Best Beaches: Dubrovnik - Get the Inside Track

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Dubrovnik's Best Beaches!

Saron Lease gives a guided tour...
 

In Dubrovnik, as anywhere else on Croatian Adriatic, one can swim and sunbathe almost everywhere along the coast. The whole coast of Croatia is, in fact public! This means that anyone can access any part of the coast and swim there. Perfect! But with so much coastline and all the many many islands off that coast, how do you decide where to go?!

The Dubrovnik Riviera is made up of around an hour and a half of coast. The old town of Dubrovnik sits in the middle and either side are little fishing villages like Mlini, Cavtat, Zaton and Slano. Around 20 minutes off the coast, Dubrovnik also has its own suite of islands called the Elaffiti Islands - these are small, pretty islands which also have great beaches (often sandy) and no cars! Perfect for a day trip.

If you're staying in Dubrovnik, you have a wealth of options and would probably have to go back several times to lie on every beach - once you arrive at one, it's quite hard to move! So here goes, here's a locals guide to the beaches in the Dubrovnik area...

Banje beach is Dubrovnik's most popular and most centrally located beach. With a beautiful views over Dubrovnik Old Town. It is located at the front of the eastern entrance (Ploce Gate) between Dubrovnik Old Town and the luxurious Dubrovnik hotels The Excelsior and The Argentina.. When you get to the beach you will see why these hotels chose their locations...5* location indeed...This is probably one of the most stunning views you can get on any beach in the world. Looking out to Lokrum island and across to Dubrovniks old town, the view is seriously dramatic. Part of this shingley beach is also taken up by EastWest, a chique lounge and beach bar for discerning cool clientele. Here you can rent a sunlounger and parasol, or  snooze on one of the 4 poster bed loungers on the beach, and go and sip cocktails when you get too hot. The sea is right there and you can hire jet skis, speed boats etc. EastWest turns into a late night venue once the sun goes down so really you could stay here 24 hours a day! Easy access to the old town means that this is a popular choice and so the beach can get busy, but it's worth a visit for sure.

If you happened to be in Dubrovnik just on the day trip, or you just fancy a quick dip to cool yourself down in the summer heat, a great place to have a quick swim is at Porporela, the main Old town's pier.

Kopakabana Beach near Babin Kuk at Solitudo on the Lapad Peninsula isn't so centrally located, but a very popular beach especially among the locals who prefer to leave Banje Beach to the stylistas! The Lapad Peninsula is laced with pretty swimming spots and locations to explore - and there are many! Kopakabana is a long stretch of pebble beach located at area called Solitudo on Lapad peninsula. The easiest way to reach this beach is to take bus no 6 to Lapad, get off at Orsan Sailing Club and walk along the sea (a very pleasant walk!) for about 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can reach this beach by taking the same bus (no 6) to it's last stop at Babin Kuk area and walk to the beach from there.... Copacabana has it's restaurant and cafe bar, fruit and ice cream shops, sport equipment and canoe rentals etc... The beach has the changing cabins and showers too.

Uvala Lapad Beach is also located in the bay of Lapad and is popular with locals and visitors alike. It's centrally located in the vicinity of several Lapad Hotels as well as many restaurants, cafe bars, tennis courts, children playgrounds. On the beach itself there is a restaurant and couple of café bars and the beach is equipped with showers and changing cabins, sun umbrellas and sun loungers. If you want to chill out on a beach in more relaxed surroundings than Banja Beach, but still feel the buzz, this is a good option! If you fancy some music while you chill out, take a lounger near to one of the beach bars, or if not, there are quiet spots you can find too. To reach this beach take bus no 2 to Uvala Lapad and get off at the bus stop at Hotel Park, or take no 6 to Bulevar and then walk ( 10 min) to reach the sea shore.

Uvala Lapad Hideaways are also to be found if you get off the main beach and wander round the bay - get away from it all and find your own little spot among the rocks and under the pine trees. A bit more or a wander but worth it if you want something abit more special. Dubrovnik can seem like it just has main beaches but this really isn't the case - you just have to explore... I would highly recommend watching the sunset from one of these little coves - beautiful. There's also a little cafe at the end of the peninsula if you keep going which is lovely and perfect for a glass of wine and a snack after a day on the beach.

Lokrum Island  is easily accessible via a taxi boat from Dubrovnik Old Town's harbour and a great place to get away from it all since it is never really busy. It's a beautiful place to be - the botanical gardens on the island make it a haven and you can find your own spot by the sea to chill out for the day. It is a pleasant ten minutes sail to Lokrum and is favourite for locals and visitors alike. From the old town harbour regular boats run during Spring and Autum every hour and during the summer time every half and hour to the island.

Sveti Jakov(St.Jacob) beach is located at the eastern part of Dubrovnik Town in a small bay. This beach is also popular gathering spot in the summer months among locals. It has it's own restaurant and cafe bar as well as parasol rentals. Unless you hear about it, you are unlikely to know about it - it's located one mile away of the Old Town and can be reached by foot or by no. 5 bus to the last stop - Sveti Jakov beach is few hundered meters away once you get off the bus. Once you reach the church Sv. Jakov, around the corner is staircase to descend to

 

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The views expressed are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Guide2Croatia.