Family Friendly Travel Guide to Cavtat Croatia

I remember the first time I heard of Cavtat. I was discussing travel with my Serbian colleague and telling her how much I wanted to visit Dubrovnik. She asked if I had heard of Cavtat; and that she thought it suited my kind of travel more. That was how my research into visiting this gem on the Adriatic Sea began. In this family friendly travel guide to Cavtat, Croatia, I will share our epic trip and everything we got up to. 

When you think of Croatia, you most likely immediately assume Dubrovnik because it is the most popular city in the country. The TV hit series, Game of Thrones brought about a new wave of fandom and ever since, that part of the world has become one of the most visited summer destinations in Europe.

Why visit Cavtat?

Being the town next to popular Dubrovnik means that the latter mostly steals all the shine. However, Cavtat is a powerhouse on its own. Cavtat is actually only 15 mins from Dubrovnik’s International airport which is most likely the airport you would fly into if visiting Dubrovnik. This makes it closer to the airport than Dubrovnik’s main town. Cavtat is also only 45 mins to Dubrovnik (by boat or taxi), less than an hour from Montenegro’s border and 3 hours to Split. Infact, it is the perfect location to stay if you plan to hop around Croatia.

Cavtat is especially perfect if you are travelling with kids. It is a gorgeous town with a slower paced lifestyle and has that little fishing village feel about. There is also a small playground in Cavtat for kids to play; located a few steps from the harbour.

Cavtat is mostly know for its timeless Old town, Mediterranean restaurants and stunning coastline.

Where to stay in Cavtat

For the most wonderful stay, the best hotel to stay in Cavtat is Hotel Croatia by Adriatic Luxury hotel groups. This was where we stayed and our room was a sea view room with a balcony. It was hands down the best decision we made for this trip since we spent a lot of time in the hotel. 

About Hotel Croatia, Cavtat

Hotel Croatia is built into a cliff and is only 20 mins from the Dubrovnik airport.

We were on the sunset side of the hotel so we spent a lot of the evenings watching the sun set on the Adriatic sea from our bedroom. Our baby had a cot placed in the room, Mr E and I had a king-sized bed. 

Hotel Croatia is locally owned and family friendly. It has an indoor and outdoor pool, a spa, its own beach, buggies to drive you to and fro the port. Our breakfast was buffet style with a menu to choose from as well. It is one of those hotels that you don’t necessarily have to leave for the day if you don’t want to. A full part of your Croatian experience. 

The staff was lovely; always so kind and they helped organise all our day trips and taxis. One thing you realise when you travel with a baby is how much room service you will order on your trip. So for us, the room service menu is one of the most important things to look out for. Hotel Croatia was fantastic. Most evenings, after we put our daughter in bed, Mr E and I would order room service and just chill on the balcony. 

The best family friendly things to do in Cavtat, Croatia

1. The Old town

There is no doubt that if there is an Old town, you would be sure that I will find it and wander aimlessly. It is one of our favourite things to do; just keep walking and noticing everything around and taking things in. Cavtat is all about its old town. Most of the best things to do in Cavtat are within the Old town as it is so picturesque. Some of the best spots in the Old town to visit are:

• Visit the Monastery of Our Lady of the Snow. It is a Franciscan Monastery and was founded in 1484 and built over the 15^th and 16^th centuries. We walked in and gasped as it was so beautiful and felt untouched. It is free to go in; however, if you have some change, light a candle. 
• Racic Family Mausoleum. This family mausoleum was built in 1922 by the famous sculptor,  Ivan Mestrovic. The mausoleum was constructed for the Racic family after the ship owner, Ivo Racic and his 2 children died of Spanish flu in 1919. His widow, Marija requested the mausoleum be constructed and a cemetery chapel was consecrated to Our lady of Angels.
• Visit St Nicholas. This church is another historic piece of Cavtat that was built in the 15^th century. As usual, we lit a candle inside and said a prayer. The church is located right in the centre of the town
• Bukovac Houe and Gallery. Cavtat’s own son, Vlaho Bukovac left behind some of his master piece paintings and now, it is a museum. The Bukovac House was his birthplace and although he lived in Europe and America, he often returned to Cavtat. 

2. Trace the beach walk 

This was our favourite morning activity in Cavtat. Perfect for getting the baby down to nap or just a lovely stroll to take in the beauty of the coastline. This walk loops around Cavtat but since it is by the harbour, it is as scenic as it is serene. We stopped for some breaks on the way to enjoy the view and stunning pine forest in the background. Make sure to dip your toes in one of the beach* stops. 

*Beach Sustjepan is a family friendly beach in Cavtat and one of our lazy days was spent relaxing on it.

