jbtk155

My husband and I will be going to Croatia and Montenegro leaving from NYC and arriving in Croatia on September 12. We love art, architecture, nature, and history. I was initially thinking about flying direct to Dubrovnik and using that as a home base for 4 days. I am concerned about the reports of huge crowds and cruise ship passengers filling the city during the day. Have the crowds thinned by that time of year? If not what might be your suggestions for another home base city. Any input would be appreciated. I would like no more than two flights from NYC to our final destination.

Travel_Nerd

I'll be honest, no. I've been to Dubrovnik twice, both in September and it is pretty crowded. Maybe not August levels but still very busy.

With that having been said, you can do your best to plan around it. If you stay in Stari Grad or as near it as you can and get an early start, you can enjoy the city before the day trippers arrive from the ports. If you want to do the Walls and Lovrijenac Fortress, do them early. The Walls open at 8am (but check) and getting an early start has the advantage of beating the crowds and the humidity a little.

Dubrovnik is MUCH more enjoyable after the cruise day trippers have left in the late afternoon, which is why I suggest to stay close to Stari Grad if you can. However, if you will have a car (advantageous for traveling outside Dubrovnik), parking might be an issue. One tip is to make dinner reservations. I travel solo and I had problems with finding a table even in the evenings.

On days where there is heavy cruise docks, consider doing things that may have less impact on the Stari Grad of Dubrovnik itself: Elephati islands, Lokrum Island, perhaps ferry to Cavtat.There are some museums in Dubrovnik, but really do not recall much centered around art (there are two devoted to/centered around the War - probably not what you're looking for. However, an extremely moving exhibit is the War Photo Limited - iirc).

Basing there for 4 nights (3 full days sightseeing) gives you those options.5 nights would give you 4 full days in the area.

If you do Montenegro, you may need more time but that depends on what you want to achieve. If it is just a day trip, your time should be fine but you may need more if you want to explore Montenegro more. If you have a car, be mindful of the border crossings - traffic can still be busy in September. Traffic around Kotor Bay might be heavy (one lane highway in both directions). Kotor is also very pleasant once the day trippers (both cruise and Dubrovnik wheeled) have left for the day.

jbtk155

Thank you for your quick reply. Your suggestions are very thoughtful and helpful. I wonder if there is a way to find out if and when cruise ships dock in Dubrovnik. I guess September is not longer off season.
If you had to pick another city to use as home base....do you have any suggestions?

We are planning on staying in Montenegro for at least 5 nights and perhaps doing some relaxation instead of totally touring.

Travel_Nerd

It depends on what you want to achieve. If you want to be out and doing "things", bigger of the cities have the most options for that such as Dubrovnik or Split but it comes at the price of crowds. Smaller areas might have more relaxing and may be quieter - but have less to "do." Based upon your original post, Dubrovnik or Split (farther from Montenegro) would fit that bill better.

There may be a more comprehensive schedule via the respective Croatian ports (maybe try Google for the port Gruz). Otherwise, try here: https://www.cruisemapper.com/ports
I'd check Montenegro while you're at it.

Are you married to the idea of early/mid September? Assuming you have not booked flights, you could always go later in the month or early October.

rialtogrl

Mid September will definitely still be busy. Besides cruise ships, you’ve got bus tours, people coming because of Game of Thrones, etc.

but as TravelNerd said you can avoid the worst of it. I don’t like staying inside the walls, personally, I like staying just outside near Ploče gate. But you can’t really have a car unless you stay some distance, like a couple kilometers away.. like Lapad. But you can find plenty to do without a car.

In Montenegro it will still be a bit busy but starting to wind down. If you rent a car in Dubrovnik, you will have to bring it back - better to try to fly into Dubrovnik and out of Podgorica, get someone to drive you to Kotor, and pick up a car there. The only problem with Podgorica is it is not served by as many airlines as Dubrovnik is.

jbtk155

The dates are the dates unfortunately! We are traveling with another couple. They are leaning toward Dubrovnik and I am sure we will make the most of it. We will just have to come back. The cruise ship link was extremely informative. Thank you. Any recommendations for tour guides....or drivers?

jbtk155

Thank you for your response. I am now about to look for hotels. Fussy group....so fitness room and pool a must. Looks like many to choose from. Appreciate the Forum...always full of helpful information.

rialtogrl

A pool and a fitness center will limit you, in general, to hotels in the newer part of town.

my go-to for transfers is Applicon Tours
:: APPLICON TOURS ::

For tours and guides, you could contact Silvija at Allegra tours. She also arranges transfers but I’ve never book one of those through her.

https://www.allegra-travel.com

She has contacts with boats who can do lunch on islands.. stuff like that. She is awesome.