Dubrovnik · Month comparison

May vs September

May ranks #1 overall vs September at #2. Near-perfect: warm enough for everything, not yet overwhelmed.

Dubrovnik May — the old city in spring morning light

May

#1 of 12 months

Best match

Near-perfect: warm enough for everything, not yet overwhelmed.

  • ↑21°C and sea reaching 20°C: beaches actually viable from mid-May
  • ↑Dubrovnik Summer Festival preparations adding atmosphere to the old city
Dubrovnik September — old city walls in autumn evening light

September

#2 of 12 months

Best match

The ideal window: summer conditions with 30–40% fewer people and prices falling.

  • ↑Sea still 24°C — the most pleasant swimming month without July's overcrowding
  • ↑Wall walk genuinely manageable: cruise ships reducing their Dubrovnik calls
FactorMaySeptember
Weather score
8
9
Value score
6
5
Crowd score
5
5
Events score
6
6
Atmosphere
9
8
Avg high temp20.9°C24.9°C
Monthly rain123mm84mm
Daily sunshine9.5hrs9.5hrs

May trade-offs

  • ↓Still 123mm: May is surprisingly rainy — afternoon thunderstorms common
  • ↓Prices climbing: accommodation 25–35% above low season
  • ↓Cruise ships beginning their Dubrovnik season — early morning descents into the old town

September trade-offs

  • ↓First autumn rains return: 84mm — some September afternoons wet
  • ↓Still moderately priced: the budget window hasn't fully opened
  • ↓Early September barely different from August in crowd levels
See all 12 months for Dubrovnik →May in detail →September in detail →
Scores compare months within Dubrovnik. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →