Dubrovnik Nightlife
A Guide for after-the-dark hours
~ Nightlife: noćni život [not͡ɕ[ni ʒiʋot]
Did you manage to pronounce that? You did? You didn’t? Either way, don’t bother too much, as you’ll never hear the locals use such a literal term. Instead, they’ll casually ask: ‘Idemo vanka večeras?’, meaning simply: ‘Are we going out tonight?’
Most locals have a pre-charted Dubrovnik nightlife route, crafted carefully over their many years of enjoying the local bar scene. Most often, it includes the Dubrovnik Old Town, as a major part of Dubrovnik nightlife takes place in the historic center. Bursting with bars, clubs and restaurants, events and people, the Old Town is the place to be year-round. Locals come there a lot, but summers bring some open-air venues into the mix. Check out our suggestions for a night out on Dubrovnik.
GET THE PARTY STARTED: THE EARLY HOURS
Buža Bars
~ Dubrovnik’s ‘hole in the wall’ bars
The two famous Dubrovnik cliff bars cling onto the southern side of the City Walls, surrounded in jagged rocks and flirting with the open sea. There’s in fact two Buža Bars, the fancier Bard Bar and the more rustic Cold Drinks Buža. To find them, walk around the Dubrovnik Cathedral and head up Pobijana Street. Bard Buža Bar will come up past Azur restaurant on your left, while the Cold Drinks Buža, the pioneer of cliff bars in Dubrovnik, sits a bit further up the same street. Sunset at Buža Bars means finding yourself face-to-face with the horizon, although probably not one-on-one as these bars are quite popular. Grab a beer or a glass of wine, and immerse into the full-screen version of the daily melt down.
FIND ON MAP
PHONE: +385 98 361 934
Panorama Bar
~ A drink with Dubrovnik Old Town beneath you
GET DIRECTIONS | PHONE: +385 20 312 664
Bay of Lapad (loc. Uvala Lapad)
~ A beer, a beach, a sun down.
Cave Bar More
~ A drink inside a rock.
Even when lulled in by long beach hours, do the promenade along the northern shores of the Bay of Lapad. Trust us – one of the most popular and most unique bars in Dubrovnik sits right here: Cave bar More. While you’ll definitely want to hypnotize the sunset from the outside terrace, as dark takes over, retract through a passage carved in rock. Inside you’ll find a real cave with barren stone walls and modern seating areas, plus one definite highlight – a high cocktail table on a see-through platform over a plunging natural opening. Enjoy a drink in this highly unique environment.
GET DIRECTIONS | PHONE: +385 20 494 200
** Tips on an evening in Uvala Lapad
Grab a bite in Uvala Lapad
On-the-go: Tutto Bene, by the tennis courts on Uvala Lapad promenade. Superb fries, rich tortillas and kebabs, sumptuous pizza by the slice.
An evening to remember: Presenting LUMA Restaurant & Lounge
Midway through Uvala Lapad main strip, you’ll find the restaurant Luma and its wonderful open-air terrace, shaded in wild chestnuts and spectacular magnolia trees. With live music and a romantic, but cool atmosphere, dishes here come sprinkled with times to remember.
** Lunch highlights: wonderfully spiced pork ribs in their Sandwich before swimming and Dry Age Burger in a homemade bun.
** If you’re treating yourself to a dinner, don’t miss the Surf and Turf tartare or the sous vide pork belly.
GET DIRECTIONS
PHONE: +385 20 436 010
Dubrovnik Beach Clubs
While you’ll find that many Dubrovnik beaches have either a restaurant or a bar or both attached, not many will refer to themselves as Dubrovnik beach clubs. Still, the few exceptions to the rule do it well, so hop on over for a beach day!
Banje Beach Club
~ Dubrovnik beach club with the most remarkable view.
GET DIRECTIONS
PHONE: +385 20 412 220
Coral Beach Club in Dubrovnik area of Lapad
~ This Dubrovnik beach club takes you away from the hustle and bustle.
OUT ON THE TOWN AFTER DARK
Nightlife in Dubrovnik Old Town
All glitzy of light and its reflections, Dubrovnik Old Town sparks up at night. Cruiser crowds are now gone, and the ones who stay get rewarded with this charming setting at its best. Stradun shines brightly, and vivacious murmur echoes in the air, interrupted only by predictably loud beats of the Bell Clock tower. While grandiose palaces stand theatrical and ostentatious along the main street, narrow side streets pulse with chatter and music.
You might notice lights in some of the windows above: this is a residential quarter, so remember to be kind when you party. There’s people who need to get up for work around the time when you might be going to bed. Be mindful of their destiny!
