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Cavtat, Croatia, could be the largest wonder of your day out! This non violent seashore the city within the a ways south of Croatia is so with regards to Dubrovnik, and but a global away.
If you wish to seek advice from Dubrovnik however would fairly keep someplace with a quiet, extra enjoyable setting — oh, and less expensive, too! — Cavtat (pronounced SAHV-taht) could be where for you!
Making plans your day out to Cavtat remaining minute?
Cavtat is a well-liked vacation spot in the summertime, so it’s at all times a good suggestion to e book forward!
🎭 Most sensible Stories and Excursions in Cavtat:
Go on a photography tour (Footage are the most efficient souvenirs!)
Excursion the Shell Museum (Amusing & quirky)
Take hold of a drink at a seaside membership (Such a lot of choices with nice perspectives!)
🛌 Most sensible-Rated Inns in Cavtat:
Hotel Cavtat (Splurge with an implausible infinity pool!)
Apartments Villa Lukas (Sunny studios with kitchenettes)
Villa Tiha (Price range possibility with regards to the whole thing)
🚗 Renting a automobile from Dubrovnik Airport? Find deals on car rental rates here.
Cavtat is a well-liked vacation spot for Europeans — in particular vacationers from Central Europe and the Balkan international locations. However it’s no longer well-liked by North American citizens in any respect. I didn’t listen a unmarried American voice all the time I used to be there.
In consequence, Cavtat is crafted to the Ecu trip genre. Cavtat isn’t about checking off issues to do and taking loads of day journeys. As an alternative, Cavtat is ready enjoyable, soaking within the setting, and playing your self.
The good factor about staying in Cavtat fairly than Dubrovnik is that it’s a lot less expensive and far much less crowded — however it’s a very simple boat trip away! Discuss the most efficient of each worlds.
Cavtat was once based through the Greeks as Epidaurus and later renamed Epidaurum underneath the Romans. One in every of a number of theories at the back of the Croatian identify is that it’ll come from the verb captiti – “to flourish.” In all probability Cavtat would be the position the place YOU flourish!
This publish was once revealed in September 2024 and was once co-written through Adventurous Kate and Hannah Cooper.
Issues to Do in Cavtat, Croatia
Discover Previous The town Cavtat
The Previous The town of Cavtat is a small, walkable space the place you’ll in finding all of the primary attractions in Cavtat – you’ll see extra on every of the ones beneath. There are great eating places and cafes lining the waterfront. It’s beautiful to take a seat out right here people-watching, ideally with a Schweppes Tangerine in a bottle (my Croatian favourite!).
But even so roaming the streets, it’s worthwhile to put your identify down for a pictures excursion on this gorgeous small the city. In contrast to Dubrovnik and Hvar, you gained’t be elbow-to-elbow with vacationers the entire time.
This private photography tour experience in Cavtat is controlled through a neighborhood photographer. The task combines alternatives so that you can take your individual artsy footage in addition to having photoshoots with a qualified.
Photograph excursions remaining for round two hours and also you’ll obtain a virtual record of round 30 pictures.
Walk the Cavtat Strolling Path
The Cavtat Strolling Path is my favourite position in Cavtat! This seashore prom is a flat, pedestrian-only strolling trail that circles the fringe of the Rat Peninsula, creating a quiet get away from town.
Nearly all the path is generously shaded from the pine timber, making it a place for a fab, delightful stroll when the solar is at its fiercest. Benches are dotted alongside the trail. Be happy to forestall to learn a e book, make a pit quit at a seaside bar, or opt for a swim!
In case you’re staying in Cavtat a couple of days, I extremely counsel strolling this path a part of your day-to-day itinerary.
Come see one of the vital prettiest church buildings south of Dubrovnik.
Talk over with St. Nicholas Church
You’re by no means a ways from a ravishing church in Croatia, and in Cavtat, you’ll be able to’t omit St. Nicholas Church, proper through the harbor. The rules date again to the fifteenth century and it was once built the use of native white stone. It’s relatively conventional of a Croatian church with a cross-vaulted apse and Baroque components.
