Getting around Dubrovnik by bus is very easy and you can get from one side of the city to another in only 20 minutes.
Buses are clean and comfortable and fairly affordable (single ticket for 1 hour drive costs €1.73 ). The city buses start to run early in the morning and stops operating at around 1:00am (in the summer).
Read on to find out more about bus tickets (prices and where to buy them) and how to take advantage of Dubrovnik Pass for free bus rides.
Find out how to reach historic sights from your hotel or apartment, how to reach ferry port for island hopping (Elaphite islands, Mljet or Korcula), how to reach cable car and much more.
Read more useful info about using city buses in Dubrovnik in the text below.
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One of the most busiest bus routes in Dubrovnik is the one from the ferry port to the Old Town. The distance is about 2.5 km and it's usually 15 minutes ride.
You'll find 3 bus stops in Gruz: one just outside the cruise terminal, the other one near Jadrolinija office and the last one next to the green market. From these stops you can catch buses 1A, 1B or 3 running towards Pile, which is the western entrance to the Old Town.
Once you get off the bus, a short walk will take you to Stradun, the central street of Old Town. From here you can reach any popular sight in Dubrovnik.
At the beginning of Stradun, there is the main entrance to City walls. For relaxing day away from city crowds, take a boat ride to the nearby Lokrum island (from Old Town port).
From Pile you can easily reach cable car station, from where you can take 4-minute ride to the top of Mount Srdj, above Dubrovnik.
Once you find yourself in front of Pile Gate, take the footway to the left and continue walking along the City walls until you reach large parking lot. Cross the road here, then walk across the parking lot and take the stairs up leading to the cable car station.
If you are staying in one of many hotels or apartments in Lapad or Babin Kuk area, reaching the Old Town by bus is easy. It's a pleasant 15 minutes bus ride (if there is no traffic jams).
If you are catching one of catamarans/boats from Gruz port, for example those to nearby Elaphite islands or further to Mljet or Korcula and staying in Lapad, bus no.7 would be the obvious choice. This bus will take you to the port in only 10 minutes but be aware that the departures are not so frequent (every hour).
Gruz port is the spot from where most of boat tours to the Elaphites departs (usually in the morning hours). We suggest taking this daily trip by historic karaka boat.
There are also several routes that operate from main bus station in Dubrovnik to little places north and south of the city.
To the north, bus lines 12, 15, 21, 22 and 35 travel to Zaton Mali and Zaton Veliki; 12, 15, 21 and 22 go to Slano; 12 and 15 go to the little town of Ston and 21 rides to Orebic.
To the east, one of the most popular buses is bus no.10 that runs to Cavtat. Lines 10 and 16 are useful for reaching Mlini and Plat (Zupa Dubrovacka), while no.11 goes to Molunat (Konavle).
Note that suburban buses are not so frequent so it's recommended to check the timetable in-advance. For accurate bus timetables of buses running to suburban places, check Libertas website (East & West).
There are regular shuttle buses connecting Dubrovnik Airport with the city. The buses stop at Ploce Gate (the eastern entrance to the Old Town) and main bus station in Gruz (close to the ferry port).
A ticket costs €10 for a one-way journey (€14 for a return ticket) and can be purchased from the driver once you board the bus. You can also buy tickets at the airport counter or even online. Journey time is about 30-40 minutes.
The great alternative to the shuttle buses is hassle-free private transfer, which costs the same as local taxi and can be booked in-advance.