We didn’t plan to move apartments. We had to. And it turned out to be one of the luckiest breaks of our trip. Because we ended up in Lapad Bay for the second half of our Dubrovnik stay, and it might have been the best thing that happened to us there.
Finding an apartment in Lapad Bay, Dubrovnik
After the rough apartment near Pile Gate, Lapad felt like a different city. A quieter neighborhood on a small peninsula west of the Old Town. Short bus ride or a longer walk from Stradun. No hills to fight with every time you brought groceries home. Real Dubrovnik residents around us, not tourists.
We made great new friends here. And Walter and Olive had a field day. There were kitties running around everywhere in Lapad, and our two window-watchers had never been happier.
Living in Lapad Bay during winter
Lapad Bay is residential Dubrovnik. Small local bars. A little grocery store run by a family who eventually stopped asking if we were tourists. The beach right there. Views everywhere.
We were also lucky enough to get up to Zagreb for the Winter Markets, which are legitimately award-winning. Word of advice: don’t drink too much champagne before ice skating. The rink is beautifully designed. Your ankles won’t care.
A typical day in Lapad
Coffee at home. A walk down to the water. Groceries at the small local shop. The bus into the Old Town when we wanted to be there, home to Lapad when we wanted quiet.
Christmas in Dubrovnik was a highlight. The Old Town lit up. The Christmas market on Stradun. Everyone in the city out walking on Christmas Eve. New Year’s Eve was a whole city celebration. Fireworks over the Adriatic.
Dubrovnik: our verdict after a month in Lapad Bay
Living in Lapad gave us a different Dubrovnik than the Pile Gate side did. Quieter. More residential. A step removed from the postcards. Flat streets and a real neighborhood rhythm.
If we did Dubrovnik again, we’d probably split the time the same way. Some near the walls for the immersion, some in Lapad for the breathing room. But if we had to pick just one, it would be Lapad.
Lapad Bay long-stay stats
- Duration: One month, winter (through Christmas and New Year’s)
- Neighborhood: Lapad Bay (western peninsula, residential)
- Cost tier: Cheap in low season
- Walkability: Flat, easy walking. Bus or 30-min walk to Old Town.
- Wifi: Reliable
- Cat-friendly: Very (per Walter and Olive, who made local friends)
- Best for: Winter Dubrovnik, residential feel, longer stays, families
- Would return: Yes, for another Christmas
Book the stay: Our Lapad Bay apartment on Airbnb →
