Any advise on choosing cavlat over Dubrovnik. We plan on a 4 night stay. Have a car. Visit Montenegro. Walk around old town Dubrovnik. Visit Korkola. We have heard Dubrovnik gets busy with tourist ships and we wondered if cavlat may be more relaxing. Any advice on places to stay in either would be great. Thanks in advance
Posted by
Atlanta, GA, USA
104 posts
Hi Mary,
Because I had read about the crush from cruise ship passengers, I made a point to check this site: http://ports.cruisett.com/ It is a fantastic resource and I have it bookmarked. I was able to see which cruise ships were scheduled to arrive in Dubrovnik, what time they arrived, how many passengers were on board, and when they were scheduled to depart. That knowledge helped me plan on which day I would walk the Old Town walls and which days/what time I would plan day trips.
From now on, I will check this site for info about anywhere in the world where I may encounter the cruising crowd.
Oh yes, and to answer your question, I would opt to stay in Dubrovnik over Cavitat. The cruisers are mostly gone in the evening and it is lovely to stroll the streets at night.
All the best,
Marti
Posted by
Washington DC Region, USA
7049 posts
If you have a car, it's much easier to stay outside the walled city of Dubrovnik because you'll (hopefully) have a place to park your car. You can stay anywhere outside the gates (Lapad area, etc.) or Cavtat. Both would be fine. I stayed in an apartment in the walled city but I didn't have a car with me. I don't think it's really necessary to stay right in Dubrovnik because there's a good bus system and it's easy to walk as well, and more relaxing (as you suspect). You probably won't miss out on much if you can get there early and stay late. I tended to get up really early and the streets of Dubrovnik were empty until about 9am (or 10am?). Then after dark, you can have the streets to yourself as well. The other upside of staying outside the walled city may be price, although there are many expensive places both in and outside Dubrovnik. I'd have no hesitation staying in Cavtat.
A car really won't help you in Dubrovnik, it's only good for the side trips. The drive to Korcula on the Pejlesac Peninsula via Orebic will be gorgeous, as is Montenegro.
Posted by
Pacific Northwest
2622 posts
I can't comment on the having a car part of your question but, having been to both Dubrovnik and Cavtat, I would stay in Dubrovnik. We did a lot of walking around there at night and it's just lovely. We had a very inexpensive apartment right near the main square and I never thought it was that busy...we were there in September. Cavtat is very pretty but does not have the oomph impact of Dubrovnik for me...it's quite small. Evening drinks in Dubrovnik in cafes that are perched on the outside of the city walls, overlooking the Adriatic
...perfect.