Konavle Riviera
Cavtat
Dubrovnik's slower, kinder, palm-lined sister.
Introduction
Cavtat is what Dubrovnik must have felt like fifty years ago, a horseshoe harbour wrapped in palms, two stone churches, a string of unfussy seafood restaurants, and absolutely no cruise ships. The town sits on a wooded peninsula 17 km south of Dubrovnik; if you want a base for the south coast that isn't booked solid by August, this is the answer.
Highlights
What you came for.
01
The Promenade
A flat, palm-shaded loop around the peninsula. Forty-five minutes if you don't stop. Two hours if you do.
02
Račić Mausoleum
An Ivan Meštrović masterpiece on the cypress-dotted hill above the cemetery. €4, breathtaking.
03
Sokol Grad
A 14th-century fortress 20 minutes inland by car. Stone, silence, sweeping views into Bosnia.
04
Bus 10 to Dubrovnik
€2.50, every 30 min, 40-minute ride hugging the coast. The cheapest scenic drive in Croatia.
Sample itinerary
A trip, written out.
Practical
The bits that make it work.
Best time
Same as Dubrovnik but with more late-September warmth, the bay holds heat into October.
Getting in
10 minutes from Dubrovnik Airport (DBV). Bus 10 from Dubrovnik Old Town. Water taxi from Dubrovnik in summer.
Where to stay
Old Cavtat for stone-house charm; Hotel Croatia for sea-view luxury; villas in Plat for self-catering.
Skip
Anything calling itself a 'pirate ship cruise'. The local coast is better seen from a small private boat (~€80 half day).