The Cable Car in Dubrovnik (And the Restaurant You Don’t Want to Miss!)

The cable car in Dubrovnik immediately caught my attention when researching things to do in Dubrovnik. Known as the Pearl of the Adriatic, the historic city of Dubrovnik, Croatia sits on a hill along the Adriatic Sea. While there are many vantage points around the city that offer incredible views, the panoramic view that you can get from the cable car in Dubrovnik is hard to beat making it a must-do item on every travelers Dubrovnik bucket list.

This post may contain affiliate links.

History of the Cable Car in Dubrovnik

The cable car in Dubrovnik was built in 1969 and began transporting visitors to the top of Mount Srd. Sadly, the cable car was destroyed when Dubrovnik was attacked in 1991 during the war. The horrific violence was part of the Yugoslav Wars, a series of ethnic conflict that broke out during and after the breakup of Yugoslavia.

Without getting too off topic I want to comment on how devastating the violence was during the 1990s in Croatia and its neighboring countries. Before I depart on a trip I strive to educate myself as much as possible on the history of the destination I will be visiting. During this trip to Dubrovnik I also visited Bosnia and Montenegro, both of which share a border with Croatia. To prepare for my trip to Dubrovnik I watched hours of documentaries and read a number of books to fully understand the conflict and devastation of the war.

I say all of this because Dubrovnik is a stunning seaside city, full of views that make you feel like you’re living in a postcard. The Old Town feels like a fairytale. Its beauty is astonishing. At the same time, this city and region of the world suffered heartbreaking violence in my lifetime. Learning what happened it was hard to wrap my mind around the fact that this all occurred during my childhood yet I never learned about it in school.

Before planning this trip I honestly had hardly any knowledge of the severity of the war. I make a point to mention this now because as travelers I believe it’s important, and benefits us, to enjoy these beautiful places but also have a firm understanding of the hardships and tragedies that have shaped a destination and its people. Understanding these backstories beforehand always enriches my travel experiences and creates a more meaningful, deep connection between myself as a visitor and the place I am trying to connect with.

For more information on the war and what happened in this part of the world in the 1990s, I recommend these books:

It took years for the city and region to recover from the damage of the war, and in many places that damage is still very apparent. As for the cable car in Dubrovnik, the repair project was funded and it was finally able to reopen in 2010 allowing visitors to once again take it the stunning views as well as learn more about Dubrovnik’s painful past.

Riding the Cable Car in Dubrovnik

The cable car transports up to 32 passengers to the top of Mount Srd in less than four minutes. The ride is a total distance of meters from the ground station to the top of the hill. The cable car system is reversible and runs on a one-wire track when traveling in each direction—pretty fascinating and also freaks me out a bit when I put too much thought into to.

Passengers can board the cable car just a few minutes away from the Old Town. If you search “Dubrovnik Cable Car” on Google Maps you will see that it’s located incredibly close, just a bit up hill. You can follow the road for a short walk or there is a walkway of stairs if you follow Hvarska ul and Cavtatska ul from right outside Ploce Gate. The stairway involved in bit more cardio but the walk is still only a few minutes.

I’ve read that some people choose to hike to the top of Mount Srd because they do not want to pay to ride the cable car. Personally I am not familiar with what that entails, but looking up at the hill I can tell you it was honestly something I had zero interest in trying. The hill is incredibly rocky, not to mention it was super hot when I visited. So yeah, no thanks on the hike. What I did was take the cable car up one way, where I later went to dinner (more info on dinner later in this post), and then after dinner a cab took me back to Dubrovnik.

Schedule and Prices to Ride the Cable Car in Dubrovnik

The cable car hours vary depending on the time of the year. As you may expect, the cable car operates longer hours in the peak summer season when the weather is nice and tourists fill Dubrovnik. It does run all year though as long as the weather permits, so you don’t have to worry about missing out on the opportunity to ride the cable car in Dubrovnik if you happen to visit during the offseason. For current hours and entry fees check the Dubrovnik Cable Car website.

If you visit Dubrovnik during peak season know that there will likely be a line to board the cable car. I noticed that charter buses pull up and drop off travelers who are visiting on cruise ships, so sometimes there will be a swarm of people all trying to get in line at once.

While one option is to try and ride the cable car first thing in the morning when it opens at 9 a.m., to potentially avoid the crowds, my personal choice is to time my cable car ride with the sunset. Check the weather on your phone and see what time the sun will be setting. I knew that I wanted to be at the top of  the mountain during the final hour before the sun set, so I planned the rest of my timing with that goal in mind.

Shooting Photos at the top of Mount Srd

It’s fair to assume that most visitors want to ride the cable car in Dubrovnik for the views. With that you have people like myself and I’m sure plenty of you who are also interested in the photography aspect of it. Dubrovnik is a goldmine for taking beautiful photos and I could not wait to get to the top with my camera.

The views are stunning without a doubt, so it’s not hard to get a decent photo. I’m often asked though why my photos look a certain way and how that is achieved, so I thought I’d share a few quick notes on my photography mindset and in this case directly related to my experience riding the cable car to the top of Mount Srd.

