Dubrovniktravelady

we`ll be in dubrovnik on the 16 november-celebrity summit. what is the weather usually like? what will be open?

angelina46

The city walls will have very limited hours from 10am until 3pm and some of the museums and churches. The weather will be cold, windy and wet for the majority of the month. Perhaps a limited amount of souvenier shops and some restaurants which have inside seating. For the most part the shops and outdoor restaurants close on 01 November. And Buza bar is definitly closed, too bad the best view of sunsets in town. You should really consider just one month earlier, if possible.

How much would a taxi be from the port to Ploce and also from Pile entrance to Ploce (in case we decide to take the ships shuttle

Please don't take a taxi from the Pile to Ploce as there are way too many one way streets here. You can walk from Pile to Ploce in about 5 minutes, it's a small town.

If you take the ship shuttle just follow the crowds....

Dubrovniktravelady

 

We will be in Dubrovnik on the Norwegian Jade on Nov 7th. Any suggestions for what to do with and 8 YO?

It all depends on the weather as much of the town will close down on 01 November and the hours of the city walls will be much shorter. You should try to walk the sea side, going down at Sveti Ivan which brings you out at the Maritime Museum. The youngster may enjoy seeing some of the displays, it is rather small but interesting. It's hard to figure what your child (boy or girl) might enjoy seeing and you may be better to answer that question than me. Stopping for a hot chocolate at the Gradska Kavana, indoors if it's too cold and windy.

You're going to be limited as to which shops are still open, it's going to be hit and miss. The season will be over and for a child I am at a total loss. Perhaps give me a bit more info on the youngster.

Greetings! I saw an interesting tour on RCCL that goes to Cavtat ... looks beautiful but I don't want to be limited to the time limit these tours place on you ...

 

Is this an easy bus ride or taxi from Dubrovnik? We are mid-40s ... in good shape and prefer to create our own tour experience ...

 

Advice on this? Thanks! :rolleyes:

Ferry boat leaves from the old port to Cavtat about every hour, it's a 45 minute ride along the coast. Do this trip often, I prefer the water ride to the bus, but there is also Libertas Bus #10 which does go to Cavtat all day long. You can just hire a taxi to take you down, it's almost to the airport about a 20 to 30 minute ride, depending on your driver and traffic.

When do you expect to arrive in Dubrovnik? I no longer walk down to the old town during August, it's just too crowded.

Sounds like you can do the Peljesac wine tour, about a 2 hour drive and worth every penny.

Also visit the Rupe Museum, no one seems to find this gem. The maritime is wonderful, the history of our sea merchants.

Take a bus ride down to Cavtat, enjoy this lovely small town.

To help give you some visual idea of what to expect, you can see from my two photos (it's a panorama) from left to right: a cruise ship (Costa Victoria), Lokrum island, St. John Fort/Maritime Museum (large semi-circular structure), entrance to the City Walls (near all the white umbrellas), and the tender dock/old port.

Close but no cigar for Terpnut. The entrance to the walls are closer down towards St John Fort, not even close to the restaurant with the white umbrellas. One must walk through the small hole in the wall, make an immediate right turn, pass the outdoor restaurant and walk up the stairs on the left, turn left into the alley and find the entrance from that point. Good luck!

Or you can walk through the archway at the old port, turn right and go up the hill towards the Ploce gate. You will find the easy entrance on your right half way up, it's called the Ploce entrance.

It would be very wise to download the Dubrovnik tourist bureau map, it will help greatly to get your bearings in town.

http://www.tzdubrovnik.hr/data/1198052158_49_mala_Plan%20Grada_2008.pdf

Dear Carol,

I followed all your comments last year (with your prior screen name) during my first trip to your wonderful city. We got to the top of the wall with no wait thanks to your suggestion about the gate near the Maritime Museum. I am tentatively planning to return to Dubrovnik on Oct. 21 (Royal Caribbean) Last year we went to the Taj Mahal and oirdered the dish you suggested and we loved it. This year, do you think Nava will be open, or should we go to Orhan?

Since you're coming in late October, I do believe your choice of restaurants will be easy. If there's no rain and wind, there will be many choices. We love eating Cevapci, many locals favor this small Bosnia treat. Weather will be the deciding factor on your choice for lunch this year.

It's going to be a busy day as there are several ships arriving on Wednesday, 21 October. RCCL is shown at pier 10 at the Gruz harbor along with 4 much smaller ships, so many ships but not that many people.

Would love to meet you for a coffee, I am always in the old town early mornings people watching.

The distance from the Gruz harbor to the old town is not a easy walk, it's mostly uphill. Do take either the shuttle bus or a taxi, you can pay in Euros for a cab.

Stari Grad (old town) is inside the city walls and it will take you about 2 hours with stops for photos.

 

Thank you Dubrovniktravelady for all the great advice you've given on this forum. I believe you mentioned in a previous post that our ship, NCL's Jade, which is arriving on Thursday, Sept. 10, would be docking near the old town. Is it possible to walk from the ship's dock at this location to the old town and walls? Thanks for your help.