St. Nicholas Church went thru a reworking within the 18th century and the bell tower was once added the next century.
Step inside of to look the pretty picket altars and the altarpiece crafted through the Silcilian-born Carmelo Reggi. There are further artwork to ogle, a few of which got here from the arms of native artist, Vlaho Bukovac. Extra on him to come back!
The Church of St. Nicholas is loose to seek advice from, despite the fact that be sure you steer clear of it all through services and products.
Night perspectives in Cavtat Croatia, by way of Shutterstock
See the Rector’s Palace
To not be at a loss for words with Dubrovnik’s extra well-known Rector’s Palace! Cavtat’s former Rector’s Palace is a a lot more modest construction containing the non-public artwork assortment and library of Baltazar Bogišić.
Bogišić was once born in Cavtat in 1834 and went directly to turn out to be a jurist and sociologist. You’ll undercover agent a statue of him out of doors the valuables. The villa is continuously known as the Bogišić Museum.
The villa peeps out from the fairway woodland and has photogenic colonnades and a courtyard pool. Works through the Croatian artist Vlaho Bukovac – some other Cavtat superstar – decorate the partitions as does one in every of Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers”.
The museum is open Monday thru Friday, 09:00 AM-1:00 PM. Tickets value 4 EUR (simply over $4 USD) and are offered at the door. You’ll be out and in inside the hour.
That bell tower in entrance is a part of the monastery.
Swing through the Franciscan Monastery
Devoted to Our Girl of the Snows, the Franciscan Monastery and Church is one in every of Cavtat’s most lovely landmarks. It’s some other harborside construction set in a cloistered lawn with the church positioned within the japanese wing.
After being constructed within the fifteenth century, the advanced was once rocked through an earthquake and sacked all through unrest. It went directly to function a garage unit and a publish administrative center prior to being returned to its unique function.
Vlaho Bukovac proficient his canvas of the Madonna to the church in August 1910.
Lots happen day-to-day, typically at 08:00 AM on weekdays and eight:00 PM on weekends. Portions of the compound are open to the general public out of doors of those instances.
There’s such a lot artwork in Bukovac’s area!
Talk over with the Area of Vlaho Bukovac
Now referred to as the Bukovac Area Museum, that is the place the Croatian artist was once born in 1855 and spent his formative years. Even if his paintings took him all over the world, it remained his house.
This 18th-century stone townhouse is split into two wings. Bukovac embellished the japanese wing with work of art as a present to his father. After his demise, his daughters remodeled a part of the home into an exhibition house.
It comprises 200 sketches, artwork, and private results that hint how his artwork improved and expose how he lived. I knew not anything about Bukovac once I visited, however I truly liked it!
The Bukovac Area Museum is open day-to-day between April 1 and December 31. Its hours are 10:00 AM-6:00 PM Monday to Saturday and 10:00 AM-2:00 PM on Sunday. All through the iciness, it’s open Tuesday to Saturday 09:00 AM-5:00 PM and Sunday 09:00 AM-12:00 PM. Admission is 5 EUR ($5.50 USD).
This little museum is easily value a quit in Cavtat.
Talk over with the Shell Museum (Glossus Humanus)
Whether or not you’re a science fan, interested by a wide variety of creatures, or the type of one that seems for the very best shells to take house, this museum is for you. Glossus Humanus is a family-run museum containing 3,500 varieties of shells from all seven oceans.
The exhibition additionally comprises artwork, sculptures, and gastropods.
Admission is 7 EUR ($7.50 USD) for a self-guided/audio excursion. Teams of 5 see this drop to ($5.50 USD). In truth, I believe this position is slightly overpriced for a way small it’s, however I’m satisfied I visited.
In case you’d like to e book a excursion with a “human” information, those value 40 EUR ($43 USD) for as much as 12 visitors. You’ll need to pre-book these tours.
The Shell Museum additionally runs a day-to-day guided excursion free of charge at 11:00 AM if you happen to take hold of a price tag prior to 10:50 AM.
It’s open Monday to Saturday 10:00 AM-4:00 PM in summer season and through appointment solely in iciness.
