Getting around Dubrovnik: buses, taxis, transfers and driving explained

How do you get around Dubrovnik?

Getting around Dubrovnik is mostly a matter of walking and taking the bus. The Old Town is car-free, and the city’s bus company, Libertas, links it with the hotel areas of Lapad, Babin Kuk and Gruž many times an hour. Taxis, ride-hailing apps and pre-booked transfers fill the gaps, especially to and from the airport, and a car is only really useful for touring the wider region.

This guide covers each way of getting around in turn: arriving from the airport, walking in the Old Town, the bus network, taxis and apps, private transfers, the cruise port, driving and parking, and day trips. Each section links to a detailed guide on that subject.

How do you get from the airport into the city?

Dubrovnik Airport is at Čilipi, about 22.5 km south-east of the city. The drive takes 30–35 minutes on average, but the airport advises allowing up to an hour in summer, according to its own travel information. Four options cover the trip:

• Airport shuttle bus: €10 one way or €15 return, leaving about 30 minutes after each arrival and stopping at Ploče Gate and the main bus station in Gruž.
• Taxi: about €35–55 to the Old Town in 2026, according to travel guides; each operator sets its own tariff.
• Uber or Bolt: both operate at the airport; Uber says UberX averages about €29, but app prices rise with demand.
• Pre-booked transfer: €50 by car or €65 by minivan, with a driver waiting in the arrivals hall.

Our guide to getting from Dubrovnik Airport to the Old Town compares the four in detail, and the airport arrival guide walks through the terminal, passport control and the new EU Entry/Exit System.

How do you get around the Old Town?

On foot. The Old Town inside the walls is a pedestrian area: its main street, Stradun, runs about 300 m from Pile Gate in the west to Ploče Gate in the east, and the walk between the two gates is about 560 m. A smaller third gate, Buža, opens on the northern side.

Stradun and the main squares are flat, but the side streets climb in steep stone steps. The Dubrovnik Tourist Board notes that the Old Town is “often associated with steep steps and stone alleyways”. If your accommodation is inside the walls, pack light, and check which gate is closer before you arrive.

Vehicles stop outside the gates. From 1 April to 31 October the roads around the walls are also a restricted traffic zone, so even taxis and transfers stop at the nearest point they are allowed to use. Our guide to driving to the Old Town explains the zone, and the page on Old Town transfers covers where drivers can set you down.

How do Dubrovnik’s city buses work?

Libertas runs the city’s buses: frequent city lines that converge on Pile Gate, and suburban lines along the coast. The network is the cheapest way to get between the hotel areas and the Old Town, and the buses run from early morning until after midnight.

Which bus lines do visitors use most?

The Libertas timetable lists these city lines:

• 1A and 1B: Mokošica to Pile, via the cruise port in Gruž.
• 3: Nuncijata to Pile, also via the port.
• 4: Hotel Palace in Lapad to Pile, about 71 times a day.
• 5: Viktorija to Babin Kuk, passing Ploče.
• 6: Babin Kuk to Pile, about 90 times a day between 05:30 and 01:00.
• 7: Kantafig to Babin Kuk.
• 8: Viktorija to Gruž, passing Ploče.
• 9: Gorica and the General Hospital to Pile.

Suburban lines run to Cavtat (line 10, 38 times a day in each direction), Plat (16), Srebreno (16A) and Zaton and Orašac (35). Buses for the Old Town stop on both sides: at Pile and, for lines 5, 8 and 17, at Ploče.

How much do bus tickets cost?

A single ticket costs €2.50 from the driver, or €1.73 for a one-hour ticket bought in advance. A 24-hour ticket costs €5.31 and a three-day ticket €11.95, according to the Libertas price list. Kiosks and Libertas sales points sell the cheaper tickets; the sales point at Pile is open daily from 07:00 to 23:00.

Suburban fares depend on distance: €4.00 from the city to Cavtat and €2.90 within Župa dubrovačka, plus €1.50 for each suitcase, travel bag or rucksack.

Is the Dubrovnik Pass worth it for buses?

The official Dubrovnik Pass costs €40 for one day, €50 for three days and €60 for seven days between 1 March and 30 November 2026, and includes a city bus ticket for the length of the pass. That ticket covers city lines 1 to 9 only, not suburban buses to Cavtat or Mlini, and not airport transport, so check what else the pass includes before deciding whether it beats single tickets.

How do taxis and ride-hailing apps work?

Taxis are easy to find at ranks in Lapad, at Ploče, in Gruž, at the port and at the airport, and both Uber and Bolt operate in the city. There is no city-wide taxi tariff: under Croatia’s Road Transport Act each operator sets its own prices.

As a guide, the city’s main taxi association quoted a €2 start fee and up to €2.10 per kilometre in 2026, and said typical rides within the city cost €5 to €9. Uber says an average 12-minute ride in the city costs about €15. App prices rise when demand is high, at least until new national caps on taxi and app fares take effect on 1 January 2027, as set out in the Official Gazette.

During the zone season, only taxis with a City pass can drive close to the Old Town gates. Our comparisons of taxis and private transfers and of Uber, Bolt and transfers go into prices and practicalities.

