Apartment in center Old town

You know what? I wasn’t expecting much when I first walked up to this apartment building in Dubrovnik’s Old Town – honestly, the entrance is pretty modest and you might walk right past it. But once you’re inside, it’s actually a solid choice if you want to be right in the thick of things without paying resort prices.

The apartment itself is surprisingly spacious for something in the old city walls. I mean, we’re talking about a UNESCO World Heritage site here, so everything’s packed pretty tight, but whoever renovated this place made smart use of the space. The kitchen’s functional enough to make breakfast (there’s a decent market on Gunduličeva if you walk about three minutes), and the bathroom’s been updated – thank god, because some of these old town places still have plumbing from the Middle Ages. The AC works well too, which you’ll definitely appreciate in July and August when the marble streets turn into a furnace and cruise ship crowds make everything feel even hotter. One thing though – if you’re a light sleeper, bring earplugs. The stone walls amplify sound weirdly, and you’ll hear every conversation from the narrow street below, especially during summer evenings when people are wandering back from dinner.

What really makes this place worth it is the location – you’re literally steps from Stradun, the main pedestrian street, but tucked away enough that you won’t get trampled by tour groups first thing in the morning. I could walk to the city walls in about two minutes, hit up Dubrovnik’s best gelato spot (Villa Dubrovnik’s little sister location) in one direction, or grab a proper Croatian breakfast at one of the cafés near the cathedral in the other. The owner actually lives in the building, which sounds potentially annoying but was great when I had questions about where to find laundry or which restaurants locals actually eat at versus the tourist traps. She pointed me toward this tiny konoba tucked behind the rector’s palace that I never would’ve found otherwise. Parking’s going to be your biggest headache – you’ll need to use the public garage outside Pile Gate and haul your luggage over those smooth stone steps, so pack light. But honestly, once you’re settled in, you won’t want to leave anyway. The whole old town becomes your backyard, and there’s something pretty magical about having morning coffee on ancient streets before the day-trippers arrive.