Where to stay in Dubrovnik: the best neighbourhoods (2026)
No car enters the old town of Dubrovnik. A taxi drops you at the Pile Gate or the Ploče Gate, and the rest is done on foot, suitcase in hand, along stepped lanes. So the first sort between areas happens right there, over what you are willing to climb on arrival.
Price comes next. Inside the walls, a decent room starts around $176* in summer and rises fast; on the Lapad peninsula and by the port of Gruž, the same night sits around $106*, a quarter of an hour away by bus. Four areas follow. One last thing to know: the old town fills up in the middle of the day, when the cruise ships unload, and empties in the evening.
A great memory, even if I was surprised by the stifling heat and the somewhat inflated prices for accommodations, restaurants, and activities in general.
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At a glance: our picks by traveller type
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The neighbourhood map in Dubrovnik
Get your bearings on the neighbourhoods and must-see sights before choosing where to drop your bags. Click a name to jump to its description.
The old town (Stari Grad) Inside the walls
to have everything on foot, and the town quiet morning and evening
Everything fits into a stone oval six hundred metres long: the Stradun polished by footsteps, the cathedral, the Rector's Palace and, above it all, the walkway along the city walls. Sleeping here means having the town to yourself before 9 am and after 6 pm; in between, you share the lanes with the groups. The night costs twice what it does elsewhere, and nothing here is flat.
Prepare yourself to walk, climb, and go down hundreds of steps:)
What to see & do in the area
Where to stay in this area
The Pucic Palace Luxury
An 18th-century baroque palace on Gundulić market square, the only true luxury hotel inside the walls. Nineteen rooms and suites, a terrace above the rooftops, and the Stradun at the end of the lane.
Hotel Stari Grad Mid-range
Eleven rooms and three suites in a restored 16th-century nobleman's house, two streets from the Stradun, with a rooftop restaurant above the old town's tiles. Small and much in demand: it books months ahead in summer.
City Walls Hostel Budget
Sixteen beds in four- and six-bed dorms, backing onto the ramparts: the only way to sleep inside the walls without paying hotel rates. Booking essential in season.
Pros
- Walls, Stradun and cathedral at the end of the street
- The town almost empty before 9 am and after 6 pm
Cons
- The priciest area in town
- Stairs everywhere, no car access
Pile and Ploče At the two gates, facing the sea
for a sea view without sleeping in the crowd
On either side of the gates: to the west Pile, its bus stops and the Lovrijenac fort planted on its rock; to the east Ploče, a cliff road where the hotels line up their terraces above the water, with Banje beach below. You are five minutes' walk from the Stradun without the crush, and you swim without leaving the area: « Along the Adriatic, there are a few bars and swimming spots built directly into the walls. », notes Tsubasa. Two drawbacks: Ploče is expensive, and you climb on the way back.
What to see & do in the area
Where to stay in this area
Hotel Excelsior Dubrovnik Luxury
The grand hotel of Ploče, closed in late 2023 and reopened for the summer of 2026 after a full renovation: 158 rooms, a private beach and the head-on view of the walls and Lokrum.
Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik Mid-range
A hundred metres from the Pile Gate, in an 1897 building, with an indoor pool and parking. The bus stop is at the door: the most practical address in the area when you arrive by car or from the airport.
Villa Klaic Budget
A family-run guesthouse above the town, with a pool and a view over the roofs. Breakfast and Milo's welcome make its reputation. Be warned: the way up from the old town is by steps.
Pros
- Lovrijenac, Banje beach and the Stradun on foot
- You can drive right up to the hotel door
Cons
- Ploče charges seafront rates
- A climb on the way back, whichever side
Lapad The western peninsula
for a beach below the hotel and larger rooms
The western peninsula is the modern part of town: 1970s blocks, pines, pebble beaches and a promenade closed to traffic. « The new town, Lapad, offers a seaside promenade that is very pleasant to walk along. », writes Bill. You gain space, a swim below the hotel and lower rates, against a quarter of an hour by bus to reach the walls. This is the area for family stays, when the beach matters as much as the museums.
