Airport
Dubrovnik Airport to the Old Town: passport control, the shuttle, taxis and your driver
Dubrovnik Airport is small, busy and very seasonal. It handled a record 3,090,245 passengers in 2025, the first year it passed three million, and 86% of them travelled between May and October, according to the airport’s statistics. August is the busiest month, with a record 566,259 passengers in August 2026, while January 2025 saw just 19,856. This guide follows you from the aircraft door to the car that takes you into town.
The airport in brief
The airport stands beside the village of Čilipi, about 22 km south-east of Dubrovnik on the D8 coast road. Its codes are DBV (IATA) and LDDU (ICAO), and since 2023 it has also carried the name of the Dubrovnik-born scientist Ruđer Bošković, as the airport’s history page explains. It opened on this site in 1962.
The passenger terminal is one connected complex: arrivals are in Building B and departures in Building C. The published operating hours are 06:00 to 23:00 local time in summer and 06:00 to 22:00 in winter, but late landings are routine: on 1 October 2026 the last scheduled arrivals were after 23:00, and two flights were due after midnight.
Passport control and the EU Entry/Exit System
Croatia has been in the Schengen area since 2023, so passengers arriving from another Schengen country walk straight through to the baggage hall. Passengers from outside Schengen, which the airport says includes flights from the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, Serbia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, go through passport control first.
Since 10 April 2026 the EU Entry/Exit System has been fully operational, replacing passport stamps with a digital record. On a non-EU visitor’s first entry, border officers record the passport data, a facial image and four fingerprints; children under 12 are not fingerprinted, and there is no fee. EU and Schengen citizens, Irish citizens and non-EU nationals with residence permits or long-stay visas are exempt, although Irish passengers still pass through passport control because Ireland is outside Schengen.
Self-service kiosks at Dubrovnik speed up the first registration: the Croatian Interior Ministry says they work in 15 languages, and the traveller scans the passport, has a facial image and four fingerprints taken and answers a short questionnaire before finishing at a staffed booth. The EU’s planned travel authorisation, ETIAS, with a €20 fee, was not yet in operation in October 2026; our guide to EES in Croatia covers both systems, and the road borders too.
The arrivals hall
On the airport’s floor plan, the arrivals level of Building B has passport control for non-Schengen flights, four baggage belts and a single “Exit from zone” door into the public hall. In the hall are the information desk, lost and found, tourist-agency desks, a shop and cash machines; the airport lists machines of six Croatian banks and a currency exchange office. Croatia uses the euro.
If something goes missing, the airport’s information line is +385 20 773 100 and its lost-and-found office +385 20 773 328.
Meeting your driver
Pre-booked drivers wait in the public hall, just beyond the exit door, holding a sign with the passenger’s name; that is where ours stand. Because we follow the flight number you gave us, a delay moves the pick-up rather than cancelling it, and the first 60 minutes after landing are included in the price. If you will be very late, or a day late, message us as soon as you know.
The driver walks you to the car and loads the luggage. Child seats are fitted before you arrive, when you have told us each child’s age and height. The airport section of the homepage has the prices from the airport to each part of the city.
The road into town
Leaving the airport, the D8 runs north-west through Župa dubrovačka, past Plat, Mlini and Srebreno, and into the city. By road it is about 21 km to Pile Gate and about 23 km to Ploče Gate, because traffic from the airport reaches Ploče by a one-way loop; the hotels of Lapad and Babin Kuk are 24 to 25 km away. The airport says the drive takes 30 to 35 minutes on average and to allow up to an hour in the summer months.
From 1 April to 31 October the streets around the Old Town are a camera-controlled traffic zone, so a car can take you only to the nearest point it may stop; our guide to parking and drop-offs explains where that is. Turn south-east instead for Cavtat, about 6 km from the airport, or for the Montenegrin border at Karasovići, about 17.5 km away.
What is the best way from Dubrovnik Airport to the Old Town?
There are five ways from the airport to the Old Town, about 22 km away: the €10 shuttle bus, the local bus three times a day, the taxi rank, Uber and Bolt, and a car with a driver booked in advance, which costs €50 for the whole car and waits for you in the arrivals hall.
| Way | Price | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Airport shuttle (Platanus) | €10 a person one way, €15 return | Leaves about 30 minutes after each arrival; stops at Ploče Gate and the Gruž bus station only |
| Taxi from the rank | About €35 to €60 | Price list at the taxi information window; ask for a receipt |
| Uber or Bolt | Shown in the app before you book | Prices rise with demand; app cars need a City permit to enter the Old Town zone in season |
| Libertas bus 11 or 27 | €4.50, plus €1.50 a bag | Three departures a day each, none on Sundays |
| Car with a driver | €50 per car, €65 per minivan | Booked before you fly; the driver follows the flight and waits in the hall |
- The airport shuttle. The official shuttle, run by Platanus, costs €10 one way or €15 return; children under six travel free and one suitcase per ticket is included. A bus leaves about 30 minutes after every arrival, from the first flight to the last, and stops first at Ploče Gate, about 30 minutes away, and then at the main bus station in Gruž. It does not stop in Lapad, Babin Kuk, Cavtat or Župa. Tickets are sold online and at the Platanus stand in arrivals, but not on the bus.
- Taxis. The rank is in front of the arrivals building, and the price list is shown at the taxi information window. Travel guides checked in 2026 put a taxi to the Old Town at about €35 to €60, and to Cavtat at about €15 to €20.
- Ride apps. Uber and Bolt both operate in Dubrovnik and take airport rides; the price is shown in the app before you book. Our guide to Uber, Bolt and taxis explains how fares are set and what changes in 2027.
- The local bus. Libertas lines 11 and 27 stop at the airport, but each runs only three times a day and not on Sundays; the Libertas fare table sets the single fare to Dubrovnik at €4.50, with €1.50 for each bag.
Being met by friends
If someone is collecting you in their own car, the airport’s parking price list applies: in P1, P2 and P5, €4.00 for 10 minutes to an hour and €8.00 for up to two hours from May to October (€3.00 and €6.00 in winter), and in the long-stay car park P10, €13 a day in summer and €8 in winter.
Flying home
For the return, book the pick-up from your accommodation with the summer traffic in mind: the airport’s own advice of up to an hour on the road applies in both directions, and passengers flying out of the Schengen area pass passport control again. Departures are in Building C, next door to arrivals, and the driver sets you down at the terminal entrance.
Quick answers
How far is Dubrovnik Airport from the Old Town?
About 22 km by road. The airport puts the drive at 30 to 35 minutes on average and tells travellers to allow up to an hour in the summer months.
Where does a pre-booked driver wait at Dubrovnik Airport?
In the public arrivals hall of Building B, just beyond the single exit door from the baggage hall, holding a sign with your name. Ours follow your flight and include 60 minutes of waiting after landing.
How long does passport control take?
It depends on the flight. Passengers from Schengen countries skip it; non-EU passengers on flights from outside Schengen are registered in the EU Entry/Exit System on their first entry, which takes longer, though self-service kiosks help.
Is there a bus from Dubrovnik Airport to the Old Town?
Yes, the official shuttle run by Platanus: €10 one way or €15 return in 2026, leaving about 30 minutes after every arrival, with stops at Ploče Gate and the main bus station in Gruž only.
What if my flight lands after midnight?
Late arrivals are routine at Dubrovnik, and a car with a driver booked in advance runs at any hour, at the same price. Give us the flight number so the driver follows the real landing time.