5 Days in Dubrovnik: Day-Trip Base Itinerary

Five days is where this itinerary gets a genuine slower day: after two border crossings, a Peljesac Peninsula wine trip over the 2022 bridge, the food-and-wine highlight of the whole family. Shorter trip? Drop to the 4-day version . More time? Step up to 6 or a full week .

Book these before you go

  • Hotel: compare Old Town, Ploce, and Lapad rates on Booking.com
  • Elaphiti Islands boat tour: browse current departures on GetYourGuide
  • Montenegro (Kotor and Perast) day trip: check dates on Viator
  • Mostar and the Old Bridge: check dates on Viator
  • Peljesac wine and Ston day trip: browse wineries on GetYourGuide
Day Focus Distance/travel time from Dubrovnik
Day 1 Arrival, Old Town orientation Base city
Day 2 Elaphiti Islands Ferry 15-60 min, or full-day boat tour
Day 3 Montenegro (Kotor, Perast) ~2h drive plus a non-Schengen border crossing
Day 4 Mostar, Bosnia ~2.5-3.5h drive plus a second non-Schengen border crossing
Day 5 Peljesac Peninsula wine, Ston ~1.5-2h drive via the 2022 Peljesac Bridge

Day 1: Arrival and Dubrovnik orientation

  • Land at Dubrovnik Airport (DBV), roughly 15.5-20km southeast near Cilipi. Take the Platanus shuttle bus (EUR 8 one-way) or the cheaper Libertas line 11 city bus (roughly EUR 4)
  • Check into one base for all five nights, Old Town, Ploce, or Lapad; the full City Walls circuit is a separate city trip, covered in our Dubrovnik travel guide
  • Walk Stradun for your bearings, then an early dinner and an early night

Day 2: Elaphiti Islands

  • Morning departure from the Old Port for Koločep, Lopud, and Šipan; public ferry lines 807/831 run about EUR 5 each way, or book an organized three-island tour (EUR 30-75+pp) for lunch and swim stops
  • Back in Dubrovnik by early evening; check ferry timetables at jadrolinija.hr if going independently

Day 3: Montenegro, Kotor and Perast

  • Early start, ideally the first available departure (~7-7:15am), for the drive south to the Karasovići/Debeli Brijeg border; passport required, Montenegro isn’t in Schengen despite bordering EU member Croatia
  • Organized tours run roughly EUR 30-68pp; independent bus runs EUR 25-33 one-way from Gruz
  • Walk Kotor’s Old Town walls and fortress climb (~EUR 15, free November-April); border wait swings from 10-20 minutes off-peak to multiple hours at peak summer midday

Day 4: Mostar and the Old Bridge

  • A second non-Schengen border, and Bosnia isn’t in the EU at all; roughly 2.5-3.5 hours’ drive each way. Organized tours run EUR 45-55pp, commonly paired with Kravice Waterfall and/or the pilgrimage town Medjugorje
  • Walk Stari Most, the Ottoman-era Old Bridge rebuilt after 1990s war damage, and Mostar’s Old Town around it, then a simple dinner back in Dubrovnik, a genuine 10-12 hour day

Day 5: Peljesac Peninsula wine and Ston

  • The cable-stayed Peljesac Bridge (opened 2022) crosses to the peninsula without the old Neum/Bosnia detour that used to interrupt Croatia’s coastal road
  • Organized wine-tour day trips run roughly EUR 130-150pp for 2-3 wineries tasting Plavac Mali, the grape behind the protected Dingac and Postup reds, plus a stop in Ston for oysters and a look at its centuries-old salt pans
  • Public transport on the peninsula itself is thin, a tour or rental car matters more here than for Elaphiti or Cavtat; a noticeably slower pace after two long border days, back in Dubrovnik for a proper farewell dinner

Is 5 days enough for a Dubrovnik day-trip base?

Enough for both cross-border trips plus the Elaphiti Islands and a full Peljesac wine day, a genuinely varied week without feeling rushed. Not enough to add Cavtat or the City Walls too, those fold in at the 6-day itinerary .

How much does this 5-day Dubrovnik trip cost?

Budget roughly EUR 70-100 a day (~USD 75-108) for a mid-range hotel and meals, plus EUR 30-75pp for Elaphiti, EUR 30-68pp for Montenegro, EUR 45-55pp for Mostar, and EUR 130-150pp for the Peljesac wine tour, the priciest single day trip in this itinerary.

Things to know

  • Croatia’s currency is the euro since 1 January 2023; carry a passport for both Day 3 and Day 4
  • Elaphiti ferries leave from the Old Port, entirely separate from Gruz, the main cruise and ferry harbour further northwest
  • The Peljesac Bridge removed the old Neum/Bosnia detour, don’t plan around a border crossing that no longer applies to the road route

Tips

  • Book the Peljesac wine tour ahead in peak season, the small-group winery slots sell out faster than the border-crossing tours
  • Extending past 5 days? The 6-day itinerary adds an easy Cavtat half-day plus the City Walls without changing anything here

Check current visitor updates at tzdubrovnik.hr before you finalize Day 1, then pace Day 5 as a genuine rest day after two border crossings, don’t schedule anything else on top of the wine tour.