The 22 km from Dubrovnik Airport (DBV) to the Old Town take about 30 minutes. Here is what each option costs in 2026, how long it takes and what to expect in July and August.
Dubrovnik Airport sits in Čilipi, 22 km south-east of the Old Town. In normal traffic the drive takes 30 minutes; in July and August, with the road above Župa full of coaches, count on 40 to 45 minutes. Whatever you choose, the Old Town itself is closed to cars, so every vehicle stops at Pile Gate or Ploče Gate and you walk the last two hundred metres.
The airport shuttle bus
The shuttle leaves from the stop in front of arrivals after most flights and ends at Pile Gate, with a stop at the main bus station in Gruž. Tickets cost about 10 to 12 euros per person one way and the ride takes 35 to 45 minutes depending on the stops. It is the cheapest option for one or two people travelling light. The downsides: you wait for the bus to fill, luggage goes into the hold, and from Pile you still have to find your accommodation on foot or by taxi.
Taxi from the rank
Taxis wait outside arrivals. The fare to the Old Town is metered and usually lands between 40 and 55 euros, more at night and when traffic is heavy. In peak season the queue at the rank can be long right after a wave of arrivals. The advantage is obvious: no booking, you just walk out.
Uber and Bolt
Both apps work in Dubrovnik and both can pick up at the airport. Prices float with demand: 35 to 50 euros is typical for a sedan, but on a summer afternoon with three flights landing at once the app can quote 70 euros or more, and drivers are sometimes 15 to 20 minutes away. Fine for a spontaneous ride, unreliable as a plan.
Private transfer
A pre-booked private transfer costs 50 euros for a sedan (up to 3 passengers) or about 65 euros for a van (up to 8) with Galaxy Transfer, and the price does not change with traffic, time of day or how many flights land. The driver waits in the arrivals hall with a sign showing your name, tracks your flight, and 60 minutes of waiting after landing are free. You are driven to the gate nearest your address, and if your apartment is up the stairs the driver helps with the bags.
Which one should you take?
- Solo traveller with a backpack, no hurry: the shuttle bus.
- Two or more people, or any luggage: a private transfer costs about the same as a taxi and removes the queue, the meter and the uncertainty.
- Landing late at night or with children: private transfer, and add a child seat when booking, which taxis and Ubers rarely have.
Good to know
- The airport has one terminal; arrivals and the taxi rank are on the ground floor, the shuttle stop is to the right as you exit.
- If you are staying in Lapad or Babin Kuk, the private transfer costs 55 euros and the shuttle does not go there.
- Cavtat is 10 minutes from the airport in the other direction; a transfer there is 30 euros.