The best nightlife in Dubrovnik
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Sleepy through winter, Dubrovnik nightlife wakes up with a vengeance come summer. From partying in Revelin Tower to exploring Dubrovnik's long-standing Summer Festival and sipping cocktails on the sea cliffs, the city has an array of exciting options. Telegraph Travel's Dubrovnik expert, Jane Foster, gives the low-down on Dubrovnik's best bars and nocturnal spots.
Nightlife
Ploče
Revelin
In the 16th-century Revelin Tower, just outside the city walls, near Ploče Gate, Revelin is Dubrovnik's only real nightclub. Approached up stone steps, it has three spaces with exposed stonewalls and vaulted ceilings, connected by big open archways, and a huge terrace. The historic setting makes an impressive venue for summer dance parties –international DJ's including Fatboy Slim, R3HAB, Paul van Dyke and Boy George have played here. In winter, it hosts occasional concerts by popular Balkan musicians, such as Severina, as well as a huge New Year's party.
Contact: 00 385 20 436010; clubrevelin.com
Opening times: May-Sep; daily, 11pm-6am; Oct-Apr Sat 11pm-6am
Prices: ££
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Old Town
Dubrovnik Summer Festival
Each summer since 1950, Dubrovnik's old town has become a backdrop for open-air cultural performances by internationally-renowned artists, including classical music, jazz, opera, theatre, dance and film. Expect classical music recitals in the courtyard of the Rector's Palace, Shakespeare plays on a terrace high above the sea at Lovrjenac Fortress, and ballet on the Revelin Tower roof terrace. Over the years, leading jazz pianists and world-class classical musicians have perfoemed here, along with prominent actors such as Daniel Day Lewis and Derek Jacobi.
Contact: 00 385 20 326100; dubrovnik-festival.hr
Opening times: 10 Jul-25 Aug
Prices: £-£££
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Slavica open-air cinema
Open-air summer cinema is something of an institution in Dalmatia, and Kino Slavica dates back to 1950. Set in a walled garden with pine trees, high above the sea, on the road from the Old Town to Lopud peninsular, it makes a lovely venue for watching a film below a star-lit sky on a balmy summer evening. Expect European art-house films and black-and-white classics (mainly English, with Croatian sub-titles). Listings might include the works of Ken Loach or 'Casablanca' starring Humphrey Bogart. It also stages occasional concerts by local bands.
Contact: 00 385 20 638640; kinematografi.org
Opening times: Mid-Jul to mid-Aug; daily, 9pm
Prices: £
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Bars
Old Town
D'Vino
Hidden away in a narrow stone alley, this tiny wine bar is well worth a look for its friendly and knowledgeable waiters and sommeliers, who will introduce you to an impressive range of Croatian wines (by the glass or by the bottle), so you can sample each one and learn a little about the history and wine-making practices of regional wineries. They also offer wine tasting ‘flights’ (three reds; or three whites), accompanied by platters of cheese or cured meats. It's mellow and cosy, with a terracotta-tiled floor, candlelight and low-key music.
Contact: 00 385 20 321130; dvino.net
Opening times: Daily, 8am-2am (closed 15 Dec-1 Feb)
Prices: ££
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The Bar by Azur
Opened by the same family that own Azur restaurant, this welcoming bar is one of the few nightlife haunts to stay open all year. It's much loved by locals and visitors alike for excellent cocktails and quality Croatian wines – order a mojito, deliciously refreshing on a hot summer night, or try a glass of Croatia's most highly-esteemed wine, velvety red Dingač. Behind the bar, on back-lit shelves, there's a vast choice of premium whiskies, and they also serve tasty nibbles, including avocado toast, fresh mozzarella with spicy gremolata, truffled quesadillas with smoked pancetta, and aged Grana Padana cheese.
Contact: 00 385 20 454477; azurvision.com
Opening times: 9am-2am
Prices: ££
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Buza
It's heaving with tourists in summer, so best visited out of season, when most of the patrons are locals and the atmosphere is more sedate. Buza is an Old Town relic, accessed through a tiny doorway in the seaward-facing city walls, the view that opens before you is sublime – just sea and sky, with tables arranged on a series of levels on the rocks. You can even clamber down to the water for a swim. Like everything else in town, it is expensive. Don’t expect luxury – drinks are served in plastic cups (you get wooden cup-holders on the tables to stop your drinks blowing away when it's windy) – but the candlelight after dark makes it supremely romantic.
Contact: 00 385 98 361934
Opening times: Apr-Oct; daily, 9am-2am; Nov-Apr open on sunny days
Prices: ££
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Cave Bar More
In a natural cave, completed with wonderful rock formations and subtle lighting, you'll find this extraordinarily romantic bar in the basement of Hotel More (pronounced 'moor-ay', which means 'sea'). Expect half a dozen tables, secluded amid stalactites and stalagmites, and a choice of cocktails and local beers. They also have outdoor tables and comfy wicker chairs on a series of terraces, right by the water's edge, overlooking Lapad Bay – come for a sunset aperitif, and watch the sky change from blue to orange, red to purple.
Contact: 00 385 20 494 200; cavebar-more.com
Opening times: Apr-Oct; daily, 10am-2am
Prices: ££
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La Bodega
This swanky wine bar occupies a 17-century stone building at the end of Stradun, close to the Rector’s Palace. Extending over four floors, it’s an impressive space with low lighting, mellow music and mismatched wooden furniture, plus additional seating on a big terrace out front. They serve a vast selection of Croatian wines by the glass, with optional cheese boards, as well as bottled beers. It is expensive – you're really paying for the prime location, ideal for people-watching, as it looks onto Stradun, Dubrovnik's main thoroughfare, with an endless stream of passers-by, glamorously dressed up for a night out.
Contact: 00 385 98 904 8469; labodega.hr
Opening times: Feb-Dec; daily, 9am-1am
Prices: £££