Where to stay in this area
Hotel Sumratin Luxury
An address from the 1910s reopened in 2025 after renovation, as a five-star this time: 216 rooms in the heart of Uvala Lapad, a rooftop pool and the beach a hundred metres away.
Hotel Kompas Mid-range
A four-star facing the bay, with a spa, an indoor pool and an outdoor pool. The promenade and the pebble beach are at the door, and the bus to the old town takes fifteen minutes.
Begovic Guest House Budget
Nine family-run rooms on the heights of Lapad, with a large panoramic terrace and free parking, a rarity here. Six minutes on foot from the bay beach.
Pros
- Traffic-free promenade and a beach below the hotel
- Larger rooms, lower rates
Cons
- A quarter of an hour by bus from the walls
- No heritage in the area
Gruž The port, to the north
for the lowest prices and for boat departures
The port is the working side of town: the Gruž market in the morning, the locals' cafés, and the coming and going of boats to the Elaphiti islands and to Korčula. Rates here are the lowest in Dubrovnik, and the ferry terminal is on the spot, which settles the question when you arrive or leave by sea. In exchange, the setting is that of a commercial port, and you need the bus for everything else.
What to see & do in the area
Where to stay in this area
Berkeley Hotel & Spa Luxury
A family-run four-star five minutes' walk from the ferry terminal, with a pool, a small spa and rooms on the sea side. The best comfort in the area, for the price of a mid-range hotel elsewhere.
Hotel Lero Mid-range
In Montovjerna, on Iva Vojnovića, the main road climbing from the port towards the old town: a pool and parking, a quarter of an hour's walk to the Gruž market and a good twenty minutes to the Pile gate. Practical and predictable, but the ferry terminal is not around the corner.
Hotel Petka Budget
The building you see as you step off the ferry, right across from the quay. Simple rooms, some with a harbour view: unbeatable for a late arrival or a dawn departure.
Pros
- Market, ferry terminal and buses at the door
- The cheapest nights in town
Cons
- A port setting, with no charm
- Everything else means taking the bus
Our tips for booking the right place
- What is done on foot, and at what time: The circuit of the city walls is two kilometres and takes a good two hours. Our members all advise opening time or late afternoon: in the middle of the day the stone throws the heat back at you and the queue barely moves. The Dubrovnik Card bundles that entry, several museums and the buses, and pays for itself on day one. For Mount Srd, the cable car leaves from above Ploče; the footpath is steep and has no shade. The restaurant at the top books several weeks ahead.
- May, June and September rather than July and August: « If possible, avoid the months of July and August. », sums up MathildeFlor, who spent a week here in September. Those three months keep the sea warm without the crowds, and rates drop by a third. In July and August the good addresses go months ahead. Check the cruise call calendar too: when three or four ships dock the same morning, the old town is saturated until mid-afternoon.
- Leave the walls to swim and to eat: The wooded island of Lokrum is ten minutes by boat from the old harbour, and the Elaphiti islands less than an hour from Gruž. At the table, the Stradun terraces charge for the address: a neighbourhood konoba serves the same grilled fish for far less. Late in the day, the buza bars, clinging to the cliff below the walls, pour a drink facing the open sea.
- Booking along the airport road or in Cavtat because it costs less: without a car, every round trip into town costs an hour. Lapad and Gruž cost barely more and have frequent buses.
- Taking a room over the Stradun or over a square when you are a light sleeper: the stone throws every sound back and the terraces close late. A side lane or a courtyard room changes everything.
- Choosing inside the walls with big suitcases, a pushchair or difficulty walking: no vehicle enters the enclosure, and many places are one or two floors up with no lift, at the top of a staircase. Ploče, Lapad and Gruž can all be reached by car.
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