Dubrovniktravelady

Please throw away Rough Guide, it does not have accurate information. It does not matter which entrance you use, you will walk counter clockwise. This route will take past our sea first, my favorite part of the wall. Also here is an FYI, it is just one wall, not many walls. Enjoy the 1,080 steps, they can be daunting for some.

The wall is open from 0800 until 1930 daily but you cannot enter after 1730. The fee is 150 Kuna per person, no foreign currency but credit cards are accepted.

Cavtat ferry departs from our small waterfront area, easy to find. You will buy a ticket at the small desk sitting a few meters from the boat dock. Please do not waste your money on hiring a transport firm to drive you here, either take the bus at 25 Kuna per person or a taxi at about 300 Kuna total. The bus is more fun, sitting and listening to the locals gossip even if you do not understand. The ferry will deposit you at the old Dubrovnik pier, then you will need to make your way thru the old town, back to Pile gate to find a taxi down to the Gruz Harbor to the ship. Remember Cavtat is small, doubt highly you need to spend the entire day here.

You must decide exactly which option is best for you. I am unable to drive up Srd, but that is my personal problem. My personal preference is to use the cable car round trip, it will cost far less that a taxi. That being said I am assuming that you are talking about only two adults, if your party is more then by all means use the taxi.

Yes you can buy a ticket at the top also. Enjoy!

Hello! Following up on an earlier post I had here - looking to make the most of our 6-hour stop in Dubrovnik (1:00pm-7:00pm) in June. We are docking, and we are the only ship in port that day. Which itinerary would work better with our limited time, while still letting us maximize what we can do?

 

Option 1: At the port, get a taxi tour to the top of Mt. Srd (I understand this takes about an hour). Take cable car back down (can I buy a one-way ticket at the top to ride to the bottom? Or are tickets only sold at the bottom?) Enter the city walls at the Ploce Gate and walk all the way around. Get taxi back to the port (will it be difficult to find a taxi near the Ploce Gate?)

 

Option 2: at the port, get a taxi to the Pile Gate. Walk the portion of the walls from Pile Gate to Ploce Gate. Exit at Ploce Gate, ride cable car up to top of Mt. Srd, spend time up there, and take cable car back down.

 

I like the idea of adding in a taxi tour, but I'm worried that will take up too much of the limited time we have, especially reading the warnings on this thread about it taking a good bit of time to get back to the ship.

 

Thanks for any input!

Love option 2, best way to enjoy a lovely day here.

Thanks! I am going for the oysters. BTW - I just saw a private tour that combines Ston and Korcula. I am tempted. Any opinions? Too much?

 

PS - Your town is lovely.

Thank you, my retirement home is perfect for me. Depending on how much time you have in port and date arriving, I would not opt to try to do Korcula. It is an island, meaning you will need to use the ferry. High winds, rough water any number of reasons you do not get off the island in time. You could easily do Ston and Orebic, it is on the mainland just across the sea from Korcula. Great wines and a small lovely village to enjoy.

Ah, the coastal trip! Every morning I open my door, walk on to the small terrace and gaze at my beloved Adriatic Sea. I do live in Cavtat and like it very much, the view of our sea (nasa more) is the best part of my morning. I love the Konavle option, but the drive to Orasac and a finale in Ston...WOW. Enjoy our oysters, so fresh and so good. Great choice, have a lovely day.

You are arriving rather late in the month, very close to our winter hibernation. Much of Cavtat will be closed, possibly the ferry not working either. You should be looking at taking a taxi from the port to the top of Mt. Srd for the amazing view. Then return to the old part of town and walking the wall. You may want to enjoy visiting some of our historical sites also. This all is, of course, the rain and wind has not yet begun.

This year most drivers will offer the one hour tour, cost did vary from 250 to 300 Kuna per cab. I have no idea if the price will remain the same for next year. It is a especially a lovely ride to view some of our special sites. Also the old part of town within the city wall does have flat areas which can accessed if you are using a wheelchair. Do visit the Dubrovnik Tourist Bureau website for more information. Enjoy your visit here.

Correction on cable car posting. The cable car is open and operating daily. It is only during inclement weather that it will close down for safety. Please do refer to their website for any pertinent information.

http://www.dubrovnikcablecar.com

Unfortunately I do remember reading that our cable car is closed for renovations. However I am not sure if it will be down for the entire winter season. End of the season here is 31 October and you will find many outdoor venues closed for winter hibernation. You can always take a taxi from the Gruz harbor for the view from Mt Srd, make sure you ask about the total cost for the trip. Make sure you bring winter clothing and rain gear, weather has been very wet and windy lately.

