Arriving in Dubrovnik

By plane
Čilipi Airport is located 20km southeast of Dubrovnik. It’s small, clean and functional. There is a restaurant and café, plus information, exchange offices and ATMs, a post office and car hire facilities are all to be found in the arrivals hall. Parking costs 5kn per hour and 30kn per day. The pay machine for the car park is in the arrivals hall and accepts credit cards. Getting to town: Most airlines organise buses to meet their flights – please check with your operator. A one way ticket to town costs 35kn. If your cheapskate airline has neglected you in this way, you’ll be reduced to forking out for a taxi – expect to pay 200kn (30EUR) to get to the city centre.
Dubrovnik Airport, Ćilipi, Konavle, Flight info tel (020) 77 33 33, www.airport-dubrovnik.hr

By boat
There are two harbours in Dubrovnik – the centuries old harbour snug against the walls of the Old Town, or the commercial port at Gruž. The Jadrolinija ferry office and quay are at Gruž, a ten minute bus ride from the Old Town. Many grumble it’s not the most attractive place in the world, but there are plenty of amenities for weary travellers. Hotel Petka right behind the quayside has great food, good accommodation and you can take a bath or shower there. There’s a fruit market, a large Konzum supermarket, and loads of small shops and travel agencies etc. The port looks onto the Lapad peninsula, where many of Dubrovnik’s hotels are located. To get to the centre of town, hop on an orange bus number 1A, 1B or 8. A ticket for a single trip costs 10kn if you buy it in a news kiosk, 12kn if you buy it on board. You must stamp your ticket on entry.

By car
For the time being, there is no motorway to Dubrovnik. Considering how narrow non-motorway roads are, you’re safest sticking with the motorway as far as Split. Do be aware that during weekends approaching August, all roads become catastrophically busy, especially at borders, motorway toll booths and tunnels. Avoid weekends!
To approach Dubrovnik, you can either travel:
Via Split: From Split, follow signs for Dubrovnik leading you inland. (Avoid the coast road passing through Omiš, a terrible bottleneck). Just south of Metković you pass through a corridor belonging to Bosnia and Herzegovina, so keep your passport or ID card handy.
Via Bosnia and Herzegovina: You can enter “BiH” from the A3 (E70) heading east from Zagreb, or one of the roads heading south from Hungary. Of the possible routes, Bosanska Gradiška – Banja Luka – Jajce – Mostar is probably quickest, but you may wish to take a detour through the fair city of Sarajevo.
When you get into Dubrovnik, a one way system leads east and west of the Old Town – try to have a map handy!
Check out the Croatian Automobile Club website at www.hak.hr for traffic information, or keep an ear open for traffic news in English on the radio.

By coach
The city has a brand spanking new coach station close to the Gruž harbour. Sparkling clean, it’s a short walk from the ferry terminal at Gruž with all its amenities. Ticket office: open 05:30-22:30, tel. 060 30 50 70 for information. Changing money: head east for Gruž habour, where there are ATMs and exchange bureaux. Toilets: inside the terminal, cost 3kn. Left luggage: the garderoba works 0-24, 10kn per day. Public phones are on the platform. Shops and cafes: there is a news kiosk, plus a large Konzum supermarket next door (open 0-24). Getting to town: buses to town stop right outside the station, take lines 1A or 1B. Tickets cost 10kn from the driver. Taxis wait by the platform, or call (+385-20) 970.

By train
Amazing but true, the railway system does not serve Dubrovnik, although it is possible to travel to Ploče and head south by bus. See our “Getting around” pages for information on Ploče routes.