at a glance

If you want one answer: Ploče for two or three nights if the budget allows, and the Lapad peninsula for anything longer or with a family.

Dubrovnik old town: the most convenient place to stay, briefly

Staying in the heart of Dubrovnik means waking up in a walled medieval city that empties every evening when the cruise passengers leave. Nowhere else gives you this access to the old town. That is a genuinely rare thing and it is why people pay for it.

• The Stradun runs the length of it, polished limestone worn smooth over centuries, with the bell tower at one end and the Pile Gate at the other.
• The city walls are a two-kilometre circuit you can walk in about two hours, and the entrance is inside.
• Everything is within walking distance because the entire old town is smaller than a large city block. Central Dubrovnik really is this compact.

The costs, plainly:

• No vehicle access. Taxis stop at the gates. With luggage, that walk is the thing people complain about most.
• Stairs, and no lifts. Many apartments are on the third or fourth floor of a building with sixty steps and no alternative.
• Noise. Stone amplifies, the lanes are narrow, and bars run late in summer.
• Highest prices in Croatia for the smallest rooms.
• No beach and no supermarket to speak of, and restaurant prices inside the walls are the highest in the country.

It is one of the best places to stay in Croatia for a first visit of two nights, and a poor one for a week. That is the honest version, and it is the opposite of what most lists say.

Ploče: east of old town, and the best views of the walls

Ploče is the strip immediately east of the old town, climbing the hill above Banje beach, and it holds the grand hotels.

• This is where the views of the old town are. You cannot see the walls from inside them — Ploče looks straight back at Dubrovnik old town and Lokrum together, across the Adriatic Sea.
• A five to ten minute walk from the old town to the Ploče Gate, downhill going in.
• Banje beach is directly below, the closest beach to the old town.
• Hotel Excelsior Dubrovnik and the Villa Argentina sit along this stretch, and they are the reference points for the luxury end of the city.
• Cars can reach you, which sounds trivial and is not.

Ploče is the best part of Dubrovnik to stay in beside the old town if you can afford it: the atmosphere of the old town five minutes away, the view of it from your terrace, and a road to your door.

Pile: west of old town, convenient and cheaper

Pile is the area outside the western gate, where the buses stop and most arrivals happen.

• A five-minute walk into the old town and flat most of the way.
• The main bus stop for the whole city is here, which makes Lapad, Gruž and the airport straightforward. Every bus to the old town terminates at this point.
• Cheaper than inside the walls for a comparable room, with more space.
• Less atmospheric — this is a functional part of the city rather than a pretty one.

A sensible compromise for first-time visitors who want to walk to the old town without paying to sleep inside it.

Lapad and Uvala: the best beaches in Dubrovnik

The Lapad peninsula is fifteen minutes west by bus, and it is where most people should stay on a trip of four nights or more.

• Lapad beach at the end of a pedestrian promenade of restaurants and bars, in a sheltered bay.
• Uvala, the bay next to it, is quieter again and has the same access.
• Rooms are larger and cheaper — often half the price of an equivalent room inside the walls, which makes this the most convenient place to stay for value.
• Hotel Kompas Dubrovnik and Hotel Bellevue Dubrovnik are the landmarks here; Bellevue is built into the cliff between Lapad and the old town with its own small beach below.
• The bus runs every few minutes and is about fifteen minutes from old town, dropping at the Pile gate.
• Good for families, for swimming, and for anyone who wants to cook occasionally.

Babin Kuk and Gruž

• Babin Kuk — the tip of the Lapad peninsula, west of old town, mostly large resort hotels with pools and sea views, including Hotel Dubrovnik Palace out at the western point. Twenty minutes from the old town and the quietest part of the city.
• Gruž — the working port north of old town, where the ferries and the cruise ships dock and where the green market is. Milini and the bays around it are quiet residential parts of Dubrovnik nearby. The cheapest area of Dubrovnik with a real local feel, fifteen minutes by bus, and the obvious base if you are taking boats to the islands.

The best hotels in Dubrovnik, by category

Finding the best hotel Dubrovnik has for your trip is hard because an address here does not tell you whether you can reach it by car. Tourism has pushed prices up across every one of the parts of Dubrovnik listed here. These are the categories and where they sit, described by position and type only. Check rates and availability yourself rather than trusting any guide, including this one.

Hotel Excelsior Dubrovnik and the luxury hotels on Ploče

The Excelsior, Villa Argentina and the Hotel Bellevue occupy the cliffs east and west of the old town. What they share is a road, a view back at the walls, and usually a spa and a sea-level swimming platform. Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik sits just outside the Pile Gate and is the only large hotel genuinely walkable to the old town in two minutes.

Boutique hotels and guesthouses inside the walls

Inside the old town almost everything is small: a boutique hotel of a dozen rooms in a stone townhouse, or a guesthouse. Names like Old Town Lea and Guesthouse Slavka recur in searches, and what they have in common is a handful of rooms, a good position, and a specific number of stairs you should ask about before booking.

Hotel Kompas Dubrovnik, Hotel Bellevue Dubrovnik and the peninsula resorts

Hotel Dubrovnik Palace, Hotel Kompas Dubrovnik, Hotel Bellevue Dubrovnik and the Babin Kuk properties are the larger resorts — pools, sea views, parking, and a bus into town. This is the category that makes sense for a week.

