How to do Dubrovnik: a guide to a perfect autumn escape

Dubrovnik is known as the pearl of the Adriatic, but for me it’s more like a walnut, its old town for ever encased in ancient walls. Dating from the 7th century, the city’s snaking alleyways are peppered with hanging lanterns and ancient clock towers, and each quaint corner will, for fans of Game of Thrones, bring back memories of King’s Landing and fratricide and black crows. With September and October temperatures in the low 20s, and direct flights from Edinburgh, it’s a brilliant autumn escape. Here’s how to do it.
Grab a Dubrovnik City Pass (£30 a day or £38 for three days, dubrovnikpass.com), which covers buses, several sites including the city wall, the Museum of Modern Art and the Franciscan monastery. Get started early before the streets are thronged with daytrippers and cruise crowds.
Another good morning option is the open-air market Gunduliceva Poljana, with local crafts and food delicacies, or a trip on the cable car for mighty views of the city and sparkling sea (£23 return, dubrovnikcablecar.com).
For cheap eats, grab a pizza slice from one of the many takeaway restaurants in the city or head to Lady Pi-Pi, a quiet, affordable oasis just below the walls. Tables are shaded by a canopy of vines, with sprawling views over a sea of terracotta roofs, and staff are charmingly frank. Try the mixed grill — it’s cooked practically in front of you — and a shot of the local liquor, rakija, for some crowd-beating strength (mains from £13, Peline ul 25).
Once the daytrippers descend, head to the rocks on the outside edge of the southern wall for a swim and a cold beer. The views of the city from the water are fantastic and tourists don’t always find these spots, so you’ll be in relative peace.
For sundowners make your way to Buza Bar, accessed via an unassuming door in the southern wall, great for jumping off the rocks into the sea (bbuza.com). Or try Fratellos, Dubrovnik’s first prosecco bar, just a five-minute walk east of the city, serving Croatia’s version of champagne, Piena (£6.40 per glass, fratellos.eu).
Some of Dubrovnik’s best restaurants are located within its walls, including Proto (mains from £33, esculaprestaurants.com), serving stunning seafood in the heart of the old town since 1886. For traditional Croatian cuisine try Kopun (mains from £20, restaurantkopun.com), a family-run restaurant at the top of the Jesuit Stairs in a lovely square opposite the cathedral (the fish stew is wonderful). Best in town? Nautika (mains from £48, nautikarestaurants.com), a chi-chi spot just outside the city walls, is the fanciest and the best: the food is excellent, with prices to match. The shrimps with gnocchi starter is mouthwateringly good.
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Most travel guides suggest the nearby island of Lokrum, but apart from a monastery and some wandering peacocks I found it underwhelming. I’d opt instead for a half-day tour of the nearby Elafiti islands, six miles northwest of the old town. There are several kayaking day trips from Dubrovnik, most kicking off with a ferry to Lopud, then a day’s gentle paddling between coves (from about £75). Too much like hard work? Half-day boat trips cost from about £60pp, including swimming stops in the islands’ spectacular Blue and Green Caves (dubrovnikboat.com).
And if you fancy a stop on the way back to the airport don’t forget Cavtat, Croatia’s most southerly beach resort. About 30 minutes’ drive from Dubrovnik, it’s a lovely coastal village with several Illyrian necropolises dotted around the surrounding countryside.
Go for the old town: it costs a bit more but it means you can get a head start on the crowds. My upper-end recommendation is St Joseph’s, a boutique hotel in a 16th-century townhouse with six spacious, utterly stylish rooms (B&B doubles from £162, stjosephs.hr). A cheaper option is Villa Sigurata (doubles from £89 a night, self-catering, booking.com).
Georgia Heneage was a guest of Croatia tourism (croatia.hr) and St Joseph’s hotel (stjosephs.hr). Fly to Dubrovnik from Edinburgh, £105 return with easyJet and Jet2