Wheelchair Accessible Dubrovnik: What to See During Your Trip

Dubrovnik, Croatia is referred to as the “Pearl of the Adriatic” for its immense beauty. The city is situated on the coast of the Adriatic Sea and it is also known for being one of the best preserved medieval cities on the planet, so you can imagine why Dubrovnik is such a popular destination. Since Dubrovnik has so much history though, I didn’t expect accessibility to be great, to be honest. However, I ended up being pleasantly surprised by wheelchair accessible Dubrovnik.

In June 2024, some friends and I decided to do a Mediterranean cruise with Virgin Voyages and one of our ports of call was Dubrovnik. We had a full day to explore the city before we had to get back on the ship, and we were determined to see as much as possible. We decided to book a wheelchair accessible tour of Dubrovnik with the company Disabled Accessible Travel. Disabled Accessible Travel offers tours all over Europe and since I had a great experience with them a couple years ago in Venice, I knew we’d have an excellent tour of Dubrovnik with them as well.

Our guide, Silvija, from Disabled Accessible Travel met us when we got off the cruise ship and a wheelchair accessible vehicle was waiting for us. The bus had a lift and tie-down straps to secure my wheelchair, and it was spacious enough for all five of us (including two wheelchair users), plus the tour guide and our driver, Mladen.

Once we were loaded into the vehicle, it was time to explore Dubrovnik! Over the course of six hours, we were able to take in the beauty of the city from the top of a mountain, roll through the Old Town, visit a neighboring seaside village, and more. It was an amazing tour and I’d love to tell you about the wheelchair accessible Dubrovnik attractions and experiences that we were able to enjoy!

Wheelchair Accessible Dubrovnik Attractions & Sights to See

Dubrovnik has a lot to do and I would’ve loved to have had more time in this remarkable city, but with just one day, here are some of the best wheelchair accessible Dubrovnik attractions and things to do! You can also watch my short video below to see our day in Dubrovnik in action.

Take in the views from Srd Mountain

For the most incredible views of Dubrovnik, you have to go to the top of Srd Mountain. You can reach Srd Mountain with a cable car, which our guide said is wheelchair accessible, but we were driven to the top in the accessible vehicle. The drive to Srd Mountain from the cruise port was short and this was a perfect first stop for us on our wheelchair accessible Dubrovnik tour.

At the top of the mountain, we exited the vehicle and made our way to an outdoor observation deck. From there, we could easily take in the panoramic views of the city. Immediately, I was in awe of the beauty of Dubrovnik.

From the accessible observation deck, we could see the Adriatic Sea, the Old Town, and more. It really was a stunning view and made me excited for what the rest of the day had in store. It was also nice to be able to see all of Dubrovnik from above, so that we could get an idea of the layout of the city at the beginning of our tour.

A gift shop was available at the observation deck, so of course I had to buy a few souvenirs. We spent about 30 minutes at the top of Srd Mountain before getting back in the vehicle and making our way to the next stop.

Explore the coastal town of Cavtat

Next, we drove about 30 minutes to Cavtat, a beautiful seaside town. It’s smaller and quieter than Dubrovnik, but Cavtat has its own charm. You can find narrow streets, old churches, and great views of the Adriatic Sea. This was a great place for us to relax and enjoy the Croatian coast for a while.

Exploring Cavtat in my powered wheelchair was a breeze. The seaside promenade was wide and smoothly paved, making it easy to navigate in my wheelchair. I loved the vibrant atmosphere and the views of the Adriatic Sea. Along the promenade, there are a variety of shops and restaurants that you can explore.

We stopped for some gelato (I can never turn down gelato when I’m in Europe!) and found some souvenir shops that were wheelchair accessible, allowing me to pick up a few mementos to remember my time in Cavtat.

Cavtat was a perfect blend of history, natural beauty, and accessibility, making it a wonderful experience. If you will be in Dubrovnik, it’s certainly worth making the quick trip over to Cavtat to do some exploring of your own!

Wander around the Old Town of Dubrovnik

Now that we had seen Dubrovnik from above and explored the charming neighboring town of Cavtat, it was time for us to visit the most popular area of the city – the Old Town! Dubrovnik’s Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its well-preserved medieval architecture and fortified walls. It dates back to the 7th century and the city’s historic center is a labyrinth of narrow streets lined with ancient buildings, churches, and palaces.

The most iconic feature of the Old Town is its fortified walls, which encircle the entire Old Town. The walls range between 5-16 feet thick and in case you’re wondering why the Old Town was enclosed with the walls, it was to help defend Dubrovnik from sea-based attacks. Our guide, Silvija, did a great job of explaining the history of the Old Town while showing us some of the must-see sights.

While in the Old Town, we were able to see the most notable sights, including the Church of Saint Blaise, Sponza Palace, and the Jesuit Staircase, which was featured in “Game of Thrones”. It’s where the iconic scene known as the “Walk of shame” took place, so it was cool to see that!

After touring the Old Town for an hour or so with our guide, we had some free time to meander around on our own. It was surprisingly smooth for me to roll around the Old Town in my powered wheelchair, but many of the shops did have a step to get inside. I did find several good shops that I could enter though and luckily, many of the restaurants had outdoor dining options available.

We decided to have lunch at Oliva Pizzeria, which is an Italian restaurant in the Old Town. The inside of the restaurant wasn’t wheelchair accessible, but they had outdoor tables and it was a nice day, so we wanted to eat outside anyway. We had a pizza and I opted for the “Oliva pizza”, which had Adriatic shrimps, Kalamata olives, tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, mozzarella, garlic, and parsley on it. The pizza was delicious and I’d definitely recommend getting it!

During our free time, we also chose to visit the Salvador Dali Exhibition in the Old Town. Dali has been one of my favorite artists since I visited his museum in Catalonia, Spain a few years ago, so I was excited to see some more of his art in this exhibit.

The Salvador Dali Exhibition in Dubrovnik was rather small, but if you’re a fan of his art, it’s worth checking out. Wheelchair users are also let in free, which was nice. We spent about 25-30 minutes in this Dali exhibit and it was completely wheelchair accessible with a ramped entrance and an elevator.

The Old Town of Dubrovnik has a lot that you can see and enjoy, and you could probably spend a full day (or even multiple days) exploring it. But I really enjoyed the few hours that we spent in the Old Town and it was a perfect ending to a perfect day in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

We only had a little more than six hours for our wheelchair accessible Dubrovnik tour with Disabled Accessible Travel, but it was enough time to make me realize just how fantastic of a city Dubrovnik is. I’d love to return one day and see more of the city, but no matter how much time you have to explore Dubrovnik, you’re sure to love it, no matter what your abilities are.

.