Apartments

An apartment or Airbnb is usually the better deal for stays over four nights, particularly on Lapad where they come with space and often parking. Inside the walls, apartments are the dominant type but they are the ones with the stair problem.

These are listed as landmarks, not recommendations. Nobody here has stayed in them and we do not print rates. Check current prices and availability yourself.

How many days should you stay in Dubrovnik?

• Two nights covers the city walls, the old town and one evening. This is the minimum.
• Three nights adds the cable car up Mount Srđ, Lokrum island and a proper swim.
• Four or five lets you take a day trip to Mostar, Montenegro or the Elafiti islands.
• A week only makes sense as a beach holiday, and then you should be on Lapad rather than in the centre.

Things to do in Dubrovnik beyond the walls: the cable car for the panorama, Lokrum for swimming and peacocks, Banje beach, the Game of Thrones locations, and Ston for oysters and the second-longest defensive wall in the world.

Tips for finding the best place to stay in Croatia’s busiest city

• Ask how many steps and whether a car can reach the door. In this city those two questions matter more than star ratings.
• Check the cruise ship calendar. Two or three ships in port transforms the old town, and a room inside the walls is much less pleasant on those days.
• Sea views cost a premium everywhere here, and on Ploče they take in the old town and the Adriatic together, which is the version worth paying for.
• Book well ahead for June to September. Dubrovnik is small and it sells out, and staying away from the old town is often the only option left by spring.
• Accommodation is the most expensive in Croatia by a clear margin. Staying on Lapad or in Gruž is the single biggest saving available.
• The airport bus runs to Pile and Gruž, not into the old town.

Planning the wider trip to Croatia? See our Croatia itinerary and our guide to where to stay in Split.

Choosing where to stay: which area suits which traveller

One table for the whole decision, since a trip to Dubrovnik usually comes down to a single choice made once.

Everything on this list is within walking distance of a bus stop with a direct service to the old town entrance at Pile, and buses run every few minutes in season. Being a bit removed from the old town costs you nothing except the ride in.

Getting in and out, and the Dubrovnik Pass

• Buses into the old town all terminate at Pile, just outside the western gate. From Lapad it is about fifteen minutes, from Gruž slightly less.
• The Dubrovnik Pass covers the town walls plus several museums and includes public transport, and it is worth it purely for the walls if you plan to use a bus at all.
• The airport bus runs to Pile and Gruž. There is no service into the walls because there is no road into the walls.
• The Dubrovnik cable car starts just north of old town and climbs Mount Srđ in four minutes. Go near sunset.
• Boats to Lokrum leave from the old port inside the fortification, every half hour in season.
• Three of the best beaches — Banje, Sveti Jakov and Lapad — are all reachable by that same bus network.

Working out the length? See how many days in Dubrovnik — two for the town, and the rest across a border.

Check hotels in Dubrovnik →

Frequently asked questions

What is the best area to stay in Dubrovnik?

Ploče, just east of the old town, for a short trip with budget — it is five minutes from the Ploče Gate, sits above Banje beach and looks straight back at the city walls. The Lapad peninsula is the better choice for four nights or more, with beaches, larger rooms and roughly half the price. Inside the walls is best for two nights only.

Is it better to stay in the old town or outside?

Outside, for most trips. The old town is about 300 metres across, closed to cars, and almost entirely stairs with no lifts, so every arrival means carrying luggage from a gate. It has no beach and the highest prices in Croatia. Stay inside for two nights to have the walled city to yourself in the evening; stay outside for anything longer.

How many days should you stay in Dubrovnik?

Two nights minimum for the city walls and the old town, three to add the cable car up Mount Srđ and Lokrum island, and four or five if you want a day trip to Mostar or Montenegro. A week only makes sense as a beach holiday, and in that case base yourself on Lapad rather than in the centre.

What are the best areas to stay in Dubrovnik for beaches?

Lapad and Uvala, on the peninsula fifteen minutes west by bus, which have sheltered bays and a pedestrian promenade of restaurants. Babin Kuk at the tip has the resort hotels. Closer in, Banje beach sits just outside the eastern gate below Ploče, and is the nearest beach to the old town.

Where should budget travellers stay in Dubrovnik?

Gruž, the working port area, is the cheapest part of the city with a genuine local feel, fifteen minutes by bus and next to the ferry terminal and the green market. Lapad is the next cheapest and gets you a beach. Both are far better value than anything inside the walls, where you pay the most for the smallest rooms.

How much does accommodation cost in Dubrovnik?

Dubrovnik is the most expensive place in Croatia for rooms by a clear margin, and rates roughly double in July and August. The biggest single saving is location: an equivalent room on Lapad often costs about half what it does inside the old town. Book several months ahead for June to September, since the city is small and sells out.

What are the best things to do in Dubrovnik?

Walking the two-kilometre city walls is the one thing nobody should skip — go at opening or in the last two hours, since there is no shade. After that: the cable car up Mount Srđ for the panorama, Lokrum island for swimming, Fort Lovrijenac, and a day trip to Mostar, the Bay of Kotor or Ston.