Sundown close to Cavtat Croatia, by way of Shutterstock
Stroll the Sustjepan Peninsula Path
Sustjepan is the smaller (and wilder) of the 2 peninsulas, positioned south of Cavtat. There aren’t any homes or retail outlets on Sustjepan and it’s cloaked in an fragrant pine woodland that just about smells like a sauna. It’s one of the vital absolute highlights of Cavtat for outdoorsy explorers.
There are paths winding during the greenery and alongside the coastline supplying epic bay perspectives towards Cavtat’s 3 islands. The trails are slender and rocky so that you’ll want shoes.
It takes round an hour to finish the Sustjepan loop. Take water, snacks, and a towel and make allowance additional time to benefit from the non violent nature.
Be aware that if you happen to entire the loop counterclockwise, you’ll finally end up within the grounds of Lodge Croatia Cavtat. It’s slightly complicated however a ways more straightforward to chop during the resort.
The Račić Mausoleum, by way of Kim Willems on Shutterstock
Talk over with the Račić Circle of relatives Mausoleum
Sometimes called Our Girl of the Angels, this relatives mausoleum is a part of the Saint Rocco Cemetery. It’s discovered on the easiest level of the Rat Peninsula at the website online of a former church, and it’s immediately recognizable in footage of town.
Captain Ivo Račić was once a sailor and transport entrepreneur who died tragically similtaneously his two youngsters after contracting Spanish flu. His widow, Marija, commissioned a somewhat unknown Croatian sculptor, Ivan Meštrović, to design the mausoleum.
After finishing the relatives memorial in 1922, Ivan Meštrović went directly to turn out to be a prominent architect. There’s a museum devoted to him in Cut up.
The mausoleum is an octagonal design with a coffered cupola and two chapels at the north and south facets. Without reference to whether or not you move inside of, the eye-popping perspectives on my own justify a day out to the cemetery.
It’s loose to seek advice from the cemetery and four EUR (simply over $4 USD) to go into the mausoleum.
Benefit from the view at Little Superstar, a well-liked seaside membership!
Veg out at a seaside membership
As there isn’t a ton to look and do in Cavtat, that’s all of the extra explanation why to get at ease in a seaside bar consuming up the Adriatic coast setting. Seaside golf equipment open from Would possibly till across the finish of October.
Beach Bar Little Star has an excellent location at the Cavtat Strolling Path with an excellent view of the Cavtat islands and killer sunsets. The bar serves cocktails and beer — meals may be very restricted right here, so don’t come hungry. Convey euros – it’s money solely.
Off the peninsula, you’ll discover a cluster of golf equipment close to Seaside Žal. The extremely laid-back Beach Bar Paradisum mixes wallet-friendly cocktails that hit the spot on a sizzling afternoon. They every now and then have are living track.
Lounge Bar Eve is your one-stop store for morning espresso and cocktails with a view. It has an excellent vibe well-liked by {couples} and households alike. They have got a stellar number of non-alcoholic drinks as neatly.
A relatively identical possibility, Beach Bar Cool is Žal’s northernmost watering hollow. Because it’s farther from town middle, it’s a patch quieter. 10/10 for the perspectives, beverages, and costs.
Cavtat has one of the vital clearest, most lovely waters in Dalmatia!
Chill out on the seaside
Cavtat’s seashores are scattered around the peninsulas and the mainland. Those have a tendency to be small coves with mild waves and, being Croatia, you must be expecting rock slabs and pebbles fairly than sandy seashores.
However don’t let the loss of sand put you off: Croatia is house to one of the vital clearest, maximum inviting waters in Europe. Simply carry your water sneakers for convenience.
But even so, you’ll be able to hire deckchairs for simply few euros, which is UNHEARD OF in Dubrovnik!
Different seashores have large stone slabs which might be fairly at ease with a towel and so they provide the feeling of a sizzling stone therapeutic massage as soon as heated through the solar.
Stay a watch out for indicators that say swimming isn’t accepted — you every now and then see those because of rocks and currents.