So sorry but NCL Jade is showing at anchor with the ship between the island of Lokrum and town. This means that you will tender into the old port, walk about 10 steps and you're in town. The only docking in the old port is for our local fishing boats and some of the small sightseeing boats to Lokrum and the Elefiti Islands. However please note that the port authority website is not up to date and could be changed at any time. I must admit I did get a large smile on my face this morning as i visualized you walking across the water. You made my morning and I do hope that you enjoy your time here.

Has anyone snorkeled in Dubrovnik area or in the Greek Islands? I have my own snorkel mask (prescription lenses)/float vest but don't know if worth bringing them. I do NOT snorkel in Carib. or Florida but loved the Great Barrier Reef , Fiji ,South Pacific ,and Hawaii. Thanks to snorklers.

Also have snorkled in Hawaii and Australia, it was fantastic. The Adriatic is nothing close to either, don't bother to bring your snorkle. The water here is not warm, yesterday it was 25c and today it went down to 19c. The fish here are so much better to eat, do enjoy a good seafood lunch. You can also take the ferry to the island of Lokrum and enjoy swimming after walking the wall.

Dobrodosli u Dubrovnik

My husband likes currancy (paper) and would like a sample of kuna. What is the smallest paper bill amount? Minimum allowed to put on credit card at ATM? Thank you for your time to answer these questions. Will be in your lovely city in Sept. on Nautica.

The ATM will dispense as little as 100 Kuna which is about $20. The smallest bill is 10, we also have 20, 50, 100, 200 & 500. 10 Kuna is also the smallest bill in size, as each demonation increases in size also.

September is wonderful, still warm and sunny but there could be an occassional shower. Be prepared.

Dobrodosli u Dubrovnik

Dubrovniktravelady - thank you so much for your help, there is not much on these boards about this port. We will be arriving in Dubrovnik on October 13th and it looks like our ship (RCCL Brillance) will be in Gruz Harbor. I am wondering how far that is from the walls and if it is a walkable distance or if we should take a cab.

 

Thanks!

The distance from the Gruz harbor to the old town is not a easy walk, it's mostly uphill. Do take either the shuttle bus or a taxi, you can pay in Euros for a cab.

Stari Grad (old town) is inside the city walls and it will take you about 2 hours with stops for photos. Do remember there is very little shade up there so bring a sun hat. I don't believe the walk is difficult but I have been doing it often now since my arrival in Dubrovnik. Our weather in October is always lovely and there might be some rain.

Do visit the Dubrovnik tourist bureau website, it has maps and very good information about our town.

http://www.tzdubrovnik.hr/english/index.php

Dobrodosli u Dubrovnik

Can anyone please give me an idea of how much items are for example a gelato, postcards, can of coke etc in Kuna and in euro? The souvenir stores then may accept euros and some will only accept kuna? How about the museum gift shops, are they accepting both currencies?

 

Thank you very much for your info. :)

Accepting Euros is hit and miss. As for the price of gelato, I wouldn't know as I don't eat it and I do not drink soft drinks and I always pay in Kuna. You can stop at an ATM and just take out 100 kuna, which is only $20. The museums should accept Euros, please I stress that it is hit or miss.

I am concerned about not having kunas for the cab ride from the dock to the Gate/walls...several of us are planning on sharing taxis...so are we OK with using euros for the taxi until we can get to an ATM for kunas? I am a strong believer in paying with local currency.

And many, many thanks for all your great advice, and I am looking forward to experiencing your beautiful city.

Margo

Please do not be concerned about the taxi ride to Stari Grad (old town). They will accept Euros and I am not sure what the price to go up to Vidikovac will cost. Average price to Pile gate is about 10 Euros, so be prepared to negotiate. If the driver won't drop his price, then move on to the next taxi. They are lined up outside passport control just waiting...

I am sorry but I can't give you the name of my jewelry shop, I have been forbidden from recommending anything other than general information. You're on your own, but be careful about the jewelry, as many of the shops will have junk made in China. I know of only one goldsmith left in town and he works in the back of the shop creating his own designs.

Okay, since the islands are out (and my husband can't do the wall) what can we do (other than eat calamari)? We'll be on the Azamar quest on August 18th

The Cabrio bus trip is a great experience, I've done this trip twice this year. This is an open air bus, with a sun roof, which will depart from the Pile Brsalje Square at the western entrance to the old town. They have headsets in English and will take you on a two hour drive around the old and newer parts of town. The price is 90 kuna per person, they do NOT accept any other currency and no credit cards. They make two photo stops, one at the Gruz harbor the other at the Vidikovac viewpoint above the old town.

After your bus trip, please do walk down the Stradun and check out the side streets. There are some lovely shops where you can buy some local handicrafts, home made honey and perhaps a Croatian necktie.

By the way, we do not call our squid, calamari. In Croatia grilled baby squid is "Lignji" and it is not prepared like the squid in America or Italy.

We just got back from our cruise. Our first port was Dubrovnik and they did NOT accept anything except kuna for the wall and many shops only took kuna as well.

