Spring is an incredible time of year to spend in a lovely place like Croatia, a country which flew under the radar for years, but is now a favorite European travel destination. Traveling to Dubrovnik, Croatia with kids was a truly great experience for our family. There’s a great mix of nature, adventure, tourist-focused sites and relaxing ocean-side views. Today we’re sharing tips, tricks and what worked and didn’t work for us in Dubrovnik, Croatia with kids.
How to get to Dubrovnik, Croatia:
Flying into Dubrovnik Airport (DBV) will put you a short 15-20 minutes outside of the city. It’s a smaller airport, so you may also look into Split Airport (SPU), which has more flight options. Split is further away, but may also give you the ability to tack Dubrovnik on to a larger Croatian adventure (would highly recommend). We love to use Kayak to scout out the best flight deals. It’s easy to check for the cheapest and best timing across airlines this way.
If you plan to set up in Dubrovnik for your entire stay, you won’t need a car, as everything in the city is easily walkable. However, if you want to set out anywhere beyond the city, a rental car is the way to go. You can also use Kayak to compare rental cars for your group size. We booked through Europcar.
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Where to stay in Dubrovnik, Croatia:
We always prefer looking for a great VRBO when we travel with kids. It makes it so easy to relax in the evenings and, we think, provides a deeper connection to the place you’re calling home for the week. We booked a seaside VRBO outside of Dubrovnik in the small village of Zaton. You could walk directly down to the water, pick oranges off the trees and watch the sunset from the rooftop. There are numerous village options a short drive from Dubrovnik’s Old Town for a more rustic, peaceful feel during your stay.
Things to do with kids in Dubrovnik, Croatia:
Walk the city walls and explore the Old Town:
Kind of a must-do in Dubrovnik is walking the city walls, despite it being a bit overpriced. It’s one of those experiences that you just write off as a travel expense and jump in. The views from the top of the walled city are simply breathtaking. It’s one of those experiences so often unique to old world Europe and we loved it.
There isn’t a ton to read or do once you’re up on the walls besides walk and stare, but it is safe for kids to kind of explore a bit out of reach, as the walls are high enough to provide some peace of mind. There were very few people up on the walls during our spring visit in March, but if you’re there closer to the high season, I would aim for an early start to be able to move around freely.
The rest of the town is incredibly scenic, feeling like it’s a legitimate built movie set (it isn’t, but you’ll be reminded constantly that it was the setting for King’s Landing in Game of Thrones). We spent a few hours wandering around, taking in details. Make sure to walk all the way through to the harbor side for the complete experience and some fantastic gelato at Peppino’s Gelato Factory.
If you want more information and background on the walls and the sites of the Old Town, I might suggest booking a tour guide, as there is so much history here, but it feels a little hard to get at the information on your own.
Play on the beaches:
Spoiled for choice on this one, but I would hit as many as I could and just enjoy. Spring (especially early spring) isn’t quite warm enough for full on beach days, and the water is still quite cold. The beaches themselves are mainly rocky, but they are great for exploring with kids.
Just outside of Dubrovnik’s walls you’ll find small seashores tucked between the fortifications that boast incredible views of that blue Mediterranean Sea and the towering Fort Bokar. Head to the Dubrovnik West Harbor to really access these views and scamper around the small beaches.
Our whole family’s absolute favorite was Pasjača Beach, which sits about 30 minutes away from the Old Town. To access the beautiful beach you’ll wind down through rock wall cutouts to a spot that seems incredibly secluded and peaceful. Highly recommend.
Take the ferry to Lokrum Island:
An absolute highlight of our trip, this quick 20 minute ferry ride that leaves from the Old Town is such a fun day trip option. There’s some seriously remarkable scenery on the island that we explored for hours.
Take a picnic along and sit out on the cliffs for lunch with a view. If that’s not your thing, there are also a few grab and go restaurants on the island.
Spot the wild peacocks roaming the old buildings, walk the Path of Paradise, or, if it’s your thing, visit the real Iron Throne from Game of Thrones that sits in the Lokrum Visitor Center.
Take an adventurous day trip:
Croatia is a small country, so it’s easy to take off on a day trip and end up in another country. We took two longer day trips to Kotor, Montenegro and Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina. Visiting both countries will require you to leave the EU, which Croatia is part of, so you’ll need to cross through border patrol zones. This was completely non-complicated for us, so don’t worry about it too much, but be prepared with all of your travel documents.
We were fascinated by both places and thought they were totally worth the drive. Kotor is an incredibly old town with fascinating architecture, beautiful lake-side scenery and a million cats.
We ate incredible food in Mostar, maybe the best of the trip, and got a view into recent history that we will never forget.
Find an incredible nature walk:
This will depend on where you’re staying (hopefully in a small village somewhere), but walks abound near the ocean. In Zaton, we adored the coastal walk that went out to the headland. There were views to the sea and trails through the forest. Check out this trail or one that’s closer to you and just see where you end up.
CC Favorite: Konoba Kasar was our favorite local restaurant find in Zaton. It’s a beautiful space, with both inside seating in the evening and waterside seating in the day. We went twice, stopping for lunch after taking on the coastal walk which goes right by the restaurant.
Explore abandoned hotels:
During the Croatian Homeland War in the 90s, areas of Dubrovnik saw major conflict, including Kupari, a bay of resort hotels that now sit abandoned. The area is open for exploring, although traveling too far into the hotels is warned against. Even if you only step into the grand lobbies, it’s worth a visit to see this ghost town and learn a bit about the conflicts this country has seen in the not-so-distant past.
What our kids (and we) loved:
The nature! Genuinely, this is what makes us happiest as a family, and Croatia is stunning. If your kids are also explorers, I’d make the trip to Lokrum and the hike down to Pasjača my top priorities. I’ve said it a million times, but if there is space to throw rocks into water, my kids are happy. And if there is an entertaining hike to do to find said water, then I’m happy. A win-win!
What we didn’t love:
The Old Town of Dubrovnik exists for one reason only (at this point in time): tourism. That may be true in other European towns, but it’s harder to escape in this one. There aren’t really any local enclaves or more authentic sections of the older city. Don’t get me wrong – it’s beautiful, and completely worth a day exploring. But beyond walking the walls, we felt super inundated with Game of Thrones, which (obviously) isn’t something our kids know anything about.
Restaurants were a bit too tourist focused for us, offering up mainly burger and pizzas. We found such great food just outside of the city in some of the smaller villages, so I think it’s definitely worth it to get out and see some of the more local areas if you can.
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