Revel in perspectives of Montenegro from Prevlaka! By way of Shutterstock.
Hike the Prevlaka Peninsula Path
Mountaineering past town middle is among the perfect issues to do in Cavtat when staying longer than an afternoon or two. There are clifftop trails connecting Cavtat with the coastal cities of Močići, Čilipi, and Radovčići. The vacationer administrative center within the Previous The town can advise you on the newest routes and prerequisites.
If in case you have a automobile condominium, you’ll be able to move all of the manner right down to the Prevlaka Peninsula. Croatia’s southernmost peninsula is a 35-minute force (21 miles) from Cavtat and is strewn with deserted bunkers and the stays of a castle. You’ll get an excellent view of Montenegro and the Bay of Kotor.
Those roads may do with slightly of TLC, however they’re completely drivable in an ordinary sedan.
By the way, Cape Oštro in Prevlaka marks the top of Croatia’s By way of Adriatica Path. This long-distance trek originates at Cape Kamenjak in Istria so you may come across weary but jubilant adventurers.
In case you’re this with regards to Dubrovnik, you’ll be able to’t omit it!
Take the boat to Dubrovnik for the day
In case you’re making Cavtat your base in southern Dalmatia, you’ll be able to simply plan an afternoon day out to Dubrovnik.
Boats attach Cavtat and Dubrovnik’s outdated the city all through summer season (April 1 thru November 1), and take round an hour every manner. The boat prices in the community of 20 EUR ($22 USD) round-trip.
Taking the boat is way more amusing than the bus and it spares you from having to park a condominium automobile in busy Dubrovnik (please don’t do this; riding in Dubrovnik is hellish and also you must steer clear of it).
I like to recommend getting the primary boat of the day to maximise time and walk round Dubrovnik’s partitions and plazas prior to it will get crowded. Strolling the partitions of Dubrovnik is a will have to, and I like to recommend doing that both early or past due, as there isn’t numerous colour and the noon solar may also be lovely oppressive.
The islands are a brief boat day out away.
Talk over with the Cavtat Islands
3 islands bob simply off the shore of the Rat and Sustjepan Peninsulas: Mrkan, Bobara, and Supetar. Again when Cavtat was once Epidaurus, Greeks would have surveyed and regulated motion out and in of the port from those isles.
There’s no longer a lot to look at the islands these days, bar a few ruined monasteries and watch towers. Then again, they’re numerous amusing to sail round through boat.
Over at the japanese facet of the Rat Peninsula, Gabriel Watersports is your first port of name for plotting an afternoon at sea. You’ll both constitution a personal boat with a skipper or hire a VEZ boat to seek advice from the Cavtat archipelago.
Leases value 100 EUR ($109 USD) for a part day or 150 EUR ($163 USD) which isn’t unhealthy in any respect when break up between a pair or small staff.
There are a number of different companies close to Seaside Žal working 3 island and cave boat cruises within the prime season.
I like the cafe lifestyles in Cavtat.
How A lot Time To Spend in Cavtat, Croatia
You solely want at some point to look the attractions of Cavtat — two if you happen to sought after to discover at a languid tempo, or if you happen to sought after to do one of the vital larger hikes. Even though, if you happen to’re searching for a mellow position to put low for a couple of days in Croatia, imagine spending longer right here.
The whole lot is walkable and you’ll be able to revel in leisurely mornings strolling the peninsula trails and swimming within the sea. Your euros will move a lot additional right here in comparison to different Adriatic coastal cities — even cities in Montenegro like Kotor, Perast, and Budva.
I’ve spent a LOT of time in Croatia during the last decade, visiting over maximum summers. And I discovered Cavtat to be an absolute satisfaction. THIS is where to loosen up and calm down in Croatia.
Cavtat’s a very simple position to get to.
How To Get To Cavtat, Croatia
Cavtat is well out there by way of street or boat from Dubrovnik. And wager what — it’s even nearer to Dubrovnik Airport than Dubrovnik itself!
