A Guide to Lapad Croatia | Lapad to Dubrovnik Old Town!

So you want to visit Dubrovnik Croatia, of course being in a tourist area the accommodation options are expensive and even in shoulder season the area around the Old Town is PACKED with people. Why not consider staying in Lapad? It’s just 4km away from Dubrovnik’s Old Town, which is around a 45 minute walk or a 15 minute bus ride! In this guide I share some of my favourite things to do in Lapad and the Dubrovnik area.

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Dubrovnik Lapad

TRIP NOTES

• 🕐Duration: 7 nights, 8 days
• 📅Month of travel: May
• ☀️Average weather: 23c/73f
• 🍽Where to eat/drink: Cave Bar More at Hotel More
• 🏨Where to stay: Hotel Adriatic (*Note* It seems that Hotel Adriatic is currently not taking bookings, check out Hotel Vis or Hotel Uvala instead)

1. Things to do in Lapad Dubrovnik
   1. Lapad Beach and Sea Wall
   2. Forest Park Velika and Mala Petka
   3. Treat Yourself to a Massage
   4. Check out the Port of Dubrovnik
2. Where to Eat & Drink in Lapad Dubrovnik
   1. Cave Bar More
   2. Koogla Italian Ice Cream Bar
3. Where to Stay in Lapad Dubrovnik
   1. Hotel Adriatic
4. Lapad to Dubrovnik Old Town
   1. How Far Is Lapad From Dubrovnik Old Town?
   2. Explore the Old Town and Walk Dubrovnik’s Old Town City Walls
   3. Buza Bar
   4. Visit Lokrum Island
   5. Head up Above Dubrovnik on the Cable Car
5. Day Trips from Lapad Dubrovnik
   1. Day Trip to Bosnia/mostar
   2. Day Trip to Montenegro
6. Other Information/Costs For Visiting Lapad Croatia
   1. Transport Used
   2. Random Costs

Things to do in Lapad Dubrovnik

Lapad Beach and Sea Wall

The best part of Lapad for me was the sea wall and pedestrian area, this was one of my favourite things to do in Lapad! The sea is a lovely colour (but damn cold in May!!). I travelled in the off season, one beach had a few sun loungers that were free to use.

The beaches were very rocky so this was definitely a must for comfort! In the peak season, there are loungers and umbrellas for hire as well as inflatable ‘playgrounds’ in the sea and stand up paddle board hire. Some of the sun bathing area is just concrete.

If you walk along the sea wall (Šetalište) around the bay, there are several more ‘private’ swimming areas hidden between rocks, that had ladders into the water.  I loved sitting in these areas to read my book and then jump off the rocks into the water for a swim!

One thing that made me laugh was a concrete slide going into the sea. I climbed to the top of it for a photo but I can’t imagine that it’s great to try and slide down unless you want friction burn on your bottom! Maybe in the summer they do something to make it slippery?!

The SUNSETS are AMAZING!!!! If you keep reading, I share a photo of an awesome sunset that I took from the balcony in my hotel.  If that’s not a good enough reason to stay in Lapad, I don’t know what is!!!

Forest Park Velika and Mala Petka

If you walk to the far end of Masarykov Put road (the bus route with all the hotels), you will reach Forest Park Velika with great views of the ocean and surrounding islands!  There are a couple of trails through the woods and benches to sit on and relax while you enjoy the views.

Treat Yourself to a Massage

🗺Hotel Uvala, Masarykov put 5A, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia

Ultimate of rest days? I went for a massage at the Spa in Hotel Uvala, it was the equivalent of £16 for a 20 minute back massage, too cheap to pass on!

Check out the Port of Dubrovnik

Just for something to do, I took a 25 minute stroll down to the Port of Dubrovnik! Gruz Market is open every morning and is the spot where the locals mainly buy fish, fresh off the fishing boats!