3. Seafood in A seaside restaurant 

There are a lot of restaurants by the harbour and to be honest, you are spoilt for choice which to walk into. We walked into one of them, Restaurant Dalmacija and had the best evening. We ended up dining there 4 times during our stay. Restaurant Dalmacija is a family-owned restaurant, and the food is so good. They have an extensive menu, and the staff is lovely as well. I think it is one of those restaurants that prides itself on service over profit. It is also reasonably priced, and the atmosphere is laidback.

Restaurant Dalmacija is tied to Boutique Hotel, Villa Pattiera which is a wonderful choice of where to stay in Cavtat.

4. “House of ice-Cream” Rozata 

Rozata boasts of the best ice cream in Cavtat. This ice cream parlour is another family-owned establishment and its recipes have been a family tradition since 1959. Sometimes, there is a queue as it is quite popular. However, since we were visiting off peak season, we never had to queue.

5. Cavtat Harbour

One of our favourite things to do was to people and yacht watch at the harbour. We spent a lot of our afternoons on the harbour as our daughter napped in her stroller. This is where you appreciate Cavtat; the harbour makes the town feel so coastal. Despite the fact that we went in October, it was still warm enough to catch the sun rays and even dip our toes in the water.

6. Rent a Kayak

We are not that adventurous and since we had our baby with us (she was 6 months at the time), we did not do any water sports. Therefore, this was not an activity we embarked upon. However, as this is a family friendly guide to Cavtat Croatia, I thought to mention this as well. If you are travelling with older children, you can rent a kayak on calm sea days. The coastline in Cavtat makes for a lovely experience. When we were chilling on the coast shore, we watched as people took the kayaks out and they seemed to be having a great time.

7. Lunch at Konavoski Dvori

While Konavoski Dvori is not exactly in Cavtat, it is only a 20 minutes’ drive, so it is a no brainer to go there. We had lunch there and it was a lovely, historic experience. It is one of the restaurants every local will tell you to visit and once you get there, you can totally see why. We had the best lamb of my life lol and it was such a great dining experience with Mr E and our daughter.

Family Friendly Travel Guide to Cavtat, Croatia

The best day trips from Cavtat

Most day trips that go from Dubrovnik will also go from Cavtat. However, we noticed that most day trips were coming from Dubrovnik or passed through Dubrovnik. There is no doubt that Dubrovnik is the base for most adventures in the Konavle area; however, we still went on some lovely day trips from Cavtat. 

1. Cavtat to Dubrovnik

There are a lot of ways to go from Cavtat to Dubrovnik like by bus, taxi or boat. The one I will highly recommend is by boat. We did this so easily from Cavtat’s port and absolutely loved the views. Since we went off season (in October), we mostly had the boat rides to ourselves or sometimes, joined by a handful of people. There is a timetable for the boat rides and the season will depend how frequent they sail. Cavtat to Dubrovnik is under 45 mins by boat. Dubrovnik is perfect for a day trip and since we did not stay there, we ended up visiting twice in the 10 days we spent in Cavtat. Getting a bus or taxi from Cavtat to Dubrovnik is actually a faster journey of about 30 mins.

2. Cavtat to Lokrum Island

This island is just off Dubrovnik so this could be a 2 for 1 day trip from Cavtat. However, we visited both on separate days because we had time and wanted a slower paced travel. Lokrum Island is a popular Game of Thrones location so if you love the show like me, it is one not to miss. The boats that go from Cavtat to Dubrovnik make their way to Lokrum Island after the Dubrovnik drop off. Our boat stopped and dropped people off at Dubrovnik, we just stayed on it and soon, we sailed to Lokrum Island.

3. Cavtat to Montenegro

The Montenegrin border is closer to Cavtat that it is closer to Dubrovnik. Therefore, for a 2 for 1 experience, a day trip from Cavtat to Montenegro is easy. We visited Morinj, Perast and Kotor’s old town. We got to the Montenegrin border at about 9.50am and drove through with no hassle. I’m sure it gets busier in peak season but we were the only ones at the border that morning in October. After the loveliest day in Montenegro, we left Kotor at about 3.15pm and were back in our hotel room by 5.05pm. I have literally checked my photo time stamps to be as accurate as possible.

4. Cavtat to Elaphiti Islands

This was high up on my list for day trips in Croatia and immediately we were settled, I enquired at the hotel reception. This is where Ragusa Boat Charter enters. Keep reading, I will tell you about the lovely experience we had with this wonderful family business. 

