Even though I only stayed for a few days in Dubrovnik, it really stole my heart. This not-so-hidden gem on the Adriatic sea proved to be the perfect mix between a sightseeing and adventurous holiday, and a relaxing and chill one.
I planned to go to Dubrovnik at the end of July. It was my first time visiting Croatia and, more importantly, the first time I travelled to a new country since the beginning of the pandemic. How exciting!
In total, we stayed for 2 whole days and 2 half-days (one afternoon and one morning) and, at first, I thought it would never be enough to visit and see everything, but it was actually perfect! The centre of Dubrovnik is actually very small and you don’t really need a whole day to discover everything. Here is what we did!
Half-day 1:
We arrived there in the afternoon and started exploring the old town by walking around the numerous streets, trying not to get lost. We walked up and down the main street, Stradun, then decided to grab a drink to enjoy the sunset.
We went to the bar Buža, a bar that is a bit hidden away behind the city walls. Its main feature is the fact that it is set up right on the rocks in front of the sea, so you can almost feel the waves touching you, while you admire the beautiful view on the Lokrum island, the closest one to Dubrovnik.
For dinner, we went to the restaurant Bistro Tavulin, which serves traditional Croatian food, which was absolutely delicious. I had octopus salad and fried calamari, while my boyfriend enjoyed one of the most famous traditional dishes: black risotto (or crni rižot in Croatian).
Day 2:
Our second day started early in the morning with an 8-am visit of the Dubrovnik City Walls. They are almost 2 km long and encircle the entire Old Town, dotted with towers and fortresses, and they are still very well preserved nowadays.
The visit of the Walls was absolutely beautiful as they overlook the beautiful blue sea and the colourful red-brick roofs of the Old Town. Needless to say, I took hundreds of pictures but they aren’t nearly as stunning as the views from the walls. If you go there in the summer, make sure to go early in the morning or in the late afternoon as it gets really warm very quickly.
After this tour, we stopped for some coffee and decided to try the short walk that my guide book suggested. We had obviously been through all the streets, but it was really nice to actually know what the monuments we passed in front of actually were. Then, we went on a Game of Thrones-themed walk that we found online, to check all the filming spots of this famous series. Even though I saw the series and loved it, I couldn’t really recognize some of them, but it was still a fantastic and entertaining way to discover new spots in the town.
In the afternoon, we went to the Old Town’s harbour and hopped on a ferry that took us to Lokrum Island, the small island that is located right in front of Dubrovnik. Within 30 minutes we were there and spent the entire afternoon wandering around nature. I will do a more detailed blog post about it as there is actually a lot to say about this beautiful island!
In the evening, we had dinner at the Dalmatino restaurant and ate truffle pasta (a Croatian specialty from the Istria region). On the way back, we stumbled upon rehearsals for the Summer Festival that was taking place and enjoyed watching what seemed to be traditional fold dances!
Day 3:
I won’t go into too much detail for this day, as I will talk about it in a separate blog post as well, but most of our third day there consisted of a boat trip around Dubrovnik’s closest islands, the Elaphiti Islands.
During this tour we visited Lopud, Koločep and Šipan and got some time in each to explore, relax and swim a bit. It was a fantastic experience and we got to see wonderful views and swim the clearest water.
In the evening, back to Dubrovnik, we enjoyed a fresh Mediterranean dinner with some delicious food, right in front of the “Walk of shame” stairs from Game of Thrones!
Half-day 4:
We had our flight in the afternoon so had only a few hours in the morning. Since we didn’t have anything booked, we spent a very chill morning strolling around the centre and stopped for a delicious brunch in a super cute little street, parallel to the main street. After that, we took the bus to the airport and left sunny and warm Croatia to go back to a rainy and cold Belgium.
To sum up, this trip to Dubrovnik is definitely one of my favourite memories from the past two years. Even though it felt a bit odd to go back to “regular” travelling and discovering a completely new place after many lockdowns and closed borders, it was also absolutely amazing.
Dubrovnik, despite being quite touristic, is a stunning city, and truly a Mediterranean gem. Even though we only stayed there for a couple of days, I really loved it, its narrow little streets filled with plants, the freshly-washed clothes hanging to dry in front of each window, the delicious food and warmd and sunny atmosphere. I would go back in a heartbeat!