There have been some major changes to the ticketing this past month at the city walls and perhaps you encountered one of the new people. However i guarantee the walls will accept Kuna, Dollars or Euros. As for some of the shops, it's hit or miss with Euros. Some private owned shops do accept Euros and the government owned shops will only accept Kuna. Since the Kuna is the legal currency of Croatia, it's advisable to obtain some at one of the local ATM machines on the main promenade.

Thank you so much for your reply! I posted this question on another thread last week, but didn't get any replies, so your advice is greatly appreciated! We look forward to Dubrovnik and I was really hoping to see some of the Elafiti islands, but am not sure that there is sufficient time, especially since we are tendering and I have heard about delays getting off the ship. We will just have to plan to come back and spend a longer period of time in your beautiful country!

If you're on the Brilliance on 10 August, you will docked at pier 10 in the Gruz harbor. This is always subject to change, but as of now I do not see any RCCL ship at tender on that date. However there is not sufficient time to visit the Elefiti's. Please do not try to make this trip in such a short time.

I choose to retire in Dubrovnik from northern California. I could not have made a better choice. Please do know that I have been coming here since 1971 and I have dual citizenship, American and Croatian. Croatia has long been Europe's best kept secret and I've seen it before the masses began to discover what was before thought of as a nothing place to visit. Perhaps the name Yugoslavia had something to do with this poor perception. so often friends would ask "Why are you going to Yugoslavia again?" Please do come and spend some time visiting the sights from Zagreb to Dubrovnik, about 3 weeks minimum. the most spectacular lakes and waterfalls are Plitvice Lakes, you can't even begin to imagine it. So much to see...

We will be in port on August 10th and tendering. We arrive at 10 AM and depart at 6 PM. I am thinking it is going to be really HOT and would like to go snorkeling, possibly after or before walking the wall. There is a ship excursion (snorkeling)that goes to Mlini. Has anyone done this on RCCL and is there time after to walk the wall? Dubrovniktravelady, what is your advice? Thanks!:)

Dubrovnik port authority shows RCCL at dock 10 in the Gruz harbor, which is on the very far western side of town. Mlini is a small town located east of the old town port of Dubrovnik. You could not possibly do this snorkeling trip and walk the walls and stop for a cold drink. August will be hot and humid, I guarantee this fact.

Arriving at 10am means you'll arrive in the old town about 11am and must be back on ship by 5pm, latest. Snorkeling in the Adriatic is nothing close to Hawaii or the Caribbean, we have very little coral reefs left and our fish are only good to eat, not very colorful.

You could take a short hope over to Lokrum if you want to swim and cool down. But do understand Lokrum does not have any walk in type of beach, you can only jump off the rocky edges into the sea. A lovely island to wander and stop for a cold drink at the small café.

How about a a day trip to the 3 Elaphite islands or take a ferry to Lopud , depending on how much time you have.

A day trip to the Elefiti's would take too much time. This trip should not be done unless one has more than just one afternoon in town. Visiting all 3 islands is a must, they are more than spectacular. The all day trip usually cost about 250 Kuna per person, includes lunch and unlimited wine or beer. Wonderful trip!

How do I find the hole in the wall with the little bar and what is it called

You can ask any local where is the Buza Bar is located. Buza means "hole". Easy to find with a good local tourist map which you can obtain at the local tourist bureau.

Thank you so much Dubrovniktravellady.......it's nice to know that euros are accepted, but we will take your advice & get a few kuna when we arrive. Can you recommend the best/least congested entrance to the walls and where that is.

Taking a taxi to the Ploce (plo-cha) entrance, which is the eastern side of town you will find an entrance located on the walk down into the old town. If you take the ship shuttle bus into the old town, yo will arrive at the Pile (pill-eh) entrance. The main entrance to the city walls is located just inside this entrance, however it is usually very busy.

I walked the wall yesterday with friends, it was hot and there is very little shade. Bring water, a hat and very good walking shoes. As we approached the Pile area, we noticed about 50 people just waiting. Why bother to wait for 1/2 hour when you can go right up, at either the Ploce or another near to the aquarium.

The walls open at 0800 and it's best to get up there as early as possible. Bring your camera with lots of memory, the views are spectacular.

Enjoy your time here.

Has anyone experienced local currency problems in Dubrovnik. I will be travelling with euros and wondered if they can be used in Dubrovnik. I understand there are currency exchange places at the port but only intend to have change for walking the wall. Can I use euros for that?

The city walls are open from 0800 until 1900 daily. You may use Euros, Dollars or Croatian Kuna at any of the 3 entrances. However they may not have enough change if you present larger bills. I was just on the walls yesterday and I know this to be true. There are several ATM's located on the main promenade which is called the Stradun where you can obtain our local currency. Some shops do accept Euros or credit cards, but it is hit or miss. May I suggest you obtain a small amount of our local currency while visiting Dubrovnik. You can always spend whatever is left buying small bottle of water, pastry or a gellato on your way out of the old town.