When does a private transfer make sense?

A private transfer is a car or minivan booked in advance for your group, at a price fixed before you travel. It makes most sense for airport arrivals, families with luggage or children, groups of five to eight, and long journeys to Split, Kotor or Mostar.

The driver tracks your flight, waits in the arrivals hall with a name sign and takes you to your accommodation. Prices are per vehicle, so a family of four pays the same as a couple. See airport transfers for the most common route, transfers to Lapad and Babin Kuk and transfers to Cavtat for the main hotel areas outside the centre, and the price list for every route.

How do you get from the cruise port to the Old Town?

Dubrovnik’s cruise and ferry port is in Gruž, about 3.5 km by road from Pile Gate. City buses 1A, 1B and 3 run from the port stop to Pile, taxis wait opposite the Jadrolinija office, and transfers can meet you at the terminal. Dubrovnik was Croatia’s busiest cruise port in 2025, with 557 visits by foreign cruise ships, according to the Croatian Bureau of Statistics.

Our cruise port guide covers the port, the buses and the timing of a port call.

Should you drive in Dubrovnik?

For a stay in the city, usually not. The roads around the Old Town form a camera-controlled zone from 1 April to 31 October, and the City of Dubrovnik fines unauthorised vehicles €260 for a private driver. Parking is limited and expensive: the public garage at Ilijina glavica charges €7 an hour or €40 for 24 hours, and the two car parks closest to the walls charge €20 for the first hour in summer, according to the city parking company, Sanitat.

A car makes more sense for touring: the coast towards Split, the Pelješac peninsula or the islands. Our comparison of car rental and transfers works through three typical trips, and the guide to driving to the Old Town explains the zone and the garages.

If you do drive, the speed limits are 50 km/h in towns, 90 km/h on other roads, 110 km/h on expressways and 130 km/h on motorways, and the drink-drive limit is 0.5 g/kg, or zero for drivers up to the age of 24.

How do you get to places beyond the city?

The region around Dubrovnik is full of day trips, and the way you travel depends on how far you go.

North along the coast to Ston and Split

Ston, with its medieval walls and salt pans, is about 55 km north-west, just over an hour by car. Split is about 235 km, roughly 3¼ hours, and since the Pelješac Bridge opened in July 2022 the road no longer crosses Bosnia and Herzegovina at Neum. Our guide to the Pelješac Bridge explains the change, and the guide to getting from Dubrovnik to Split compares the bus, the catamaran, driving and a private transfer.

South-east to Montenegro

Kotor is about 92 km away, around two hours plus the border. Montenegro is outside the EU and the Schengen area, so the crossing at Karasovići can be slow in summer. Read our guide to the Dubrovnik–Montenegro border crossing before you go, and the Kotor day trip guide for a full plan of the day.

Inland to Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mostar is about 146 km away, roughly 2½ hours plus the border, and the Kravica waterfalls and Međugorje are close by. Our Mostar day trip guide covers the route and timing.

For an overview of every route, with distances and drive times, see our list of day trips from Dubrovnik by car.

What about travelling with children?

Croatian law requires every child shorter than 150 cm to travel in a suitable child seat or booster, and it makes no exception for taxis or transfers. Ask for child seats when you book any transfer or car with a driver, and give the age of each child. Our guide to child car seats in Croatia explains the rules and the seat types.

The official airport shuttle carries children under six free of charge.

How is getting around different in winter?

Easier in most ways. The traffic zone around the Old Town runs only from 1 April to 31 October, so in winter cars can again stop close to the gates. Parking is cheaper too: the two car parks nearest the walls charge €5 for the first hour and €51 a day from November to April, against €20 and €250 in summer.

Public transport and flights thin out. The airport shuttle switches to its winter timetable on 25 October, with between 6 and 18 buses a day in each direction, and the airport’s route network shrinks sharply after October. The Dubrovnik Pass also costs less outside the main season: €20, €25 and €30 for one, three and seven days in winter 2025/26.

If you drive in winter, use dipped headlights or daytime running lights during the day from 1 November to 31 March, and expect winter equipment to be compulsory on designated inland sections from 15 November to 15 April, according to HAK, the Croatian motoring club.

What if you have limited mobility?

Plan around the steps. The Tourist Board’s guide for visitors with limited mobility notes that Stradun and many of the main landmarks are on flat ground, while the side streets climb in steep stone steps. Choosing accommodation on Stradun, at Pile or in Ploče, rather than on the upper streets, makes a big difference.

A pre-booked transfer can set you down at the nearest permitted point to your accommodation. If you travel with a folding wheelchair or have other mobility needs, tell us when you book, so we can send a suitable vehicle and suggest the best drop-off point.

Which way of getting around suits your trip?

For most visitors the answer is a mix: a transfer or the shuttle from the airport, walking and buses in the city, a taxi or app for late evenings, and a car with a driver or a tour for the one or two days spent further afield. A rental car is worth it only if you plan to tour the coast at your own pace.

Whatever you choose, check the season. From 1 April to 31 October the city is at its busiest and the traffic zone around the Old Town is in force. Outside those months, getting around Dubrovnik is easier in almost every way.