Have you ever been to Dubrovnik? What did you think of it?
We were in Dubrovnik in the summer of 2019, pre-COVID. We loved it, but it was completely slammed with tourists, so probably much different than your experience. We also visited Split and Zagreb, both great Croatian destinations, and then went on to Kotor, Montenegro and loved it as well. Here is my take on Dubrovnik, summer of 2019: https://youandmeodyssey.com/2019/09/14/game-of-tourist-dodging/
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I read you article, which is really nice! And I am glad we didn’t have so many tourists roaming around! I think that it is because the cruise ships were not there yet! Despite that, it was still full of tourists! Thank you for reading and commenting! 😊
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Oh this looks lovely and sounds like the perfect little getaway. So glad you’re able to travel cross borders again… I always love following along with your European adventures!
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Yes, it was perfect and it felt so nice to be able to discover a brand new place again! I hope you will soon get to travel too! Thank you so much for your comment 😊
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Una vera perla! peccato che quando ci andai…era inondata dal turismo di massa delle detestabili crociere…un omicidio paragonabile a quello che succede a Venezia…difatti sono le stesse crociere che vanno a Dubrovnick e poi a Venezia…spero che la pandemia le tenga a lungo lontane da queste bellezze!
Posso fare un ping-back all’entrata del mio blog che feci quando ci andai…?
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Si, infatti le navi da crociera sono terribili, e per fortuna ancora non c’erano quando sono andata lì, ma la città era comunque piena di turitsti! (Ma bellissima nonostante ciò) hai fatto benissimo a mettere il link al tuo blog, così ho potuto vedere le tue foto stupende! Un bacio 😊
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I had about three days in Dubrovnik, too, back in 2018. I felt that one full day (maybe one day and a half, if you really took your time) was enough to see the highlights and I spent the remainder of the time doing a day trip to Montenegro. It’s no doubt that the city is small and perfect to walk around, all the while to get millions of stunning views from the city walls. I also went to an interestingly-named restaurant, Lady Pi-Pi, that is at the top of the hill: it serves some expensive, but delicious seafood, and it has the stone lady herself in a NSFW pose!
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Yes, a whole day is definitely enough to visit the centre! I’m glad we stayed 3 days though because we could take our time and visit the island! I’ve heard that Montenegro was indeed beautiful too, so maybe it will be for next time 😁 thanks for dropping by!
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Hi, Juliette 🥰 Wow, what a lovely city filled with an amazing architecture and soft light. Plus, it has the amazing Mediterranean climate which guarantees a lot of sunny days through the year. The crystal clear waters and the beaches are also beautiful, particularly contrasting with the view of spectacular walls of the Old Town. A few years ago, I became quite obsessed with visiting Dubrovnik and nearby Montenegro but never ended up going. Hopefully one day 🥰 thanks for sharing and have a nice day 🤗 Aiva xx
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Oh, I hope you manage to go one day because it is the perfect little town to enjoy the sun and beautiful architecture! I really loved going to the islands as well! For me, it is really what the Mediterranean coast is all about: sea, sun, delicious food and beautiful architecture 😊 thanks for reading!
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Dubrovnik is a lovely spot but not quite the same since those Dothraki moved in!
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Ahahah definitely 😂 now the dragons are all gone, what a pity!
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It’s so beautiful – the views out across the red roofs are incredible. I can’t wait to visit one day 🙂
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I know, I think it was one of my favourite things there! Hope you get to go one day, it is really worth it 😊
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I always wanted to visit Dubrovnik. It looks wonderful. Thank you for sharing. It is indeed a great experience 🥰
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It is absolutely wonderful and I hope you get to visit it one day, it is definitely worth it! 😊 thanks for dropping by!!
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Dubrovnik is a fantastic place to visit, its extensive city walls by the sea, its harmonious houses, like a picture of the past in which you would be taking a walk.
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Absolutely! I especially loved walking on the city walls and admiring the city from above! Have you ever been? 😊
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I started and ended a roadtrip in Dubrovnik. Split, Zadar and Zagreb are also cities to visit. But returning to Dubrovnik, I had the feeling that I was already familiar with it, which is a nice feeling, especially as it is a very nice city.
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Wow, that sounds fantastic! I am sure that I will go back to Croatia because it is a beautiful country and doing a roadtrip there must be amazing!
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