Renting a boat in Croatia

I thought to highlight this in this family friendly travel guide to Cavtat, Croatia as we went with an incredible local small business. Boat day for us, is always a highlight and it’s where we splurge a little if we have to. For the Elaphiti tour, we decided on a private hire since the cost was not as expensive as I had imagined. The cheapest we found was 165€ for 4 hours which did not include fuel and skipper. We settled for a boat that cost 265€ for 4.5 hours. This included pick up from hotel, skipper, fuel, refreshments and the boat could sit up to 6 people. I loved that the boat was owned by a local couple; he was skipper and she was driver who picked us from and dropped us back at the hotel.

A few things to note about renting a boat in Croatia:

• Most boats will start from Dubrovnik port. So even thought we rented in Cavtat, Martina (one half of the couple), picked us from our Cavtat hotel and drove us 40 mins to Dubrovnik port. This was where Maro, her husband and skipper met us. 
• Always ask if cost includes fuel and skipper. Some boat hires are exclusive of fuel cost.
• Find out if kids are allowed on the boats. A lot will only allow kids from 5 years old; however I note that private boat hires were less strict with restrictions.

How to get around Cavtat, Croatia

As with any place centred around its Old Town, exploring by foot is usually the best way to enjoy it. This is no different with Cavtat. We spent most of our time walking around and it was easy to do this. Most of the things to do in Cavtat are all around the Old Town; this includes where to get the boat to Dubrovnik or where to get taxis to anywhere. For where to eat in Cavtat, you will easily find them by walking from one street to the other – again, all centred around the old town. Otherwise, taxis are cheap to get around; most prices are even fixed. The hotels will also get taxis on your behalf but to be honest, Cavtat is very walkable so you will barely need a taxi.

That is, unless you are leaving Cavtat for the airport or Dubrovnik etc. Then, there are buses available from Old town centre, as well as ferries and of course, taxis too. 

Family Friendly Travel Guide to Cavtat, Croatia: FAQs

Is Cavtat, Croatia worth visiting?

Cavtat is such a gem and I have noticed it getting even more popular for family friendly travel. It is very much worth a visit even if you don’t plan to stay there. Since visiting, I have recommended it to so many of my Instagram followers and they have all loved it. I especially love its location – close to the airport, Dubrovnik, Montenegro border etc. I would love to say it is a hidden spot but tbh, it’s not as unknown as I assumed. People are aware of it but just did not think there was much to do there. 

Cavtat or Dubrovnik: which is better?

Having visited both, I will always recommend staying in Cavtat. However, one cannot deny that Dubrovnik is one of the most epic cities in Europe. As a massive Game of Thrones fan, I cannot in good faith overlook Dubrovnik. It truly is everything people say it is and I think in comparison, they are both different. While Dubrovnik has that big European city feel to it, Cavtat feels like a small town. Both are incredibly historic, have great Mediterranean food scenes and both have an enviable coastline. Where Dubrovnik has become quite expensive, Cavtat is not as expensive. Dubrovnik can also be very busy especially in peak season, Cavtat is a not as busy (although becoming quite popular).

How long to spend in Cavtat? 

I would say that an overnight stay is the minimum for Cavtat if you are not planning to stay there for the whole trip. We stayed for 10 days; however, we knew we would do a few day trips and needed to relax a lot. We did day trips to Montenegro, Dubrovnik (including Lokrum Island), Elaphiti Islands; half day trip to Konavoski Dvori in the Konavle countryside. Then we had 2 days where we did nothing but rest and stroll around the town in the evenings. So, it depends on what you want out of the trip. A day trip from Dubrovnik to Cavtat is the more popular option and to be honest, you can see a lot of Cavtat in a day. 

When is the best time to visit Cavtat, Croatia

Travelling with kids means that you have to find the sweet spot when it comes to summer temperature. We went in October and it was perfect. Temperature was around 22 – 26 degrees during the day and around 20 degrees at night. I am not a fan of travelling during peak summer months due to the heatwaves and crowds. We would rather travel during shoulder months – May/early June and September/October.

In Europe, you still have great sunny weather, the crowds have gone home and you actually get to enjoy your trip. Most businesses open for summer by late April and close in October so it works out perfectly if you love shoulder season travel. Croatia is really hot in July and August; this might make it unbearable if travelling with kids.

Family Friendly Travel Guide to Cavtat, Croatia

I will forever preach the gospel of Cavtat. For families looking for a lovely time in Europe, it is the perfect location. 

Although this is a family friendly travel guide to Cavtat, Croatia, it works for any type of traveller. There is not too much to do which makes for a very relaxing trip. I loved the fact that it is close to Dubrovnik, the airport, Montenegro etc so it is the perfect spot to start day trips. We felt like we explored Cavtat really well and maybe next time, we will stay in Dubrovnik to experience it deeper and slower. However, until then, Cavtat will totally have my heart.

Bisous, Bugo x