Where to Eat & Drink in Lapad Dubrovnik

I managed to find a bargain of a hotel that included buffet breakfasts and dinners, so the only time I really ate out was to snack at lunch times. The hotel was cheap enough that I could have just gone out and bought dinner but that seemed silly wasting the pennies!

Lapad is full of different restaurants and bars, many with outdoor seating areas. There are a couple of supermarkets if you are after doing things ‘cheaply’. I often used Studenac Market (🗺Masarykov put 3C, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia).

Studenac Market in Lapad is next to the Cinema (CineStar Dubrovnik)…I’m not sure if they play films in English though, you’ll have to check it out if that’s something you might be interested in! When I was in Budapest, the cinema there played English films only a couple times a week.

The following place is an absolute hidden gem in the Lapad Dubrovnik area:

Cave Bar More

🗺Šetalište Nika i Meda Pucića 12, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia

Guests at the Hotel More get priority on the comfy seats next to the sea, however the bar is open for non guests too. This area is also their ‘beach’ so has ladders into the water and a shower.

It’s a shame that the outside ‘water side’ seating area is so nice and that there’s a waiter service, because the main bar area is INSIDE A CAVE! It’s worth wandering in there to have a look…even if you can’t actually buy a drink! I stopped here for several mid day drinks.

Koogla Italian Ice Cream Bar

🗺Šetalište Nika i Meda Pucića 1, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia

When they ask if you’d like cream on top of your ice cream cone, SAY YES!  You’ll thank me 🙂

Where to Stay in Lapad Dubrovnik

Hotel Adriatic

🗺Masarykov put 5, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia

*NOTE* It seems that currently Hotel Adriatic are not available for bookings. Alternatively I had dinner at Hotel Vis across the road one night. Or I had a massage at Hotel Uvala, which is next door. Both look like nice hotels located in the same area as Hotel Adriatic.

The Hotel Adriatic is located in Lapad, around 4km from Dubrovnik’s Old Town. When I visited I paid £175 for 7 nights Half Board (breakfast and dinner), including a sea view balcony upgrade.

Positives For Staying in Lapad:

Location

I loved having a sea view, the sunsets were AMAZING. I preferred being in the quieter Lapad area. The bus to the Old Town takes 10 minutes and stops RIGHT outside the hotel, there is a supermarket nearby, a beach area and a promenade and sea wall walk with restaurants and tourist shops.

The Room at Hotel Adriatic

My room’s balcony – I really enjoyed sitting on the balcony each evening and writing up my journal!  Definitely worth upgrading to the sea view, park facing rooms do not have a balcony.

Price

I could not believe the price AND it included breakfast and dinner. I spoke to some fellow travellers I met on the tour and they were saying how impressed they were at the price of their accommodation, I told them mine and they were shocked!  

The Old Town is expensive, I thought it was worth staying that little further out for the amount I managed to save. 

The meals were fairly similar each day but again for the price I paid that was fine with me. The restaurant was across the street, closer to the sea, the walk didn’t bother me in the slightest.  

One day there was a private event in the restaurant and so the hotel guests were sent to the more expensive restaurant at the Hotel Vis next door, to have dinner (for free still, WIN!)

Lapad to Dubrovnik Old Town

How Far Is Lapad From Dubrovnik Old Town?

• 🗺4km
• 🚶🏻‍♀️45 minutes
• 🚌15 minutes

As mentioned above, Lapad to Dubrovnik Old Town is an easy journey. The bus stops regularly in front of the hotels on the main road leading around the bay. Or it’s around a 45 minute walk from Lapad to Old Town Dubrovnik. 

There are plaques embedded in the paths to point you in the right direction to the Old Town. They even tell you how long you have left to go!

You may want to only walk one way because you’re probably going to do an awful lot of walking around the Old Town!! The Number 4 bus goes between Lapad and Dubrovnik Old Town for £4 per return trip (€1.99 each way)…or you could get a taxi for £7.50.  The bus takes around 15 minutes.

In Lapad, you can buy the ticket from the driver, if getting on from the Old Town in Dubrovnik, it’s best to buy a ticket from the kiosk near the bus stop area. (Kiosk tickets are slightly cheaper than buying from the driver).

