Dubrovnik seen through the eyes of someone born here is a different city. Gorana, the owner of Villa LadyM, grew up among the stones of the Stradun and knows the addresses that never make it into guidebooks: the konoba where you eat like family, the beach where Croatians go on weekends, the days to avoid the Old Town because of the cruise ships. This guide gathers her real recommendations — no sponsorships, no tourist traps — organised for anyone planning a stay at Villa LadyM who wants to experience Dubrovnik like a local, not a passing tourist.
◆ Where to eat
Honest cooking exists in Dubrovnik, but you have to look for it away from the Stradun's shop windows. Here are the places Gorana's family genuinely frequents:
- Konoba Tabak Family friends: honest prices, real home cooking and people you won't forget. A place you'd underestimate until you step in — then you never leave. And if you go to Tabak, do say hello to Zorica from Gorana!
- Street Food by Mr. Goodlife The best pizza in Dubrovnik: street food done right.
- Mr. Goodlife Bar The same owner's bar, for a beer or a drink. In all of Mr. Goodlife's venues, Villa LadyM guests get 20% off when paying cash.
◆ What to see
The walls, the islands, the sunset from Mount Srđ: Dubrovnik's must-sees, with the tricks to experience them without the crowds.
- The walls at opening time Go early in the morning: you'll walk them almost alone, before the cruise ships and the heat.
- Lokrum Island 15 minutes by boat from the old harbour: peacocks, the little "Dead Sea" and the monastery ruins.
- Sunset from Mount Srđ By cable car or up the zig-zag path: the finest view over the Old Town and the Elaphiti islands.
- The Lapad šetnica The seafront promenade of Uvala Lapad (Šetalište Nika i Meda Pucića): a kilometre of shade along the water, benches, a few bars and steps going straight down into the sea. Lapad beach at one end, the view of the Grebeni lighthouse at the other. This is where the people of Dubrovnik walk: at sunset it is the place to be.
- The lanes that run down to the sea A hundred metres from the villa, next to the public garage, there is a small children's playground. From there, take one of the lanes going down towards the sea: a few minutes and you are in front of a beauty that takes your breath away. Only Dubrovnik makes you feel like that.
◆ Fun & sea
The sea that Croatians know, away from the crowds on the Stradun.
- Dance Beach One of the beaches mostly known to Croatians, away from the crowds: clear water and a local vibe.
- Kupalište Plat A seaside oasis: after a swim, a beer in the adjoining pool while you watch the sunset — and forget everything else.
- Vagabundo Speedboat tours to the islands and caves (Blue Cave, Mljet): snorkelling and drinks on board, private trips too. Run by Gorana's sister.
- Dubrovnik Boat Rent A whole yacht for the day, with or without a skipper: it's Joško and Tomo, Gorana's cousins. The right way to spend entire days out at sea.
◆ Music
Gorana is a violinist: music is the part of Dubrovnik she knows best. In summer the palace courtyards and the islands turn into stages — and that is when the city is at its finest.
- Dubrovnik Summer Festival From 10 July to 25 August the city becomes a stage: over 70 performances of classical music, theatre, dance and folklore in more than twenty historic settings — palace atriums, Lovrjenac Fortress, the island of Lokrum, the squares of the Old Town. Open-air concerts, inside the walls, often under the stars. It is the tip closest to Gorana's heart. With the Dubrovnik Pass the tickets cost less (see “Tips & costs”).
- Ponta Lopud Jazz Festival In late August (27–29 in 2026) the island of Lopud turns into one big stage: three days of jazz by the sea, with great names alongside young musicians. The same people also run a film festival in late June and a book festival in September. You get there by boat from Dubrovnik, and the festival arranges transfers for the audience.
- Lopudsko ljeto Lopud's own summer, from mid-July to late August (11 July to 22 August in 2026): klapa singing, folklore, ethno evenings and open-air cinema in the courtyard of the Kneževov dvor and around the island. This is the real local music, the kind Croatians play for each other.
- Šipan Summer Film School Film and music together, on the island of Šipan: 3 to 14 August in 2026, screenings every evening from 9 pm and live concerts in between. A small festival, made by the island and by the young people who shoot the films there.
- Autumn Music Variety If you come out of season: every October the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra brings its autumn series to the Rector's Palace and the churches of the Old Town, with guest soloists and conductors and plenty of contemporary Croatian music. Tickets on ulaznice.hr.
◆ Tips & costs
Small practical tricks to save time and money, from cruise-ship days to honest service prices.
- Dubrovnik Pass One ticket for the walls, the museums and the buses: €40 for one day, €50 for three, €60 for seven. It covers the city walls with Lovrjenac Fortress, the Rector's Palace, the Maritime and Ethnographic museums, the Museum of Modern Art and others, plus unlimited city buses. In high season the walls ticket alone costs almost as much as the one-day Pass: if you are walking the walls, it is nearly always worth it. It also discounts Summer Festival tickets — 10% with the daily Pass, 30% with the three-day, 50% with the seven-day, up to two tickets per performance, bought at the Festival box office. Always check current prices on the site.
- Mind the cruise-ship days We'll tell you which days to avoid the Old Town and where to go instead.
- Nikša's Prima mini market The family grocery, the same one Gorana's family has used for 40 years. If you want to smell what peaches, watermelons and tomatoes really smell like, this is the place: there is no product Nikša doesn't have or can't find for you.
- Groceries: where and how much There are plenty of small shops; the two large supermarkets, Pemo and Tommy, are down towards the harbour, a 15-minute walk downhill. Dubrovnik is expensive at the supermarket too, though: if you have a car or take the bus to Kupari, there is a Lidl there with prices around 30% lower on most products.
◆ On safety
I have lived abroad for twenty-five years. My father lived in this house until recently, and whenever I came back to see him I would lock every door — the habit of someone who lives in a city. He always pointed it out, and he was not joking: it was a reproach, of the fondest kind. «We are in Dubrovnik, life is still good here, you don't need to lock the doors.»
I have gone on locking the doors, and I would advise you to do the same. But on the substance he was right: in this city I have never once felt that I was in danger. In the evening you walk home from the walls the way you would walk down your own street.