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Dubrovnik and Beyond 2019

There's no question that Dubrovnik is being loved to death. Word is out that the walled city is an extraordinary sight that must head everyone's bucket list. From all corners of the world, travellers of all stripes are pouring into an old town that only covers 34 acres. As a million visitors stream into Dubrovnik each year, the besieged city is trying to work out ways to manage the love. The primary problem is cruisers which arrive with thousands of visitors at once, clogging the streets and making it difficult to even enter the old town much less appreciate the sights.

Pile Gate
courtesy of Toronto Star

Visitor limits are being cautiously tested. Currently, the stated limit is 8000 visitors after which the gates are closed until the congestion eases. Eventually, there may be limits to the number of cruise ships and stricter management of their annual schedule.

Meanwhile, it is possible to avoid the crowds and have a better overall experience of Dubrovnik with both careful planning and flexibility.

Here are five tips to avoiding the crowds in Dubrovnik:

1. plan around the Cruise Ship arrivals

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The cruise season lasts from May to October, peaking in July and August. If you must come during this period, then it's essential to organise your visit to the Old Town around cruise ship arrivals. One or two thousand cruise ship passengers visiting the Old Town is manageable. More than 5000 is unpleasant and at 8000 visitors the streets are elbow-to-elbow with tourists. Avoid if at all possible. The cruise ship schedules tell you how many visitors are expected, at which time and at which port (Gruz or Old Port).

[You can download the schedules for free here]

As a general rule, you'll notice that Thursday through Saturday tends to be the busiest period and that mornings are far busier than late afternoons. The flood of visitors begins washing into the old town around 10am and by around 4pm most have returned to their ships. Since the biggest cruisers dock in Gruz port, the road to and from Gruz port can be bumper to bumper from 9am to 10am and from 3pm to 4pm. Conditions vary daily however; it's best to check your dates and times carefully.

2. Visit Other Attractions

View from Srd Hill

Old town too busy? There are plenty of options! Here are some alternative things to do:

take a cable car to Srd Hill and enjoy the incredible view from above

visit Fort Lovrijenac, part of Dubrovnik's defensive walls

take a boat from Gruz to the tranquil Elaphiti islands

take a boat to Lokrum island either from Gruz or the Old Town port

go where locals go to avoid tourists: off-the-beaten-path

3. Avoid Pile Gate

Tourists at Pile Gate
Pile Gate in October

Pile Gate is where the bottlenecks occur. There are three entrances to the Old Town: Pile Gate, Ploce Gate and Buza Gate. Of the three, Pile Gate in the west is by far the busiest. After cruisers dock in Gruz, passengers are brought directly to Pile Gate. Ploce Gate is in the east and is much less busy. The cruisers that dock in the east at the old port are smaller; their tenders usually drop passengers off directly at the old port.

Ploce Gate: less busy

Buza gate is north of the city and is the least busy gate. Bus line 8 from Pile Gate takes you to Kresimira 1 to enter through Buza, or stay on to Kresimira 3 to enter through Ploce.

Dubrovnik Gates

4. stay Overnight in the Old Town or Ploce

Early mornings are absolutely the best time to have Dubrovnik nearly to yourself. In the hours shortly after sunrise, the nightclubbers have staggered home and the daytrippers have yet to arrive. It is then that pigeons swoop over Stradun (above) and the marble streets gleam in the soft light. Stay in the old town and it's only steps to a morning coffee in an outdoor cafe. From the Ploce neighbourhood, it's a short, pleasant walk through Ploce gate, glowing in the morning sun.

Map of Dubrovnik's neighbourhoods

5. Visit Off-Season

Dubrovnik Eastern Walls
This photo was taken in November!
May to October is the main season with the height in July and August. To really appreciate authentic Dubrovnik culture, visit between November and April. At either end of the off-season weather is likely to be warm and sunny, maybe even mild enough for a day at the beach. December through March is when locals take back their town. Foreign tourists are few and festivals are many. Christmas through New Year's is a delightfully festive season with the old streets lit and decorated around a traditional Christmas market. Early February is St Blaise Day when Dubrovnik's patron saint is celebrated with several days of festivities. Easter is also a great time to visit. Throughout the off-season, the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra gives regular concerts, often with visiting artists.