Dubrovnik With Kids
A walled city on the Adriatic that earns every bit of the hype, especially with kids old enough to climb.
Nicole Damiano, ASTA Verified Travel Advisor with FG Luxury Travel
Is Dubrovnik good for families with kids?
Very good, especially for kids five and up who can handle stairs and walking. The city walls, the beaches, Lokrum Island and the cable car are all family favorites. Younger kids do fine too if you stay in Lapad or Babin Kuk where the hotels have pools and the beaches have gentle entries.
How many days do you need in Dubrovnik?
Three nights is the sweet spot. That gives you the walls, Lokrum Island, a beach day and time to eat well without rushing. Four if you want a day trip to Montenegro or the Elaphiti Islands.
When is the best time to visit Dubrovnik with kids?
May, June, September and early October. The water is warm enough to swim, the weather is sunny, and the cruise ship crowds thin out. July and August are hot and very crowded.
Is Dubrovnik stroller friendly?
No. Old Town is steep stairs and uneven cobblestones. A carrier or sling works for babies and toddlers. Kids who can walk and climb on their own do great.
Can you do a day trip to Montenegro from Dubrovnik?
Yes. The Bay of Kotor is about ninety minutes by car or guided tour. You cross the border into Montenegro, see the dramatic bay, explore the old town of Kotor, and you are back in Dubrovnik for dinner.
Getting There
Getting Around
Where to Stay
What to Eat
What to See
With Kids
Nicole’s Take
FAQ
The Adriatic City That Lives Up To The Photos
You have seen the photos. Terracotta roofs, impossibly blue water, fortress walls dropping straight into the sea. Dubrovnik looks like that in real life too. It is one of those rare places where the reality matches the postcard.
The Old Town is compact enough that you can walk it end to end in fifteen minutes. The city walls wrap the whole thing, and walking those walls is the single best activity in the city for any age. The Adriatic is right there for swimming, and ferries run to islands that feel a world away from the crowds.
Two things to know before you book. Dubrovnik in July and August is packed. Cruise ships pour thousands of people into Old Town every morning, and the narrow streets feel like a theme park queue. Come in May, June, September or early October instead and you get warm water, sunshine, a fraction of the crowds, and lower prices on everything.
The other thing is stairs. Old Town is stairs on stairs on stairs. If you have a stroller, leave it at the hotel. Carriers work. Kids who can walk and climb do great here.
Getting Around
Old Town is car free. You walk everywhere inside the walls. Outside, local buses run along the coast to Lapad and Babin Kuk. Taxis and Uber work for the airport run and the longer trips. Ferries go to Lokrum Island and the Elaphiti Islands from the Old Port.
Neighborhoods Worth Basing In
Lapad & Babin Kuk
The family neighborhood. Bigger hotels with pools, a sandy beach at Copacabana, restaurants with space to breathe, and a bus ride into Old Town. This is where I point families with younger kids who want a pool at the end of the day.
Ploče (East of Old Town)
Walk to Old Town in five minutes, with Banje Beach right below. The hotels here tend to be upscale and the views of the walls from this side are the best in the city. Great for families who want to be close to everything without staying inside the walls.
Inside Old Town
Apartments and small guesthouses inside the walls. You are right in it, which is amazing at night when the cruise crowds leave. But remember the stairs, and there are no pools, no parking, and you are hauling luggage over cobblestones.
Hotel Dubrovnik Palace
Cliff side in Lapad with a private beach, indoor and outdoor pools, and rooms that look straight out at the Elaphiti Islands. The kind of place where the kids swim all afternoon and you read on the terrace.
Hotel Kompas
Modern, clean, rooftop pool with Adriatic views, and a ten minute walk to Lapad beach. The sweet spot for families who want comfort without the splurge price tag.
Apartments in Lapad
A two bedroom apartment in Lapad with a kitchen and a washing machine. Cook breakfast, do laundry, save the restaurant budget for seafood dinners in Old Town. Practical and well priced.
The Three I Build Every Dubrovnik Trip Around
The City Walls
Two kilometers all the way around, with the rooftops below you on one side and the open Adriatic on the other. Go early in the morning before the heat and the crowds, and bring water. Kids love it because it feels like walking on top of a castle. It is walking on top of a castle. Budget about ninety minutes.
Lokrum Island
A fifteen minute ferry from the Old Port to this car free island covered in pine trees and peacocks. The kids will spend an hour chasing peacocks, guaranteed. There is a saltwater lake called the Dead Sea that is warm and calm and perfect for younger swimmers, plus a botanical garden and old monastery ruins to explore. Pack lunch and make it a half day.
