Hi! My husband is dead-set on going to Croatia and specifically Dubrovnik during our travels this summer (blame Game of Thrones). We will be traveling with our 3 sons, ages 11,9 and 7 and going during high season-hot-all of Europe-all cruise ships docked in Croatia time the last week of July. We currently have a room within the walls of Old Town booked for 3 nights and it looks lovely and has great reviews, but I'm starting to second guess myself, thinking about how small and crowded Old Town might be. Do you think we might be better off paying an extra $100 to stay at a place with a pool on Lapad instead? This is our first time to DBK and we definitely want to see the sights of Old Town and will most likely try to go during times when cruise ships are not flooding the city and early/late in the day. We are the sort of family that will most likely head out early in the morning somewhere then come back to rest in the afternoon. Any thoughts?
Posted by
Washington DC Region, USA
7049 posts
I think if you stay within the walls, you'll be more likely to experience the place very early in the AM or very late at night - the only two times when it will feel peaceful. There's nothing wrong with Lapad, and the bus service is great (you'll have no issues getting around), but it's less likely you'd arrive or leave during the best times (partly because of the bus schedule, and partly because you'd probably have to get up even earlier to take into account transit time). But if the pool is a draw, then maybe Lapad is overall better depending on whether you're likely to make use of it. That seems like a great place to spend the afternoons or busiest times of day when there are huge crowds in the walled city.
I stayed in the walled city but it wasn't that crowded back when I went, and it was glorious very early in the morning and late at night. It's a very compact place, much more so than people realize. It's easy enough to stay right on the outskirts too.
Posted by
Centennial, CO, US
2126 posts
I would definitely choose Lapad. We stayed in Cavtat on our two visits to Dubrovnik and don’t feel we missed a thing by not staying in the old town. We too made our visits to Dubrovnik in early morning & late evening when the crowds were gone. The pool will be wonderful on those hot afternoons.
Make sure you find a boat excursion so your husband can see Dubrovnik from the sea & get some GOT perspectives.
Posted by
Brooklyn, NY
3841 posts
We have stayed both in Lapad and in Old Town. Whenever we go now we choose Old Town. Taking the bus is a pain in the ..... The beach is a very short walk from old town - we usually go at 7 am and leave by 10 when the crowds start coming. You can take the ferry, another short walk in old town, to Lokrum for the day. There you can swim, hike, take a picnic or eat at the cafe, and get your GofT fix. They filmed on the island. Last summer we were there and they had an Iron Throne for pictures and large screen tvs with videos about the show and filming. We were the only people there, this was the first week of August. For the best beach on Lokrum, take the first ferry and follow the old folks. That’s where they are headed. There is a replica of the ship used in GofT that has a tour with a walking part also. It was okay, but they do a dinner cruise which was more fun.
Since the kids are young, staying within the walls makes it easier to go back to your room for a quick shower after the beach, or a quick nap if they get cranky, etc. Once you take the bus back to Lapad, chances are you won’t go back in the evening. Which room did you book and on which street?
Posted by
OP
2 posts
This is great food for thought. Thanks yall. @Barbara we are staying close to Buza Beach