This was my third trip to Croatia, but the first time visiting the beautiful city of Dubrovnik, which’s been on top of my list for ages. Our trip was in June, so we made the most of the clear skies and warm temps in the late twenties. We had the most amazing five days exploring the city and here’s what we got up to on our adventure…
Day 1 – arriving in Dubrovnik
We had a morning flight from Gatwick Airport, which I always love! Have extra time in a destination’s always worth the early wake up. We arrived at Gatwick around 6am and splashed out on an airport lounge before our flight, made use of the breakfast buffet and even had a cheeky mimosa. The flight was only around two hours and we landed in a sunny Dubrovnik with the most insane view of the Old Town. We jumped in an Uber to Royal Neptun Hotel, our stay on the nearby Lapad Island, which is only about 20 minutes’ drive from the centre.
We checked in early at the hotel, which was super handy as we wanted to drop our stuff off in our room and start exploring straight away. We got our free welcome drink and went up to the rooftop pool for a swim overlooking the Adriatic Sea.
Then, we got ready and headed out to the famous Dubrovnik Cable Car. You can buy a return ticket for €30, but we decided to get a one-way ticket up and then trek back down. The views at the top were so worth it, and we stopped at Panorama Bar for a cocktail while we soaked it all in. We hiked down the hill to the Old Town and wandered around for a bit before stopping for some pasta in one of the cute courtyard restaurants. After the early start that morning, we made our way back to the hotel after dinner to get a good night’s sleep.
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Day 2 – Elaphiti Island-hopping
On day two, we were up bright and early to enjoy the breakfast buffet before heading on an adventure round the Elaphiti Islands. They’re known as some of the most incredible islands in Croatia, with picturesque streets, beaches and coves. We booked a hop-on, hop-off boat which takes you to the three islands with plenty time to explore each. We spent the day in and out of the water and checking out the pretty villages on the island and it was absolutely amazing – I would 100% recommend visiting if you’re in Dubrovnik.
When we got back to the marina, we grabbed dinner in a restaurant called Urban and Veggie. If you’ve read any of my other itineraries, you’ll already know I love scouting out places with good veggie options, and this one didn’t disappoint. We shared bao buns, burger sliders and a vegan kebab. After another busy day, we headed back to the hotel to catch the sunset and get some rest.
Day 3 – Old Town sights and party scenes
We took our third morning pretty easy, then went into the Old Town to do a bit more sightseeing. We snapped some pics and got ice-cream from the viral aRoma Gelato Experience – I can confirm it’s seriously worth the hype. We grabbed a quick lunch from Mlinar Bakery before heading back to our hotel to chill by the rooftop pool.
We ate dinner at Silk, an Asian-fusion restaurant that’s pretty big in Croatia. The food was incredible – we got a pad Thai, katsu curry and some dumplings to share and all three were some of the tastiest dishes we’ve ever tried. Until now, we’d kept the evenings quite tame, so it was time to see what Dubrovnik’s nightlife was like. We joined the famous Dubrovnik Pub Crawl, which stops at three bars before ending at Culture Club Revelin, a seriously cool venue inside a castle. It’s been named in the top 20 clubs in the world, so we knew we couldn’t leave Dubrovnik without visiting – I can now officially say I’ve partied inside a castle.
Day 4 – Wine-tasting in Konavle Valley
The next morning, we had a much-needed lie-in and spent some time chill around the pool, before setting off for an afternoon wine-tasting tour in the Konavle Valley. Our first stop was a local vineyard, where we got to try a local red and white, paired with some homemade bread and olive oil. Next up was a scenic train ride that took us to a flour mill surrounded by waterfalls and rivers. We hopped back on the train to our third location for another wine-tasting with some picky bits. The final stop was my favourite – a family-run winery with a beautiful courtyard where we got to try different homemade Croatian wines and liqueurs, with a yum slice of sponge cake. The family who owned the business really made the experience – they were super friendly and gave us lots of interesting info about the history behind the spirits and how they’re made.
We made it back to our hotel around 8pm and went for dinner just in time to catch the sun setting over the sea. We tried the hotel restaurant, which has a stunning terrace for soaking up the view.
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Day 5 – Final day + flight home
I don’t normally like sitting still when I’m travelling, but after a full-on four days, we kept our final one free to just chill. We spent the entire day by our fave pool on the rooftop with a packet of Lays and a Fanta Lemon, topping up our tans for the last time before our 5pm flight home.
It was so great to be back in Croatia and explore somewhere new. I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be back for a fourth time… stay tuned.
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Author: @baileyturvey
Last updated: 15/08/2025
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