Your plan is fine, no need to make any changes. It may help for you to have a copy of our town map, it will help guide you. Arriving on a Sunday does not have any impact on your day to visit any of our many sites. Everything is open. You will find we have some type of eating establishments on every other corner of the old town. Enjoying a meal here is an occasion, often taking more than an hour while foods are prepared. You have enough time to enjoy our small town, takes it as it comes and wander around like a tourist.

Arrival in May will not have high traffic problems. However please do be very clear that you should not travel without having your passport on your person. Cruise lines often give out misinformation on that subject. Enjoy your time visiting the Roman sites.

By car it would take approximately 2 hours with normal traffic. However if your arrival is during high season it could be far more than that. If you are arriving on a cruise ship, I would not recommend taking the chance of getting caught in our summer season traffic jams. Much closer you have our Konavle area, Cavtat to the south and the other direction is Ston and part of the Peljesac peninsula. You may want to continue to do more research on the area closer.

Keith, things change here every season. The city wall only accepts credit cards or Croatian Kuna. No foreign currency, that changed several years ago. The city wall, cable car and wandering the old town can be very enjoyable. Lots to see in a very limited time period.

Every day I see more and more signs going up in shops and restaurants, NO EUROS. Yes a few of the shops will take Euros, but any change will be given in Croatian Kunas. Some shops and restaurants will accept credit cards, while some do not - best to ask before sitting down. You are arriving here at the end of our season, weather depending some vendors will have begun to close down for winter hibernation. After 01 November all hours for historical sites will be limited, locals are ready for some rest. Do keep in mind many work every single day during high season, no days off, no weekends. Be prepared for our weather which is ever changing. Bring umbrellas and shorts!

Please do not be disappointed, there is enough to see and do here. You can visit Banje Beach, just outside of the city wall and test the water. The Adriatic has never been a warm body of water and the beach is not sandy, but small pebbles. Walking the wall, riding the cable car to the top of the mountain and enjoying the historical part of the old town is very memorable. Strange weather this year!

If our current weather continues, you will have no need for any type of beach visit. Rain, wind and cooler weather is forecasted for the next few weeks. I believe the sea temperature may be a bit chilly for some adults, let alone children. Our weather here has been very strange this year, we are now experiencing our first rain since early May. No climate change, ha!

Yes we agree that the ships should be limited. This is what our new mayor is trying to do for next year. Limit the ships so that there are only 4,000 cruisers arriving. Keep in mind we also have many European guests arriving, so we must have room for all. There must be a good solution for everyone. Thank you for your comment.

Thank you Terry for your kind thoughts and words, I do so appreciate it. You were lucky enough to visit on a very good day and had the opportunity to really enjoy our historical sites. However the days when we have more than 10,000 guests, it is painful for all of us. Many are going to believe this is about money, but it is about our status with UNESCO and our history and culture. We do not want to loose either. I will keep you posted.

TLC, here is the latest news from our Mayor.

http://www.total-croatia-news.com/politics/21517-frankovic-remains-firm-sends-letter-to-cruise-lines-international-association

There is no way to find out how and when reducing the visitor count will go into effect. Our new Dubrovnik Mayor is a good man and he has put out several ideas. Limiting the amount of ships arriving is his biggest priority. I do not know how much weight he has and how much the political thieves in Zagreb will try to force more ships. We do hope there will be a reduction of daily arrivals by next season. We have only 4 ships arriving on Friday, 13 October and more than 10,000 cruisers. It is far too many people for our small old town. I am so looking forward to November, cool weather and very few tourists.

Since I am a local resident, I must admit that I am very biased. The town is trying to regulate ship arrivals, this is not only for residents but also cruisers. When our very small old town has more than 9,000 guests inside the city wall, it is impossible for proper movement. Walking the Stradun, our main promenade, should take about 15 minutes at a easy pace. When the same stroll takes more than one hour, then you must agree that it is far too crowded. Our Pile gate entrance is a very narrow entry point, last week it took 45 minutes to reach that point. Our new mayor wants to make the town accessible so everyone can visit and enjoy the historical and cultural sites. There have been postings from guests who have referred to my beloved Dubrovnik as Disneyland and complain about the amount of people. I wonder why since they are the guests and part of the crowds. Those comments, I must admit, hurt me deeply for I only see the wonder and beauty of Dubrovnik....during the winter.

Article about overcrowding of Dubrovnik....

 

 

http://www.traveller.com.au/overcrowded-tourist-cities-dont-send-anymore-tourists-to-dubrovnik--city-considers-limiting-number-of-visitors-gy2k9w

Please read my reply at the end of this article. Thank you.