Dubrovnik with a Toddler
Dubrovnik has grown immensely in popularity over the past ten years, thanks to things like Yacht Week and a little TV show you may have heard of called “Game Of Thrones”. If you’re visiting in the spring, summer or fall, be prepared for crowds, but don’t let that deter you. There are plenty things to do in Dubrovnik with toddlers! There is no doubt you will be able to have an amazing time in this part of the country.
1. STAY OFF THE BEATEN PATH.
We chose to stay south of Dubrovnik in a charming seaside town called Cavtat. The town itself is small and walkable, so it’s perfect for a toddler to explore.
Sunset in Cavtat, Croatia
There are a bunch of restaurants, shops, and a small grocery store (it’s open until midnight!) You can still get to Dubrovnik easily by water bus or regular bus, so it’s an easy half- or day-trip. We went a little over our budget here and got an Airbnb with an amazing sunset view. This was absolutely our favorite Airbnb of the trip so far, and our host, Asja, was very accommodating and responsive.
2. HIT THE BEACH.
We were originally drawn to Croatia because Adriatic Sea is the most incredible shade of blue. So, a day at the beach was on the top of our list. The water here is completely surrounded by rocks and cliffs, so sandy beaches are rare. In Cavtat, there was only one small sandy beach. The rest were rocky, so just make sure you have footwear for you and your littles. You can purchase water shoes for about $10 USD from one of the many tourist shops in Cavtat too, but we used flip flops since we’re traveling light. They worked just fine.
Also, if you’re traveling with older kids, you can lay your beach blanket wherever you see a big flat rock and jump into the sea. No need to find a designated “beach spot” at all! If you want more time in and around the water, you can also take a water bus to Dubrovnik or rent a small fishing boat for the day.
3. TAKE ROAD TRIPS TO OTHER BORDERING COUNTRIES.
We rented a car for two days and took two road trips from Cavtat. The car rental itself was inexpensive. Also, Cavtat is close to the airport, so pick up and drop off were really easy. The first trip was to Trebinje, Bosnia, about an hour away. Trebinje was cool, because it was the most authentic cultural experience we had here. One of the great things about traveling is being able to take stereotypes that you grew up with and smash them to pieces when you experience them firsthand. Trebinje was just that. Yes, it was a bit somber. And, yes, we couldn’t stop thinking of news reports from the 90’s describing Bosnia as “war-torn”, but what we experienced here was a beautiful country, a strong community, and genuinely kind people, who are proud of their home.
Playground at a restaurant in Perast, Montenegro
Trebinje has a great town square lined with cafes, restaurants, and (when we went) a local farmers market, so that’s where we spent most of our day. There’s also a small but fun playground in the park near the square! We took turns going down the slide as fast as we could. Whatever keeps our kids happy, right?!
Our other road trip was down the coast to Montenegro.
If you visit Cavtat, go to Montenegro! Heck, just book a trip to Montenegro! We drove around Bay of Kotor to Perast, and it was so stunningly beautiful. In Perast, we had lunch at a restaurant “Djardin”, which had beer-garden-style-picnic table seating, a view of the bay, and…
wait for it…
PLAYGROUND!!!
It was so nice to let our daughter play with other kids while we had lunch! We wanted to explore more of Perast, Kotor and other towns along the bay, but it had been a long day of driving, so we headed home.
Quick tip: If you’re doing a road trip to other countries from Croatia, be sure to bring your passports, as there is border control to leave and re-enter Croatia. Also, be patient, as traffic often comes to a complete stop for an hour or two at border crossings.
So, there you have it! If you are thinking of visiting the Dubrovnik area with your kiddos, we highly recommend it, and definitely recommend staying in Cavtat.
Golden hour in Cavtat, Croatia
Be sure to check out our PCB video of Croatia with lots and lots of drone footage of this beautiful country. Also, subscribe to our YouTube channel if you want to see more fun in Croatia and around the world!
Note: This post originally appeared as a guest post on Parenthood4ever written by The FUNemployed Family