Explore the Old Town and Walk Dubrovnik’s Old Town City Walls

GET TO THE WALLS AT OPENING TIME!

I was there when the walls opened at 8am in the morning. I had the route to myself, I could stop and take as many photos as I wanted without holding people up or being held up myself!  

The suggested time frame is 3 and a half hours to complete the walk…I managed it in 1 and a half! Even in May, the Old Town was crowded with tour groups and cruise ship passengers.  The beginning of the city walls route started getting busy just as I finished, as early as 9.30am!

The Old Town is full of little alleyways packed with restaurants and shops It’s fun to wander around and explore all the different side streets. There are a lot of steps though! 

One of my Old Town highlights was:

Buza Bar

🗺Crijevićeva ul. 9, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia

The Buza Bar clings to the rocks on the OUTSIDE of the city walls on the ocean side!  The entrance is literally a hole in the wall that you walk through (follow the sign that says ‘COLD DRINKS WITH THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VIEW’).  

There are several levels of chairs and tables and a really nice place to just watch the boats and kayaks passing by! A bottle of beer was around £4.

Visit Lokrum Island

It’s worth catching the ferry to the nearby Lokrum Island! The first ferry leaves at 10am from the Old Town Port. There are no cars on the island, it’s a nature reserve with walking trails, swimming spots and lots of peacocks and rabbits!

Things to see and do on Lokrum Island:

• Fort Royal
• The Dead Sea swimming hole
• Clamber over boulders that surround the island
• Swim
• Attempt to find Pigeon’s Cave!
• Game of Thrones was filmed here…

Head up Above Dubrovnik on the Cable Car

The Cable Car is expensive and there’s not a lot to do at the top other than take a couple of photos, but the view is worth it. Walking up is an option if you’re feeling fit! Again, the queues were very long mid morning.

They have recently opened a new attraction at the top, a zip wire bicycle!

Day Trips from Lapad Dubrovnik

When you stay in Lapad, you are still classed as Dubrovnik for tour pick ups! Although being further out from the main area, I was usually the first to be picked up and the last to be dropped off. These are the 2 full day trips that I took during my week in Lapad:

Day Trip to Bosnia/Mostar

Originally I looked in to how I could get to Sarajevo but after another search, I found a day trip to Mostar instead and fell in love with it!!  You can read about the whole trip in my post: Dubrovnik to Mostar Day Trip

Stops included:

• Medjugorje
• Mostar
• Pocitelj (*Tip* Buy a cone of fruit! Very yummy!)

Day trip to Montenegro

I really wanted to visit Kotor. I debated about getting public buses, staying there for a few days, then returning to Dubrovnik for the flight home. In the end I found a whistle stop tour for a very reasonable price!

The tour stopped in:

• Perast (5 Euro for boat to Our Lady of the Rocks Church in Kotor Bay – photo above)
• Kotor (where I managed to climb to the top of the city walls and back before the bus left…even though it did nearly kill me.  Read my tips for Climbing Kotor’s City Walls)
• Budva
• St Stephen’s Island (one of the most expensive resorts in the world, we were told it’s 70 Euro a day just to hire an umbrella on the beach!)
• A trip on the car ferry across Kotor Bay

Both tours left just after breakfast (well, I say breakfast, if you are good at speed eating as the hotel buffet opened 10 minutes before my bus pick up) and got back in time for dinner at around 7pm.

Other Information/Costs For Visiting Lapad Croatia

*Some costs are based on my budget during my visit, prices may now be different*

Transport used:

• Airport bus (takes 30 minutes) – £4.50
• Taxi to the airport – £33
• Number 4 between Lapad and the Old Town – €1.99 one way

Random Costs:

• Lokrum Ferry & entrance – €27
• Cable Car – €27 return
• City Wall Walk – approx €35

Lapad Dubrovnik FAQ

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Last Updated on March 29, 2024