Where to Play Tennis in Dubrovnik and Split: Courts and Clubs for Visitors (2026)

Dalmatia takes its tennis seriously. Split produced a line of champions who learned the game on the clay above Firule beach, and Dubrovnik’s club in Lapad hosted its first WTA tournament in March 2026. You do not need a resort booking to get on court: municipal centres and local clubs in both cities rent courts by the hour, though little of this is explained in English. Here is where to play, how booking works, and what to check before you pack your racquet.

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For the bigger picture, start with our overview of tennis in Croatia, or see tennis hotels in Croatia if you would rather have a court outside your door. Our hub on luxury hotels with tennis courts in Italy covers the other side of the Adriatic.

How court booking works in Croatia

Croatia is clay country. Many club and municipal courts are red clay, and the country’s ATP tournament in Umag is played on clay too. For visitors, booking happens through four routes:

• Municipal apps and booking pages: Split’s public sports institution (JUSOS) takes reservations for the Firule courts online through tenis.plus, and its partner listings describe the Sporty.plus app, with booking up to 14 days ahead. Create an account before you travel.
• Padel platforms: padel venues tend to use MATCHi or Playtomic, which many visitors already have on their phones.
• Phone: still the main route for Dubrovnik’s clubs. Few publish online booking, so a call from your hotel concierge saves a lot of back and forth in Croatian.
• Through a hotel: resorts with their own courts usually rent them to guests first. Whether they accept outside players is rarely published, so ask.

Prices and currency. Croatia uses the euro, but several English-language listings for local courts still quote old prices in kuna, which were replaced in 2023. Treat any kuna figure as out of date and ask for the current euro rate when you book. Expect a separate charge for floodlights at some venues.

Shoes and etiquette. Bring clay-court or all-court shoes with a herringbone sole. Running shoes damage clay and may not be welcome. Sweep the court when your hour ends, as local players do, and wear proper tennis clothing.

Where to play in and around Split

We checked the city’s sports institution, the tourist board and booking platforms. Rules change, so confirm when you book.

Tennis Center Firule (Split)

The heart of Split tennis sits on Put Firula 18, on the slope above Firule beach, a short walk east of Bačvice. The Split tourist board notes that Nikola Pilić, Željko Franulović, Goran Ivanišević and Mario Ančić all played their first serves here. The centre is run by JUSOS, the city’s public institution for sports facilities, and lists ten tennis courts plus two practice walls: eight clay courts, including the main court with around 1,500 seats, and two fast concrete courts. In winter, three of the clay courts go under an air dome, so play continues in bad weather.

Published hours are 7am to 11pm daily. Reservations go through tenis.plus, linked from the JUSOS page, and the tennis school of Teniski klub Split 1950 operates on site. JUSOS publishes a separate price list; check it or ask at the desk for current visitor rates and floodlight charges. The JUSOS page lists the centre’s phone number as 091 4010012, but online booking is the simplest route. Coaching in English is not advertised, so ask the club. Firule has hosted the ATP Challenger Split Open, and from 17 to 29 August 2026 Teniski klub Split 1950 was one of the venues for Tennis Summer by Goran Ivanišević, a junior camp.

Brda sports and recreation centre (Split)

Also run by JUSOS, this neighbourhood centre on Širokobriješka 1 has two concrete tennis courts. The centre is open from 7am to 10pm. Floodlights, prices and the booking process are not published, so call the centre.

Tennis Academy Stobreč (Stobreč)

South east of the centre, on the way to Podstrana, the Stobreč tennis academy on Svetog Lovre 45b lists outdoor courts and indoor courts, with hours of roughly 8am to 10pm on weekdays and slightly shorter at weekends. The prices we found were still in kuna, so they are out of date; ask for the euro rate. The number of courts and surfaces are not published, so check with the academy. The Split tourist board lists Padel Club Dalmatia at the same address, which makes this a useful stop if your group mixes tennis and padel players.

Padel Centar Split (Split)

For padel only, this centre on 4. Gardijske brigade 28 has four outdoor courts with artificial grass, open daily from 8am to midnight according to its MATCHi page. Slots can be reserved on MATCHi after creating an account. Prices are shown at booking.

Where to play in and around Dubrovnik

Tenis klub Dubrovnik (Lapad)

Dubrovnik’s club sits on the Lapad side of the city, at Šetalište kralja Zvonimira 7, the promenade that runs down to Lapad bay. Its clay courts hosted the first WTA Dubrovnik Open, a WTA 125 event, from 23 to 29 March 2026. Check wtatennis.com for the dates of the next edition. A city tourist listing gives hours of 7am to 10pm, shortening to 8am to 8pm from October, but the listing is undated, so confirm. The number of courts, visitor prices and English-language coaching are not published, so call the club or ask your hotel to book.

