Dubrovnik had been somewhere we had wanted to visit for a very long time. Vicky had previously visited Split and fallen in love with Croatia and Mr ESLT’s love of Game of Thrones made the country worthy of a place on our bucket list. Therefore, when we booked a trip to Montenegro last summer, it made sense to include a couple of days in Dubrovnik into the mix. We timed our visit to coincide with Mr ESLT’s brother’s visit too. There are a number of organised tours from Montenegro to Dubrovnik, however most are simply day trips. As we wanted to spend 2 days in Dubrovnik, we decided to make our own way there using public transport. Therefore we took the bus from Budva to Dubrovnik.
Booking Tickets
A simple google revealed that the journey was easy enough. We simply had to jump on a coach from Budva (the town where we were staying) bus station which would take us directly to Dubrovnik bus station. As we were travelling in July, we thought it would be best to pre-book our tickets. We did not want to run the risk of trying to buy them on the day at the bus station. We therefore used GetByBus to book our return tickets. The process was simple and took less than 5 minutes. Well maybe longer for us as we checked and double checked dates, times, destination etc. about a million time to ensure we had it correct.
Cost of Tickets and What’s Included
Different departure times cost different amounts. We opted for the 9.30am bus from Budva which cost 150HRK (approximately £17.75) each. With the 5.30pm from Dubrovnik return the next day which costs 90HRK (approximately £10.65) each. The bus also makes stops at Tivat and Kotor. Therefore if you fancy making the same trip but are based closed to either of those towns taking the bus is still a great option. Bearing in mind each leg of the journey takes 3 hours (or at least that’s what they tell you – however it took us nearly 4 and that was with a smooth border crossing), we thought less than £30 each return was a bargain.
The price included the option to put a bag in the storage compartment under the bus. We didn’t need to do this as we simply took a small backpack with us each but great if you want to make the journey with a big piece of luggage. It did not however include a seat reservation. Therefore, we had to move a number of times as people got on the bus as we were sat in their seats. It wasn’t a problem as the bus wasn’t full. Therefore we still managed to grab two seats together.
Departing Budva
The bus station is relatively central in the town, making it walkable from wherever you are staying. As we mistimed it, we had to jump in a taxi from our hotel, Avala Resort Hotel, which only cost 5. If you book through GetByBus, like we did, it’s vital that you print your tickets off. Once you arrive at the bus station you must then show the printed ticket to the cashier and then pay an additional 6 each to be let through the barrier. It seemed like a bit of a scam but we had to pay it if we wanted to get on the bus. We did not have to pay any additional fee on the return trip. There is a shop at Budva bus station and we’d recommend picking up a drink and some snacks for the journey if you get the chance.
The Coach
The coach was fine, not the worst, yet not the best we’ve ever been on. But it did the job. I was quite comfortable. Some of the seats were stuck in the recline position. Therefore we stayed clear of both them and the one behind them. USB ports would have been welcome, however we were fine without as we always carry our power bank with us anyway.
Border Crossing
We had been warned about the border crossing between Montenegro and Croatia and been told to expect it to take in excess of an hour. Maybe we visited on a ‘good’ day because it took 20 minutes tops. We were all asked to get off the bus one by one and approach the border booth with our passports. Following a couple of questions (and a bit of mocking about the World Cup – Croatia had just knocked England out) we were asked to walk to a pickup area and wait for the bus. A couple of people had their bags searched and if we remember rightly one guy was patted down. It was nothing to intrusive or annoying. We had a similar experience on the return journey. Therefore the border crossing were not a problem for us at all.
Arriving in Dubrovnik
As Dubrovnik is a walled city, there are very few vehicles allowed in it, including coaches. Therefore the bus station is on the outskirts of the main tourist centre of the city. To walk it would take 40(ish) minutes. If it had not been over 30 degrees and we weren’t meeting Mr ESLT’s brother, we may have attempted it. However, instead we jumped in a taxi (there were loads waiting) and headed to the main gate – Pile Gate. The taxi cost 10 which we were more than happy to pay. On the return leg we simply headed to where we had been dropped off. There were plenty of taxis waiting there and we grabbed one back to the bus station with no problem.
It was a really easy process. Apart from the sometimes questionable driving it was actually pretty enjoyable. We are very glad we opted to make our own way to Dubrovnik from Budva instead of taking an organised trip, but as with everything to do with travel – each to their own.
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