The best time to visit Dubrovnik
The sea by month, the rain by month, and one Port Authority list that says more about crowds than the calendar.
- Best
- June and September
- Warmest sea
- August, 26 °C
- Wettest
- October–December, 130–145 mm a month
For Dubrovnik the best months are June and September, when the sea is 23–24 °C and the air around 27 by day; in July and August the daily high reaches 30. The crowd on any given day comes down to the cruise schedule. The Port of Dubrovnik publishes the whole year's arrival dates in advance, and it is worth opening before you book a bed.
Month by month
Sea: average of the last ten years. Air: average daily high.
You choose the day, not the month
The Port of Dubrovnik's rules allow two large ships at Gruž and one at anchor off the old town, with a target of no more than 8,000 cruise passengers a day. By the port's own figures, 18 of the year's 243 cruise days go over that limit, and four pass 10,000. Those are the dates not to pick for the walls and the Stradun.
Which month for whom
- For the sea. Late July to mid-September, when the water is 24–26 °C; in July and August the walls are done at eight, when they open.
- For the walls without the heat. May and October, at 22–23 °C by day; in October count on eight rainy days.
- For Lokrum and Srđ on the same trip. April to October, when both the boat and the cable car run daily; from December to March the cable car is shut, and the Lokrum boat stops in midwinter and runs only at weekends until the end of March.
- For the lowest price. November to March, when a walls ticket is €15; the trade-off is rain, since November and December are the wettest months of the year.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Where can I see the Dubrovnik cruise schedule?
On the Port of Dubrovnik website (portdubrovnik.hr), under Traffic → Arrivals/Departures. It covers the whole year, is published in advance and shows the ships due each day.
Is September good for swimming in Dubrovnik?
Yes, the sea averages 24 °C in September, warmer than in June. There is more rain than in summer, about 100 mm for the month against 30 in July.
What is the bura and when does it blow?
A cold north-easterly that brings the coldest days in winter, with gusts of more than 100 km/h. In bad weather the Lokrum boat does not sail.
Ready for Dubrovnik?
Where to next
Getting around Dubrovnik
→The Platanus shuttle runs straight to the Old Town with no change, and inside the walls it is on foot only.
Korčula · 87 km
→An old town laid out like a fishbone: the air gets through, the strong winds don't
How well does Dubrovnik suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
Front row for the next trip
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