Sea Kayaking Dubrovnik in Croatia

Located on the Adriatic Sea, Dubrovnik’s coast is studded with pebbly beaches and gorgeous oceanfront views. With that being said, if you’re looking for an outdoor adventure, there are plenty of excursions in Dubrovnik to choose from like whitewater rafting, jet skiing, and scuba diving. While searching for things to do in Dubrovnik my best friend and I came across lots of great sailing offers. Although we could have easily spent the day sailing along the southern Adriatic coast, pressed for time and eager to see as much as possible, we decided to go sea kayaking in Dubrovnik instead.

After reading great reviews about Adventure Dubrovnik, we submitted a request to join the half-day sea kayaking Dubrovnik tour. Adventure Dubrovnik quickly responded providing us with a lot of information.

Although we ended up booking the 10 a.m. sea kayaking tour, there were afternoon tours as well. One at 1:30 p.m. and another at 4:45 p.m. (sunset). Since we wanted to spend the afternoon exploring Old Town, the morning tour was perfect for us.

Dubrovnik Sea Kayak Tour Information

Tour Duration: 3 hours

Price: 250 HRK or approximately $40 USD

What’s included?

• Kayaking and snorkeling gear
• Small waterproof barrels for valuables
• Lunch (sandwiches and water)

What to pack for a sea kayaking tour in Dubrovnik?

• Swimsuit
• Water shoes or flip-flops
• Sunscreen
• T-shirt or cover-up
• Waterproof phone case
• Extra snacks
• Water

Important Things To Know:

Parking is limited in Old Town. It costs around 10 € per hour.

Starting Beneath Old Town

Our sea kayaking adventure in Dubrovnik started underneath the medieval Old Town at a small beach called Pile. Game of Thrones fans, this is one of the filming locations shot in Dubrovnik! On the show it’s known as Blackwater Bay in King’s Landing.

At Pile Beach, we grabbed our lifejackets, hopped into our bright red single kayaks and started paddling the crystal-clear waters of the Adriatic Sea.

While kayaking we learned about Dubrovnik’s (previously Ragusa) long history.

Our knowledgable guides, who spoke English and Croatian also shared all sorts of tidbits about the natural habitat and some of the famous people who live nearby.

Sunbathing on a Secluded Beach

Betina Cave Beach was our first stop.

Fun Fact: Betina Cave Beach is the only beach you can’t walk to in Dubrovnik. It is only accessible by small boat or kayak.

Here we took a break from kayaking and had time to explore the area on our own (approximately 30 minutes). You could relax on the beach, eat lunch, swim, snorkel or enjoy the seaside views.

The beach was rocky so I recommend bringing water shoes or flip-flops to protect your feet.

For those daring, the tall staircase embedded in the cliffs is perfect for cliff jumping!

Lokrum Island

Next, we paddled closer to Lokrum Island. Although we didn’t have time to paddle around the island, our tour guides shared the island’s history with us. Nicknamed the “Land of Love”, Lokrum is said to be a cursed island, uninhabited by people.

Want to visit Lokrum Island? Valerie & Valise shares how you can easily spend a day on Lokrum Island including visiting the Botanical Gardens, the Benedictine Monastery and more. By the way, Lokrum Island is only a short ferry ride away from Dubrovnik.

Oddly enough, right when we started to head back to the city, I started to get seasick.

Despite not feeling too well, I did manage to enjoy the scenery and I took some amazing photos of the city walls. Unfortunately my dog Jada ended up eating my camera’s memory card so sadly most of my photos are now gone. Welp!

Final Thoughts

Overall I had blast sea kayaking Croatia.

The tour was affordable and being out on the water offered a unique way to experience Dubrovnik and the surrounding islands. According to the Croatian National Tourist Board, there are 1,244 Croatian islands!

But there was one downside to sea kayaking in Dubrovnik.

Since there were a lot of kayakers at the Betina Cave Beach, it was very crowded but that’s to be expected especially when you’re visiting Dubrovnik during the summer months.

Lastly, if you’re looking for day trips from Dubrovnik, I highly recommend renting a car and going on a day trip to Kotor in Montenegro. The drive is easy and the views are spectacular!