Two days is a weekend base, not a deep dive: one evening to settle into Dubrovnik, one full day out on the water at the Elaphiti Islands. It’s the minimum viable version of this itinerary family. Got more time? Step up to the 3-day version and add Montenegro, or go all the way to the 7-day plan with every day trip in this guide. Book these before you go Hotel: compare Old Town, Ploce, and Lapad rates on Booking.

Two days keeps this trip inside the walled Old Town itself: Stradun and orientation on day one, the City Walls, Fort Lovrijenac, and Banje Beach on day two, nothing that needs a ferry or a car. Need more time for Lokrum Island or the cable car? Step up to the 3-day , 4-day , or full week version of this same route. Book these before you go Hotel: compare Old Town and Lapad rates on Booking.

Three days adds the marquee cross-border trip, Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor, to the Elaphiti Islands day out. It’s the shortest version of this itinerary that fits a real international border crossing in without turning the whole trip into one long transfer. Shorter trip? Drop to the 2-day version . More time? Step up to the 4-day , 5-day , or full week . Book these before you go Hotel: compare Old Town, Ploce, and Lapad rates on Booking.

Three days is enough to add a full Lokrum Island escape to the Old Town and City Walls basics, without touching the cable car or a Game of Thrones tour yet. Shorter trip? Drop to the 2-day version . More time? Step up to 4 , 5 , or a full week . Book these before you go Hotel: compare Old Town and Lapad rates on Booking.com City Walls skip-the-line ticket: browse current options on GetYourGuide A Game of Thrones walking tour, worth pre-booking even if you’re saving it for next time: check dates on Viator Day Focus Day 1 Arrival, Stradun, the Old Town Day 2 City Walls, Fort Lovrijenac, Rector’s Palace, Banje Beach Day 3 Lokrum Island Day 1: Arrival and Old Town Orientation Land at Dubrovnik Airport (DBV), about 20km southeast near Cilipi.

Four days fits both non-Schengen day trips, Montenegro and Mostar, into one Dubrovnik base without back-to-back border crossings. Shorter trip? Drop to the 3-day version . More time? Step up to 5 , 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, a genuine 10-12 hour day: check dates on Viator 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.

Four days is the sweet spot for the whole city-only version of this trip: the Old Town and City Walls, a full Lokrum Island day, then a Game of Thrones tour and the Srdj cable car at sunset. Shorter trip? Drop to the 2-day or 3-day version . More time? Step up to 5 , 6 , or a full week . Book these before you go Hotel: compare Old Town and Lapad rates on Booking.

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.

Five days is where this trip stops being a checklist and starts being a vacation: the same Old Town, City Walls, Lokrum, and cable car days, plus a genuine slow beach day out in Lapad and Babin Kuk. Shorter trip? Drop to the 3-day or 4-day version . More time? Step up to 6 days or a full week . Book these before you go Hotel: compare Old Town and Lapad rates on Booking.

Six days adds a genuine breather, an easy half-day in Cavtat with no border and no long drive, paired with the City Walls you may not have used yet if you’ve been out of town most days. Shorter trip? Drop to the 5-day version . More time? Step up to the 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.

Six days is a genuine deep dive into the city itself: the same Old Town, City Walls, Lokrum, cable car, and Lapad beach days, plus a sixth day spent finding the Old Town’s quiet corners from the water and from a cliffside bar. Shorter trip? Drop to the 4-day or 5-day version . More time? Step up to the full week . Book these before you go Hotel: compare Old Town and Lapad rates on Booking.

Seven days is the full roster: both non-Schengen day trips, three shorter island and coastal trips, and a nature finale at Mljet National Park before you fly home. It’s the longest, most complete version of this itinerary family. Shorter trip? Drop to the 6-day , 5-day , or 4-day version . 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 Mljet National Park boat trip, book ahead for the calmer morning departures: search current options 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.

A full week covers every city-only sight Dubrovnik has, the Old Town, the City Walls, Lokrum, the cable car, a Lapad beach day, and a deep dive into the Old Town’s quiet corners, with a genuinely slow final morning before you fly out. Shorter trip? Drop to the 5-day or 6-day version . Honestly, most travelers with a full week are better off giving two or three of these days to Montenegro or Mostar instead, covered separately in our Dubrovnik Croatia guide .

Dubrovnik is one of the best home bases in Croatia for day trips, not just a city to walk. Hop a public ferry to the Elaphiti Islands for about EUR 5, cross a real international border into Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor in roughly 2 hours, or push on to Mostar’s Old Bridge in Bosnia in about 3. Both crossings need a passport, Croatia joined Schengen in 2023 but Montenegro and Bosnia never have.

Dubrovnik’s entire walled Old Town is a fifteen-minute walk end to end, and it still packs in one of Europe’s best city walks, a working cable car straight up a mountain, and an island escape ten minutes offshore. The City Walls cost EUR 40 in peak season, exactly what a full Dubrovnik City Pass costs once you add ten museums and unlimited buses, so buy the pass, not the standalone ticket.

Dubrovnik’s Old Town is a walled peninsula you can cross end to end in about fifteen minutes, and almost everything worth doing sits inside or a short ferry ride from those walls. The City Walls walk is the marquee ticket at EUR 40 in peak season; the Dubrovnik City Pass matches that price for one day and adds ten museums plus unlimited buses, which makes it the better buy for most visitors.