Must-try Local Grape Varieties
Pošip:
an authentic white sort from the island of Korčula, Pošip is the perfect wine for all who like whites with an intense character. The villages of Smokvice and Čara (on Korčula) are the kingdoms of Pošip, so look for these locations when tasting. Served at many restaurants
Dingač:
Dingač is, in fact, Plavac Mali grape wine-growing position on the southern slopes of the Pelješac peninsula. Enjoying ample Adriatic sun, the barren, steep and challenging terrain creates bold and full bodied wines for the mighty, so for the best experience, couple Dingač with strong cheese and prosciutto, or red meat. Savor at Skaramuča wine bar in Dubrovnik Old Town.
Postup:
another Pelješac peninsula position on the southern shores, Postup enjoys quite the same sun as Dingač, but is a bit more flat and bit more easy on the workers. To understand what Postup is all about, get a glass at Matuško Wine Bar.
D’Vino Wine Bar in Dubrovnik Old Town
~ Relaxed and charming
GET DIRECTIONS
PHONE: +385 20 321 130
Razonoda Wine Bar in Dubrovnik Old Town
~ Upscale and elegant
Matuško Wine Bar
~ From the finest spots in Pelješac peninsula
Matuško, the region’s largest wine producer has his vineyards in Ponikve on the peninsula of Pelješac, known as Dubrovnik wine empire. His most prized wines come from two locations which have enjoyed the ‘protected geographical origin’ status for over 5 decades: Postup and Dingač. But as his vinery is a two-hour drive from Dubrovnik, Matuško brought his wines closer to larger audiences by opening a wine bar in Dubrovnik Old Town, on Prijeko Street. Serving his wines exclusively, Postup and Dingač are not to be missed, as they linger boldly on your palate, are well-balanced and leave a memorable aftertaste. If you’re looking for something lighter, try the owner’s little quirk, the sparkling wine Don Mateo.
La Bodega
~ Comes with a perfect view
GET DIRECTIONS
PHONE: +385 98 904 8469
Must-try Local Wineries
1. Miloš (Pelješac peninsula)
2. Saints Hills (Pelješac peninsula)
3. Crvik (Konavle valley)
4. Birre (Korčula island)
5. Skaramuča (Pelješac peninsula)
10 Cool Bars in Dubrovnik Old Town: Something for Everybody
Nightlife in Dubrovnik Old Town boils down to bar hopping between small locales with exuberant personalities. From street to street, from square to square, innumerable venues promise to chaperone you into the night. In the summers, this means squished interiors, packed side streets, and a whole lot of good times. The tiny area within the City Walls, one kilometer square, serves so many different options that it is important to know what you are looking for: fancy setting, people watching or cheap drinks.
Điravanje:
walking up and down the main thoroughfare Stradun to see and be seen: doing a couple of djirs. From djir, from Italian il giro (n) – round. Popular with true locals, sweethearts, romantics, window shoppers, chatter-boxes, girls and random visitors, strolling up and down Dubrovnik’s main street charms unselectively. It may seem crazy to just go up and down a street, but look down, eye-level and up to see the many perspectives.
Best Clubs in Dubrovnik
In the summers, the Old Town is happening until 2am at the latest, but things get significantly quieter thereafter. With special licenses required for bars to work later like clubs, most places choose to remain simple Dubrovnik bars. Hours of operations are under City regulation and hence vary throughout the year, but typically expect the bars to stay open until midnight outside of the tourist season and until 2am in the peak summer. After closing, head out to one of Dubrovnik clubs.
Revelin Culture Club in Dubrovnik Old Town
With programs ranging from student parties in the winter period, to hip international electronica names in the summers, Culture Club Revelin attracts mixed audiences with one common trait – love for great parties. In the summers, Revelin stays open until 6 am every night.
Club Lazareti Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik Summer Festival
Dubrovnik’s internationally renowned festival takes place each year between July 10 and August 25, bringing together actors, musicians and dancers from the whole world in a mission of turning the entire Dubrovnik into an open-air scene. Theatre performances, classical music concerts, opera, ballet and drama all take place in a variety of Dubrovnik’s most spectacular locations: the Rector’s Palace, Revelin and Lovrijenac fortresses, the island of Lokrum and many more. Definitely a superbly unique way of starting your evening out and about, if visiting Dubrovnik during this period, make sure to check the Dubrovnik Summer Festival program.
DUBROVNIK SUMMER FESTIVAL PROGRAM
We hope you have enjoyed in Dubrovnik nightlife, travel guide by Culture Club Revelin. To have the best time while in Dubrovnik make sure to check out our guide on Things to Do in Dubrovnik featuring top Dubrovnik attractions, must do things in the old town and some unforgettable Dubrovnik tours.
- PHOTO COPYRIGHTSCave Bar, Lapad bay – Photo by S J Pinkney
D’Vino Bar – Photo by currystrumpet
Lazareti nightclub – Photo by tomislavmedak