Day 1: The Old Town & City Walls

Start at the City Walls — arrive at 8am opening (this is non-negotiable). By 10am the cruise ship passengers arrive and the narrow walls become a shuffling queue. At 8am you'll practically have them to yourself. The full circuit is 2km and takes 90 minutes with stops. The views down into terracotta rooftops and out to the Adriatic are extraordinary. Entrance: 200 HRK/~€27.

Walk through the Stradun (main street) to Rector's Palace (120 HRK/€16) — a beautiful Gothic-Renaissance palace. Then explore the side streets — Prijeko is the restaurant strip (avoid it, tourist trap prices), but the streets below it toward the harbour are where locals actually hang out.

Lunch: Nishta (Prijeko bb) — surprisingly, Dubrovnik's best-value restaurant is vegetarian. Creative Mediterranean dishes, mains from 80 HRK/€11. Or Lucin Kantun (just off Stradun) — a tiny burger and sandwich spot locals queue at. Their burger (65 HRK/€9) is the best cheap eat in the Old Town.

Afternoon: Lokrum Island — take the 15-minute ferry from the Old Port (200 HRK/€27 return, runs every 30 mins). A car-free island with botanical gardens, a medieval monastery, peacocks, a clothing-optional beach, and the Dead Sea — a salt lake perfect for floating. Bring snorkelling gear. No hotels, no cars, no stress. The last ferry back is around 7pm.

Evening: Watch the sunset from Buža Bar — a cliffside bar literally cut into the city walls with platforms over the sea. There are two — Buža I (find the hole in the wall on Crijevićeva street) and Buža II (better views, slightly easier to find off Ilije Sarake). A beer is 50 HRK/€7 — expensive for Croatia, but you're paying for possibly the best sunset seat in Europe.

Dinner: Proto (Široka 1) — Dubrovnik's best seafood restaurant, family-run since 1886. The black risotto (cuttlefish ink, 140 HRK/€19) is outstanding. Sit on the terrace overlooking the Stradun. Book ahead.

Day 2: Kayaking & Beaches

Morning: Sea kayaking around the city walls (book with Adriatic Kayak Tours, from €35, 3 hours). Paddling beneath the walls at water level, swimming in caves, and seeing the city from the sea is one of the best activities in the entire Mediterranean. Go on the morning tour before the wind picks up.

Lunch: Shizuku (Zamanjina 3) — yes, Japanese in Dubrovnik. Run by a Croatian-Japanese couple, the ramen (90 HRK/€12) is genuinely excellent and a welcome break from seafood.

Afternoon: Banje Beach is the closest to the Old Town but charges for sunbeds (€20). Better: take the bus (25 mins) or water taxi to Sveti Jakov Beach — a gorgeous pebble beach below a cliff with a view back to the Old Town. Free, less crowded, stunning. Or walk 20 minutes east to Bellevue Beach — a small cove reached by a steep staircase. Pack water and snacks.

Evening: Walk up to Mount Srđ — take the cable car (250 HRK/€34 return) or hike up (90 minutes, steep but rewarding). The view of the Old Town, islands and coastline from 412m is breathtaking at sunset. Panorama Restaurant at the top does drinks with the view.

Day 3: Day Trip — Ston & Pelješac Peninsula

Rent a car (from €40/day) or join a tour (from €50) for the Pelješac Peninsula — Croatia's food and wine heartland, 1 hour north of Dubrovnik.

  • Ston: A small town with Europe's second-longest defensive walls (5.5km, €10 to walk). But you're here for the oysters. Bota Šare restaurant serves oysters farmed in the bay right in front of you — 12 oysters for 120 HRK/€16. Among the best I've ever had. The Mali Ston salt pans have been producing sea salt since the 14th century
  • Wine tasting: Pelješac produces Croatia's best red wine — Dingač and Postup from the native Plavac Mali grape. Matuško Winery or Saints Hills do tastings from €15. The vineyards tumble down impossibly steep cliffs to the sea
  • Trsteno Arboretum: On the drive back (30 mins from Dubrovnik). Renaissance gardens used as the Red Keep gardens in Game of Thrones. But forget the show — the 500-year-old plane trees and sea views are the draw. 60 HRK/€8

Final dinner: Back in Dubrovnik, Pantarul (Vukovarska 17, outside the Old Town in Lapad) — widely considered the best restaurant in the city. Modern Dalmatian cuisine — tuna steak with capers (160 HRK/€22), homemade pasta with prawns (140 HRK/€19). Book 3-4 days ahead. The fact that it's outside the walls means proper prices, not tourist markup.

Budget Breakdown

  • Flights: Search flights to Dubrovnik — £40-90 return (May-October, direct from UK with easyJet/BA)
  • Accommodation: €60-100/night (Old Town apartments from €80, Lapad area cheaper at €50-70)
  • Food: €25-35/day (mix of cheap eats and one seafood dinner)
  • Attractions: ~€80 (walls + kayak + Lokrum ferry)
  • Total 3 days: £350-500 per person

Crucial tip: Visit May, June or September. July-August brings up to 6 cruise ships per day, each dumping 3,000-8,000 passengers into a walled city built for 3,000 residents. The experience in shoulder season is incomparably better.