The Cable Car to Mount Srđ
Four minutes up and the whole city opens below you. The view from the top is the one you see on every postcard, and it is even better in person. There is a restaurant at the top if you want to sit with a drink and stare. Go late afternoon for the light. The kids will want the gift shop, and that is fine because the view takes care of itself.
Family Time, Built In: Dubrovnik With Kids
Dubrovnik is a city kids can touch. They can climb the walls, swim in the sea right next to a medieval fortress, chase peacocks on an island, and eat ice cream on the Stradun while watching the sunset turn the limestone pink. It is not a museum behind glass. It is a place you walk through, climb on, and jump off of into the water.
Lokrum Island and the peacocks
Cable car to Mount Srđ
Swimming at Banje Beach
Kayaking around the walls
Game of Thrones spots (for teens)
BEACH & DOWNTIME PICK
Copacabana Beach in Babin Kuk for the sandy shallow entry that works for little ones, or Banje Beach right outside Ploče Gate for the postcard views. Both have sunbed rentals and somewhere to eat nearby. The reset after a morning of climbing.
Five Things To Eat In Dubrovnik
Nicole’s Perspective
A fortress city the kids can actually climb
I taught ancient history for eight years, and walled cities were one of the topics my students connected with the most. Dubrovnik is one of the best preserved examples in the world, and the difference between reading about city walls in a textbook and walking on top of them while looking down at the Adriatic is everything.
I have planned and priced Croatia trips for families at every budget level, and Dubrovnik is the anchor. It is where most families start, and where I build the rest of the itinerary from. The trick is timing. The families I book in May, June and September come back raving. The ones who go in August say it was beautiful and hot and crowded. Timing is the difference between a trip you talk about for years and one where you spent half the day in a queue.
What surprises families is how easy it is to combine with the islands. Korčula, the Elaphiti Islands, even a quick ferry to Montenegro. Dubrovnik is the gateway to a lot of the best of the Adriatic, and three or four nights based here gives you time to explore without rushing.
The Day Trip: Montenegro or the Elaphiti Islands
You have two great options from Dubrovnik, and both are easy enough for a family day.
Montenegro is about an hour and a half by car or tour bus, and the Bay of Kotor is one of the most dramatic drives in Europe. The old town of Kotor is a miniature Dubrovnik without the crowds, and the bay itself looks like a fjord. You cross an international border, which the kids think is cool.
The Elaphiti Islands are closer and quieter. A ferry from Dubrovnik’s port to Lopud, where there is a sandy beach on the far side of the island you walk to through a car free village. Šipan and Koločep are even smaller and even quieter. Pack swimsuits and a towel and make it a beach day.
Things I Would Tell A Friend Before They Booked
How Many Days
Three nights is the sweet spot. Four if you want a day trip and a beach day without rushing. Two works if Dubrovnik is part of a longer Croatia itinerary.
Day one, the city walls in the morning and Old Town on foot in the afternoon. Day two, Lokrum Island with the peacocks and the Dead Sea lake, cable car for sunset.
Add a beach day at Copacabana or Banje, kayak around the walls, and a day trip to Montenegro or the Elaphiti Islands. This is the pace that lets everyone relax.
Combine with Split, Hvar, or Korčula. The catamaran from Split takes about four and a half hours and the coastline views are worth booking a window seat.
Dubrovnik With Kids, Answered
Is Dubrovnik good for families with kids?
Very good, especially for kids five and up who can handle stairs and walking. The city walls, the beaches, Lokrum Island and the cable car are all family favorites. Younger kids do fine too if you stay in Lapad or Babin Kuk where the hotels have pools and the beaches have gentle entries.
How many days do you need in Dubrovnik?
Three nights is the sweet spot. That gives you the walls, Lokrum Island, a beach day and time to eat well without rushing. Four if you want a day trip to Montenegro or the Elaphiti Islands.
When is the best time to visit Dubrovnik with kids?
May, June, September and early October. The water is warm enough to swim, the weather is sunny, and the cruise ship crowds thin out. July and August are hot and very crowded.
Is Dubrovnik stroller friendly?
No. Old Town is steep stairs and uneven cobblestones. A carrier or sling works for babies and toddlers. Kids who can walk and climb on their own do great.
Can you do a day trip to Montenegro from Dubrovnik?
Yes. The Bay of Kotor is about ninety minutes by car or guided tour. You cross the border into Montenegro, see the dramatic bay, explore the old town of Kotor, and you are back in Dubrovnik for dinner.
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