As a result of this, some vacationers like to finish their journeys in Cavtat. (Do you NEED to stick in Cavtat to be with regards to the airport? I don’t assume so — it solely saves you, like, 20 mins of riding. Opting for Cavtat is an approach to life selection.)
Bus quantity 10 from Dubrovnik’s bus station in Gruž takes 40 mins to achieve Cavtat. Departures depart each and every half-hour all through summer season; test for updates at the Libertas Dubrovnik website.
Boats leave from the Previous The town Port from April 1 till November 1. Those are operated through Adriana Cavtat and typically quit on the island of Lokum. Sailings take between 45 mins and one hour and price 15 EUR (round $16 USD) every manner.
Dubrovnik Airport (formally Ruđer Bošković Airport) is simply an eight-minute force from Cavtat. Public buses and travel services and products function between the airport, Dubrovnik, and Cavtat.
Taxis value round 20 EUR ($21.50 USD) every manner.
Maximum resorts in Cavtat are apartment-style.
The place To Keep in Cavtat, Croatia
Cavtat, like maximum cities within the Balkans, is extra about holiday leases and aparthotels than resorts themselves. There are a few boutique resorts thrown into the combo, with new ones stoning up each and every summer season.
The nearer to Cavtat’s outdated the city and the waterfront, the costlier your lodging can be. You’ll get monetary savings through staying a brief stroll away, however take into account it’s a rather steep uphill climb out of the city!
Most sensible-Rated Luxurious Lodge in Cavtat: Splash out on a keep at Hotel Cavtat which has an implausible infinity-edge pool looking at over the bay. Stay prices down with an ordinary room, or splurge on a sea-view balcony. All charges come with breakfast and town middle is a brief walk down a manageable hill.
Most sensible-Rated Mid-Vary Lodge in Cavtat: Apartments Villa Lukas incorporates 12 sunny studios with kitchenettes and personal balconies. The way in which again is steep, however no longer the worst, and you’ll be able to cool off within the pool anyway. This upscale aparthotel additionally has a sauna, sizzling bathtub, and fitness center.
Most sensible-Rated Price range Lodge in Cavtat: Only a 10-minute stroll from the harbor and bus quit, Villa Tiha is a superb base with regards to the whole thing. It’s an older assets with a unfashionable vibe and a prime usual of convenience. Each and every studio has fundamental kitchenware and you’ll be able to upload breakfast for a cheap value. The house owners are sweethearts and they have got loose motorcycles.
Check out all hotels in Cavtat here.
Cavtat is made for summer season trip!
Absolute best Time To Talk over with Cavtat, Croatia
Like several of Croatia, Cavtat may be very a lot a summer season vacation spot. Summer season is longer in southern Dalmatia so that you’ll in finding balmy climate from past due Would possibly till the center of October.
The majority of the crowds sweep in between past due June and early September. Cavtat isn’t any place close to as busy because the hotspots of Dubrovnik, Hvar, and Cut up, however it’s well-liked by vacationers from the Balkans and Central Europe. Costs escalate in top season.
Overdue Would possibly and early June is usually a nice time to seek advice from for a quieter enjoy in Cavtat. I’m partial to past due September and even early October because the water is hotter right now of yr.
Winters are fairly chilly in Dalmatia, and the boats between Dubrovnik and Cavtat come to a detailed. You’ll nonetheless get round through street and Cavtat has extra happening compared to the islands. I might come right here for a quiet workation, however don’t be expecting a lot to be happening!
Learn Extra: Absolute best Time to Talk over with Croatia
Come to Cavtat to calm down!
Is Cavtat Price It?
I’m so satisfied I were given to spend this time in Cavtat! After visiting such a lot of of the extra fashionable portions of Croatia — maximum of them busy, research-oriented journeys — Cavtat was once the place I did Croatia the best way maximum vacationers do.
I chilled. I strolled. I loved the sundown with an ice cream in hand.
Isn’t that how a summer season day out must be? Cavtat gave me the reward of rest.
Making plans a Travel to Croatia:
Croatian Islands and the Dalmatian Coast:
Istria and the North:
Have you ever been to Cavtat? Proportion your pointers!
