Hi there! It’s time we share our last post from our Croatian journey. Exactly one year ago we were on a plane to Zadar where we started our week long trip along the coast of Croatia. Dubrovnik was our final stop and did not disappoint.
There are so many things that make this city an amazing destination, but also a few important things to keep in mind when planning a trip there. During the warmer months, a lot of cruise ships dock not far from the old town. This means that during the day, there is a huge influx in tourists. We were strategic about our time and planned day trips to Lokrum and Kotor during the days the cruise ships would be in the area. To view a schedule of cruise ships in Dubrovnik, check out this link here.
Another thing to consider is that Dubrovnik (or Southern Croatia in general) can get very hot and humid starting in June throughout the summer. It is manageable, especially if you utilize the beaches and crystal clear Adriatic sea to keep cool, but can make the average day of sightseeing a bit sweaty at times.
Lucky for us, our Airbnb was right next to the city walls. We were blown away with how close we were, having our own private bathroom and bedroom as a separate part of a house. A mother & daughter run the place and it looks like there was another private room and bathroom as part of the house as well, although we hardly ran into the others staying there. We were greeted by the mother, who didn’t speak much english, but greeted us with beers, chips and homemade cake–which we enjoyed on the roof! This was our favorite part of the Airbnb and actually spent sometime relaxing up there after our busy days. It overlooked the old town walls and sea!
We had about 2 full days in Dubrovnik and there are a few must-see’s you have to do while there.
- Take the cable car to the top of Srd Hill
On our first night in Dubrovnik, we headed up to the top of Srd Hill, using the cable car outside the city walls. It’s about $24 round trip for an adult ticket. You can order tickets online here, or just buy them at the stand. It takes about 4 minutes to get to the top.
They have a restaurant and a viewing area. We brought some beer that we had bought cold at a grocery store near our Airbnb. (One of our favorite things about Europe is that pretty much anywhere you go is BYOB!).
We stayed at the top of the hill much longer than we expected. The view was incredible. We watched the sunset over the coast and even stayed long enough to see the lights come on in the old town.
After riding the cable car back down, we stopped at a pizza place called Pizzeria Tabasco (about a 1 minute walk from where you get off the cable car, heading down hill towards town) and enjoyed dinner on their outside patio. This place is a bit more budget friendly, since it lies outside the city walls.
- Wake up early to explore the old town
Although we were strategic about visiting Dubrovnik on days when the cruise ships weren’t there, it’s still very busy this time of year. One of the best things we did was wake up early before everyone else to explore the town. (It was also a much cooler temperature for walking around). We only had to share the city with locals setting up their produce stands and outdoor seating at restaurants.
- Take a day trip
Dubrovnik is close to a lot of other fun areas so if you have enough time, we recommend taking a day trip. While there, we took a day trip to the Island of Lokrum off the coast. You can check out our earlier post here.
We also were able to take a bus to Kotor, Montenegro. (It’s still crazy to us that you can take a day trip to a different country, but this wasn’t our first time doing it). To read about what to do in Kotor, check out our blog post here. Another suggestion (although we didn’t get there) would be to take a bus Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina.
- Check out the local swim spotsLike I mentioned before, it was very hot in Dubrovnik when we visited, so one afternoon we scouted out a place to swim. Dubrovnik has a beach but it can get touristy & crowded. We went a little more off the beaten path and found a place where a lot of the locals were swimming. We had packed our swim tubes from our apartment in Spain so we could float in the water.
- Walk the city walls
Finally, and potentially one of the best things to do in Dubrovnik, would be to walk the city walls. It costs about $24 for an adult ticket. For more information on prices and hours, check out this link here.
We recommend getting to the wall as soon as it opens (8am in the summertime). There is absolutely no shade while walking the walls, so be prepared for it to be fairly hot, even in the earlier part of the day. It’s also not as crowded early in the morning so it’s a better experience. We had read a tip to start the walk at the Ploce gate, rather than Pile gate. Since most people find Pile gate first, it’s much more crowded in that area. We started our walk along the wall with maybe 5 other people, which was great!
It took us almost 2 hours to get around the whole city but we probably stopped to snap a picture or admire the view every few steps!
You may be thinking Dubrovnik looks familiar from these pictures. For any Game of Thrones fans, a lot of the scenes from Kings Landing were filmed there! We couldn’t stop reenacting scenes all over the city. (Stay tuned for a separate post about all of the Game of Thrones filming spots we’ve found throughout our travels).
Dubrovnik is a top contender for one of our favorite cities in the world. It was an amazing way to end such a crazy trip through Croatia. Check out our video blog below & start searching for flights to Dubrovnik!
Doviđenja, Amanda
