I had high expectations for Dubrovnik, and it did not disappoint. This ancient walled city is in the South of Croatia, with a very close border to Bosnia.
The walled part of the city is quite small which means you can easily walk around it and explore what it has to offer. If you’re a Game of Thrones Fan, then there is a lot of for you here, and you can officially say that you’ve been in the Red Keep!
Dubrovnik was the last stop on our trip, and was probably the place I was most looking forward to exploring. We got the ferry from Hvar, and our hotel was about a 20 minute walk from the port. We stayed in Apartment Kristic, which was incredibly spacious and had a balcony with a sea view which was perfect for watching the sun set after a long day of exploring. Our host could not do enough for us and even left us some cold juice in the fridge and some cake for when we arrived.
We spent a lot of time walking whilst we were here, and be warned, there are a LOT of steps, which made the walk from the port a bit challenging when carrying massive backpacks. Although it wasn’t massively sunny when we were there, it was still warm and very humid.
Day One
On our first day in the city, we arrived on the midday ferry from Hvar. By the time we had checked into our apartment and freshened up, it was around 3/4 o clock in the afternoon.
We decided to get a feel of the city by walking the City Walls. The entrance cost us 200kn each which I felt was worth it as it meant we could get our bearings a little bit. The walk was very scenic and not too busy as it was a little bit later in the day. It was also good for getting your bearings so i’d definitely recommend it as a first activity when you arrive!
Afterwards, we had a walk through the old town. The buildings are so beautiful that honestly you can spend a long time just having a walk around, which is what we did!
In the evening we had some dinner in the old town, and then had a few drinks at Katie O’Connors Irish bar. It would be rude not to! All the restaurants here are open surprisingly late as well which was good as it meant that we didn’t have to rush around.
Day Two
On our second day in Dubrovnik we decided to hike up the hill that overlooks Dubrovnik, called Srđ. There is a cable car that you can take to the top, but it wasn’t working when we were there.
There is a trail up the side of the mountain which we walked up. The path is fairly even and wasn’t very steep so was actually a nice little walk. The view over the city was amazing and it only took about 30 minutes to reach the top.
At the top of the hill is a white stone cross and Fort Imperial, a defensive structure built by the French in 1810 during the Napoleonic Wars, and a very expensive restaurant. The views from the top are nice, but it is a little worn down. There is also a museum at the top but we didn’t go inside.
In the afternoon, we went to the beach for a relax before grabbing some dinner. Like most beaches in Croatia, it’s pebbles instead of sand and is quite small. It was also VERY busy, but was fine for an afternoon relax after walking up a hill, although I wouldn’t have wanted to spend the entire day there.
Day Three
We spent our last day going to visit the Island of Lokrum. The return ticket by boat and park entrance cost 150 kuna each.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t that sunny, but it didn’t stop us from trying to sunbathe. Around the island there are rocks where you can relax and sunbathe, if the sun decides to show its face. There’s also lots of ladders so you can get into the sea and have a swim!
There are a few places to eat on Lokrum if you don’t want to bring a packed lunch, including a snack bar if you’re not too hungry. We decided to go to Lacroma restaurant which was actually pretty decent. I had thought that the food might just be rubbish tourist food but I was pleasantly surprised as my meal was fresh and tasty!
To finish our time in Dubrovnik we did a sea kayaking tour. I really enjoyed it as we did it during sun set and it gave a different view of the city whilst doing a different activity. However, the sea was a little bit choppy on the return trip and Marcus got a bit seasick which wasn’t ideal.
The tour was finished off with wine and bruscetta included in the price.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time in Dubrovnik. I think we were there for enough time to see everything that we wanted without having to rush around. The only thing that I would have liked to do would have been a day trip to Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as it’s not very far away at all.
