Old Town / Pile end of Stradun

Hotel Stari Grad

★★★★★

Hotel Stari Grad is the small, characterful alternative to the grand palace hotels inside the walls. It occupies a restored sixteenth-century townhouse on Od Sigurate, a narrow lane that runs up from Stradun near the Pile end of the Old Town, so the Franciscan Monastery, the Large Onofrio Fountain and the Pile Gate are a couple of minutes away and the whole of the walled city is on your doorstep. There are just eleven individually designed rooms and three suites, all for up to two guests, which gives the place the feel of a private house rather than a hotel, and the hotel is a member of Heritage Hotels of Europe. The defining feature is on the top floor: Above Five, a rooftop restaurant that the hotel describes as the only rooftop restaurant in the Old Town centre, with views over the terracotta roofs, the bell towers and the walls to the sea. It serves Mediterranean cooking, has been recognised by the Michelin Guide since 2018, and is popular with non-residents, so book a table even if you are staying. Rooms are compact in the way of historic Old Town buildings, but they are well finished, and the higher categories and rooftop suites in the annex give more space and better outlooks. The owners also run Villa Anamir, a 1920 villa about ten minutes from the Old Town with ten bedrooms, a butler service and a spa, for groups who want a whole house. The honest trade-offs are the ones that come with any hotel inside the walls: no pool, no beach of its own, no car access, and stairs.

Location is the reason to book, and Stari Grad's is about as good as it gets. You can step out early to walk the walls before the cruise crowds arrive, come back for a rest in the heat of the day, and go out again in the evening when the Old Town empties and the lanes belong to residents and overnight guests. The Pile Gate, where taxis and buses stop, is close, which makes arrival easier than at hotels deeper inside the walls, though the last stretch is on foot. Contact the hotel before you arrive about directions and parking if you are driving, and about help with luggage.

Know what you are buying. This is a boutique townhouse, not a resort: rooms are individual and some are small, the building has the steps and quirks of a sixteenth-century house, and there are no leisure facilities beyond the rooftop. For swimming, walk ten minutes to the rocks below the walls, the Porporela breakwater by the old harbour, or Banje Beach beyond the Ploče Gate. Summer nights on and around Stradun are lively, so light sleepers should ask for a quieter room. Book Above Five at the same time as your room in high season.

Who should stay: couples on a city break, first-time visitors who want to be inside the walls without paying palace-hotel prices, and food lovers who want a Michelin-recognised dinner a staircase away from bed. It is not ideal for families with young children or anyone with limited mobility. Pair a stay here with a few nights on the coast in Lapad or Babin Kuk if you want pools and beaches as well.