Babin Kuk tennis centre (Babin Kuk)

On the Babin Kuk peninsula, the resort district west of Lapad, a tennis centre on Ive Dulčića rents courts by appointment. Listings advise calling ahead to check for a free court and give split hours of 8am to noon and 5pm to 9pm, which suits the summer heat. The only price we found was in kuna, so it is out of date. Courts and surfaces are not published, so check by phone.

Padel Dubrovnik (Srebreno)

South of the city in Župa Dubrovačka, Padel Dubrovnik on Šetalište Dr. Franje Tuđmana 17 in Srebreno has two outdoor glass padel courts, open from 8am to 11pm. It is on Playtomic, which makes it the easiest venue in the Dubrovnik area to book from abroad.

Cavtat

Further south, tennis in Cavtat is mostly at hotels. The Remisens Hotel Albatros on the seafront has red clay courts and offers coaching, but our research turned up contradictory information on the number: one listing gives six courts on one line and eight on another. It was not clear to us which applies, and non-guest access is not published, so check with the hotel.

Comparison table: courts in Split and Dubrovnik at a glance

Best months and times to play

• March to June: the most comfortable stretch, and in Dubrovnik the spring tournaments let you watch professionals on the same clay. Weekday mornings are quietest.
• July and August: midday heat on the Dalmatian coast makes clay punishing. Play before 10am or after 6pm. The split hours at Babin Kuk reflect that rhythm, and Firule’s late closing time is a real asset.
• September and October: warm sea, softer light and fewer cruise crowds in both old towns. Opening hours may shorten from October.
• November to February: city venues stay open. In Split the domed courts at Firule keep play going on wet days.

If you are combining Croatia with Italy, seasonal car ferries normally link Ancona with Split and Bari with Dubrovnik (Jadrolinija’s international sailings are suspended until 5 January 2027, so check the timetable), which makes a clay-court week on both coasts entirely possible. Our guide to crossing from Italy to Croatia by boat covers the options in more detail.

Where to stay nearby

Two of these have courts of their own; the others put you close to the public venues above. For more on each city, see our guide to Split and Diocletian’s Palace and the Dubrovnik travel guide.

Hotel Park (Split)

This five-star hotel on Hatzeov perivoj is about 100 metres from Bačvice beach and around 1 km from Diocletian’s Palace, which puts the Firule courts a short stroll along the seafront. There is no court on site, but there is an outdoor pool, a spa and a restaurant.

Best for: city breaks with daily tennis on foot.

Check rates at Hotel Park Split

Le Meridien Lav (Podstrana)

About 8 km south of Split’s centre, Le Meridien Lav runs along an 800 metre beach facing Brač and Hvar. It has tennis courts on site (ask the hotel how many and whether they need booking), plus an infinity pool, a heated indoor pool, the RE:CUPERA spa and its own marina. Stobreč’s tennis and padel venues are close by for a change of opponent.

Best for: a beach resort stay with courts on site and Split within reach.

Check rates at Le Meridien Lav Split

Valamar Collection Dubrovnik President Hotel (Babin Kuk)

At the far end of the Babin Kuk peninsula, this five-star Valamar hotel faces the Elaphiti islands and lists a tennis court among its facilities, with further courts within walking distance. It has a private pebble beach, indoor and outdoor pools and a spa, and the old town is a short drive away. See our guide on where to stay in Dubrovnik for the wider choice.

Best for: beach days and tennis without daily taxis.

Check rates at Valamar Collection Dubrovnik President Hotel

Sun Gardens Dubrovnik (Orašac)

In Orašac, about 11 km north west of Dubrovnik, this large seafront resort has three clay tennis courts and a sports academy with lessons for children from April to October. Adult coaching and non-guest access are not clearly published, so ask the resort. Several pools, including an adults-only one, a spa and a pebble beach make it an easy base for families.

Best for: families who want clay on site and the old town for day trips.

Check rates at Sun Gardens Dubrovnik

Frequently Asked Questions

Can tourists play tennis in Split without joining a club?

Yes. Tennis Center Firule is a municipal facility with online booking, and the Brda centre and the Stobreč academy take bookings by phone. Check current visitor rates when you book.

How much does a tennis court cost in Split or Dubrovnik?

Few venues publish current visitor prices in euros, and several online listings still show old kuna prices. JUSOS publishes a price list for Firule; elsewhere, ask the club.

Where can I watch professional tennis in Dubrovnik?

At Tenis klub Dubrovnik in Lapad, which hosted the first WTA Dubrovnik Open, a WTA 125 clay event, from 23 to 29 March 2026. Check wtatennis.com for the next edition.

Is there padel in Split and Dubrovnik?

Yes. Padel Centar Split has four outdoor courts on MATCHi, Padel Club Dalmatia is in Stobreč, and Padel Dubrovnik in Srebreno has two courts on Playtomic.