The end of May found us in Dubrovnik, Croatia. This was my second time in Croatia after a long weekend in Zagreb a couple of years back. However, it was the first time for the whole family in the Dalmatian city of Dubrovnik. It is a laid back part of the country and in enjoys plenty of Sunny days so make sure to add it to your holidays list. Here is what we enjoyed visiting in South Croatia.

Getting to the city

The recently introduced non-stop airport shuttle service to and from Dubrovnik Airport, stopping along the way at the Pile Gate, ferry terminal and bus terminal makes for a reasonable quick way to get to the city. Tickets are about 6 Euros and can be booked in advance.

Our B&B (a lovely family run place called Villa Klaic  ) was located high on the hill above the old town. This meant we would have needed to pick up another local bus or climb a few flights of steps with the luggage. We decided to take a taxi from the airport arranged by the accomodation for 30 euro (inluding a car seat for our 3 year old ).

Our favourite things to do with children in and around Dubrovnik:

• Visit Lokrum island: the unexpected highlight of our visit

Boat leaves from Dubrovnik old town pier, every 30 min in high season starting at 9AM. It costs 150 Kuna return and includes the park entrance. Get there a bit before the desired departure time to have time to buy the tickets. It can get pretty crowded, especially at weekends when local families are on the move. The boats are pretty big and stable with the trip taking 15 min or so. For our son, this short boat trip was one of the highlights of the day so try to get a seat overlooking the harbour and the many boats coming and going.

On the island expect to find a few restaurants and terraces as well as kiosks selling water, ice cream and other snacks. You can easily spend 4-5 hours here so maybe pack a picnic and a big water bottle if you do not want to eat in one of the restaurants.

The main attractions on the island are the free walking rabbits and peacocks, the natural pools and the gardens of the old monastery. There are trails going up to an old fort too as well as a play area with a few slides and swings. There is plenty to do for busy little bees. We spent most of the time at the play area, searching for the rabbit and playing in the shallow natural poolS on the sea shore. The water was still a bit too cool for a dip in the sea.

If it is a hot day, you might want to take a dip in the natural pool on the island. You can reach it by taking a flight of stairs. The shores are rocky though so bring some water shoes/ slippers to get in and out of the water. Rocks are also very slippery so getting in and out of the water was a bit of a pain. But the water was cool and refreshing once in!

• Walk the walls of Dubrovnik old town and get lost on the old town streets at sunset

There are many places to visit in the old town: several churches, palaces and museum. Some are for free but most of them you will have to pay an entrance fee. Outside the Pile gate is the Tourist Info Office where you can purchase your Dubrovnik card which will save you till 50% of the entrance fee on many attractions. We had a quick look in a few sights but quickly found out that our son was not really in a museum visiting mood so we concentrate our pursuits to outside areas.

A quick word on the timing for the visit. Dubrovnik îs very popular ever since the GoT filmed on location in the city. In shoulder season ( May – mid June) you will have at least one cruiseship docking per day. In July- August it goes to 3 or 4. There are thousands of people heading to the old city between 10 AM and 17PM. The boats leave around 19h. If you do plan to visit in high season, the best tip would be to head back to the old city after 5 PM. You will definitely enjoy it more!

We went to the old city three times, each time after 5 PM and still managed to do the sights (the walk on the walls, enjoyed the back streets) and also have two nice dinners. If you have a couple of days, it is worth trying to go later in the day. The heat would also get better the later you go.

The walls can be accessed from two entrances: one just behind the Pile gate and another a few meters from the Old harbour ( Ploce gate). The ticket is 200 kuna per adult and our 3 yo did not pay. Try to get to the Ploce gate as less crowded and you can have some sections of the wall for yourselves. The walls are about 2 km long and will take you about 2 h to do the whole loop. Be prepared for many steep steps. Do not take a stroller. You will find some bars and ice cream vendors on the wall so that might help to keep the small ones motivated.

We had two tasty dinners within the Old city walls. One was Lanii that had a great fish risotto as well as some Croatian stews. The other was Taj Mahal, a very confusing name but a very tasty Bosnian restaurant that is worth a stop if you are after dinner in the Old city. Both are quite popular so better book ahead if you are travelling in July/August. Normally the are open the whole afternoon so very handy if you are after an early dinner with the kids. We were eating around 6h30- 7 PM every day.

• Visit Cavtat, a short bus or boat trip from Dubrovnik

We were surprised how picturesque and laid back Cavtat is. We went there by bus as we still had a couple of tickets from our Visit Dubrovnik card ( it is worth the money if you plan to use the bus a lot). You can also access it by charter boat, from the same harbour where the Lokrum ferry leaves.

Cavtat has a lovely little marina, a small old town and a promenade by the sea. We had here the best lunch from our entire trip, a three course amazing value lunch at Burgenvila, with views over the small harbour. They we super child friendly, had a high chair and even altered the risotto recipe so that my son would eat it. We recommend them wholeheartedly if you pass by Cavtat.

50 meters from the restaurant there is a kids playground. There are a couple of swings and a slide. It was the final touch for a very kid friendly outing in the area.

• Visit the harbour in Gruz and relax at Sunset Beach in Lapad. Have lunch/dinner at Pantarul.

There is more to Dubrovnik than the old town. If you visit for a day or two, the old town will be your main destination but it is worth branching out to other neighbourhoods (Gruz and Lapad) for a bit of beach relaxation and good food.

We explored the whole area on foot during the best part of one day. We went all the way to the cruise ship terminal as our son is fascinated by these huge ships. We the followed the harbour promenade and admired the many boats docked there. As the promenade turns towards Lapad neighbourhood, there is a little play area for kids where you can relax and enjoy the views. We stopped there for 30 min trying to decide where to go for lunch.

We found a nice place nearby that promised some modern Croatian bites and we took a nice walk on the Lapad streets to reach it. Even if it’s location on the side of a busy street was not so appealing at first, the food was really great. They even do some small kids plates, including chicken nuggets with purée that my son ate very well. The name of the place is Pantarul and is definitely worth the trip outside the Dubrovnik old city.

After lunch, we continued to walk towards the sea and we reached a small pedestrian area with more bars, restaurants and hotels that we followed till we reached the Sunset Beach Bar. There is another small playground on this street where a bit older kids can play while parents enjoy a coffee in one of the overlooking terraces.

The Sunset Beach is a pebble beach with seats and umbrellas to hire. Of course, you can also put your towel on the ground. Just keep in mind that some water shoes or slippers would help you get in and out of the water as small pebble can get a bit painful to walk on. There were several families enjoying the beach while we were there although water was still a bit in the cool side end May. Some dark clouds were starting to gather on the horizon so we decided to have a drink at one of the beach terraces and then head back toward the old city for dinner as it was closer to our accommodation in case the rain would start.

While walking back we noticed an extensive park on the right side of the road. It looked perfect to let the little one run around a bit. It is called Park Suma Velika and, if our son would not have been dozing off at this time, it would have made for a nice place to stop. It starts just behind the Hotel Adriatic.

• Cross the border into Montenegro or Bosnia for a day trip

These are organised tours with one of the local travel agencies. Kotor is closer distance wise but we have been to Montenegro so decided to try Mostar. We did expect s long driving day but it was even a bit longer than anticipated. Due to the geography of the country, you have to pass 3 border crossings to reach Bosnia. Each crossing takes time and, depending on how busy the road is, it might take even 1 h. Once you add the actual driving time you will probably end up with 3h30-4 h going and 3h return.

There are a few stops on the way, including to the charming waterfalls in Kravice (1h) and of course a chance to visit UNESCO world heritage site of Stari Most in Mostar as well as eat some tasty cevap cici ( a minced meat elongated meatball traditional to Bosnia). The drive in Bosnia is truly picturesque but this is not enough to keep the little one busy so be ready with some books or other entertainment for the bus trip.

We took the stroller but it was not really a place to use it as both the waterfalls and Mostar old city were not really stroller friendly. Be prepared to carry you little one in a backpack or your shoulders if he is not ready to walk. Especially the old stone bridge is a nightmare as really crowded and with high steps. We saw a couple of families carrying the stroller and the children.

If you take the trip to Mostar and want to stop for a no frills place for s quick lunch where the kids are happy, look for Ascinica Saray restaurant, about 500 m from the Old city. The food is basic but tasty and very cheap and the playground in the back was a highlight after a long day in the bus. Our son was happily running around for the whole 45 min that we were there and even made some local friends. We were the only tourists in the place!

Give us a shout if you have good, family friendly tips on either Dubrovnik or surrounding area. We will be back for sure to discover more of Croatia.

Happy travels and a great Summer holiday!