How to get from Dubrovnik Airport to the Old Town: every option compared

How far is the Old Town from Dubrovnik Airport?

Dubrovnik Airport is at Čilipi, about 21 km by road from Pile Gate and 23 km from Ploče Gate. The airport itself gives the distance to the city as 22.5 km and the drive as 30–35 minutes on average, but advises allowing up to an hour in the summer months.

There is no train, so every option is by road: a bus, a taxi or app ride, a pre-booked transfer or your own rental car. The road follows the D8 coast through Župa dubrovačka and passes above the Old Town before reaching the gates.

Which option is cheapest for one, two or four people?

Costs for a one-way trip from the airport to the Old Town in 2026:

For one or two people travelling light, the shuttle is the clear winner on price. For four people, a taxi, an app ride or a transfer costs about the same as four shuttle tickets and takes you closer to your accommodation.

How does the airport shuttle bus work?

The official shuttle is run by Platanus, which charges €10 one way and €15 return in 2026. Children under six travel free, and one suitcase per ticket is carried at no extra charge.

There is no fixed timetable from the airport: a bus leaves about 30 minutes after every flight arrival, from the first flight to the last, and a ticket is valid on any departure that day. If your flight is late, you simply take the next bus. The first stop is Ploče Gate, about 30 minutes away, and the bus ends at the main bus station in Gruž after about 35 minutes.

Buy tickets online, at the Platanus stand in the arrivals hall, at the bus station or at Platanus’s cable-car office; they are not sold on board. The shuttle does not stop in Lapad, Babin Kuk, Cavtat or Mlini.

Can you take a local bus?

Yes, but it rarely suits arriving passengers. The airport is served by Libertas lines 11, 27 and 38, which run a few times a day on working days only, and not on Sundays or public holidays. The fare from the airport to the city is €4.50, plus €1.50 for each suitcase, travel bag or rucksack, according to the Libertas Konavle tariff. Check the current timetable before relying on it.

How much is a taxi or an Uber?

Travel guides checked in 2026 put a taxi from the airport rank to the Old Town at roughly €35–55. Each taxi operator sets its own tariff, and the price list is shown at the taxi window in the arrivals hall, according to Dubrovnik Airport. Drivers must give you a receipt.

Uber says UberX rides from the airport cost about €29 on average and take about 27 minutes, with no flat rate. Bolt’s own estimate for the same trip on 1 October 2026 was €56.80 for a standard ride. App prices rise when demand is high, which on summer afternoons, when several flights land together, can make them more expensive than a taxi or a transfer. Our comparisons of taxis and transfers and Uber and transfers go deeper.

When is a pre-booked transfer worth it?

A pre-booked transfer costs €50 by car for up to four passengers or €65 by minivan for up to eight. It is worth it when certainty matters:

1. Families: child seats are fitted before you land, and the price is the same for four as for two.
2. Late arrivals: the driver tracks the flight and waits whatever the delay, with the first 60 minutes free.
3. Groups of five to eight: one minivan instead of two taxis.
4. Heavy luggage: no walk from a bus stop, and no queue at the taxi rank.

See airport transfers for prices to Lapad, Cavtat, the port and Mlini as well as the Old Town.

Where do you get dropped off?

Every option stops outside the walls: no vehicle can enter the Old Town. From 1 April to 31 October the roads around the walls are also a restricted zone, so taxis, app rides and transfers stop where they are allowed to, a short walk from Pile or Ploče Gate. The shuttle’s Old Town stop is at Ploče Gate.

Our guide to driving to the Old Town explains the zone, and the airport arrival guide covers what happens before you reach the arrivals hall. For a wider view, see getting around Dubrovnik.