Banje, Lokrum & the Rocks Below the Walls

Drop your bags at your hotel, change into your swimsuit, and forget you ever had a carry-on. The sea is already calling.

Banje sits just outside the Ploče Gate with a front-row view of the Old City walls rising from the water. Spread out on the pebbles, wade in slowly or dive straight off the rocks — either way the panorama is absurd. This is your proper landing in Dubrovnik: swim, float on your back, stare at the ramparts.

Pull yourself off the beach and walk through Ploče Gate into the Old Town. Kamenice has been shucking oysters and frying fish on Gundulićeva Poljana square for decades — order whatever came out of the sea this morning and eat at the outdoor tables while the afternoon light slants across the square.

A brief, unhurried look at the Renaissance arch of Ploče Gate — the eastern entrance to the city. You walked through it wet from the sea an hour ago; now pause to notice the drawbridge, the carved stone, the people streaming in and out. It earns thirty seconds of attention.

On Prijeko.

Bellevue is reached by a staircase cut into the cliff west of the Old Town, which means the pebble cove below stays sheltered and quieter than most. The water is deep and clear right off the shore — good for a long, unhurried swim before the heat peaks. Bring a book for the climb back up.

A short walk from Bellevue brings you to Nautika, perched at the base of Lovrijenac with terraces that jut out over the sea wall. The kitchen leans on Adriatic seafood prepared with real care. It's the meal you dress (slightly) for — but after a morning swim, nothing feels like too much effort.

Right next door to lunch, Lovrijenac sits on a 37-metre cliff above the sea — a detached fortress that guarded the western approach to the city. Walk up, look out from the ramparts over the coastline you swam this morning, and let the breeze dry you out completely before the afternoon beach.

A short walk west of Lovrijenac, Danče is a sequence of flat rocks and small concrete platforms where locals have been sunbathing and diving since forever. It's unpretentious and lovely — bring your own towel, pick a rock, jump in, repeat. The views back toward the walls are some of the finest you'll get from the water.

Set into the top of the city walls above the old harbour, 360° offers one of the most dramatic dinner settings in Dalmatia — the sea on one side, the rooftops on the other. The menu is ambitious and the kitchen delivers. Linger over dessert until the harbour lights come on.

Small ferries run from the Old Harbour to the car-free island of Lokrum throughout the morning. Buy a return ticket at the dock and cross — it's a short hop across flat water.

Lokrum's coastline breaks into rocky coves, flat ledges and one small lagoon known as the Dead Sea — slightly salty and glassy-calm, perfect for floating. Wander the paths between swims, find a quieter rock away from the main landing point, and spend a full morning doing absolutely nothing useful. The island belongs entirely to swimmers and pine trees.

Take the return ferry to the Old Harbour and walk to Marangun — a straightforward, honest restaurant a short way from the waterfront. It's the kind of place that suits a sun-tired appetite: good fish, no fuss, tables you can linger at.

The loggia and Gothic-Renaissance façade of Sponza Palace closes the northern end of the Old Harbour square. Step inside — it has served as customs house, mint and archive, and the courtyard is cool and quiet at this hour. Then let yourself drift down the Stradun without any plan at all.

East of Banje, St. Jakov is reached by a long staircase from the road above — which keeps it calmer than its neighbours. The pebble beach sits beneath high cliffs with clear water that goes from turquoise to deep blue a few strokes out. Take your time. This is the last proper swim of the trip.

One of the Old Town's long-standing seafood addresses, Proto earns its reputation with fish grilled simply and well, and a terrace on the first floor that catches the evening air. Order the catch of the day, raise a glass of Pelješac rosé, and let Dubrovnik show you its best side one last time.

End the trip the right way: a cocktail at Coral Beach Club on the walking trail, with the sea dark and close beneath you. The music is low enough to talk over, the drinks are cold, and there's nowhere you need to be in the morning. Almost.