• Lighting! I needed to yell that because it’s a big one. When people ask me why my photos look like this but theirs looks like that, it’s usually very obvious that we were shooting in completely different lighting. As I mentioned above I made an intentional point to get to the top of Mount Srd within the hour before sunset. Now that decision wasn’t made solely because I want to watch the sun go down. That’s nice and all, but I selected that timing mostly to take advantage of the best photo lighting.
• People are everywhere, just accept it. Of course everyone would love a shot of themselves with the beautiful backdrop without a bunch of other excited tourists with cameras and selfie sticks scattering around in the background. If you are visiting during peak season and especially during sunset, you are not going to have the hill to yourself. Take a deep breath, accept it, shoot your photos, and you can remove the people in the background at home when you edit if it bothers you that much. Immediately below you will see a photo where I edited out all of the people. The rest of the photos in this post I left just as they were shot.
• If you really want some alone time and shots without people, I did end up stumbling upon a secondary option after I already did my round of sunset photos. As I left walking down the road towards to head to a restaurant (more details coming on that) I found that there are still good views a few hundred yards away where no other visitors seem to walk. If you are facing the mountain and go right down the road you will find a few spots that offer the view in the photo below.
  
  

READ THIS NEXT: The most Instagram-Worthy Photo Spots in Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dinner at Konoba Dubrava

Ok, so the cable car experience in Dubrovnik gets major bonus points because it led to one of my favorite dining experiences of my trip. Konoba Dubrava serves traditional Dalmatian-style dishes. It is located in a small village called Bosanka in the hills above Dubrovnik. Generally to get to Konoba Dubrava you would need to drive or take a taxi, but I mapped it out in advance and noticed it was a straight shot walking from the top of Mount Srd.

The walk was about a mile from where the cable car dropped off to the restaurant, so I was sure to start heading that way before it was dark out. The walk is entirely rural and quiet, often with more great views of the sea. If you’re up for it and the weather is nice, the walk is actually quite enjoyable. Eventually you approach the start of the village where you will see some homes and signage marking and honoring tragic war events.

Soon enough you’ll approach a sign that tells you you’ve arrived at the restaurant. Walk down a short gravel lane and you’ll find the most charming open-air dining area you’ve ever seen. Everything about the space is warm and welcoming; it feels like you’re eating in someone’s home.

[one_half][/one_half][one_half_last][/one_half_last][one_half][/one_half][one_half_last][/one_half_last]

What to Eat at Konoba Dubrava

Most of the research I do before a trip is on where to eat. I read somewhere about peka, a traditional Croatian dish from the Dalmatian region. A peka is a huge baking dish with a bell-shaped dome lid that is covered with hot coals and cooked over an open fire. The dish consists of meat and vegetables and is very simply prepared. Besides the meat and veggies, the only ingredients used are things like olive oil, wine, garlic, and herbs.

The meat produces its own juice under the hot bell and the juice soaks and flavors the veggies. Lamb and octopus are two classic meat dishes that are cooked peka-style, then accompanied by delicious potatoes that absorb everything in the bell. This dish alone is why I had to dine at Konoba Dubrava when I was in Dubrovnik.

IMPORTANT! If you also want to experience the deliciousness that is peka lamb you need to plan ahead. Part of the reason, ok maybe most of the reason, that this dish is so tasty is because it cooks for hours under the hot iron bell in all of that juicy goodness. Because it cooks for hours, that means you can’t just show up for dinner and be like, “hi, I want some peka lamb, please.” Not going to work. You need to order this dish in advance so that the kind folks at Konoba Dubrava can have it prepared for you.

Good news—you can email the restaurant before you even leave for your trip. I know very well that in the midst of traveling it’s hard to make arrangements, not knowing if you’ll have internet, cell service, etc. So all you need to do to have a dining experience like I did is contact the restaurant in advance via email or the contact form on the Konoba Dubrava website. Send them a message and tell them what day and time you’d like to dine and which peka dish you want to order. I did this over two months in advance, mostly because I get really excited and anxious, and everything was ready to go when I arrived like eight weeks later for dinner.

In addition to eating the peka dish that I’ve now successfully rambled about for two paragraphs, I highly recommend the octopus salad and some of the homemade grappa if you’re down to booze a bit. Octopus salad all day, every day is one of the things I loved most about my time in Dubrovnik. But the moral of the story here is do not pass on the chance to eat at Konoba Dubrava. It’s a Dubrovnik travel experience you will not forget.

READ THIS NEXT: Everywhere I ate during my time in Dubrovnik, Croatia

Other Dubrovnik Cable Car Activities

Once you ride the cable car to the top of Mount Srd, there are a couple other things you can do along with the obvious photos and dinner at Konoba Dubrava.

Fort Imperial and Museum of Homeland War

Atop Mount Srd sits Fort Imperial, a historically significant site that has served to defend Dubrovnik over the last couple hundred years. It’s apparent to see why this location makes perfect sense, offering views for tens of miles out over the Adriatic Sea. Activity at Fort Imperial began in the early 1800s when the French occupied Dubrovnik, yet its importance was revived in 1991 when Dubrovnik was surrounded by the Montenegrins and Serbs.

The fortress was severely damaged on December 6, 1991, a tragic day for the city of Dubrovnik when both civilians and defenders lost their lives. Fort Imperial now houses a museum of the Homeland War with documents, photographs, and items from this period of time.

Looking for a place to stay in Dubrovnik? Click here to check hotel pricing and availability for some gorgeous hotels.

Like it  ? Share it  !

[one_half][/one_half][one_half_last][/one_half_last]